The FLEX TT5 is a new wireless flash control system from the folks at PocketWizard. It is one component of the Control TL system. Canon's speedlights are capable of wireless control right out of the box, but have a number of limitations, mostly related to how Canon's speedlights communicate with one another. Canon Speedlights use infrared (IR) technology to communicate with one another. This means all of the speedlights must have "line-of-sight" contact with the camera, so you can't hide a speedlight behind a tree or under an umbrella. Another problem is limited range. Another problem is IR does not work well in direct sun. The folks at PocketWizard recognized that some photographers need to overcome these limitations. The Control TL system overcomes these limitations by using radio frequency (RF) technology to communicate between the camera and the various speedlights. This allows an amazing range and allows one to place the speedlights anywhere within this range ~ behind trees, umbrellas, etc.

In addition, the Control TL system has perfected a simple implementation of high sync flash, permitting photographers to shoot wide open apertures at shutter speeds well above the usual maximum sync speed.

Another strength of the Control TL system is its compatibility and support for Canon's E-TTL flash control system. With Canon's E-TTL flash control system, the speedlights emit a brief pre-flash which is evaluated by the camera to determine the final flash output from the speedlights. While not perfect, it is a very good flash control system.

For those photographers who prefer to use their speedlights in manual flash mode, the Control TL system is perfectly capable of triggering these speedlights too.

As more photographers are setting up portable studios, more flash accessories are entering the market. One such company is the Honl company who produces top-notched flash accessories such as filters, snoots, grids, softboxes, reflectors, and gobos.

In the galleries below, I will demonstrate a number of simple portable studio setups, ranging from one strobe to three strobes. I will then add some of the Honl accessories and demonstrate their use. Finally I will take my subject outside for a final shoot.

If you have questions about any of this, send me an e-mail. I consider myself a student of this subject rather than an expert, so your questions may help me to better understand the portable studio.