PocketWizard has revealed their firmware release plan for support of new products (primarily DSLRs).
David Hobby at Strobist reviews the new PocketWizard Plus III.
Joe McNally reviews the new PocketWizard Plus III.
B&H is taking PocketWizard Plus III Transceiver preorders.
From LPA Design:
LPA Design Announces New PocketWizard Plus III Transceiver
Easy-to-use, feature-packed radio trigger is ideal for any serious photographer
So. Burlington, VT – February 20, 2012 – LPA Design, manufacturers of PocketWizard Photo Products, the world leader in reliable wireless control of cameras, flash lighting and light meters, announces the new PocketWizard Plus III – a feature-packed, easy-to-use solution for remote flash and camera triggering. This new simple but powerful radio provides professional and serious amateur photographers with the most reliable triggering system which they will never outgrow and never want to be without.
“Our goals in designing the new Plus III were simple: It needed to do more, cost less and offer the same reliability and simplicity as the legendary Plus II. We believe the Plus III achieves all of this and more in its sleek new design,” said Dave Schmidt, LPA Designs VP of Marketing. “Photographers need tools that will help them create images they couldn’t before and with less hassle and lower cost. The Plus III is exactly that tool.”
The new Plus III Transceiver features 32 channels and Selective Quad-Zone Triggering that enables photographers to remotely trigger flash and/or cameras in groups or individually all wirelessly from hundreds of feet away. Performance enhancing features include Long Range Mode and Repeater Mode to help photographers tackle the most challenging shooting environments and open the door for never-attempted image ideas. All features, channels and zones can be easily set using the soft-touch keypad and are clearly displayed on the backlit LCD display. *
The versatile new PocketWizard Plus III is compatible with all other PocketWizard radios and virtually every popular flash and professional digital SLR camera system. It also communicates with all PocketWizard-enabled photo gear including select Profoto, Dynalite, Norman and Photogenic flash systems and Sekonic light meters.
The new Plus III will be demonstrated at the PocketWizard WPPI 2012 Booth #621 in Las Vegas, NV, February 20-23, 2012 as well as in the JP Distribution booth at Focus on Imaging Show in Birmingham, UK, March 4-7, 2012.
* Please see PocketWizard PLUS III Features and Specifications documents for more information.
More information should become available at http://plusiii.pocketwizard.com/.
From LPA Design:
LPA Files Patent Claim
LPA Design Files Patent Infringement Claim Against Chinese Manufacturer
So. Burlington, VT – January 11, 2011 - LPA Design has filed a complaint for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont against Phottix (HK) Ltd. and Eternal Fortune (HK) Ltd., alleging that the Phottix Atlas wireless flash trigger produced in China infringes upon two patents held by LPA Design. The Vermont-based company, incorporated as Lab Partner Associates, Inc., is the manufacturer of the industry-leading PocketWizard® line of high precision wireless control devices for the professional photography market, including the popular PocketWizard Plus II®.
The PocketWizard technology allows professional photographers to control complex lighting systems remotely from the body of a camera. It is particularly useful in studio, sports and event photography, and has become the industry standard as a result of sustained research and development conducted in Vermont.
“LPA was an early and ground-breaking contributor to the technology and market for professional quality wireless flash triggers,” said Tim Neiley, CEO and President of LPA. “LPA has worked hard to bring its patented technologies to market through constant innovation and improvement always with a view to the needs of the professional photographer. This lawsuit is necessary to protect our investment in innovation.”
LPA Design holds patents in the United States and throughout the world covering its proprietary wireless triggering technology. The patents in the lawsuit cover technology in radio communications between wireless trigger devices and the innovative auto-switching transceiver introduced for the first time in the PocketWizard Plus II wireless trigger.
The patents LPA Design is asserting include:
United States Patent No. 5,359,375 issued for an invention entitled “Microprocessor Programmable Digital Remote Radio Photographic Control.”
United States Patent No. 7,437,063 issued for an invention entitled “Wireless Camera Flash Synchronizer System and Method.”
Founded in 1990 as an electronics R&D consulting company, LPA Design has expertise in printed circuit board design, RF communications and antenna optimization, and remote sensors. Among other innovations, LPA Design developed the industry leading PocketWizard line of high precision wireless control devices for the professional photography market. PocketWizard products provide ultra-high precision, wireless synchronization of cameras, flash lighting, and light meters, allowing professional photographers to create unparalleled photographs and achieve unmatched reliability in capturing high value images.
LPA Design is represented by Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC in Burlington, Vermont.
PocketWizard press release:
PocketWizard® Photo Products Announces Convenient New Storage Solution
PocketWizard G-Wiz Trunk designed specifically for MiniTT1®, Flex TT5® and accessories
So. Burlington, VT – September 6, 2011 – LPA Design, manufacturers of PocketWizard radios, the world leader in wireless control and synchronization of cameras, flash lighting and light meters, announces today the new G-Wiz Trunk bag. Designed specifically for use with the MiniTT1, FlexTT5 radios and accessories, this optimally-sized padded gear bag packs a lot of room in a small space and still fits comfortably into a photographer’s photo bag.
“This new G-Wiz Trunk bag offers photographers a safe and convenient solution to keeping all their radios and coordinating accessories organized and together in one place for quick and easy access,” said Dave Schmidt, LPA Designs VP of Marketing. “It’s the perfect storage solution for photographers that have invested in multiple MiniTT1 and FlexTT5’s.”
The new PocketWizard G-Wiz Trunk bag features movable hook-n-loop dividers allowing photographers to customize this bag to fit their gear-packing needs. The G-Wiz Trunk opens from the top allowing photographers to see all their PocketWizard gear neatly and safely packed away. And, the padded movable dividers provide extra protection when traveling.
Features include: zippered inside pocket, web loop, movable hook-n-loop padded dividers, 7.5" wide x 3.5" high by 3.5" deep, and durable rip-stop nylon construction.
B&H carries PocketWizard products.
PocketWizard has released a significant ControlTL Firmware Update for MiniTT1 and FlexTT5.
"PocketWizard, the industry leader in wireless control and synchronization of cameras, flash and light meters, announces a major new update to its ControlTL firmware for both Nikon and Canon versions of its MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 radios. Available now, version 3.0 for Nikon and Version 6.0 for Canon include several new features and updates to make the system more powerful than ever including HyperSync™ Automation, SpeedCycler and Flash Power Control without a Camera. Any current owner of the ControlTL system can install these new features and updates for free using the PocketWizard Utility."
LPA Design Preliminary Research Report on Canon 580EX II Flash Failures (19 Page PDF) (thanks Mike)
Utility 1.35 offers new features for Canon MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 radios and compatibility with Nikon MiniTT1 and FlexTT5.
So. Burlington, VT – PocketWizard, the industry leader in wireless control and synchronization of cameras, flash lighting and light meters, announces today the release of Utility 1.35. Utility version 1.35 offers a few new features from Utility 1.18.9 including the ability to save and load profiles, expanded help, improved organization, many operational improvements and compatibility with MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Nikon.
Utility 1.35 now offers compatibility with all USB enabled PocketWizard radios including MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Canon, PowerST4, MultiMAX (USB enabled only) and the recently released MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Nikon.
The new PocketWizard Utility allows you to save custom profiles and then save them to your computer. This allows you to quickly load a profile from your computer and store it in your radio. Additionally, the new Utility has expanded Help features including contextual help in the side bar, an extensive HTML help document and hover-over text. You now have the option to perform a “Factory Reset” from within the PocketWizard Utility. When you update your radios via the Utility, factory reset will be performed automatically.
Click here for more information on Utility 1.35.
Click here to download the new Utility 1.35.
Note: the Nikon MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 are now shipping to dealers.
PocketWizard firmware v5.200 for the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Canon is now available for download via PocketWizard Utility.
More information about this update can be found in the Owner's Manual Addendum.
Firmware 5.15 Corrects Data Table Issue in 5.10
"We recently released the latest official ControlTL firmware, version 5.10. Based on continued internal testing and feedback from users, it appears that a couple of the exposure and timing data tables became corrupted somewhere in the process. We’ve had reports of improper exposures with several camera models as well as shutter clipping with the 1Ds Mark III and 1D Mark IV. We have corrected the tables and the revised firmware is available as version 5.15 and can be downloaded via the PocketWizard Utility now.
We recommend upgrading to 5.15 as soon as you can.
The manual addendum for v5.10 is still the same for v5.15."
August 4, 2010
South Burlington, VT - PocketWizard today launched the newest firmware version for the MiniTT1 Transmitter and FlexTT5 Transceiver. ControlTL Firmware Version 5.1 is a firmware upgrade which allows compatibility with the AC3 ZoneController for Canon. The AC3 ZoneController gives the photographer control over three independent zones of light, whether working in E-TTL or Manual mode, directly from the camera’s position. Additionally, the firmware upgrade now allows compatibility with the Canon Rebel T2i. Compatibility with the Canon 7D and 1D Mark IV has also been expanded.
There have been a few refinements to the firmware since the 5.0 launch which has been tested in the beta lab in the form of two beta versions.
For more detailed information on firmware version 5.1, including compatibility, refinements and operational notes, please click here.
IMPORTANT: When upgrading your radios, be sure to upgrade all MiniTT1’s and FlexTT5’s to v5.1 for proper AC3 functionality. Your radios will only operate as expected when all units are using the latest firmware.
Additionally, always perform a factory reset after updating your firmware. And be sure to write down any custom settings for Configuration 1 or Configuration 2 before you reset your radios so you can re-apply them after the upgrade. See RESET B on page 28 in the original Owner’s Manual or simply hold TEST as you power on for 10 seconds until you see 4 blinks (green).
PocketWizard, the world leader in wireless control and synchronization of cameras, flash lighting and light meters, is made by LPA Design, based in South Burlington, Vermont and sold by MAC Group in the USA and authorized distributors around the world.
Use PocketWizard Utility to download the update.
PocketWizard has posted some product status updates on their site.
Ever wanted to remotely control the power settings of your studio strobes? If you have Elinchrom RX, AlienBees or White Lighting studio lights, the new PocketWizard ControlTL for the Studio might be the solution you are looking for.
LPA Design has released PocketWizard MultiMAX Firmware v7.50
New features include: Long Range Mode, Close Range Mode, Noise Sniffer, Signal Strength Indicator, Custom ID Move, Radio Relay (Repeater) Mode.
Much more information is available in the press release.