Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I need five Einsteins, but I own six. It's protection against failure -- however unlikely -- in the midst of a gig. I have extra modeling lamps, flashtubes, frosted domes, batteries, cords and cables, fuses, light stands; backup camera bodies, lenses, etc. Heck, I even have extra sandbags. They all, all travel to the job.

But consider this: I own only one Cyber Commander and one CST transmitter. Certainly, like everything else from Buffland, these are wonderfully reliable products. So, I'm wondering, do any of you carry a second one of either to protect against device failure on the job? (Yes, the CC can go into the camera hot shoe and take over for a failed CST, but not vice versa.)

Of course, I have only one car. If it breaks down on the way to the gig, all of the preceding becomes moot...

Actually, I had two CST's already, before I got my CC.

I don't consider the CC "essential" for a shoot. It can certainly make things go quicker, but the tried and true method of adjusting each light directly is a suitable back up.

And actually, I find the CC "finicky" enough so far that if I am under any sort of "pressure" at a shoot, I just don't even use it. I have the older version (which I ordered/received not long before the newer version came out--had I known of the newer version, I would have waited for certain).

It seems like the range/comms are uber-touchy with mine. If I am 10 feet from all my lights, no problem. If I get 20-30 feet away, I may lose comms with the furthest light. If the client is standing in set, in front of a background light, I can lose control of that light. As often as not, I had to just walk around and adjust the lights manually anyway.

I probably just need to get off my duff and request a replacement from CS. Because of the issues, it quickly became a non-essential bit of kit, which is a shame. I often work without an assistant, so the CC could really help me out. But as soon as I lose control of a light, it is more efficient to just act as if I don't have a CC, rather than try to debug it on set with people waiting.

BDP-
I was looking at your order history and do not see where you ordered yours. Contact us via email or phone and we can troubel shoot the unit. It will likely need to come in for repair, but it should be golden after that!

Dick,
I am a proponent of back ups whenever possible, as even the most reliable product can be lost/stolen/runover/dropped in water/beamed up by Scotty/etc. If you do not have a back up CC, have a back up plan to shoot without one.

If you do get a back up CC, store it either without batteries, out of range, or on a different frequency than your set up. If it should activate inadvertently, it can reset your lights without you knowing it. This is a case of "too many chiefs/chefs". Since you are using Einsteins, if you set the CC to the right frequency, and open from studio, it will pick up where the other left off, if the situation arises.

I shoot with CC and CST triggers as well but also have a full backup of Yongnuo RF-602 triggers. For those I have two transmitters and six receivers and the total cost was around $100.... but I actually had them from my pre-PCB life when I used only speedlights. They trigger my PCB lights and speedlights and fit inside a portable harddrive case so they are easy to take along. Then of course I also carry a loooong PC cord just in case! Each step down the redundancy chain offers less control and more headaches but everything should fire!

Thanks! Yes, two of my Einsteins, my CC, and a few other items were part of a joint order last year with another photographer friend. I assume the s/n off the CC is what you will need?

Most of my issues have to do with range/signal strength. So I assume the newer model with the more external antenna would resolve those easily.

Without knowing more details, it is hard to say what would be done. Likely, though, the original would be repaired rather than replaced.