Strobe Nation

Wireless flash is becoming more popular in our photography work these days. Off camera lighting gives better lighting on the subjects and provides more control lighting conditions. Our thoughts on the new Alien Bee Cybersync can be found on this article below.

We ordered a battery power CST trigger transmitter $59.95 and CSR receiver for some testing. The receiver is small about 2 inches long, the cables provided with the receiver is good quality and a good vinyl feel and very flexible. Batteries are included with the receiver and 1/8 mini to PC cable used to connect directly to a flash. The receiver can also be used as a repeater if need for long distance. The Cybersynce has 16 selectable frequencies on a 2.4 GHz band. Once the receiver is powered on the unit stays on for about 1 hour after use on idle. There is no off button to turn the receiver off but the Cybersync uses very little power running on two AA batteries. The build quality of the Cybersynce receiver is good, the plastic is strong and antenna is part of the mold. After some intense testing I was able to fire 100% at about 50 feet distance. I normally do not need to long range and the Cybersync fits well into my budget than a Pocket Wizard.

The Cybersync transmitter is small! This thing is tiny and fit onto the hot shoe perfectly without any place. There is not locking mechanism like the Pocket Wizard has where you can screen a dial down to secure it onto the hot shoe. But the Cybersync fits snugly on to the hot shoe and will not fall off. The Cybersync transmitter is also on 16 selectable frequencies. The build quality is also similar to the receiver, very strong plastic and antenna is part of the plastic molding. The Cybersynce transmitter trigger voltage is 3v, so it is safe to use on any camera with built in hot shoe.

In conclusion, this unit does it all. I am not a big fan of using bulking wireless units such as Pocket Wizards and the price is just a fraction of what a Pocket wizard costs. This unit is definitely a great improvement over the Cactus V2 poverty wizard from Ebay. Highly recommend great for amateur and pro photographers.