Cactus V6 IIs User manual

User Manual

Wireless

Flash

Transceiver

V6 IIs

2

Table of Contents

1. Getting to Know the Cactus V6 IIs 4

2. Cautions and Warnings 6

3. Major Specif ications 7

4. Package Contents 8

5. Nomenclature 9

6. LCD Panel 11

7. Co mpatibility 13

8. TTL Pass-through 16

9. Getting Started 18

10. Flash Setup 29

11. Flash Triggering 34

12. Remote Manual Power and Zoom 36

Control

3

13. High Speed Synchronization 50

14. Camera Shutter Release 55

15. Advanced Operations 60

16. Personalizing the V6 IIs 67

17. Working with Cactus Gear 72

18. LED Signal Guide 78

19. USB Connection 79

20. Optional Accessories 81

21. Troubleshooting 82

22. Notices 88

23. Warranty 91

4

1. Getting to Know the Cactus

V6 IIs

Thank you for purchasing the Cactus

Wireless Flash Transceiver V6 IIs.

The Cactus V6 IIs is specially designed for

Sony cameras and ashes with the MI (Multi-

Interface) hot shoe. Yet when working with

the Cactus V6 II, it allows you to command

different brands’ ashes off camera below or

above x-sync speed. The freedom to adjust

shutter speed equips you with the most

exibility in controlling apertures and

power levels. The possibility are endless!

1. Cross-brand wireless manual power

and zoom control of Canon, Fujif ilm,

Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax

ashes with Cactus V6 II .

2. Specif ically designed for Sony cameras

a n d  a s h e s w it h t h e M u lti-I n t e rf a c e (M I)

shoe.

3. Two cross-brand high-speed sync modes:

Normal HSS and Power Sync.

- Normal HSS supports shutter speeds up

to 1/8000s.

- Power Sync boosts ash contribution

1.1

Special

Features

5

above the x-sync shutter speed.

4. Multi-master supports up to 20

photographers f iring the same set of

ashes at their own power setting.

5. AF-assist light assists focusing in low

light environments.

6. Flash prof ile customization ensures

accurate power output.

7. Work seamlessly with the RF60 series to

support HSS and Power Sync.

8. Plenty of useful features inherited from

the V6: including Lo Power, Absolute

Power, TTL Pass-through, Group Sequence,

Sports Shutter, Remote Shutter, Relay

Mode, and Delay Mode.

Both V6 IIs and V6 II transceivers compile

t h e D - T T L (d i g it a l t h r o u g h -t h e -l e n s)

protocols from different camera systems and

build up a common language between cameras

a n d  a s h e s.

When working with the V6 II, the V6 IIs

transceiver is a gateway to sync your Sony

cameras to almost any digital ashes in the

world.

Ready to go? Let’s get started and see what

the V6 IIs can do!

1.2

Cactus

V6 IIs

Core

6

2. Cautions and Warnings

Before using your V6 IIs, read the following

safety precautions to ensure correct and

safe use:

1. Turn OFF all your equipment (e.g., Cactus

units, ash units, cameras, etc.) before

changing batteries. Observe the correct

polarity when changing batteries. There

is a danger of explosion if the batteries

are installed incorrectly.

2. Switch off the transceiver and remove

batteries during storage.

3. Do not permanently store the product in

a high temperature environment (i.e.,

under strong direct sunlight, near

cooking stoves/oven).

4. The Cactus V6 IIs should never be

submerged in liquid or exposed to heavy

rain unless it is properly protected.

5. Do not operate the device in the presence

of  a m m a b l e g a s e s o r f u m e s.

6. Do not disassemble.

7. Do not crush the V6 IIs and do not expose

it to any shock or force such as

hammering, dropping, or stepping on it.

7

3. Major Speciﬁcations

• Working radio frequency: 2.4 GHz

• Number of channels: 16

• Number of groups: 4

• Support sync speed up to 1/8,000 second

• AF-Assist LED: 1W

• Maximum effective distance: 100 meters

• Operating temperature: -20°C to +50°C

• Camera voltage handling: up to 6V

• Flash voltage handling: up to 300V

• Dimensions:

79 m m (L) x 77 m m (W) x 4 6 m m (H)

• Weight: 89g

• Power input: 2 x AA batteries, 3V, 50mA,

0.15W; mini USB 2.0, DC input 5V

• Estimated battery life in hours

(with LCD backlight on):

Alkaline AA

Batteries 1000mAh

Rechargeable NiMH AA

Batteries 2500mAh

TX RX TX RX

55 32 65 34

8

4. Package Contents

Album, Sticker

& Quick Start

Guide

Flash Stand FS-2V6 IIs Transceiver

9

5. Nomenclature

LCD DISPLAY

HOT SHOE

(FE M A L E)

X-SYNC PORT

MINI USB PORT

MODE SWITCH

AF-ASSIST

LIGHT

LANYARD

LOOP

TEST BUTTON/

SHUTTER RELEASE

BUTTON

GROUP BUTTONS

10

HOT SHOE

(M A L E)

HOT SHOE

LOCK LEVER

BATTERY DOOR

TRIPOD MOUNT

LED STATUS INDICATOR

MENU BUTTON

OK BUTTON

SELECTION DIAL

11

6. LCD Panel

(T h e s t a t u s s cr e e n i s a c c e s s i b le b y p r e s s i n g

and holding the Menu button while turning

the dial to either the left or right at the

same time.)

6.1

TX mode

CAMERA

SYSTEM

FLASH PROFILE

FLASH

SYSTEM

SYNC MODE

INDICATOR

RELAY MODE

INDICATOR

DELAY

TIMER

CHANNEL

POWER LEVEL POWER LEVEL INCREMENT

BATTERY INDICATOR

GROUP

MAIN SCREEN

STATUS SCREEN

POWER LEVEL/

ZOOM

12

Sony Others

6.2

RX mode

WIRELESS

SENSITIVITY

CHANNEL

BATTERY

INDICATOR

FLASH

PROFILE

POWER LEVEL

INCREMENT

POWER

LEVEL

DELAY

TIMER

RELAY MODE

INDICATOR

FLASH

SYSTEM

6.3

Camera

and Flash

Indicators

13

7. Compatibility

The Cactus V6 IIs is both a wireless ash

trigger and wireless remote control. While

it triggers both portable ashes and studio

strobe lights, it also supports remote

c o nt r ol f e a t u r e s w it h s ele ct e d  a s h m o d e l s.

7.1.1 Cactus RF60X / RF60

With the built-in Cactus V6 module, the

Cactus RF60 series can be remotely

commanded and triggered by the V6 IIs (see

Sectio n 17.1.1).

7.1.2 Flash Models for Sony cameras

The Cactus V6 IIs works with ashes that

come with either (1) a Sony MI shoe, or (2)

a legacy Sony/Minolta iISO hot shoe with

an appropriate hot shoe adapter (e.g., Sony

A DP - M A A).

Flash prof iles pre-installed in the V6 IIs

include:

7.1

Flash &

Studio

Strobes

14

• Sony HVL-F60M, HVL-F58AM*, HVL-F43M

• Metz 64 AF-1, 44 AF-1*

• Nissin i40

7.1.3 Studio Strobes

The Cactus V6 IIs triggers studio strobes

with the PC sync male port, 3.5mm or 6.35mm

p o r t v i a o p tio n a l c a ble s (s e e S e c tio n 20).

This includes high trigger voltage portable

 a s h m o d el s, a n d a l l st r o b e m o d e l s w it h a

trigger voltage of 300V or less. The Cactus

V6 IIs does not provide remote power control

of t h e s e  a s h e s a n d s t r o b e s.

F o r st u d i o  a s h e s t o w o r k w it h h i g h - s p e e d

s y n c, t h e y h a v e t o m a i nt a i n a  a s h d u r ati o n

of 1/100 second or longer.

Caution:

Flashes or strobes with reversed polarity

connectors DO NOT WORK with the Cactus V6

series.

*

requires an appropriate hot shoe adapter

15

7.2

Cameras

The Cactus V6 IIs works with all cameras

t h at a r e e q u i p p e d w it h (1) t h e S o n y M I s h o e,

or (2) t h e l e g a c y S o n y/ M i n o lt a i I S O h o t s h o e

with an appropriate hot shoe adapter (e.g.,

Sony ADP-AMA).

To use the V6 IIs as a wireless shutter

release, specif ic cables are required. For

the list of optional accessories, see

Section 20.

The Cactus V6 IIs in TX mode works

seamlessly with Wireless Flash Transceiver

V6 II in RX mode.

The Cactus V6 IIs is compatible with the

Wireless Flash Transceiver V6, V5, and Laser

Trigger LV5. See Sections 17.2 and 17.3 for

details.

The Cactus V6 IIs is NOT compatible with

any other ash trigger model, including the

Cactus V4, Cactus V2s, and Cactus V2.

7.3

Flash

Triggers

16

8. TTL Pass-through

The V6 IIs transceiver comes with a pair of

hot shoes that supports TTL pass-through

with Sony cameras and Sony system ashes.

While the V6 IIs does not wirelessly command

off-camera ashes to f ire according to TTL

metering, it is designed to pass the TTL

signal from camera to ash via the

transmitter (TX) and vice versa.

Wit h T T L p a ss -t h r o u g h, t h e T T L  a s h e s

behave as they would when directly

connected to the camera hot shoe. The V6 IIs

will work as a wireless ash commander while

s u p p o r t i n g a l l t h e a u t o m ati c f e a t u r e s (e.g.,

automatic ash output via TTL metering, AF-

assist light, second curtain sync and high

speed sync/FP shutter) provided by the TTL

ash system.

17

To enable the TTL pass-through in the V6 IIs

TX, press and hold for 2 seconds. The LCD

will show the TTL pass-through indicator

at the left bottom corner where the channel

indicator used to be.

In TTL pass-through mode, the V6 IIs TX

cannot control the power level of the ash

attached.

To disable the TTL pass-through mode, press

and hold for 2 seconds. The TTL pass-

through indicator will be replaced by the

channel indicator on the LCD.

Alternatively, the TTL pass-through mode can

be enabled or disabled in the <FUNCTIONS>

m e n u (s e e S e c tio n 9.7).

18

9. Getting Started

Open the battery door by pushing it

backward. Flip open the latch and insert two

AA batteries using the correct polarities.

Then close the battery door by pushing it to

the f r ont.

To mount the V6 IIs on a camera’s hot shoe

mou nt:

1. Turn the lock lever of the V6 IIs to the

left to unlock the multi-system shoe

(m a l e).

9.1

Installing

the

Batteries

UNLOCK

LOCK

9.2

Attaching

to and

from the

Camera

Detaching

19

2. Slide the V6 IIs into the camera’s hot

shoe.

3. Turn the lock lever of the V6 IIs to

the right to lock the multi-system shoe

(m a l e).

4. When detaching the V6 IIs from the

camera’s hot shoe, turn the lock lever to

t h e lef t t o u n lo c k t h e h o t s h o e (m a le).

Otherwise, the hot shoe (male) may be

da maged.

The V6 IIs control panel is equipped with a

Menu button , an OK button , and a

selection dial for quick access to

different functions and the conf iguration

menu.

The selection dial has a built-in push-in

button that serves as a quick OK button. You

may conf igure how the dial works to suit

y o u r w o r k i n g h a bit (s e e S e c tio n s 16.1-16.3).

Major functions of the V6 IIs listed below

are easily accessible by the buttons and

dial.

9.3

Buttons

and Dial

20

Group Control (see Section 9.6)

Function Mode LCD Key

Select a group

(e.g., g r o u p A)

for adjusting

parameters (power

le vel/zoo m)

TX

Main screen,

when the

group is not

selected

Hold*

Deselect a group

(e.g., g r o u p A)

Main screen,

when the

group is

selected

Turn on/off a

g r o u p (e.g .,

gr oup A)

Main screen,

when the

group is not

selected

Test f iring a

g r o u p (e.g .,

gr oup A)

Main screen

+

Group EV Offset

in absolute power

m o d e (e.g., t o

gr oup A)

Main screen,

in absolute

power mode

+

Change the RX to

another group

(e.g., t o g r o u p A)

RX

Main screen

* Hold = Pr e s s a n d hold th e butt o n fo r 2 se c o n d s,

then r ele ase.

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Cactus V6 IIs User manual

Cactus V6 IIs User manual

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