Cactus V6 User manual

User Manual

Wireless

Flash

Transceiver

V6

2

Table of Contents

1. Getting to Know the Cactus V6 4

2. Cautions and Warnings 7

3. Major Specif ications 8

4. Package Contents 9

5. Nomenclature 10

6. LCD Panel 12

7. Co mpatibility 13

8. TTL Pass-through 17

9. Getting Started 19

10. Flash Prof ile: 29

Choosing, Learning, and Copying

11. Flash Triggering 37

12. Remote Manual Power Control 39

3

13. Camera Shutter Release 49

14. Advanced Operations 54

15. Personalizing the V6 59

16. Working with Cactus Gear 63

17. LED Signal Guide 68

18. USB Connection 69

19. Optional Accessories 71

20. Troubleshooting 72

21. Notices 78

22. Warranty 81

4

1. Getting to Know the Cactus

V6

Thank you for purchasing the Cactus

Wireless Flash Transceiver V6. The Cactus V6

i s a m u lt i f u n cti o n a l wi r ele s s  a s h

transceiver that allows you to command

different brands’ ashes off camera with

remote power control. You can position your

lights at any angle, direction, and

distance — the possibilities are endless!

1. Wireless manual power control of a list

of current and previous Canon, Nikon,

Ol y m p u s, P a n a s o n i c a n d P e n t a x  a s h e s.

2. Flash prof ile learning for analogue-TTL

ashes.

3. Full manipulation of power levels to

1/10, 1/3, 1/2 and 1EV steps.

4. Lo Power mode f ires the ash for

extremely short lengths of time.

5. Absolute Power Mode benchmarks the power

output of different ash models to the

same light intensity.

6. TTL pass-through with Canon, Nikon,

Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, and Fujif ilm

via one single unit.

1.1

Special

Features

5

7. Built-in optical trigger enables

pre-ash triggering.

8. Group control allows you to control up to

four groups.

9. Relay mode triggers the camera shutter

a n d  a s h i n s y n c.

10. Delay timer is conf igurable from

1 millisecond to 10 seconds.

11. Min i-USB port for optional power supply

and f irmware updates.

Each ash model has its individual power

level characteristics. We have prof iled more

than 30 popular ash models across a wide

range of brands so that the V6 can precisely

control their output levels. With this

unique feature, photographers can remotely

control the ash power of various ash

models, even of different brands!

F o r  a s h m o d el s t h at h av e n o t b e e n i n c lu d e d

in the prof ile list, the V6 can still work

with it by learning its ash prof ile. Check

S e c t i o n 7.1.3 f o r d e t a il s of w h i c h  a s h e s

are eligible for the ash prof ile learning

program.

1.2

Cactus V6

Core

6

Whether built-in or obtained from the

learning program, the ash prof ile stored

i n t h e V6 c a n v i r tu a l l y c o m m a n d t h e  a s h t o

produce ANY power level within the maximum

o u t p u t, a n d e v e n e x c e e d s w h at t h e  a s h m e n u

allows you to do:

1. Finer increment scales: The V6 can

adjust the power level of ash to 1/10 EV

step, a much f iner increment level than

t h e  a s h m e n u it s e lf a ll o w s (s e e

Section 12.3 for setting up the EV step).

2. Extremely short f iring time: In Lo Power

mode, the V6 can f ire ashes for very

short lengths of time at extremely low

power levels (roughly equal to 1/256),

which is beyond the standard ash power

r a n g e (s e e S e c tio n 1 2.4 f o r e n a bli n g t h e

Lo Power output).

3. Unif ied power level scale for different

 a s h m o d el s: T h e V 6 b e n c h m a r k s t h e l i g h t

intensity output of different ash

models in your set up and commands them

to f ire at the same power scale (see

Section 12.2 for adjusting absolute

p o w e r).

Ready to go? Let’s get on board and see what

the V6 can do!

7

2. Cautions and Warnings

Before using your V6, 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 or making

connections. 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 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 le g a s e s or f u m es.

6. Do not dissemble.

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

any shock or force such as hammering,

dropping, or stepping on it.

8

3. Major Speciﬁcations

• Working radio frequency: 2.4 GHz

• Number of channels: 16

• Number of groups: 4

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

(subject to camera’s sync speed

limitation)

• 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:

72 m m (L) x 72 m m (W) x 42 m m (H)

• Weight: 68g

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

0.15W; mini USB 2.0, DC input 5V, 500mA~1A

• Estimated battery life:

Battery life

(h o u rs)

Alkaline AA

Batteries

1000mAh

Rechargeable

Ni M H A A

Batteries

2500mAh

TX RX TX RX

LCD Backlight Off 40 21 67 34

LCD Backlight On 25 17 36 25

9

4. Package Contents

Album &

User Manual

Flash Stand FS-2V6 Transceiver

10

5. Nomenclature

LCD DISPLAY

M U LTI-SYSTE M

SHOE (FEMALE)

X-SYNC PORT

MINI USB PORT

M O D E S W I T C H

OPTICAL

SENSOR

LANYARD

LOOP

TEST BUTTON/

SHUTTER RELEASE

BUTTON

GROUP BUTTONS

11

M U LTI-SYSTE M

SHOE (MALE)

HOT SHOE

LOCK LEVER

BATTERY DOOR

TRIPOD MOUNT

LED STATUS INDICATOR

MENU BUTTON

OK BUTTON

SELECTION DIAL

12

6. LCD Panel

BATTERY

INDICATOR

CHANNEL

GROUP

POWER LEVEL

INCREMENT

WIRELESS

SENSITIVITY

CHANNEL

BATTERY

INDICATOR

6.1

TX mode

6.2

RX mode

GROUP

POWER LEVEL

INCREMENT

SELECTED FLASH PROFILE

DELAY TIMER RELAY MODE

INDICATOR

SLAVE M ODE

INDICATOR

13

7. Compatibility

The Cactus V6 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 fe a t u r e s w it h s e l e ct e d  a s h m o d e l s.

7.1.1 Cactus RF60

With the built-in Cactus V6 module, the

Cactus RF60 can be remotely commanded and

triggered by V6 TX (see Section 16.1.1).

7.1.2 Flash Models with a Pre-installed Prof i le in

the Cactus V6

The Cactus V6 can remotely control the

fo l l o w i n g p o r t a ble  a s h m o d el s:

7.1

Flash &

Studio

Strobes

14

FLASH SYSTEM FLASH MODEL

CANON CACTUS AF45C, AF50C;

CANON 320EX, 420EX, 430EX*, 430EZ,

540EZ, 580EX*, 600EX-RT;

GOD OX V860C;

METZ 36AF-5, 44AF-1, 50A F-1, 52A F-1,

58AF-1, 58AF-2;

NISSIN Di866 II, MG8000;

PHOTTIX MITROS;

SIGMA EF-500 DG SUPER;

YONGNUO YN568EX*;

NIKON CACTUS AF45N, AF50N;

GO DOX V860N;

METZ 36AF-5, 44AF-1, 50AF-1, 58AF-2;

NIKON SB-24, SB-28, SB-500, SB-600,

SB-700, SB-800, SB-900, SB-910;

NISSIN Di700, D i866;

SIGMA EF-530 DG SUPER;

OLYMPUS METZ 44AF-1, 52AF-1, 58AF-2;

OLYMPUS FL-36R, FL-50R;

PANASONIC PANASONIC FL-360R, FL-500R;

PENTAX CACTUS AF45P, AF50P;

METZ 36AF-5, 44AF-1, 50AF-1, 58AF-2;

PENTAX AF360FGZ, AF360FGZ II,

AF540FGZ, AF540FGZ II;

* prof iles working with different versions of the

m o d e l (e.g ., 58 0 E X II a n d 5 80 E X)

7.1.3 Flash Models with Analogue TTL Mode

The Cactus V6 can learn the prof iles of

other ash models that come with an analogue

15

TTL mode, i.e., the TTL operated analogue

q u e n c h si g n a ls. I f y o u r  a s h e s c o m e w it h a

TTL mode that does not have an initial

b ef o r e T T L (e.g., E - T T L o r E - T T L I I f r o m

Canon, i-TTL or i-TTL BL from Nikon, or

P-TTL from Pentax), their ash prof iles may

be learned and remotely controlled by the

Cactus V6.

7.1.4 Other Flash Models and Studio Strobes

The Cactus V6 triggers all other ash models

via the hot shoe, and studio strobes with

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

v i a o p tio n a l c a bl e s (s e e S e c tio n 19). T h i s

includes high trigger voltage portable ash

models, and all strobe models with a trigger

voltage of 300V or under. The Cactus V6 does

not provide remote power control of these

 a s h e s a n d st r o b e s.

Caution:

Flashes or strobes with reversed polarity

connectors DO NOT WORK with the Cactus V6.

16

The Cactus V6 works with practically all

cameras that come with either (1) a standard

IS O h o t s h o e, o r (2) a f e m a l e s y n c p or t

connection.

To use the V6 as a wireless shutter release,

specif ic shutter cables are required. For

the list of optional accessories, see

Se ction 19.

7.3.1 Cactus V5 and LV5

The Cactus V6 is compatible with the

Wireless Flash Transceiver V5 and Laser

Trigger LV5. See Section 16.2 for details.

7.3.2 Other Flash Triggers

The Cactus V6 is NOT compatible with any

other ash trigger model, including the

Cactus V2, Cactus V2s, and Cactus V4.

7.3

Flash

Triggers

7.2

Cameras

17

8. TTL Pass-through

The V6 transceiver comes with a multi-system

shoe that supports TTL pass-through.

While the V6 does not transmit TTL signal

wirelessly, it is designed to pass TTL

signal from camera to ash via the

transmitter (TX) and vice versa.

The multi-system shoe supports TTL

pass-through of Canon, Fujif ilm, Nikon,

Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax systems.

Make sure that camera and ash unit belong

to the same TTL system.

Wit h T T L p a s s -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

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 a ti c f e a t u r e s (e.g.,

automatic ash output via TTL metering,

18

AF assist light, second curtain sync, high

speed sync/FP shutter) provided by the TTL

ash system.

To enable TTL pass-through in the V6 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 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.

19

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 on a camera’s hot shoe mount:

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

t o u n l o c k t h e m u lti- s y st e m s h o e (m a le).

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

9.1

Installing

the

Batteries

9.2

Attaching

to and

from the

Camera

UNLOCK

LOCK

Detaching

20

3. Turn the lock lever of the V6 to the

right to lock the multi-system shoe

(m a l e).

4. When detaching the V6 from the camera’s

hot shoe, turn the lock lever to the left

t o u n l o c k t h e m u lti- s y st e m s h o e (m a le).

Otherwise, the multi-system shoe (male)

may be damaged.

Note: At t a c h y o u r  a s h t o t h e V 6 a s y o u

would to the camera’s hot shoe. If your ash

is not locked securely on the Multi-System

S h o e (fe m a l e), t r y h a lf-lo c k i n g t h e  a s h a n d

retracting it slightly from the Multi-System

Shoe until the locking pin hits the pinhole.

T h e n lo c k y o u r  a s h f u l l y t o t h e V 6.

The V6 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 15.1 -

15.3).

9.3

Buttons

and Dial

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