Cactus Wireless WRLS Flash Transceiver V5 Single

2019-05-28T06:55:08

Very inexpensive entry to radio triggers. Of the 4 I I have, 3 work. Also, supposed to be universal but seems only to work with my Nikon flashes, not any of my generics. On the whole seems worth the price.

Mark W.

2018-05-10T10:27:04

At one time I was using the Pocket Wizard transceivers while doing beach portraits. Not any more. They were too expensive and did not preform any better than the Cactus. I like the Cactus as it's not too expensive although the price has gone up since first using them several years back. When they get dropped in ocean or dropped I don't feel like I've wasted a lot of money as I did with the Pocket Wizard units. Caution if using on the beach make sure to use a pencil eraser on the connections from time to time. Several areas that I feel the Cactus unit could improve is rather than a wheel to attach the transceiver to the camera, a lever that moves left and right would work better. Also, it would be nice if there was an place( like a hole) for a small lanyard to attach to the transceiver and or to a light stand or strobe.

Joe C.

2017-06-20T09:17:04

These Cactus V5 Triggers perform flawlessly. I have not had a misfire yet with them.

Casey J.

2017-05-24T11:46:13

These Cactus brand flash triggers give you the best bang for the buck. After buying the cactus flash triggers number 5 I also bought the flash triggers number 6 and the most incredible add-on is the laser add-on. I have been doing splash fruit photography using the laser beam attachment when the fruit breaks the laser beam it automatically sets off your camera and Flash to freeze the motion. You can also add a cable to the cactus five and use it as a remote shutter release. I am a member of a camera Club where most of the photographers use Cactus flash triggers. I actually own the more expensive brand of flash triggers but I find myself using the cactus brand because of the ease of use.

DENNIS D.

2017-02-07T14:29:57

I love these and use them all the time. I like that the transmitter controls for the frequencies are on the outside. The on/off switches are easy to bump in storage and drain the batteries so I often have to pop the battery housing. For the price and usefulness I recommend them!

ANDREW M.

2016-11-28T10:10:56

The Cactus trigger/receiver duo works great. I got tired of having to use proprietary flash triggers for my Nikon and Olympus systems, so I decided to give these universal triggers a chance. Right out of the box they worked great, and while only allowing me to work on manual flash mode, I really don't find this to be a limitation. One slight pain is that when setting up the common channel for the trigger/receiver combo, the numbers on the dial are rather small and must be looked at from the top. Originally I thought it had to be done by trial and error, but eventually saw the small numbers (yes, I do use glasses) and all was well. Very happy overall.

ERIC S.

2016-06-24T07:41:48

Cactus systems have been improved lately. This was my first trigger system and they have proven to be very reliable in door and out doors. My only wish it that they will HSS capable which they are not. Good entry level not doubts!

JHON M.

2016-01-11T19:53:39

These do what they're supposed to: trigger flashes and/or cameras. I've used them both ways. The construction is cheap plastic, which is what you expect for the money. There's no TTL, which is what you expect for the money. But if you want an inexpensive transceiver that works reliably, this is it. I've read a review complaining about battery life. I have never had a problem, even leaving them in storage. I use Imedion batteries, which don't leak current though.

Clint F.

2015-12-06T15:57:53

I am just a beginner in photography but they are no fuss to set up...seem like they are built well and fire every time...no complaints here at all. I was going to buy a more expensive product but was recommended to go with Cactus by my professional friend (he has a lot of money invested in the other brand and doesn't see the value).

JAMES P.

2015-05-04T21:00:00

I use this Transceiver in many different ways. I has improved many photos by allowing me to place the flash where it is most effective, without a cord. Works very nicely.

STAN S.

2014-11-16T19:00:00

I bought 2 pairs of these to use for night photography, and I am very pleased with their performance. They have worked flawlessly and are very simple to set up. The 2 reasons I have only given it 4 stars are: 1) They do go through batteries pretty quick, but they were the factory provided batteries, so I believe better batteries will last longer, and, 2) since they do not have TTL pass through, they will not wake up a flash that has sleep mode set up in the custom functions, but, if you disable the custom function on the flash itself, this solves the problem, so it is very minor and is likely an issue that a somewhat newbie like me to off camera flash photography will experience. If you are looking for a budget friendly option for radio triggers, buy these, they WILL give you the best bang for the buck!

KYLE K.

2014-10-31T21:00:00

I have 3 unit and my mayor complain that drive me crazy! it is the battery consume!! The AAA batteries gone like a snap prepare to buy a 40ft container of batteries! + Bad engineer design,

Pixel

2014-08-18T21:00:00

I needed a trigger for some beach portraits and this has been doing the job! have not tested it out fully for weddings but it does what I need so I am happy with purchase

fuse

2014-04-07T21:00:00

I would recommend this to anybody I love the way it triggers my alien bee B800 and new go right on my camera hotshoe the only not so great is not having more then 2

Dman

2014-03-17T21:00:00

I use these for multiple flashes at once, and they work great. It's very simple - just attach one to your camera, and the other one to the flash, make sure they're on the same radio channel, and it works! There's 16 channels to choose from, and there's even a test button so you can verify that the radios are communicating. The coolest thing about the test button is that it actually wakes up the flash if it goes to sleep, just like hitting the test button on the back of the flash.

ZYREK C.

2013-12-29T19:00:00

I was able to use these for the first time yesterday for an outdoor family photo session. I was really pleased with how well they worked. Very reliable and easy to use. I like being able to attach a speedlight to the transmitter mounted on-camera (something I can't do with the Pocket Wizard Plus X which I was originally planning on buying). Of course these don't support TTL, so it's necessary to go fully manual on exposure, but that was a snap with a couple of test shots. I would recommend these to a friend.

DAVID L.

2013-10-30T21:00:00

I have six units and have used them for the last two years. My opinion: great units for understanding and learning Strobism and off-camera lighting. The electronics work reliably. BUT!!! The cheesy plastic cases will drive you nuts! The teeny-tiny channel selector wheel is hard to see. The selector switch (Trans vs. Receiver) is hard to see and will switch "on" with a slight brush of a finger and run your batteries down. And the cheap plastic battery tray will not always lock closed. Also, the locking wheel on the hot shoe is really poorly made, making you think it's solidly locked to your camera until it falls off. I have had several fall from 6-ft lightstands... with 50/50 results. One died on the scene, one popped apart but kept on working when reassembled. If you need three, buy six... and keep lots of batteries handy. Once you develop your craft, invest in cast-iron units... like the ones I am looking for now.

PAUL F.

2013-06-24T21:00:00

I just used these on a shoot a few days ago. Very impressed with them! It was nice not to worry about anything being in my direct line of sight to trigger them.

RyCamera

2013-06-17T21:00:00

I recently purchased these to get away from "command mode" I also purchased a single one, to have a set of 3. They work amazing. They fire every single time. I shoot with a D90, Metz AF-50 flash, along with an AB1600. I have only used these products outside, and I have not had a misfire yet. I love the fact that you can interchange the devices between being a transmitter and a receiver just by a switch.

earls2010

2013-05-12T21:00:00

These are awesome. If your pockets cant handle the cost of pocket wizards, These are in fat the way to go. They work great in and out of studio. The range is amazing. In fact I've had range issues withthe pocket wizards while shooting outdoors. Flash would fire 3 out of 5 times. With these I've been getting fire 5 of 5. I love the channels feature. It gives me a bit more control when shooting events. Setting my off camera lights to channels 2-5, I can mix things up with lighting on the fly. And when I need them all to pop, I just set my transceiver to 1 and BAM! Great for in studio or event work. They feel cheap, but so far they've held up to punishment. They were a little bigger than expected, but they do look awesome. Other photographers thing I have some new hightech gear they've never heard of. You cant beat the price.

FABIAN F.

2013-05-06T21:00:00

Battery drawer should lock in better. I taped it after installing batteries. Also, the channel wheel always moves, so I glued it with silicone to keep it on 1 channel. Little slider switch button popped off. I glued it back on. EVERYTHING IS GOOD TO GO NOW. ROCK SOLID.

DENNIS Y.

2013-04-28T21:00:00

I bought the Cactus V5 Duo because the price was much less than the "Pocket Wizards" I have been using in a friend's studio. The units function fine but the main drawback to these transceivers is their lightweight construction. They are made of lightweight plastic. I dropped one from a height of 5 ft. on a tile floor and the unit no longer functioned. The other drawback is that there is no easy way to hang the receiving unit on a monolight...you have to jury rig something (that's why mine fell!). I would recommend this unit only to those who need a bargain-priced unit that will not get heavy use.

DAVID S.

2013-04-22T21:00:00

I have not used my new set of Cactus yet, but bought my second set due to liking the original I bought over a year ago, it did misfire a couple of times when I was fast shooting, not sure if it was the flash or the unit. Its a good option to the much more expensive units

ALFREDO C.

2013-04-08T21:00:00

I heard some great things about these triggers and I love them. I was looking at cheaper sets of triggers and the more expensive ones, but these are a great middle ground. These are very reliable (so far), I shot about 300 photos in a row and they shot off every time without fail. The shape of them is very attractive and they aren't too small or too big, and they also have an LED that is around the test fire button. The only thing I don't like about these triggers is the locking mechanism. It is very tough to turn, but it's only a minor inconvience. I would also like them to be a little heavier, but that's not a con at all, they still feel very nice. Pros: -Reliable -Great Design -Easy to use Cons: -Locking mechanism is stiff and hard to turn One last thing, I would have liked if they came with the cable so I could use them to fire off my camera (D90), but that isn't anything that is bad.

SHARON W.

2013-04-04T21:00:00

These things have some great features, light weight being a major plus. Easily selectable frequencies is a huge plus as well, you can set multiple strobes on frequencies 1-5, if the transmitter is set on 1, it will fire frequencies 1-5 all at once. However if you choose 2, for example, it will only fire the strobes on frequency 2. This is great if you're setting up "zones" in a large room. Here's the big problem, and it's a Nikon issue only as far as I know, since that's what I use. I often use large strobes as accent or area fills with an on camera flash as my main light, for use in a candid event primarily. With other radio units I've used I run the on camera flash normally, but then use a cable to run from the Nikon strobe to the "in" port on the Cactus, or other transmitter. This ought to work fine, but the Cactus V5 overrides the Nikon TTL and renders the on camera flash useless. You can get around this issue with a pro level camera that has a body PC port on it. Run a PC to mini plug cable from the camera body to the Cactus and it will now work properly - the on camera works in TTL mode and the Cactus fires the external strobes. Using a shoe mount adapter that provides a PC socket or mounting the Cactus on the camera shoe and then mounting the flash on the Cactus' pass through shoe does NOT work. It's too bad, if it worked the Cactus would be just about the perfect transceiver set. I recommend it overall, but you should be aware of that problem if you're a Nikon user.

HARLEY S.

2013-04-01T21:00:00

Versatile transmitter/receiver, low cost works great!

Fabfotoguy

2013-04-01T21:00:00

A fantastic addition to my camera bag. The only thing I was disappointed in was only being able to sync up to 250th of a second on my Nikon D7000. I was really wanting to get to 1,000th of a second. Other than that it is an item every photographer needs in their bag.

RICHARD W.

2013-03-26T21:00:00

CactusV was recommended to me by a pro-photographer. Now, I would not be without them. Two per box, so ordered two sets to use a two softbox set-up. One Cactus on your hotshoe, one on your auxiliary flash (doesn't have to be softbox), make sure each is on the same "channel" and you are set. Never had a problem except for one little, small, issue... make sure you turn them OFF or take the batteries out when done, or the batteries will be dead when you want to use them next time. (oops, yeah, I did that) CactusV is easy enough to use and yes, reliable. tried cheap, forget it, get the Cactus!

S B.

2013-03-11T21:00:00

I haven't had them very long but so far I really like how well they work. The only complaint I would have would be the wheel used to tighten them down is hard to turn. This makes it difficult to get it tight enough when attaching it to your camera or light stand. I am hoping it will loosen up a little as I use them.

RNichols

2013-03-06T19:00:00

Difficult to connect to camera or flash. Fingers are not easily able to turn, little room.

BRENDAN W.