The Snake From Ireland

Most people know that Ireland for a long time had no snakes - having had them all removed by St. Patrick. I'm not sure if anyone has seen fit to smuggle more back in the meantime, but the Hähnel company has played with the legend a little by naming one of their products " the Viper ". * You can regard that as wry humour if you like, but the fact remains that it is a good product - a control system for TTL flash from external speedlights. I found two versions on the Camera Electronic accessory wall - for Nikon and for Canon. I shouldn't wonder if they might not think up versions for other flash systems, now that the mirror-less movement is rolling on. j Briefly, the transmitter and control box allow the coupling of the maker's flash units wirelessly and with TTL control over a 100 metre range. You can send out signals to three different groups of flashes and control what they are going to do from the transmitter itself - no need to go out to the flashguns. You can also put a flashgun on the top of the transmitter and it'll function with TTL in the normal way - some other units do not allow this and it is surprising how many times it is actually a really good idea. The units are able to fire off studio flashes and can be updated with firmware boosts from time to time. Best of all - they run on dear old AA cells and you do not need to find odd batteries. And they apparently run on a radio frequency that is acceptable all over the world and do not interfere with their target flashes. No need for additional shielding. My own experience with Hähnel products has been positive - I use a Captur unit to fire flashes off-camera at dance shows and I have never had a failed command shot yet. * There is a sort of snake in Ireland that lurks on the bonnets of motor cars and pops up in front of the drivers. It's known as the vindscreen viper...