First, I am not a professional and don't do weddings or partys (except when my family "volunteers" me) so my needs might be a whole lot different than yours. Background.....
I have two Canon Speedlights (430 EXii and 430 EXiii-RT)that have served and still serve me well. When I use them off camera or use them as a slave / master, I found it easiest to use a 3rd party trigger / receiver set. I had one product that was reliable but could not do HSS except for the flash that's attached to the trigger directly on the hotshoe of the camera. Also, I could not control the remote flash from the camera, but can only change the settings at the flash manually. I thought about a change but found the Canon products too expensive. Then a friend told me about the Flashpoint R2 line. I am impressed.
Pros: Price, ability for my camera body to "see" the flashes from the camera menu when using a Flashpoint trigger and receiver, and compatibility with my Canon Speedlights.
Cons: Maybe not as "tough" as the way-more-expensive Canon triggers and receivers, need for a Flashpoint receiver for each off-camera Canon flash, and some funky on-trigger menus (which does not really matter when I am using the camera's menu to adjust each group or flash.
I am so happy with my new toys (Flashpoint R2 Pro trigger and R2 receivers) that I just picked up a Flashpoint Li-ion TTL L-ion Speedlight (does not need a receiver because it is the same protocol as the rest of the R2 line). I can now use 3 Speedlights in 3 groups so each is individually controlled. To those of you who use lighting frequently, maybe this is not as amazing as it is to me. But now I have a whole new area of photography to explore.
I just wanted to put this out there to see what others are using outside of a studio setup.
Addendum: Sorry I put this under "rumors" instead of "gear".....mods feel free to move :-[
I have two Canon Speedlights (430 EXii and 430 EXiii-RT)that have served and still serve me well. When I use them off camera or use them as a slave / master, I found it easiest to use a 3rd party trigger / receiver set. I had one product that was reliable but could not do HSS except for the flash that's attached to the trigger directly on the hotshoe of the camera. Also, I could not control the remote flash from the camera, but can only change the settings at the flash manually. I thought about a change but found the Canon products too expensive. Then a friend told me about the Flashpoint R2 line. I am impressed.
Pros: Price, ability for my camera body to "see" the flashes from the camera menu when using a Flashpoint trigger and receiver, and compatibility with my Canon Speedlights.
Cons: Maybe not as "tough" as the way-more-expensive Canon triggers and receivers, need for a Flashpoint receiver for each off-camera Canon flash, and some funky on-trigger menus (which does not really matter when I am using the camera's menu to adjust each group or flash.
I am so happy with my new toys (Flashpoint R2 Pro trigger and R2 receivers) that I just picked up a Flashpoint Li-ion TTL L-ion Speedlight (does not need a receiver because it is the same protocol as the rest of the R2 line). I can now use 3 Speedlights in 3 groups so each is individually controlled. To those of you who use lighting frequently, maybe this is not as amazing as it is to me. But now I have a whole new area of photography to explore.
I just wanted to put this out there to see what others are using outside of a studio setup.
Addendum: Sorry I put this under "rumors" instead of "gear".....mods feel free to move :-[