Tim, Great video and have gotten my pluto trigger and valve and was taking shots yesterday. Had a lot of trouble getting a crown and was rechecking the video to see what the settings were for the second option on the video as I am unable to get it dark enough where I am shooting. Please advise, I have the two flashes, camera, macro lens, and the trigger is hooked to the camera. Do I leave the camera in bulb, or do I set it at a different shutter speed? Thanks in advance for your help
Hi Terry, I didn't use bulb (I may have for the purpose of making this video but typically I don't do it that way). I use an St-E3 transmitter on the hot shoe to fire my flashes (I have all Canon equipment, any wireless, or wired, transmitter would work). I set the camera at something like f/9, 1/250, iso200. Then I use the Pluto to trigger the camera. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions.
@@TimBuckMichael do u need to have receivers on each of the flashes if you have a transmitter on the camera hotshoe if 2 flashes or EVEN if you only have one speedlite do u need a receiver on that speedlite? i cant seem to get the setup to work...
@@leannemcardle1330 I'm not sure. I think that would depend on your flashes. Mine have transmitters in each so I'm guessing the answer to your question is yes
Is it possible to use the Pluto Trigger for automatic continuous high speed shooting? = setting a delay, hitting the button in the app and the camera will shoot 20 images in high speed mode? Maybe also with a 10 seconds pause afterwards and that it will start again? So without holding my finger on the button (only once, to start the session)?
Thank you for the video. I have my Pluto system on order. However, I was wondering if the Pluto Trigger will support multiple speed flash units rather than just a single flash? From what I saw in reviewing this product, there is only one output on the trigger for a flash. I am hoping to be able to modify the setup/wiring to support 2 speed flashes as a minimum. Thanks for the help.
what is the powder you use (2 spoons in 250ml hot water) ? xanthan gum ? won't block the pluto valve ? need to clean valve after each use ? how long time do you wait ? I have heard one night.
I typically use borax. I just stir it in until it dissolves and start shooting. I clean it every few uses. I have a video on the channel somewhere that shows that process.
thank you Tim, can you please explain why we can't trigger camera with pluto and use 1/200sec F11 iso 400 with godox rf transmitter like first man photography. I don't understand why this setup cannot get a drop in a 350msec period. d750+godox xpro should have a fast command processing, isn't it ? where does it lag so much ? Jeff photographie triggers flashes by pluto with a xpro connected to pluto. strange isn't it that it is faster.
hello, nice tuto. just received my pluto+valve+arm+dc2 cable for my d750+ godox xpro transmitter+2xgodox v1. so your second method helps me a lot ! what is the recommended height of the valve beak with respect to water plane for higher splash peak... ? pictures you are showing look dark and dull on the display. how do you colorize pictures in post processing ? luminar 4, lightroom, ...? how do you use a colorful backdrop and lighten it ? with a third flash laying on table and pointed to background ? I have a ad400pro 400W with fast recycling time and t0.5 parameter to capture high speed events and different octobox. is it nice to use it instead of two speedlite and if yes, where to locate it (side, top above valve, behind me,...) ? is it recommended to put milk and coloring food product in the "cheap" valve ? won't it damage it ? is there a special method to clean and dry the valve after milk usage ? Thanks for advises marc
I was setting the valve at 12-18" above the water. I have heard of people going as high as four feet. It's a lot of trial and error to find what works for you. I shoot in raw and use photoshop adobe camera raw to dial everything in. A third flash lighting up a backdrop would work perfectly for your desired effect. There's a video on my channel somewhere showing the process to take the valve apart and clean it. I have had no issues. Thanks for stoping by! Good luck and happy shooting!
Try setting the delay between drops to a longer time and also try setting the size of the drop to a bigger size. Not sure if that will help but it's a start. Thanks for stopping by! Good luck!
Had the weirdest thing. I was shooting in a dark room, Pluto Trigger on OMD EM5 mark II, with godox flash trigger and separate flash, and I couldn't never get the the timing of the drops right. So I'm making a video using my iPad and I use my phone flash to light it a bit, to see what was wrong. when the scene was lit, it worked perfectly! Over and over again! As soon als I turned of the flash: nothing again. Turn it back on, colliding drops which each and every go! Would light affect the triggers in any way?
So with the first setup are you just firing off the camera manually as the dropper and flash are connected to the pluto or is the camera connected to the pluto too?
did my 1st shots yesterday, just used a black background in the afternoon in a normal sunny room. single flash- pluto trigger and my canon 80d with a tammy 90mm macro. My flash is a cheap chinese import ;-)
At 3:03 you threw me off saying that the flash is connected to the camera port on the Pluto. I know this cannot work, but the cables were connected as you described it and I was confused. Then, later in the video (7:52), you showed that the Pluto trigger goes into the camera - like I expected. The flash is triggered wirelessly from the camera, which what I expected. So, did you really connect the flash directly to the Pluto trigger? (3:03)
Hi Ron. Two different set ups. Both set ups work as they are shown in the video. In the first set up (3:03) I am manually triggering the camera with a long enough shutter speed to allow the action to happen. The flash is being fired by the Pluto and illuminating the action and making it so that the camera can capture it. This only works in a completely dark environment and a shutter speed of 2+ seconds will be required. The second set up is exactly as you expected and described. The reason both of these work is because the Pluto doesn't know what it's sending a signal to. The "camera" port where I plugged the cables into simply sends an electric impulse out of the Pluto and down the line to whatever is connected. If it is connected to a camera it will trigger the shutter at the set settings. If it is connected to a flash it will trigger the flash. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to let me know.
Hi Tim, great video, after watching your instructions I went and tried it out, wow what a difference from the shots I took before your video, you made it easy for me, now I can create some really nice shots, thanks again!
Hi Doug, thank you for the feedback and kind words. I am happy to have been able to help you out! Do you have a link to your photos? I'd love to see them.
Hey Tim thanks for this informative tutorial,I have had the Pluto trigger for awhile and just purchased the valve,why does normal water not work is there a reason to have to put borax in the water??
Normal water will work just fine. Adding borax or other additives to the water just makes the water a little bit thicker so that the pillars are slightly better.
If you're only getting crowns I would assume that you have your flash delay set too short. The first drop will typically make a crown as it enters into the basin prior to making a pillar.
Hi Tim, I need your help. I followed the video but I'm not very good with spoken English. I have the pluto trigger and I have a flash of the Metz with my Canon 6d Mk II. I do not understand how to connect the flash to use it not attached to the camera, as you did that you put it to the side. My flash does not seem to have entries to connect cables, how is it possible?
I know this is an old video, but hope this comment gets found. My set-up is in transit so looking forward to using it when it arrives. In the 2nd method (which I think would be my preferred method as well). Appreciate the lowest flash power is the best to use, but what zoom level did you have the flash(s) set?
Hello! thank you for stopping by. The video is old but I still check the comments. I had commented earlier and then realized that the information I had given you was incorrect. I initially had said that I assumed that the camera set the flash to 100mm since I was using a 100mm macro lens. However I went back and looked at my notes, the flash was manually set to 24mm. I can't remember why I had it set that way, but I have it documented that that is where I had it set. Best of luck trying out your new setup! If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Hi Len. When you have the stopper secure in the top of the reservoir place your thumb over the hole in the stopper and press down and release. You may need to do this a couple of times.
Just ordered my Pluto trigger with the valve. I'm using the Canon 5d with the Canon 600EX-Rt flash. Would you please let me know what cable I need to order.
Ty for the Tutorial I think it's brill if only I could get mind to do it lol !! ( it's like I only get 1 drop ?? ....and how far is your camera and lens away from the water droplets ?? Thank you in advance (*_*)
I'm still trying to get a collision and after 500+ photos using the Pluto guide all I can get is a single droplet at its highest point. Sometimes I get the single droplet with the second sitting on top. Not sure what I need to adjust to get the actual collision. Still a great tutorial thanks. I'll keep on practicing
I would try shortening the delay between drop 1 and drop 2 keep everything else the same. I would start with 5ms increments. I would think that if you are occasionally getting the second drop to sit on the top of the first one that this should solve your problem. Even with everything completely dialed in I would say my hit rate is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 out of every 5 or 10 shots. There are a TON of factors. It seems really straight forward but it's actually pretty technical. I think I mentioned some of it in the video but I've found that the water temperature, the consistency of the water, the water level in the reservoir, the distance from the dropper to the water level in the basin, the calmness of the water in the catch basin, the size of the basin, the shape of the catch basin and probably some other things all have an effect on the results. For the tutorial I probably spent an hour and a half making the video. It took a long time to get the first method dialed in as I've never done it that way before. The second method is the standard one that I use so I pretty well knew how to set that one to get it to produce a collision but getting to that point was a ton of trial and error. I'm glad the tutorial was helpful if you have any other questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to help you out. Good luck!
Tim, Great video and have gotten my pluto trigger and valve and was taking shots yesterday. Had a lot of trouble getting a crown and was rechecking the video to see what the settings were for the second option on the video as I am unable to get it dark enough where I am shooting. Please advise, I have the two flashes, camera, macro lens, and the trigger is hooked to the camera. Do I leave the camera in bulb, or do I set it at a different shutter speed? Thanks in advance for your help
Hi Terry, I didn't use bulb (I may have for the purpose of making this video but typically I don't do it that way). I use an St-E3 transmitter on the hot shoe to fire my flashes (I have all Canon equipment, any wireless, or wired, transmitter would work). I set the camera at something like f/9, 1/250, iso200. Then I use the Pluto to trigger the camera. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions.
@@TimBuckMichael Thanks! yes it helps tremendously!!!
@@TimBuckMichael do u need to have receivers on each of the flashes if you have a transmitter on the camera hotshoe if 2 flashes or EVEN if you only have one speedlite do u need a receiver on that speedlite? i cant seem to get the setup to work...
@@leannemcardle1330 I'm not sure. I think that would depend on your flashes. Mine have transmitters in each so I'm guessing the answer to your question is yes
Is it possible to use the Pluto Trigger for automatic continuous high speed shooting? = setting a delay, hitting the button in the app and the camera will shoot 20 images in high speed mode? Maybe also with a 10 seconds pause afterwards and that it will start again? So without holding my finger on the button (only once, to start the session)?
I'm not sure if you can do that with the Pluto but I am pretty sure you can do it with the Canon TC80N3. Thanks for watching!
@@TimBuckMichael Thank you for the fast reply! STAY SAFE & HEALTHY
@@Lifetogo You're welcome! You do the same!
Thank you for the video. I have my Pluto system on order. However, I was wondering if the Pluto Trigger will support multiple speed flash units rather than just a single flash? From what I saw in reviewing this product, there is only one output on the trigger for a flash. I am hoping to be able to modify the setup/wiring to support 2 speed flashes as a minimum. Thanks for the help.
I would imagine you can split the wire and control as many as you want
what is the powder you use (2 spoons in 250ml hot water) ? xanthan gum ? won't block the pluto valve ? need to clean valve after each use ? how long time do you wait ? I have heard one night.
I typically use borax. I just stir it in until it dissolves and start shooting. I clean it every few uses. I have a video on the channel somewhere that shows that process.
thank you Tim, can you please explain why we can't trigger camera with pluto and use 1/200sec F11 iso 400 with godox rf transmitter like first man photography. I don't understand why this setup cannot get a drop in a 350msec period. d750+godox xpro should have a fast command processing, isn't it ? where does it lag so much ? Jeff photographie triggers flashes by pluto with a xpro connected to pluto. strange isn't it that it is faster.
hello, nice tuto. just received my pluto+valve+arm+dc2 cable for my d750+ godox xpro transmitter+2xgodox v1. so your second method helps me a lot !
what is the recommended height of the valve beak with respect to water plane for higher splash peak... ?
pictures you are showing look dark and dull on the display. how do you colorize pictures in post processing ? luminar 4, lightroom, ...?
how do you use a colorful backdrop and lighten it ? with a third flash laying on table and pointed to background ?
I have a ad400pro 400W with fast recycling time and t0.5 parameter to capture high speed events and different octobox. is it nice to use it instead of two speedlite and if yes, where to locate it (side, top above valve, behind me,...) ?
is it recommended to put milk and coloring food product in the "cheap" valve ? won't it damage it ? is there a special method to clean and dry the valve after milk usage ?
Thanks for advises
marc
I was setting the valve at 12-18" above the water. I have heard of people going as high as four feet. It's a lot of trial and error to find what works for you.
I shoot in raw and use photoshop adobe camera raw to dial everything in.
A third flash lighting up a backdrop would work perfectly for your desired effect.
There's a video on my channel somewhere showing the process to take the valve apart and clean it. I have had no issues.
Thanks for stoping by! Good luck and happy shooting!
Great video I am interested in Water drop photography. Awesome
Hi I have one these but unable to get a drop out of it. Not sure what I am doing wrong
Try setting the delay between drops to a longer time and also try setting the size of the drop to a bigger size. Not sure if that will help but it's a start. Thanks for stopping by! Good luck!
Great! Thanks. I just got my Pluto for Lightning but I am interested in Water drop photography. Awesome Tutorial
Thank you! Glad I could help, if you ever have any questions feel free to ask!
how tall was your stand about ty
12”
Had the weirdest thing. I was shooting in a dark room, Pluto Trigger on OMD EM5 mark II, with godox flash trigger and separate flash, and I couldn't never get the the timing of the drops right. So I'm making a video using my iPad and I use my phone flash to light it a bit, to see what was wrong. when the scene was lit, it worked perfectly! Over and over again! As soon als I turned of the flash: nothing again. Turn it back on, colliding drops which each and every go! Would light affect the triggers in any way?
What setting did you have on your camera for the 2nd method?. Cheers
Manual. Typically set the shutter at 1/160 or 1/200. Aperture f/11 and ISO 400-800. Hope this helps! If you have any other questions feel free to ask!
So with the first setup are you just firing off the camera manually as the dropper and flash are connected to the pluto or is the camera connected to the pluto too?
In the first setup I am firing the camera manually, flash and dropper are connected to the Pluto.
did my 1st shots yesterday, just used a black background in the afternoon in a normal sunny room. single flash- pluto trigger and my canon 80d with a tammy 90mm macro. My flash is a cheap chinese import ;-)
At 3:03 you threw me off saying that the flash is connected to the camera port on the Pluto. I know this cannot work, but the cables were connected as you described it and I was confused.
Then, later in the video (7:52), you showed that the Pluto trigger goes into the camera - like I expected. The flash is triggered wirelessly from the camera, which what I expected.
So, did you really connect the flash directly to the Pluto trigger? (3:03)
Hi Ron. Two different set ups. Both set ups work as they are shown in the video. In the first set up (3:03) I am manually triggering the camera with a long enough shutter speed to allow the action to happen. The flash is being fired by the Pluto and illuminating the action and making it so that the camera can capture it. This only works in a completely dark environment and a shutter speed of 2+ seconds will be required.
The second set up is exactly as you expected and described.
The reason both of these work is because the Pluto doesn't know what it's sending a signal to. The "camera" port where I plugged the cables into simply sends an electric impulse out of the Pluto and down the line to whatever is connected. If it is connected to a camera it will trigger the shutter at the set settings. If it is connected to a flash it will trigger the flash.
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to let me know.
Many thanks! Learning new things every day.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching and taking the time to ask your question. Have a great day!
Hi Tim, great video, after watching your instructions I went and tried it out, wow what a difference from the shots I took before your video, you made it easy for me, now I can create some really nice shots, thanks again!
Hi Doug, thank you for the feedback and kind words. I am happy to have been able to help you out! Do you have a link to your photos? I'd love to see them.
Hey Tim thanks for this informative tutorial,I have had the Pluto trigger for awhile and just purchased the valve,why does normal water not work is there a reason to have to put borax in the water??
Normal water will work just fine. Adding borax or other additives to the water just makes the water a little bit thicker so that the pillars are slightly better.
thanks mate i will have another go,as all i was getting were crowns,maybe the drops were to high and causing the water to just cause a crown
If you're only getting crowns I would assume that you have your flash delay set too short. The first drop will typically make a crown as it enters into the basin prior to making a pillar.
Tim Michael thanks Mate so that means I am taking the pic way to early,ok I need to practice more in the settings with the Pluto trigger 👍🏻
In the second part of the video, how do you connect the two flashes to the pluto device?
The Pluto is connected to the camera and the camera uses a transmitter to fire the flashes.
Tim Michael. Thank you.
Hi Tim, I need your help. I followed the video but I'm not very good with spoken English. I have the pluto trigger and I have a flash of the Metz with my Canon 6d Mk II. I do not understand how to connect the flash to use it not attached to the camera, as you did that you put it to the side. My flash does not seem to have entries to connect cables, how is it possible?
I believe you need a wireless trigger. I use the canon ste3
I know this is an old video, but hope this comment gets found. My set-up is in transit so looking forward to using it when it arrives. In the 2nd method (which I think would be my preferred method as well). Appreciate the lowest flash power is the best to use, but what zoom level did you have the flash(s) set?
Hello! thank you for stopping by. The video is old but I still check the comments. I had commented earlier and then realized that the information I had given you was incorrect. I initially had said that I assumed that the camera set the flash to 100mm since I was using a 100mm macro lens. However I went back and looked at my notes, the flash was manually set to 24mm. I can't remember why I had it set that way, but I have it documented that that is where I had it set. Best of luck trying out your new setup! If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Nice explanation of both setups.
Thank you! If you have any other questions feel free to ask, I'll do my best to assist.
Hi Tim.....is there a procedure to priming the pluto valve prior to using
Hi Len. When you have the stopper secure in the top of the reservoir place your thumb over the hole in the stopper and press down and release. You may need to do this a couple of times.
Just ordered my Pluto trigger with the valve. I'm using the Canon 5d with the Canon 600EX-Rt flash. Would you please let me know what cable I need to order.
I really have no idea. I apologize, there should be a guide on their website.
There is a guide right there on the site prior to going into cart.
Hi Tim, I have a question. What is the "Flash PC Sync Cable" for? How does it attach?
Hi! Thanks for stopping by. The flash pc cable plugs in to the Pluto then screws into the side of your speed light.
Great tutorial Tim!!
Thank you!
You are awesome, these settings just saved my day.
Thanks for the kind words, Glad I could help out!
End result : 500px.com/photo/248086061/blue-and-white-by-david-abbs?ctx_page=1&from=user&user_id=7951763
Excellent work man! I like the jelly fish effect under the water, adds an extra dimension. Thanks for sharing!
You need to bump up the volume
Thank you for stopping by! Have a great day
Ty for the Tutorial I think it's brill if only I could get mind to do it lol !! ( it's like I only get 1 drop ?? ....and how far is your camera and lens away from the water droplets ?? Thank you in advance (*_*)
I put it as close as I can get it. I manually focus the lens to the closest distance and then adjust from there.
That's a lot of work for photos of water drops lol. But it's pretty impressive.
For sure, when I'm actually doing this trying to get solid photos, like the one that is the thumbnail, I usually spend like 4 hours taking shots.
Yeah I believe it, that's a lot of time and work. Totally worth it though, those pics turned out really well.
I'm still trying to get a collision and after 500+ photos using the Pluto guide all I can get is a single droplet at its highest point. Sometimes I get the single droplet with the second sitting on top. Not sure what I need to adjust to get the actual collision. Still a great tutorial thanks. I'll keep on practicing
I would try shortening the delay between drop 1 and drop 2 keep everything else the same. I would start with 5ms increments. I would think that if you are occasionally getting the second drop to sit on the top of the first one that this should solve your problem. Even with everything completely dialed in I would say my hit rate is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 out of every 5 or 10 shots. There are a TON of factors. It seems really straight forward but it's actually pretty technical. I think I mentioned some of it in the video but I've found that the water temperature, the consistency of the water, the water level in the reservoir, the distance from the dropper to the water level in the basin, the calmness of the water in the catch basin, the size of the basin, the shape of the catch basin and probably some other things all have an effect on the results. For the tutorial I probably spent an hour and a half making the video. It took a long time to get the first method dialed in as I've never done it that way before. The second method is the standard one that I use so I pretty well knew how to set that one to get it to produce a collision but getting to that point was a ton of trial and error. I'm glad the tutorial was helpful if you have any other questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to help you out. Good luck!
Tim Michael do you have an email where I can send you a result that I get and maybe you can advise further.
4 min before you do any thing and crap sound
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a constructive comment. Have a great day!