AEO Lightning Strike! Lightning Trigger??

[Dan Robinson]

Ah, it didn't trigger at all - yep, that would be a deal-breaker...

 

[Jim Saueressig]

Don't waste your $97 on the lightning trigger.
Attached is an image I shot yesterday of a CG right in front of the camera using the lightning trigger.

Which trigger were you using?

 

[STexan]

Sort of reviving this old thread ...

I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket last fall and bought the AEO LS Pro (with sensitivity adjustment) I haven't played with it much but the little time I have spent with it (daytime) I've found it difficult to filter out (not trigger) all of the barely noticeable cloud flashes. But I'm going to maybe head out to Big Spring or Abilene tomorrow afternoon (4/2/12) and seek out a few foreground gems I have in mind and hope for a good lightning setup near one of them ...

For the Techies: I'm considering applying a bit of black electrical tape to both sides of the "front sensor area" to try and narrow it's light gathering field of view and hopefully cut down on at least some of the "false triggers". Any thoughts?

For the Avid Photographers: For some specialized photography I sometimes do, I have an ND4 filter (screw on) that I typically use to help lengthen the shutter time. For daytime lightning shooting (with trigger), can I screw a circular polarizing filter on in addition to the ND4 to reduce the light entering the lens and extending the shutter time a bit more, with no ill-effects? (I currently only have an ND4 as opposed to ND 8 or 16 ... may stop in Dallas tomorrow and pick one up) if so, is there a particular order they should be screwed on for optimal results?

Thanks

 

[Darren Addy]

I would suggest trying an IR filter in front of the sensor. If you don't have a glass photo filter that fits the bill, you could hit the thrift stores and find some remotes that have the dark red window on the front. Does the same thing.

I'm not familiar with your brand specifically, but the "sensitivity adjustment" is probably electronic (potentiometer). That's different than limiting thelight that you allow to the sensor. If you try the IR filter in front of the sensor, you may be able to dial the sensitivity back up (you are working with two variables).

 

[MG Jennings]

I have an AEO and have had very good success. I have heard quite a few complaints but I really have had no problems. It will trigger with any lightning in the area but I expect that...I simply try to better aim the camera. The only thing that sometimes aggrevates me is on a very strong flash the camera triggers 2 shots and might miss both....somehow?

 

[STexan]

I think the sensitivity potentiometer will work to adjust the 'sensitivity' aspect of the problem but it's rather sensitive and some trial and error will be called for to find that "happy medium". I'm not entirely certain the sensitivity setting "holds" from one start to the next but it could be my imagination. Again, I have not spent enough time with this thing yet to make any worthwhile conclusions. Every cloud/storm setup presents it's own unique ambient lighting scenario and thus may require a different setting? I hope not. And I wonder if it may even be temperature sensitive to a degree. Moving clouds and rain drops seem to also cause many false triggers

But the pesky cloud flashes that aren't even visible to the naked eye hardly often happen out in the periphery and still trigger the camera. It's these I'm trying to work to somehow reduce, perhaps with the black tape.

 

[STexan]

One thing I may have learned on this last trip was that the lightning strike device does not seem to want to operate consistently if the battery is not very fresh. It seems to me that this device needs a good 9 volt supply of power to work "properly", else it's hit and miss with a weaker battery.

 

[Joshua Nall]

I forget what brand mine is, but I have black tape over about 90% of the red lens on the front of the thing. Still, it picks up every flash you see and many more you don't see.... such that you might as well let the camera go ahead and just fire away and not use the trigger at all. I got tired of messing with it, but I asume you could cover the thing over with more and more tape till it only picked up actually visible bolts.

You would only want to use a trigger for daylight lightning, and if you could get it adjusted just right, using one might be worth it.
Dan had some good points earlier in the thread.

With an active storm you can get right up under the thing where it is a bit darker, set your fstop to somewhere around 16 or so, and just let the camera shoot continuously at whatever exposure you want. I've got two picture of the same bolt this way before, shooting with a rebel XT. You will have to delete a lot of pictures, but you will get some good close ones too. Also you can get some by just reacting to the bolt. You won't get the nice branched stuff that way though. Anymore I am always trying to put myself right in the CGs trying for a super close one at 10mm.

But keep messing around with the trigger and maybe you will get it set up right.

Oh and I don't know about the filters you asked about, I just haven't gotten into any of the specialized stuff.... but I'm assuming if you had a filter that only reduced the amount of light and didn't screw up the scene in some way, that would be a good thing in really bright conditions. I'm just not sure how it would effect the look of the bolt itself.