Lightning triggers? MIOPS or Nero Trigger

[Melanie Kern-Favilla]

Hi gang -

Does anyone here shoot with either the new MIOPS lightning trigger or the Nero Trigger? I know they all work on nighttime lightning, but I want to buy it for daytime lightning. Can anyone shed some light on these triggers, if they work well during the day? Or should I just suck it up and buy the stepping stone trigger? I did a thread search and nothing has been posted since 2014 on the subject.

Thanks...

 

[Jordan Doane]

Hi gang -

Does anyone here shoot with either the new MIOPS lightning trigger or the Nero Trigger? I know they all work on nighttime lightning, but I want to buy it for daytime lightning. Can anyone shed some light on these triggers, if they work well during the day? Or should I just suck it up and buy the stepping stone trigger? I did a thread search and nothing has been posted since 2014 on the subject.

Thanks...

I have a patch master lightning sensor but haven't used it recently, I'm very intrigued about that stepping stone trigger you mentioned,

 

[Laney Cole]

Wanting to revisit this topic- considering getting a miops trigger and looking for input. Considering lightning is the best NJ has to offer seems worth the investment.
I am wondering if it will work through a window, I shoot lightning mostly from an upper floor west facing window so if the sensor can’t work through a window won’t really work for me.
Just seeing what other people’s experience is… appreciate any input and advice!
MIOPS

 

[Dan Robinson]

Strangely enough, I've never used a trigger even though lightning has always been my primary interest and photo subject. The issue with a trigger is that they are not fast enough to capture the first (branched) return stroke of a flash. The branched CG lightning strikes you see captured with triggers are multiple-ground-connection flashes where the first strike triggers the shutter, then the camera catches the subsequent ground connection(s). Multi-ground connection CG flashes are common, but some storms only have single-connection flashes. For the latter, you'll only be getting branchless channels with a trigger.

I have always done continuous short exposures during the daytime at a small aperture (1 second or so at F13, longer at dusk) to capture brighter/closer bolts. You don't want/need to use a trigger for dusk/nighttime lightning as fixed time exposures are the way to go.

 

[Warren Faidley]

Agree with Dan. Not a big fan of daytime lightning. With digital (as opposed to film), you can shot a zillion frames and not worry about it. I can also shot on 6k video and extract good stills now days.

 

[gdlewen]

Since the MIOPS triggers off the initial EM waveform of the discharge, it should work fine in your 2nd floor window. I know that I corresponded with them for a while and they cannot trigger off the low-amplitude EM blips from the stepped leaders, so as others have noted, you will not often get fully-branched daytime shots.

But people do get them, as MIOPS own ads demonstrate. (I leave myself on their mailing list.)

I have been where you have been when I lived in NJ--my view obscured by trees and houses, and then low cloud bases keeping lightning out of sight until it's just about to rain cats and dogs on you. I did the same thing you propose--taking pictures out of an upper story window. (But I did pull in the screen beforehand.)

Good luck!

 

[Laney Cole]

Video has yet to fail me- as Warren mentioned. Quality is good enough these days you dont lose too much quality.

I guess I was curious how much further I could maximize the results..

Unless there is a nocturnal event with regular intracloud lightning it’s a crapshoot really.
There can be some time in between lightning so continuous shooting and/or long exposures have not brought me much success thus far. I’m sure that will get better with experience
I will definitely try the settings recommended by Dan.
Honestly, I would l rather put the money towards a new lens or even a chase-cation.
Thank you Dan, Warren, and GD. I appreciate the help and insights. Love this place, priceless advice from the best!

 

[gdlewen]

Video has yet to fail me- as Warren mentioned. Quality is good enough these days you dont lose too much quality.

I guess I was curious how much further I could maximize the results..

Unless there is a nocturnal event with regular intracloud lightning it’s a crapshoot really.
There can be some time in between lightning so continuous shooting and/or long exposures have not brought me much success thus far. I’m sure that will get better with experience
I will definitely try the settings recommended by Dan.
Honestly, I would l rather put the money towards a new lens or even a chase-cation.
Thank you Dan, Warren, and GD. I appreciate the help and insights. Love this place, priceless advice from the best!

I think night-time long exposures are your best bet in the long run. I think if you did nothing but shoot lightning at night you will get some good shots. (Sure there is that beautiful flash you miss because it occurs in the interval between the shutter closing and before you start the next exposure, but that's life. It will happen.) Just be patient and be glad you aren't processing rolls of film that may have only a few quality shots in them.

Maybe we should start a thread entitled "Second-Story Window Lightning Photography".