Off camera flash for smartphones: Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be...

aphelps Loc: Central Ohio

Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be used by people who have limited experience with photography so keep it simple. Thanks for your help.
-Al

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Why a phone?
Why not use a dedicated transmitter on the camera?
My Godox transmitter is very intuitive and works with my flashes.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

How about using a steady LED light? That would be easy enough.

EDIT: Godox A-1 flash -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVAJiueLd8c
https://www.amazon.com/Godox-A1-Smartphone-Speedlite-Functions/dp/B074V63CTH

NOTE: This has been discontinued, so buy fast!
https://www.diyphotography.net/godox-has-killed-off-its-a1-bluetooth-smartphone-flash-trigger/

User ID

GoofyNewfie wrote:

Why a phone?
Why not use a dedicated transmitter on the camera?
My Godox transmitter is very intuitive and works with my flashes.

Becuz using a phone IS the question. “Real” cameras are out of the picture. (accidental pun, honest !!!)

Phones have no flash synch so use a small video light panel for off camera (oooops, “off phone”) lightning.

BebuLamar

aphelps wrote:

Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be used by people who have limited experience with photography so keep it simple. Thanks for your help.
-Al

You can use this one
https://www.innovatronix.com/product/innovatronix-cpflash-550w-tri-function-off-camera-flash-for-smartphones-dslrs-or-mirrorless-cameras-and-video-lighting-fx/

But it's really not a Xenon flash but rather a high intensity LED. It flashes and not continuous but the duration is much longer than a Xenon flash so it can sync with the phone.

MrMophoto Loc: Rhode Island "The biggest little"

I'm jumping in here because I want to know if anyone has a solution.
I use my smartphone camera for a few of my "projects". I use my DSLR for others.
Smartphone photography can produce great images and are definitely an established genre of photography. If any one still believes iPhone photography is bush league, check out the winners of the IPPAWARDS. It's an international competition for smartphone photos ONLY. It is open once a year and presently accepting entries. The winners are amazing images no matter how they were produced.

aphelps Loc: Central Ohio

BebuLamar wrote:

You can use this one
https://www.innovatronix.com/product/innovatronix-cpflash-550w-tri-function-off-camera-flash-for-smartphones-dslrs-or-mirrorless-cameras-and-video-lighting-fx/

But it's really not a Xenon flash but rather a high intensity LED. It flashes and not continuous but the duration is much longer than a Xenon flash so it can sync with the phone.

Thanks, but I was looking for something more affordable. $100 or less preferably.

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

aphelps wrote:

Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be used by people who have limited experience with photography so keep it simple. Thanks for your help.
-Al

If your phone flash is sufficiently strong, remote flash activated units should be the cheapest and simplest.

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

jayluber Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Don't some of the newer speedlights operate off camera and are triggered by the flash of a primary flash? That's why some can be set to second flash - I think it's S2. So I believe that if using the flash on the smartphone as the trigger the remote speedlight should discharge. Interesting - I'll have to experiment with that. Never considered that application.

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

jayluber wrote:

Don't some of the newer speedlights operate off camera and are triggered by the flash of a primary flash? That's why some can be set to second flash - I think it's S2. So I believe that if using the flash on the smartphone as the trigger the remote speedlight should discharge. Interesting - I'll have to experiment with that. Never considered that application.

MANY, many years ago (with film) I used remote flash triggered units quite successfully. My only question would be whether the strength of the phone flash would be strong enough to trigger the remote(s), where the camera flash was, obviously. The trigger was a separate very small photocell unit which the remote flash was plugged into (line of sight).

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

steve33 Loc: Yarmouth MA

aphelps wrote:

Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be used by people who have limited experience with photography so keep it simple. Thanks for your help.
-Al

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074V63CTH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_DaScGbEA0934W

jlg1000 Loc: Uruguay / South America

aphelps wrote:

Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be used by people who have limited experience with photography so keep it simple. Thanks for your help.
-Al

Pretty easy... Just grab an Arduino for $5, a bluetooth module for it, also $5, write a code snippet that catches the camera trigger on the phone and sends a message over bluetooth. Then write about 10 lines of code in the Arduino to activate a digital output when the message is detected by the bluetooth module. Then wire that output to the flash via a 2N2222 transistor to cope for the different voltage levels.

Just 1 or 2 hours project.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

jlg1000 wrote:

Pretty easy... Just grab an Arduino for $5, a bluetooth module for it, also $5, write a code snippet that catches the camera trigger on the phone and sends a message over bluetooth. Then write about 10 lines of code in the Arduino to activate a digital output when the message is detected by the bluetooth module. Then wire that output to the flash via a 2N2222 transistor to cope for the different voltage levels.

Just 1 or 2 hours project.

Hmmmm...Thanks ever so much. Jlg1000! How could that possibly have been a more helpful suggestion to the average cybercretin?

Golly; Let me count the ways!

Gee; Don’t y’ just love a MFSAKIA? *

*monumentally fatuous smart Alec know-it-all

Dave

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

aphelps wrote:

Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be used by people who have limited experience with photography so keep it simple. Thanks for your help.
-Al

The cube can be controlled manually, by ios or Android. $89

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1507369-REG/lume_cube_lc_v2_1_lume_cube_2_0_black.html/?ap=y&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjKqABhDLARIsABbJrGn8lL_nVVvqOjiqfglMmqiHM6IaozkuBu6DhCeZnDSmgM-phMR1iuEaAnnJEALw_wcB&lsft=BI%3A514&smp=y

flasfill Loc: Sandy Springs GA

aphelps wrote:

Is there a triggering solution to have a smart phone drive one or more off-camera flashes? Either wired or wireless. Reasonable cost? This would be used by people who have limited experience with photography so keep it simple. Thanks for your help.
-Al

If the cell phone has a built in flash use a slave eye photocell with an external flash. I used to trigger a Sunpac 510 with the first Apple QuickTake digital camera