PocketWizard AC9 AlienBees Quick Manual
Quick Guide
AlienBees Adapter
with
®
for FlexTT5
®
MAKE IT POSSIBLE
™
Please read this Quick Guide thoroughly before operating. Also, review
the product manuals for your camera, ash systems, and PocketWizard
radios.
This PocketWizard accessory runs on powerful software called
ControlTL
®
- Control The Light. It can be congured for your specic needs
using the PocketWizard Utility which can be downloaded at:
www.PocketWizard.com/support/downloads
FlexTT5 for Canon requires AC9-C / FlexTT5 for Nikon requires AC9-N.
The AC9 AlienBees Adapter requires a receiving FlexTT5, a transmitting
PocketWizard ControlTL radio, and a compatible Paul C. Buff ash with a
REMOTE terminal:
• AlienBees B400, B800, B1600, or ABR800
• White Lightning X-series, UltraZAP, or Ultra flashes including:
X800, X1600, X2400, X3200, UZ800, UZ1600, Ultra600, Ultra1200, Ultra1800
• Zeus Power Packs Z1250 and Z2500
A transmitting ControlTL radio like a MiniTT1® or FlexTT5® is required for full
functionality.
Release Button
UPDATE FIRMWARE: Update all of your ControlTL® radios to the latest rmware with the PocketWizard® Utility
before using.
All equipment should be turned OFF when making connections or unwanted triggering or other erratic
behavior may occur.
The rst exposure after making initial connections or powering on may not be properly exposed and
ash power levels may not be set as expected. Always test at least twice.
All information in this Quick Guide is subject to change. Visit www.PocketWizard.com/support to nd the
latest ash and features compatibility, Quick Guides, and Owner’s Manuals.
READ ME FIRST:
Canon or Nikon Hot Shoe
AlienBees Adapter
Status LED
REMOTE Port
* Make sure you have the appropriate AC9 hot
shoe: AC9-C with FlexTT5 for Canon
AC9-N with FlexTT5 for Nikon
1. Slide the AC9 onto your remote FlexTT5 and connect
the REMOTE cable from the AC9 to the ash.
2. Turn on the ash rst, then the remote FlexTT5
radio. If this order is reversed, the ash may not
trigger properly. The AC9’s Status LED blinks green
occasionally to indicate normal operation.
3. Turn on the modeling light and set it to Cycle or
Ready mode as desired, and disable the optical
slave by inserting a plug or adapter into the sync
port. Power level will be set by the AC9.
4. Set up your camera and PocketWizard
ControlTL transmitter.
5. Take pictures.
6. Adjust the Camera’s Flash Exposure Compensation
(FEC) to adjust the output power of your remote
ash. See the Camera FEC Range and Basic Power Control sections for more information on FEC.
Make sure all your radios are set to the same PocketWizard ControlTL channel. See the Quick Guide or
Owner’s Manual for your FlexTT5 radio for more information on channels.
NOTE: The AC9 overrides ash power output settings you make directly on your ash. If you wish to control the ash
from its control panel, then you need to disconnect the REMOTE cord and connect a regular sync cord from the P2
port on your FlexTT5 to your ash.
To use your AC9:
& PowerTracking
ControlTL allows you to adjust your remote studio ash’s output
power directly from the camera position in three ways:
Basic Power Control: With just a ControlTL transmitter on your camera, use your camera’s
FEC to adjust remote ash output power. This is called PowerTracking - Full Manual and is
the default when you are not using an AC3 ZoneController on your ControlTL transmitter.
See the Camera FEC Range and Basic Power Control section for more information.
Automatic PowerTracking: When engaged, any changes to aperture and ISO on your
camera are automatically tracked by your remote ash output power to maintain the current
exposure level. For example, if you open the aperture on your camera by one stop, then the
power output level on your remote ash will decrease by one stop.
There are two ways to engage Automatic PowerTracking:
No AC3 ZoneController on your ControlTL transmitter - Set the PowerTracking mode in the PocketWizard
®
Utility to a setting other than Full Manual for Automatic PowerTracking using just your camera’s controls.
AC3 ZoneController Auto Mode - Add an AC3 ZoneController set to A (Auto) on your ControlTL transmitter to
adjust power output level independently for up to 3 zones of light in conjunction with Automatic PowerTracking.
See Automatic PowerTracking section, as well as the PocketWizard Utility section, for more information.
AC3 ZoneController Manual Mode: With an AC3 ZoneController on your ControlTL transmitter, you can
have simple and direct control over your ash output power. See the section on Using an AC3 ZoneController
for more information.
Basic Power Control
Camera FEC/EC
- Or -
AC3 Power Dial
in Manual
+ 3
+ 2.7
+ 2.3
+ 2
+ 1.7
+ 1.3
+ 1
+ 0.7
+ 0.3
- 0
- 0.3
- 0.7
- 1
- 1.3
- 1.7
- 2
- 2.3
- 2.7
- 3
With only a MiniTT1® or FlexTT5® on your camera, your
camera’s FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) control
will adjust your ash power output level for all your
AC9-connected ashes as shown in the table
on the right.
Nikon: The camera’s FEC or EC (Exposure
Compensation) control will adjust ash power output
level. The Nikon D3 series cameras do not have an FEC
adjustment. You can use the EC adjustment on all Nikon
cameras, including the D3 series, whenever a ash
power output level adjustment is needed.
Canon: Both the camera’s ISO and FEC controls will
adjust ash power output level. Changes to FEC will
adjust ash power output level as shown in the table
on the right. Changes from the ISO used for your rst
picture will adjust ash output power level relative to
FEC. For example, if your rst picture was at ISO 200,
and you adjusted ISO down to 100, your ash power
level would be 1 stop brighter for all FEC settings.
This operation assumes PowerTracking is set to Full
Manual in the PocketWizard Utility which is the default.
You can use any PocketWizard receiving radios together
in the same exposure, including other ControlTL radios.
Remember that studio and manual ash output will not
be calculated as part of an E-TTL / i-TTL exposure.
AlienBees, White Lightning, Zeus
Power Output Settings
Most Models
1/1
1/2 + 0.7
1/2 + 0.3
1/2
1/4 + 0.7
1/4 + 0.3
1/4
1/8 + 0.7
1/8 + 0.3
1/8
1/16 + 0.7
1/16 + 0.3
1/16
1/32 + 0.7
1/32 + 0.3
1/32
1/32
1/32
1/32
White Lightning
X1600, X2400
& X3200 only:
Low Range Mode
1/4
1/8 + 0.7
1/8 + 0.3
1/8
1/16 + 0.7
1/16 + 0.3
1/16
1/32 + 0.7
1/32 + 0.3
1/32
1/64 + 0.7
1/64 + 0.3
1/64
1/128 + 0.7
1/128 + 0.3
1/128
1/128
1/128
1/128
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