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Table of Contents

 

1. Getting to Know the Cactus V6 II 

 

 

 

 

2. 

Cautions 

and 

Warnings       

3. 

Major 

Specifications 

       

4. 

Package 

Contents        

5. Nomenclature 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. LCD Panel   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Compatibility 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. 

TTL 

Pass-through 

        

 

9. 

Getting 

Started 

        

 

10. Camera System: Auto Detect and Learning 

11. Flash Profile: Auto Detect and Customization   

 

12. 

Flash 

Triggering 

        

13. 

Remote 

Manual 

Power 

Control 

 

    

14. High Speed Synchronization 

15. 

Camera 

Shutter 

Release 

 

      

 

16. 

Advanced 

Operations 

 

      

17. 

Personalizing 

the 

V6 

      

 

18. Working with Cactus Gear   

 

 

 

 

19. 

LED 

Signal 

Guide 

 

      

20. USB Connection 

 

 

 

         

21. 

Optional 

Accessories 

 

     

22. 

Troubleshooting 

 

      

23. Notices     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24. Warranty    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Getting to Know the Cactus V6 II

 

Thank you for purchasing the Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V6 II. Compared with 

its predecessor V6, the Cactus V6 II allows you to command different brands’ flashes 

off camera below or above x-sync speed. The freedom to adjust shutter speed equips 

you the best flexibility in controlling apertures and power levels – the possibility are 

endless! 

 

1.1 Special Features 

 

1.

Cross-brand

 wireless manual power control of Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, 

Panasonic, and Pentax flashes; 

Summary of Contents for V6 II

Page 1: ... V6 18 Working with Cactus Gear 19 LED Signal Guide 20 USB Connection 21 Optional Accessories 22 Troubleshooting 23 Notices 24 Warranty 1 Getting to Know the Cactus V6 II Thank you for purchasing the Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V6 II Compared with its predecessor V6 the Cactus V6 II allows you to command different brands flashes off camera below or above x sync speed The freedom to adjust sh...

Page 2: ...gers the camera shutter and flash in sync 13 Delay mode is configurable from 1 millisecond to 999 seconds 14 Mini USB port for optional power supply and firmware update 1 2 HSS and Power Sync Capabilities Most cameras supports normal flash sync up to its x synchronization shutter speed commonly between 1 160 seconds and 1 250 seconds Beyond this shutter speed the cameras and the system flashes wil...

Page 3: ... calibrate the flash profiles in the Cactus Firmware Updater to produce more accurate power outputs Whether built in or calibrated from the firmware updater software the flash profile stored in the V6 II can virtually command the flash to produce ANY power level within the maximum output and even exceeds what the flash menu allows you to do 1 Finer increment scales The V6 can adjust the power leve...

Page 4: ...s it is properly protected 5 Do not operate the device in the presence of flammable gases or fumes 6 Do not dissemble 7 Do not crush and do not expose the V6 II to any shock or force such as hammering dropping or stepping on it 3 Major Specifications y Working radio frequency 2445 80 2480 99MHz y Number of channels 16 y Number of groups 4 y Support sync speed up to 1 8 000 second y High speed sync...

Page 5: ...ge V6 II Transceiver image Flash Stand FS 2 image Album User Manual 5 Nomenclature TEST BUTTON SHUTTER RELEASE BUTTON MULTI SYSTEM SHOE FEMALE LCD DISPLAY LANYARD LOOP X SYNC PORT MINI USB PORT MODE SWITCH GROUP BUTTONS AF ASSIST LIGHT ...

Page 6: ...MULTI SYSTEM SHOE MALE HOT SHOE LOCK LEVER SELECTION DIAL OK BUTTON MENU BUTTON LED STATUS INDICATOR BATTERY DOOR 6 LCD Panel 6 1 TX Mode BATTERY INDICATOR GROUP CHANNEL POWER LEVEL POWER LEVEL INCREMENT 6 2 RX Mode ...

Page 7: ...ilt in Cactus V6 module the Cactus RF60 series can be remotely commanded and triggered by V6 II TX see Section 16 1 1 7 1 2 Flash Models with Digital TTL Mode z Canon e TTL z Fujifilm TTL z Nikon i TTL z Olympus Panasonic TTL z Pentax TTL 7 1 3 Other Flash Models and Studio Strobes The Cactus V6 II triggers all other flash models via the hot shoe and studio strobes with the PC sync male port 3 5mm...

Page 8: ...m Canon Nikon Olympus Panasonic and Pentax that 1 comes with their specific system hot shoes and 2 equipped with the same features with their system flashes The V6 II supports HSS adaptation To use the V6 II as a wireless shutter release specific shutter cables are required For the list of optional accessories see Section 19 7 3 Flash Triggers 7 3 1 Cactus V6 The Cactus V6 II is compatible with th...

Page 9: ...tly connected to the camera hot shoe The V6 II will work as a wireless flash commander while supporting all the automatic features e g automatic flash output via TTL metering AF assist light second curtain sync high speed sync FP shutter provided by the TTL flash system To enable TTL pass through in the V6 TX II press and hold for 2 seconds The LCD will show the TTL pass through indicator at the l...

Page 10: ...a camera s hot shoe mount 1 Turn the lock lever of the V6 II to the left to unlock the multi system shoe male 2 Slide the V6 II into the camera s hot shoe 3 Turn the lock lever of the V6 II to the right to lock the multi system shoe male 4 When detaching the V6 II from the camera s hot shoe turn the lock lever to the left to unlock the multi system shoe male Otherwise the multi system shoe male ma...

Page 11: ...unctions of the V6 II listed below are easily accessible by the buttons and dial Group Control see Section 9 6 Function Mode LCD Key Select a group e g group A for adjusting parameters power level zoom RX Main screen when the group is not selected Hold Deselect a group e g group A Main screen when the group is selected Turn on off a group e g group A Main screen when the group is not selected Test...

Page 12: ...wse through menu items and options Menu Choose a menu item or option Menu Leave the menu Menu TTL Pass through Flash Lock see Sections 8 and 10 1 Function Mode LCD Key Enter leave TTL pass through mode TX Main screen Hold Unlock the slave flash RX Main screen Hold Dial Lock see Section 17 2 Function Mode LCD Key Lock the dial TX Main screen when the dial is unlocked Hold Temporarily unlock the dia...

Page 13: ...HANNEL and the default channel number Press and turn the selection dial to the preferred channel number Press to set other menu items or press to exit 2 The selected channel number will be displayed on the LCD screen 9 6 Setting and Selecting the Group image The group function in the V6 II can assign RXs into Group A B C or D and allows you to choose which group s to f ire from the TX unit 1 All V...

Page 14: ...menu option 1 Press to bring up the first menu item 2 Dial right or left to scroll through each menu item 3 Press or push in button once to access a menu item 4 Dial right or left to scroll through each option of a menu item 5 Press or push in button once to select the option The configuration of the menu item will change immediately 6 Press to leave and go back to the main screen or dial right or...

Page 15: ...IGH SPEED MODE DISABLE HSS NORMAL HSS POWER SYNC LEARN HSS START SKIP SUB MENU LCD BACKLIGHT SLEEP DIAL DIRECTION SWAP CONTROL WORK RANGE FACTORY RESET BACK TO MENU when available The following configuration items are grouped under the sub menu Sub menu item Options Applicable modes TX RX LCD BACKLIGHT OFF 5 SECS 15 SECS STAY ON ...

Page 16: ...C WORKING RANGE LONG SHORT FACTORY RESET NO YES 10 Camera System Auto detect and Learning To fully utilize the advanced features of the V6 II transceivers it is necessary to configure the correct camera system profile to the V6 II TX On the LCD screen the different camera systems will be represented by the icons below Canon Canon Camera Logo Fujifilm Fujifilm Camera Logo Nikon Nikon Camera Logo Ol...

Page 17: ...ading the main screen 5 To check the detected camera system from the main screen press and hold the menu button and turn the selection dial to either direction at the same time The detected camera system will be shown next to the channel 6 The V6 II will memorize the detected camera system beyond the power cycle until the next detection takes place 10 2 Choose from Menu Alternatively photographers...

Page 18: ...see Section 10 2 3 Press and then turn the selection dial to LEARN HSS Press 4 Choose START and press The LCD screen will show PRESS SHUTTER WITHIN 30 SEC 5 Full press the camera to take a shot The LCD screen will then show LEARN COMPLETED briefly 6 The learned sync time will be implemented in that camera system until you initiate another learning again Notes 1 The sync time of each camera system ...

Page 19: ...ting the flash system of the attached flash 1 Attach your flash to the V6 II and turn on the flash 2 Switch on the V6 II to the RX mode for slave flashes or TX mode for master flash 3 The V6 II will detect the flash system of the attached flash during the start up The LCD screen will show the auto detected flash system briefly before loading the main screen 4 The V6 II will memorize the detected f...

Page 20: ...ded in the pre installed profile list but support digital TTL configure the V6 II to the Auto Flash Profile see Section 11 1 In case you wish to fine tune the power level output commanded by the Auto Flash Profile you may customize it with the Cactus Profile Editor available to PC and Mac 1 Follow the firmware update procedures to connect V6 II with your computer see Section 18 2 2 Choose the flas...

Page 21: ...obes 5 On the TX press completely The status LED of both TX and RX should blink in green simultaneously The portable flashes or studio strobes will f ire at the same time 6 Test fire a particular group by pressing the group button and completely and simultaneously 7 Attach the TX to the camera s hot shoe If your camera does not have a hot shoe connect the TX to the camera using an optional PC sync...

Page 22: ...s image Note that the small single digit indicates the increment between major power levels 12 1 1 Single Group Power Adjustment There are two ways to adjust the power level of a particular slave group 1 Press and hold the group button until the power level of the chosen group is highlighted on the LCD Turn the selection dial to the desired power level Press shortly the group button to leave the g...

Page 23: ...as 1 16 3 one click of the selection dial will increase the power level to 1 8 3 or decrease it to 1 32 3 3 Once you have finished the quick change press once again to leave the quick power adjustment mode Each click of the dial thereafter will increase or decrease the power level in accordance with the setting you have made in the EV STEP menu 13 2 Absolute Power If you want to coordinate the lig...

Page 24: ...s how the model specific relative power scales are translated into the absolute power scale ABSOLUTE LIGHT INTENSITY SCALE IN EV RELATIVE LIGHT INTENSITY SCALE OF 4 FLASHES WITH DIFFERENT FULL POWER GUIDE NUMBERS FLASH A FLASH B FLASH C FLASH D 18 17 GN58 16 1 2 GN41 15 GN29 1 4 1 2 14 1 2 1 8 GN21 1 4 13 1 4 1 16 1 2 1 8 12 1 8 1 32 1 4 1 16 11 1 16 1 64 1 8 1 32 10 1 32 1 128 1 16 1 64 9 1 64 1 ...

Page 25: ...e Section 12 1 Each figure before decimal place represents 1 EV and the smaller figure thereafter 1 10 EV image 5 Set all the activated groups to the same power level Test f ire the slaves and determine whether they produce the same flash output 6 If the initial set up is not accurate enough you may offset the absolute power scale of each group Press any group button and simultaneously to get into...

Page 26: ...TX mode and press Turn the selection dial to Lo POWER and press Turn the selection dial to ON and press 2 Once the Lo Power is enabled the Lo Power will be shown as Lo at one step below 1 128 power in the relative power mode or one step below the lowest power of each group in the absolute power mode 3 To disable the Lo Power output follow step 1 to enter the Lo Power menu Turn the selection dial t...

Page 27: ...urn the selection dial to choose the correct maximum sync speed press The V6 II will memorize the setting after power cycles until further changes Change the setting There is no need for Nikon and Pentax cameras to configure the maximum x sync speed 14 2 Normal HSS When the shutter speed of the camera exceeds its x sync speed the normal HSS setting of the V6 II would command the remote flashes to ...

Page 28: ...r speed exceeds the x sync speed 1 Configure the V6 II TX and the V6 II RX to the correct camera and flash systems see Section 10 and 11 2 Switch the V6 II TX to the normal HSS mode On the V6 II TX press Turn the selection dial to HIGH SPEED SYNC and press Turn the selection dial to POWER SYNC and press On the status screen of the LCD screen the Power Sync icon ILLUSTRATION OF POWER SYNC ICON will...

Page 29: ...indicate shutter release 15 2 Bulb Mode 1 Set the camera to Bulb 2 Press completely and hold on the V6 II TX The status LED on the V6 II TX and V6 II RX will turn green at first and go off after approximately 2 seconds The LCD display will show BULB MODE ON 3 Release on the V6 II TX The camera s shutter is now in a continuous open state 4 To close the camera s shutter press completely and release ...

Page 30: ...you will also be able to control the power level of the flashes with your V6 II TX 7 To exit the Relay mode in both TX and RX units press and turn the selection dial to RELAY Press and turn the selection dial to OFF Press and then press to return to the main screen 16 Advanced Operations 16 1 Autofocus Assist Light The V6 II is equipped with an autofocus assist LED and is capable of supporting the...

Page 31: ... delay timer delays the trigger response for the time period set If you wish to f ire the flash a bit later than the first curtain sync to create a different light effect e g to achieve a second curtain sync set an appropriate delay time from 1 millisecond to 99 seconds 1 Switch on the V6 in TX or RX mode press and turn the selection dial to DELAY Press 2 To set a delay time in millisecond turn th...

Page 32: ...so on The fifth trigger will f ire group A and start the cycle again Another series will restart at group A when there is no triggering event in 2 seconds image AB CD The first trigger in a series will f ire group A and B together then group C and D The third trigger will f ire group A and B and start the cycle again Another series will restart at group AB when there is no triggering event in 2 se...

Page 33: ...adjustment The LCD will show unlock to indicate the temporary unlock status The dial will be locked again when no button or dial is pressed or turned in 2 seconds 3 The temporary unlock mechanism can be enabled or disabled in the TEMPORARY UNLOCK sub menu 4 To permanently unlock the selection dial press and hold the selection dial or for 2 seconds Note The short cut for adjusting the power level o...

Page 34: ... or 60 MINS To wake up the V6 II from the sleep mode press any button or turn the selection dial once Local triggering via a hot shoe or x sync port also awakens the V6 Note Wireless triggering will not wake up the V6 II RX units remotely 17 6 Work Range The working distance of the V6 II can be customized to suit your shooting purpose In WORK RANGE choose SHORT when you need to place the V6 II TX ...

Page 35: ...ower level of each group as you would with the V6 RX To control the zoom level of the RF60 series Slave 1 Configure the swap control to Zoom Cactus mode see Section 15 3 2 In the main screen of the V6 II TX press once The zoom levels of the activated groups will be shown on the screen 3 Adjust the zoom level of each group as you would to adjust the power level see Section 12 1 The zoom control sup...

Page 36: ...6 II RX independent of which group the V6 RX has been assigned to 19 LED Signal Guide Status Indicator on TX Indicator on RX Flash triggering Green Shutter triggering Green Half press auto focusing Orange Power level command received N A Orange Bulb mode activation Green for 2 seconds Bulb mode deactivation Green Low battery Red every 3 seconds Firmware update mode Red every 0 5 second 20 USB Conn...

Page 37: ...ide 2 Connect it with a computer via the Cactus mini USB cable MU 1 optional 3 Press and hold then switch on the V6 II in TX or RX mode at the same time 4 The V6 II is now in firmware update mode The status LED blinks in red rapidly The firmware update program will then recognize the connected V6 and start the upgrade Please visit www cactus image com v6 html for more information Firmware updates ...

Page 38: ... flash profile does not match the flash model Choose the correct flash profile or learn a new one 2 The flash is in a wrong operation mode e g M mode Check and set the flash to the TTL mode 3 A wrong EV offset has been set in the absolute power mode Check and reset the EV offset of the group concerned 2 Flash Profile Learning Fails LCD DISPLAY POSSIBLE CAUSE SOLUTION LCD shows error messages durin...

Page 39: ...ome from other equipment in the surrounding area 2 TX and RX transceivers are placed too close to each other Choose SHORT in the working range sub menu 3 Optical Trigger has been switched on and triggered by unexpected ambient light Switched off the optical trigger as it may not work in that environment 4 Slow Synchronization Delayed Flash LED Blinks Possible Causes Solution TX Yes Green RX Yes Gr...

Page 40: ...tteries in the RX and retry 2 Channel and group mismatch Ensure both transceivers are set to the same channel and the group assigned to the RX has been activated on the TX 3 Background radio interference Set both transceivers to another channel Change setup location as interference may come from other equipment in the surrounding area 4 Beyond 100m effective range Make sure TX and RX transceivers ...

Page 41: ...against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio ...

Page 42: ...in Street Tuen Mun Hong Kong declare under our own responsibility that the product Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V6 II is in conformity with the essential requirements and other relevant requirements of the R TTE Directive 1999 5 EC image This product Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V6 II is in conformity with the provisions of EU Council Directive 1999 5 EC image The crossed out wheeled bin...

Page 43: ...ts or a defective Wireless Flash Transceiver returned to our authorized dealers as applicable and proven to be defective upon inspection will be repaired with new or comparable rebuilt parts or exchanged for a new Wireless Flash Transceiver as determined by Harvest One Limited or the authorized dealers This limited warranty shall only apply if the Wireless Flash Transceiver is used in conjunction ...

Page 44: ...TION OF DATA OR ANY OTHER SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE USE OR MISUSE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE WIRELESS FLASH TRANSCEIVER REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY ON WHICH THE CLAIM IS BASED AND EVEN IF HARVEST ONE LIMITED HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES IN NO EVENT SHALL RECOVERY OF ANY KIND AGAINST HARVEST ONE LIMITED GREATER IN AMOUNT THAN THE PURCHASE PR...

Page 45: ...TUEN MUN HONG KONG PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE HARVEST ONE LTD 2016 ...

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