For slightly more than a year, I grew increasingly frustrated with the PT-04 wireless flash triggers. They were cheaply made products from China. But despite being manifolds less expensive than their well-known counterparts in the U.S. (Pocket Wizards, Cybersyncs, for example), they actually worked in taking the flash off the top of your camera.

Over time, those PT-04′s began to break down. They were flimsy and the unusual swivel stand made it difficult to mount on light stands. When I made the decision to go pro, I knew I could no longer rely on them. The king-of-the-hill Pocket Wizards came to mind as a possible replacement, but at around US$200 for just one transceiver, it was not an easy decision to make. Plus, those PWs cannot be bought in Singapore (restricted by the government).

Then a friend tipped me off to the Yongnuo’s new RF-602 wireless triggers. At only $20 for either a transmitter or receiver, they are literally only a tenth of one PW transceiver. I decided to take a shot at it. They arrived a few days ago in what I must say is  shockingly-impressive packaging. The old PT-04s arrived in plain white boxes, but these new triggers came compartmentalized, and even came with a instruction booklet!

‘Copycat’ products have really come a long way.

What I like with the new RF-602s over the old PT-04s are the sturdy construction and lower profiles (no more flimsy stands). I haven’t used them enough to say if the transmissions are more reliable but they’ve worked at a 10-yard distance, which is good enough for me. I wouldn’t recommend triggering through multiple walls, but others say there haven’t been any problems. Myself, it’s sometimes hot, sometimes cold. If there’s a massive wall between your transmitter and the flash, there have been occasions when it didn’t go off. But like I said, I need more field testing.

Overall, for the money spent, I don’t think these can be beat. PWs will always retain the highest standards with regards to distance and reliability, but remember, I can buy 10 Yongnuo triggers for only one PW, and you can’t do anything with just one PW anyway.

When I talked about getting into video, I meant it. My proof arrived a couple of days ago — the new Canon 7D, all beefed up with new features and of course, video shooting capability.

I have to say I didn’t make the purchase decision lightly. There’s no pool of green that I’m wading in. I made a calculated decision and decided that I needed to make an investment and stay on top of the game instead of always lagging behind and getting older technology. I sold off my 40D to partially fund this camera.

So far, this camera has certainly impressed. In every way, it is a better camera than my 40D: more resolution, faster frame rate, better high ISO performance (if you can believe it), excellent auto-focus, magnificent LCD screen, and last-but-not-least the full HD video. All these upgraded features certainly seemed, to me, worth the premium that I paid on top of the 40D sale.

It’s built in similar size to the 5D, and the construction feels firm. I haven’t shot much with it, but the new auto-focus selections and expansion of focus points are great blessings. Now I feel I can really tackle sports photography, especially with the 8 frames per sec.

But the video is what you’re interested in, right? Just the ability to shoot full HD and at 24p is sweet. I’ve been trying to tape general footage that I can use for some future project. I probably won’t be able to cobble a decent clip too soon though as I still have to work towards getting good audio and then putting it all together in a video-editing software. Still, I’m very optimistic on where this is going, and with some time put in, I hope my videography skills can improve.

Right now I’m still primarily a photographer. It’s what I’m good at, whereas with video I’m merely a toddler playing with toys. But I do see video as an increasingly important skill set that I need to acquire, which in turn will lead to more opportunities.

There was a time when I would slag anyone who suggested I jump ship to video rather than stay as a tried-and-true still photographer. How times have changed. I’ve seen some of the HD capabilities of the new DSLRs, from the Canon 5D MKII and now the new Canon 7D. And I am sold completely.

Perhaps that means I cheated on the love (for photography) that burgeoned about two years ago. But this is not a divorce. I’m merely embracing the new facet of video, and acknowledge that audio and motion combined with still imagery is one unstoppable force. Just look at the slide show-maker Animoto, or the Bebb Studios’ “Fusion Is Now” movement. Soon photographers will be expected to produce short video clips for their wedding couple clients.

I’ve never owned a video camera, but I’m planning to make the Canon 7D my first. Apart from being a competent video camera, the user reviews so far say the still images are impressive too. Even the specs of the 7D trump my backup 40D in almost every way. The $1699 price tag is a little intimidating, but at least still reachable compared to the 5D2‘s $2699 tag. I always believe in worthy investments and my goal would be to earn back the investment from future assignments.

The 7D’s are hard to find right now, but that only festers the itch of trying  out its video capabilities.