Those of us who like to get great images of lightning are always looking for an edge on Mother Nature to obtain the best image we can. One innovation that has been developed is the lightning trigger. The premise behind it is that the trigger senses the light of the flash and triggers the camera to take a picture. Tere are a variety of triggers out there and some have been around for awhile. I, myself, use one in particular. So when I was contacted by Strike Finder to see if I would like to test their Strike Finder 2 I jumped on the opportunity to see if I could get better edge on Old Mother Nature.
To save some time typing (I'm hunt and peck type of guy) I will let the website description of the unit here for your information...
Description
The Strike Finder 2 camera trigger is a compact, sensitive and responsive camera trigger, designed to capture lightning strikes either day or night. It’s just three inches in size, enabling it to be a lower profile than its predecessor.The Strike Finder 2 mounts onto the camera hotshoe so you can walk away and let it do all of the hard work!Strike Finder 2 is compatible with most cameras, simply specify which camera connection you need.Depending on the storm, lightning flashes can last for several hundred milliseconds (ms) and contain dozens of strokes each occurring approximately 40 milliseconds apart. The Strike Finder 2 has a response time in microseconds level but total lag time depends on your camera’s shutter lag time.Disclaimer• Lightning can be DANGEROUS. Remember Safety First!•The Strike Finder 2 is not waterproof. It should be treated and handled with the care of a camera and should not be dropped and/or exposed to extremes of heat or moisture.
The unit comes with the Strike Finer 2, a connecting cord specific for your camera (mine is for a Canon EOS) and a Quick Start guide.
The unit runs on a 9 volt battery. I suggest using a good one. I have an Energizer alkaline in the unit now. but I have bought an Energizer lithium to be used when the alkaline runs out.
Like I stated earlier make sure you order the specific connecting cord for your camera.
To use you install Strike Finder 2 in the hot shoe of your camera, plug the cord into the unit and then plug the other end into the camera where you would attach an intervalometer.
First Results
Unfortunately, they weren't mine. We had a system come through Pennsylvania about 10 days ago which produced severe warned storms in western and central Pa., but the mountains in eastern Pa. took the oomph out of them and they were nothing but showers and light rain when they passed through SE Pa. I contacted my fellow lightning photog, Ron Shawley, in Johnstown, Pa. who was also given a Lightning Trigger 2 to test to see if he got anything with his and he did. He sent me a stacked image of several strikes in the same area which he had taken using the LT 2. He said the response of the trigger was very fast and he was pleased with the first results. After seeing this image I would be too and it gave me an anticipation that could only be cured by a storm coming through my area soon. Ron's photo is below.
Update 5/20/18
My First Results
On 5/15/18 we had an extremely strong cold front rip through here with severe and even tornadic warned storms in the area. Large hail and damaging winds also accompanied this system. At my location the lightning was high in the clouds with just a flash here and there visible until the storm passed to my east and I was on the back side. The Lightning Trigger 2 had a noticeable quick response time to the visible lightning and did not respond to just changes in lighting because of cloud movement like my other lightning trigger. This meant less shutter clicks, but also less wear and tear on the shutter. Still from what I observed the LT2 did not miss and visible strokes. I was duly impressed, but one outing is not enough to come up with a favorable recommendation just yet since more data is needed. To that end this article will be ongoing and will be updated as more storms pass through. My results are shown below. First test would be labeled positive, but I do have a couple of small concerns which I may elaborate on as the storm season goes on because I need to figure out if they are concerns or just because I am not use to this type of trigger design. Stay tuned for more whenever Mother Nature cooperates.
Update 6/24/18
There has been a lack of thunderstorms in my area so far so to keep practicing with the Strike Finder 2 I tried it on some local Fireworks we had here and, although I was a distance away, I was pleasantly surprised at the results seen below. The trigger consistently fired with the fireworks display. Now if only Mother Nature would cooperate with some natural fireworks.
Update 6/28/18
We had a pretty decent thunderstorm pass through about 3:45 AM this morning, but the only problem is that 90% of the lightning was within the cloud, so we got a good light show, but no nearby CTGs. However, after the storm moved past a couple of miles the Strike Finder 2 was able to capture all visible CTC and CTG strokes. I was running a second camera and trigger at the same time and it didn't catch as many. The results are pictured below and remember this is at a distance of 2-3 miles away.
Update 9/26/18
A thunderstorm passed just south and east of my location tonight and I was able to get these shots using Strike Finder 2
3/15/19
First storm of the year for Strike Finder.
7/11/19
Look closely and you can see it struck something.
Updated Photos 6/30/21 All done with Strike Finder 2 and a Canon 80D.
I want to use MIOPS as camera trigger. Do you have any advice on this? It has positive comments as a camera trigger.
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