Phottix Odin Transmitter

My Phottix Odin flash triggers just arrived, and oh, man, it’s like Christmas came early at my house.

Finally a gear-maker has delivered all the features I’ve been wanting in a flash trigger for years!

• TTL Metering? – Check
• High Speed Sync? – Check
• Second Curtain Sync? – Check
• Manual Power Settings? – Check
• Multiple Groups? – Check
• Backward Compatibility with cheaper triggers? - Check
• Super Low Price? – Well, um… six out of seven ain’t bad

Seriously, I can’t think of anything that is missing from these triggers. Technology has finally caught up to my fantasy wish list.

So, why is this trigger a big deal?

First of all, it’s one of only a few TTL triggers on the market.  The others, including the Pocketwizard Flex System, and the RadioPoppers, are ridiculously expensive, and in the case of PocketWizard, known to have some radio interference issues with Canon flashes.

So the Odin is newsworthy with its lower price point, rock-solid reliability, well-built construction, and user-friendly operation.   (I managed to set it up and test it without even consulting the manual.)

The price point looks even better when you consider the backward compatibility with older Phottix triggers, like the affordable Strato and Strato II Multi. (You can see my previous reviews of those triggers by clicking those links).

Of course, any flashes attached to the older Strato series receivers don’t transmit TTL information.  But frankly, for me, this is not a problem.  Because in a given lighting setup, I typically want only my main and fill lights in TTL mode, while my rim lights or background lights are locked down in manual mode anyway.

So the Odin gives me a perfect way to use the heap of Strato receivers that I already own—to power my manual back lights, while using my Odin receivers for the front lights in TTL mode.

Odin Test with Speedlites (click to enlarge)

I set up a little test rig just to illustrate this mix-and-match scenario for you.  The moment I un-boxed the new Odin, I attached my two Odin receivers to two TTL Canon flashes (for the main light), and then I put some older Strato and Strato II receivers on two additional Canon flashes in manual mode, to serve as back/rim lights.

In other words, I’m using four different types of Canon flashes, and three different types of Phottix triggers, all at once.  How’s that for mix-and-match?

See the nearby image of my first test firing of the four flashes, on my kitchen counter. Straight out of the box, first shot, and everything is firing.  I love it when stuff just works!

Odin Indoor Test with 4 Flashes

It was raining outside, so I couldn’t do the “overpowering the sun with high-speed sync” shot I had in mind, so, instead I dragged the lighting setup into my living room and bribed my daughter to stand in for a few test shots.

You can see my lighting setup nearby, and the photo that resulted from it. (Mind you, this was not an attempt to create art, it was just me confirming that the gear works and that all the flashes and triggers were firing and doing what they are supposed to.)

It went perfectly,  with no misfires, and accurate TTL metering on the subject in every shot.  It just works.

Odin Indoor Test Lighting Setup

The next day the weather cleared up, so I again bribed the offspring to stand for a few shots, this time out on the deck in bright sunlight.  This was the test I wanted.  Can I overcome the sun with a speedlight in High-Speed sync while using a wide aperture for backgrdound blur?

Odin Outdoor Test (1/1000 sec) HSS

You bet I can.  See the shot nearby.  She is rim lighted by the sun.  Note the blur on the buildings in the background from a f/4.5 aperture.  That required a shutter speed of 1/1000.  Try doing that with your manual flash triggers!

All right, you may be saying, but I could do that with the Canon or Nikon built-in wireless flash system.  But you couldn’t. Not in this configuration.   See my lighting setup shot.

Odin Outdoor Test Lighting Setup

From my shooting position, I was standing nearly beside my main light, too far forward for the flash to see a master’s signal.  And the fill light was hidden behind a concrete wall!

With Canon or Nikon wireless, no line of sight means no communication.  With the Odin, I don’t have to worry about line-of-sight between my master unit and my flashes.

Now I’m free to move around and put my lights wherever I like.  This is liberation.

I think you can see now why I’m excited about these triggers.

Early users are also reporting that the Odin works with many Canon-compatible third-party flashes, but you’ll have to do your own research there, as Phottix makes no promises (and who can blame them?)

Nikon shooter?  Be patient, your Odin is coming soon.

Now that I think about it, there is one thing Phottix left out of the Odin that would be handy. The infrared focus assist beam that you get with an on-camera Speedlite or a Canon ST-E2 transmitter can be a lifesaver in low-light situations.   (Of course, that beam still shines from your remote TTL flash, but it won’t do much good if it’s firing into an umbrella.)  For some shooters who do a lot of low-light work, that could be a problem.

But for me, even without that little feature, these are simply the best flash triggers I’ve ever seen.

Check Odin pricing at the Phottix Store

P.S. If this techie stuff seems over your head—or beyond your budget—you might want to start with my beginner off-camera-flash course which teaches you the basics of how to get started with off-camera-flash on a shoestring budget.

Phottix Strato II Multi

If you follow my product reviews at my photography training website, you probably know that the Phottix Strato has long been my favorite radio trigger for off-camera flash photography.

(If you want to learn why, you can watch my video review of the Strato.)

Well, the geniuses at Phottix have just improved on perfection by creating the new STRATO II MULTI flash trigger.

The Strato II Multi has everything found in the Strato, plus these additional features:

- 4 Groups (A,B,C,D) for more easily setting up different lighting zones
- Increased range (from 100 meters to 150 meters)
- Power switch on transmitter
- Locking ring on receivers
- Test buttons on all units
- Backward compatibility with earlier Strato receivers

New A,B,C,D groups

I’ve been testing the new Multi’s and I love them.  The quality of the construction is as solid as ever, and the new group selection buttons on the rear of the transmitter look and feel more like the controls on a high-end Danish stereo system than a Chinese radio trigger.  This is top quality gear.

And the backward-compatibility with older Stratos means that I now have approximately enough triggers to light a small third-world country.

Nice work, Phottix!

You can price or buy the new Strato II Multi at the Phottix site here.

And as always, if you shop from my links, you help support this site and make my free videos possible.

Gorillapod with SLIK Tripod Head

As an early Christmas present for myself last year, I bought a Gorillapod Flexible Tripod before traveling to Manhattan.  I knew I didn’t want to carry a full-size tripod on the crowded subway, where I might accidentally probe someone and get into trouble.  The Gorillapod, which fits in my camera bag (or even a big coat pocket if I don’t mind it hanging out a bit like a high-tech squid) seemed like a great, portable solution.

To mount my Canon 40D on it with some flexibility, I bought a SLIK SBH-120 Tripod Head, a basic but solidly-constructed ball head model.

Belvedere Castle in Central Park

Thus armed, I set out into the wilds of Manhattan.

I found the ‘pod incredibly useful in low light or nighttime situations where I would have been helpless without a tripod.  And as advertised,  its flexible legs really can be wrapped around damn near anything.

For example, in this night shot of Belvedere Castle in Central Park, I wrapped the Gorillapod through the wire framework of a wobbly little construction fence.

Gorillpod on wire fence

It was a very unstable setup, swinging wildly to and fro, but if I took my hands off the camera and let it settle into position, and used the self-timer to trigger the shot, I could get a crisp photo.

I ended up balancing it on park benches and wrapping it around railings.  In one museum I set it on the floor and took a guess as to where to point the camera (I couldn’t get low enough to look through the viewfinder) and got a great shot. Once I even placed it in a tree.

5th Avenue Mannequins

The use that got me the strangest looks from bystanders, though, was photographing mannequins in the beautifully decorated store windows along 5th Avenue.  Since there is typically nothing to set the Gorillapod on, or wrap it around, in from of a store window, I ended up using it as a little tripod on the window glass itself.  I turned the camera 90-degrees, placed the feet of the ‘pod on the glass, and held it firmly there while snapping the shot.  This looked a bit odd, and some people probably thought I was trying to break into the store with some diabolical window cutting device, but I didn’t get arrested and the shots came out great.

I highly recomment the Gorillapod as a quick-and-dirty (and lightweight) solution when you can’t carry a full-size tripod and think there might be something, anything, to attach the ‘pod to in the vicinity of your shot.

Buy it at Amazon:

Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (for small cameras)
Gorillapod SLR Zoom Tripod (for big cameras)
SLIK SBH-120 Tripod Head

Cactus V5 Wireless Flash Trigger Set

I recently had the privilege of Beta testing the new Cactus V5 Duo Wireless Flash Trigger during its development phase. Now that the veil of secrecy has been lifted, I’m happy to report that this new trigger is a big leap forward over its predecessor, the V4, and it gives a good run for the money to any other flash triggers on the market.

Those of you who saw the original version of my flash portrait photography course know that I’ve been a fan of Cactus triggers since their venerable Cactus V2 unit (if anything can be called venerable in an industry where new and improved hardware appears every six months).

Now, with the V5, Cactus has taken a completely new approach, abandoning the dedicated transmitter and receiver units for a new transceiver that can serve in either role with the flip of a switch.

Detachable foot creates a flash stand

The new design is handsomely futuristic, looking like a bar of soap from Darth Vader’s shower, and it now has a detachable plastic foot, so the unit can support a stand-alone flash on any flat surface.

For mounting, the V5 includes a female threaded coupling on the bottom, allowing you to screw it directly onto a light stand without any kind of shoe or bracket required.  And it has a nice high-quality metal foot on the bottom for mounting in standard hot or cold shoes.

The unit is powered by two standard AAA batteries (a huge advantage over past models and competitors that require a funky CR2 battery), concealed in a nifty spring-loaded tray that pops out at a touch.

Mounts easily on an umbrella bracket with a cold shoe attachment

As for performance, I found the V5 to be flawless, as did most of the other Beta test group.  As with competing brands that operate in the 2.4 GHz range, the V5, for me, was rock solid, with no interference and no misfires.  The V5 boasts 16 channels that you can select with a dial, and even something the manufacturer calls “Frequency Self Tune” which is supposed to help keep the units firing in extreme weather conditions.  (I’ll have to take their word for that, since I live in San Diego where an “extreme weather condition” might be an unexpected drop from 70 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Hot shoe on top—but no TTL pass-through.

Only one feature disappointed me on the V5, and that was the lack of TTL-pass-through on the hot shoe atop the unit.  Of course, it’s great to have that shoe there—it allows you to mount a flash on the unit while it’s on your camera, perhaps to provide some on-axis fill light.  That’s great. Trouble is, that flash has to be set manually, just like the remotes, instead of working in TTL mode to adjust its exposure or help with auto-focus.  By contrast the Phottix Strato, which I reviewed recently, has a hot-shoe with TTL pass-through atop its transmitter, and I have found that feature very useful.  Maybe in the Cactus V6…

The V5 also works as a Wireless shutter release for most cameras, but I was unable to test that at the time of this writing because I haven’t yet received the connecting cable.  I hope to update this part of the review when I get a chance to test that feature.

Summarizing  the Pros and Cons as I see them:

PROS

• Slick design
• Good construction
• AAA batteries (an advantage over the competing RF-602)
• Detachable stand-alone foot
• Flawless 2.4 GHz reliability
• Long range (100+ meters)
• Wireless shutter release

CONS

• Lack of TTL pass-through (compare to Strato)
• Somewhat large and bulky (compare to Yongnuo RF-602) in the camera bag

The Cactus V5 can be purchased from the Gadget Infinity website here:

http://www.gadgetinfinity.com

Given the high quality, reliability, long range, convenient features, and favorable price, I expect these triggers to become quite popular.

————

Footnote: If you want to know how triggers like this are used, check out my course on off-camera flash portrait photography where you can see me use and explain this kind of gear in great detail.

Phottix sent me a pre-release set of these new triggers to test, and now that the product is on the market I can finally talk about it.

I love this trigger. It’s got all the 2.4 GHz reliability of the Yongnuo RF-602 (previously my favorite in the low-budget trigger market), but with the added advantage of a TTL-pass-through hot shoe.

If you don’t know what the heck that means, or why it might be useful, then watch the video!

And if you buy a Strato from the link below you’ll help keep me fueled with beer (which leads directly to an increase in the quantity, if not always quality, of my photography and tutorial production).

Phottix Online Store Strato Page

Gotta love YouTube for always coming up with a splash screen where I have a funny expression on my face. They must have a special filter that searches for those frames.

If you’re interested, here is my course on Off-Camera Flash Photography.

Just some of the gear I'm packing

Preparing for Burning Man is only slightly less daunting than packing for a polar expedition — or perhaps a mission to Mars is a better analogy.

Each year my packing list grows longer and more complex (it now spans 8 pages of closely-spaced typing), and each year I nevertheless forget several important items and end up cursing myself out there in the Nevada desert when I discover that I forgot to bring, say, the superglue that I need to re-attach the sole of my shoe so that I don’t have to walk 3 miles back to camp barefoot on the blistering, 120-degree surface of the alkaline lakebed.  Or the charger for my camera battery. Or my can opener. Or, even worse, the beer. Or any one of the hundreds of other things that make life bearable in the extreme environment of Burning Man.

Most important of all is the camera gear, of course.  Forgetting a key item there can basically wipe out the main purpose of a two-week, 1500-mile trip.  These days I try to build in some redundancy, carrying multiple copies of important items, so that certain things can break or get destroyed by dust, and I can still go on shooting.

I now bring two complete cameras, plus spare lenses in case one of the two main lenses goes kaput.  Lots of memory cards, of course.  Here’s a photo of the main camera gear as I’m organizing it for packing.

Key items include (not all are shown in photo):

Canon 40D camera
Canon 350D camera
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens
Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS lens
Canon 28-135 IS lens (backup in case of main lens failure)
Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens for night shooting
Big camera bag (holds both cameras with lens hoods)
Camera backpack (holds one camera plus assorted gear)
6 Memory cards ranging 1 1GB to 4 GB in size
Card Reader
Compact Manfrotto light stand with umbrella bracket
Canon 430EX Speedlite
Canon 580EX II Speedlite
Lots of rechargeable AA batteries for speedlites
2 Spare rechargeable batteries for each camera body
Battery chargers for each camera and for the AA’s
Gels for flashes
Flash radio triggers (this year Yongnuo RF-602, expendable)
Westcott 5-in-1 Reflector
Improvised car sun-shade reflectors
White shoot-through umbrella
Black/silver umbrella
Gorillapod
Lightweight tripod
Kodak Zi8 Video camera
Alcohol lens wipes, air blowers, and compressed air for cleaning cameras.
Macbook computer (for downloading images from cards each night)

And that’s just the main stuff.

Of course, I certainly won’t use all of it.  I never seem to get ambitious enough to haul out the flashes and do some radio-triggered off-camera lighting under the difficult conditions of Burning Man.  I’ve never yet used an umbrella (too much wind), and I rarely bother to recruit a volunteer to hold a reflector.  But you never know, I might want it, so I bring it all.  Better to have it and not use it than leave it home and wish I had it.  I think.

By the way, if you’re a photographer going to Burning Man you might want to check out my “How to Take Better Photos at Burning Man” tutorial on my training site.

Every wonder why the display on your Canon Speedlite 580EX or 430EX flash is blinking at you?  Ever want to throw it against the wall because you can’t get it to stop?  Here’s the solution.

Warning: It’s a bit of a rant.

Here’s my breathless 10-minute rundown of all the current contenders for radio-triggering your off-camera flashes.

This is an update of the information contained in my course, “How to Shoot Professional-Looking Headshots and Portraits on a Budget with Small Flashes.”

This technology is changing fast, practically daily, so I’ll make periodic updates available as things evolve.

I hope you find it helpful, and I welcome your feedback or stories of your own experience with any of this gear.