Photography News | Issue 37 | absolutephoto.com
57 First tests
Phottix Odin II TTL flash trigger transmitter £160 & receiver £125
Specs
Prices Odin II Transmitter £160, Odin II receiver £125 Availability Odin II transmitter – Canon, Nikon, Sony. Odin II receiver – Canon, Nikon TTL flash control +/-3EV Manual power control 1/1 to 1/128 High speed sync ODS (OverDrive Sync) allows a 5ms shift in sync for manual flash units Channels 32 Operatingdistance 100mplus Groups Five – A, B, C, D, E Max sync speed 1/8000sec Other features AF assist illuminator with 5mworking range, firmware upgradable, rear curtain sync (Canon, Nikon) Power Two AAs in each unit Dimensions Transmitter: 109.3x71.7x56mm Receiver: 81.8x69.3x47.6mm Weight (withbatteries) Transmitter: 175g Receiver: 139g Contact eu.macgroupus.com
The original Phottix Odin flash trigger built a good reputation for itself by offering versatility and high performance at a competitive price. The Odin II builds on this with even more features and improved handling. The Canon and Nikon versions were launched earlier this year and the Sony transmitter (but not the receiver) has just been announced. Here we take a close look at what the Odin II trigger and receiver offer. Advanced flash triggers are so feature rich that handling can be torturous where you have to find the appropriate menu item and then scroll seemingly endlessly to change and confirm settings. Speedy handling is a key feature of the Odin II transmitter with one-push access to five different groups. If you have your main light as group A, the fill light as group B and the hairlight as group C, now you can make each group active just by pushing the button below the LCD panel. Once active – the working group is highlighted – you can adjust (depending on the unit it is attached to) exposure mode, zoom, and increase/decrease output really simply or even switch that group off. It is very intuitive andmaking changes wirelessly to the light output of several groups takes literally seconds because it is so easy.
For this test the Nikon version was used together with a variety of flash units including the Nikon SB-900 speedlight, an old Elinchrom Ranger Quadra kit and Pixapro CITI600 TTL units. I also tried an Indra360 battery pack flash and the Mitros+, both units also fromPhottix. The features available obviously depend on the flash unit. With the SB-900 and Mitros+, TTL flash, zoom head control and more is possible with the Odin II combination, while for the Ranger Quadra kit, it was manual wireless flash triggering with the receiver connected by cable and features such as ODS, of which more later. With the Indra360 the latest software gives five groups and Sony compatibility and the option of TTL or manual flash. The Odin II transmitter can be customised further with ten menu items – the menu is accessed by a single short push on the on/off switch when the Odin II is on. Here you can do simple things like turning the beep on or off or slightly more advanced things like setting a TTL preference value. You might like your TTL flash exposures, for example, to be slightly brighter so you can set +0.3EV as a default setting. A feature here of interest is ODS or OverDrive Sync. ODS lets you adjust
Above left The Odin II transmitter is a well thought out piece of kit that is good to use, thanks to the large LCD and instant access to the five groups. Above right The receiver has TTL hotshoe and cable sync options.
the time delay of when the shutter fires so that you can achieve high speed flash sync even, possibly, with flash units that don’t offer it. ODS gives the adjustment of up to five milliseconds in microsecond steps and you do this without having to use an app. It should be said that the camera, the camera format and the flash are key factors in getting high speed flash sync. The subject is complex but here what you are trying to do is time the exposure with the flash duration as it tails off. I testedODSwitha couple ofNikons (D3s and a Df) and various battery and mains flash units. I also used a Nikon SB-900 speedlight which has super FP sync but for this test was used in totally manual mode. For each camera/flash duo I started with ODS at zero and normal shutter speed for correct flash sync aiming the lens and flash at a plain white wall – I used 1/125sec to be safe. Next I set 1/500sec and took another shot – this gave a fully or partially black image. I then went into the ODS menu item and set 5.0 to give the maximum delay of five milliseconds and took another
shot. In every case in my tests 5.0 was too much so I dropped down until I started getting an image and fine- tuned from there until I got a complete white frame showing that flash sync was working at that shutter speed. It is not the greatest way to spend an evening but you only have to do it once for that camera/shutter speed/flash combination somake a note of theODS value for future reference. I got at least a flash sync speed of 1/500sec inmy tested combinations so that was an improvement on normal flash sync. On a Nikon D3s with the Quadra Ranger, I got good images at 1/500sec with a 2ms delay, 1/1000sec was dropped to 1.4ms and the required delay at 1/2000sec was 0.8ms. In some camera/flash pairings, the 35mmformat horizontal image had top to bottom gradation which might be a problemdepending on your subject. How relevant ODS is depends on what you shoot but if mixing flash – particularly mains flash where you usually have more power on tap – and bright daylight is something you want to try, the Odin II set gives options to explore. WC
Verdict
Phottix has shown itself to be a skilled innovator when it comes to lighting kit, and the two Odin II units tried here show what it is capable of. It’s quality, versatile kit that comes in at a decent price. Yes, it is true that if you just want a radio flash trigger and shoot basic manual flash there are plenty of less expensive options around including from Phottix itself, but if you work with multiple light sources, use high speed sync and perhaps mix TTL and manual flash, the user-friendly Odin II units are to be recommended. Pros Effective flash trigger system with lots of creative potential Cons Small readout on the receiver
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