Testing the Phottix Odin Flash System

This is just a short article / review on the Phottix Odin Wireless TTL Trigger Set. I’ve been using off-camera flash with various wireless flash triggers for over ten years now, mostly for fill flash type scenarios at weddings or on occasional portrait sessions. Every pro or semi-pro photographer has known that for years the Pocket Wizards were always the cream of the crop. For my shooting style they tended to be on the expensive side, but they were ultra-reliable and also one of the first units to offer full TTL functions.

I’ve always been conservative (on the cheap side) when it comes to buying new gear and I need enough gear to trigger at least two flashes. I’m also a Canon guy so when Canon announced their wireless flash triggers, the Canon ST E3 RT and the 600 EX RT Speedlites, I almost went right out and purchased them. I really liked the new function screen on the commander unit, but to be honest, the price was still a major issue because if I wanted to trigger two flash units I was looking at spending well over $1300. In order for them to be fully functional, I needed to upgrade my flashes and get a TCU unit (the ST E3 RT).

When Phottix first announced they were coming out with a totally wireless flash system with TTL capabilities about a year earlier, I really wasn't in the market for a new system. I sort of put their system in the back of my head for awhile. I had been using Phottix Atlas flash triggers for a couple years, and knew they were reliable, but my units had no TTL capabilities so basically all they could do was fire my flashes.

The main feature I liked on the new Canon was that you could change any of the settings right from the camera without having to physically make changes on the flashes themselves. Then I remembered the Phottix Odin system, which could also do the same. Whenever I purchase any new product, I like to wait until they've been battled tested in the real world, so I went online and read the reviews for the Odin system to see how they held up.  Not only could the Phottix do all the same things the Canon could do, I could keep my current flashes and that alone would save over $1000. So that was enough for me to purchase the Phottix Odin system and after using them for awhile, I knew it would be a very long time before anything else came close to these units. 

I’ll be the first to tell you, they just work. Every time, no exceptions. They’re rated at 320 feet range and I believe it. Just for the heck of it I had tested my old Atlas triggers and they fired at over 300 feet. In my opinion, the Odins are just about the best thing since sliced bread. With these units you have access to 4 channels and 3 groups, plus they can sync with your camera’s shutter (high-speed sync) up to 1/8000 second. They allow you to raise or lower the power, switch from TTL to manual, adjust the zoom and set ratios if you want, all from your camera. The screen on the TCU is easy to read and all the units work on AA batteries.  Another feature of the Odin wireless system is the addition of a USB port and a USB cable so you can install firmware updates. The Odins come complete with a 3.5 sync cable, and a 3.5 to 3.5 adapter, a 6.3 adapter for studio strobes and even a lanyard. The transmitter also features a backlit LCD screen for viewing in low-light conditions and modeling flashes that can be activated right from the transmitter. There is even a switch so you can use second curtain sync!

I've been using the Odin system for over a year in the field with my 580 EXII’s and they've been great. To date, these are the easiest and most reliable triggers I've ever owned. The the real benefit is being able to make all my flash adjustments without touching the flashes. Just dial the power up/down for each flash right from the LCD screen and keep shooting. Using the Phottix Odin system couldn't be simpler and I would personally recommend them to anyone. The last time I checked they were available for use with Canon, Nikon and Sony. The prices can’t be beat either. You can get a set-up for one flash for about $329 or a set-up with two receivers for only $399.  If you’ve been thinking about picking up a set, you won’t be sorry.  Great system, great prices……..Remember, keep shooting and have some fun!

New York City trip - 2013

Well 2014 is finally here and right now it feels like we’re stuck in a deep freeze here in New England with about two weeks of single digit temps……brrrrr.  Last month on my blog I mentioned an upcoming trip back to the Big Apple and how I was hoping for a frosting of snow while I was in the city. As luck would have it, I got my wish because NYC got about 8 inches the day before I arrived.  The trip was planned with only about a two weeks’ notice but because of the Internet, I was able to plan out my short time in the city pretty well.

It all started when one of my friends from my camera club started making plans to go in to New York City to hook-up with some friends that she hadn’t seen in quite some time. She knew I really liked New York at Christmas time and asked me if I might be interested in going to New York with her.  I didn’t know if I could get off work on such short notice, but it worked out in my favor and I was able to go. We decided to take the train into the city which was about a 4 hour trip. The train was very enjoyable, plus it took us right in to Penn Station which was only two blocks from our hotel.

This trip I decided I’d travel very light and only took a backpack with a change of clothes and a limited camera outfit, a Canon 5D MkII with a Tamron 28-300mm lens and a single 580 EX II speedlite.

My friend had shopped around for a hotel online and found one with rooms for under $100 on Sundays and it was directly across the street from Madison Square Garden right in midtown Manhattan. The hotel was also only a few blocks walk from Rockefeller Plaza, Bryant Park, Times Square and Grand Central Station so almost every place we wanted to go was within walking distance. While I was there I was finally able to visit the new World Trade Center and also had a chance to spend some time in Central Park (which is one of the reasons I was hoping for snow)  I never knew the horse and carriage rides in the park went year-round so that was another added bonus. Another place I have always wanted to check out was B & H Photo (which is a photographers Disneyland) and I was able to stop by there also.

One of the things we both wanted to do was to shoot the New York City skyline around dusk from the Top Of The Rock but the waiting line was over 2 ½ hours and we weren’t about to wait that long. Overall it was a fast paced little getaway but because I was able to plan my time out, it turned out to be very enjoyable.   


For me, I always enjoy going in to New York City and hopefully I’ll get a chance to go back for a few days there this coming Spring and shoot Central Park when everything is coming alive and maybe visit some other famous landmarks like Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We’ll see?  In the meantime, keep shooting and have some fun!

Merry Christmas to all.......

Another year slowly coming to an end. I hope it was a good one for all of you. I just might have another post before New Years because I'm treating myself to a couple days in NYC and hopefully I'll get a "few keepers".  This will be my second trip into to New York at Christmas time and I'm hoping to visit some of the sites I missed on my first trip like the WTC memorial, Top of the Rock and Central Park. I'll be on a pretty tight time schedule but hopefully with some decent planning, I can visit all these places while I'm in town. Who knows, maybe we'll get a little dusting of snow while I'm there? I'm going in with a friend from my camera club on an early train leaving out of Providence, RI.  I've never taken a train any real distance so I'm looking forward to the train ride also. My friend did a little homework herself and found us a couple of affordable rooms in a nice hotel only a block or so away from Penn station, right in mid-town Manhattan. Nice huh?

This Christmas tree photo was taken two years ago on my first trip to the Big Apple around Christmas and it has special meaning to me personally. It was my first time going into NYC during the holidays and it proved to be a very enjoyable trip.  I've mentioned a few times on my blog that I belong to a pretty good sized camera club and a small group of us (7 of us) took an early morning bus into New York city back in December 2011. We only had about 8 or 9 hrs in the city total and we wanted to check out some of the popular tourist sites. Luckily for us, the ones we were checking out were all within walking distance of the bus station. We had to hustle to take them all in, but we got a chance to check out attractions like the Skating Rink, Times Square, Grand Central Station and Bryant Park. Bryant Park is right next door to the New York public library and only a few blocks from Grand Central Station. I had seen photos of it before and I knew it was known for having a beautiful tree and a nice display at Christmas time. 

I got a chance to see the park early in the day with my friends and I knew immediately when I first saw it that I was going to try to go back around dusk and shoot the tree again.  (pictured above). So when my friends ventured back to a pub closer to the bus station, I hustled over to Rockefeller Center and shot some more photos of the Christmas Tree and the Rink then rushed over to Bryant Park and got the shot above.  

I know that we all had a great time on that trip and that this photo will continue to be one of those shots that holds many fond memories for me. I hope you like it too. 

Remember, keep shooting and have some fun!