Gear Talk > Lighting

Which Phottix RF trigger?

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Drizzt321:
So, I figure it's finally time for me to get a RF speedlite/strobe triggers. I currently have a 580 EX II (may get another speedlite, prolly 3rd party at sometime) and a old pack + 4 heads that still works fine that I got recently. The Phottix Odin is overkill for me, I think, and too expensive for me right now, The Phottix Aster looks just about perfect for me, but then I noticed the Phottix Strato II Multi which is a bit more expensive (~$155 for transmitter + 2 receiver vs $71), but can do single or multi group, plus hotshoe passthrough, longer distance, and takes AAA batteries instead of CR2 coin batteries. It's a good bit more, but I think the capabilities might be nice, plus I can use them as a remote shutter release which is pretty neat.

So, opinions? Suggestions? Am I crazy?

Cornershot:
I have the older Stratto triggers that Phottix still sells. Not much difference and cheaper than the newer II. I haven't been using them lately since getting my TTL triggers. But they're a reliable product and have decent range. I haven't had any problems with them and I've owned them for years. The hot shoe passthrough is actually pretty useful as is the shutter release.

By the way, I hear that the Pixel King TTL triggers are supposed to be a good budget option. I don't have any first hand experience. Maybe somebody can chime in on if they're worth buying. You can get a transmitter and two receivers for something like $200.

FocalFury:
I have the Strato II Multi and I highly recommend it. Great button layout, build quality, and reliability. Plus it comes in a package with all the different cables you may need.

JerryKnight:

--- Quote from: FocalFury on May 16, 2012, 02:45:35 PM ---I have the Strato II Multi and I highly recommend it. Great button layout, build quality, and reliability. Plus it comes in a package with all the different cables you may need.

--- End quote ---


+1,000,000

These are seriously amazing. They're cheap (compared to something like the PocketWizard PlusIII), but not so cheap that you can't trust their construction. The transmitter/receiver pair is ~$100 US, and individual receivers are ~$60. Here's an example E-bay store that I would trust (Cameta Camera), or you can order direct and wait for them to ship from Hong Kong.

The groups are done in a fantastic way. Set each receiver to a group (A,B,C,D) and on the transmitter, you have four buttons that let you turn each group on or off independently. For my own shooting (assistant photog at weddings) I set up 3 flashes on lightstands, each one set to a separate group. Usually, I turn them all on for full cross-lighting, but I can very quickly turn any of them off if they get in the way.

And a HUGE PLUS is that the transmitter's TTL passthrough works even when it's off. My own pattern has become E-TTL on-camera, manual flash off-camera, so this is a very big feature that not even the PocketWizard Mini or Flex have (you cannot fire the on-camera flash with the remote turned off).

Regarding range, Phottix's claim of 150 meters is somewhat believable in my testing. I put a receiver on a lightstand by my house and walked down the street until it stopped firing consistently. I then went on Google Earth and measured the distance to just about 150 meters where it fired ~80% of the time. At 100-125 meters, it fired 100%. I do not own a flash that could do anything significant at 100 meters, but if you're doing outdoor portraits with a very long lens, this distance might be useful.

So yes, get the Strato II's. You won't be disappointed.

EDIT: Obviously, the OP already has this information, but I can say from experience that all these features of the Strato II are accurate and very useful. I've never looked at the Aster's but I would have a very hard time recommending anything but the Strato II. They're that good.

JerryKnight:
You didn't mention it, but if you're wondering about a good cheap non-TTL flash for your remote flashes, I recommend the Yongnuo YN560. Relatively cheap, but it has roughly the same power output as a 580ex2. These are the flashes I use on my lightstands, and they've been reliable. They use the same 4xAA batteries that Speedlites use, and they have a zoomable strobe head.

Since you're looking at manual radio slaves like the Strato II, getting extra Speedlites would be overkill if that's all you would use them with.

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