Phottix Odin Rocks But Not Ditching the PocketWizards Plus II Yet

When you step outside your one-flash comfort zone to explore creative lighting opportunities, wireless radio remote triggers are really the only things that matter when it comes to getting  work done. My first wireless investment was a Canon ST-E2 infra-red transmitter that works well indoors but fails miserably outdoors. Because I work with two 5D Mark II bodies and I own not one but two ST-E2 for obvious convenience. Over the years, I found myself shooting a mix of indoors and outdoors that involved great distances and larger venues, I needed something better. I first went with the PocketWizard Plus II a much reputed non-TTL wireless trigger that works flawlessly but quickly got tired of its inherent inconvenience.

Phottix Journal Feature Story: Pro Jan Shim shoots with the Phottix Odin

Mounted on the 5D Mark II is a Phottix Odin transmitter and a Speedlite 430EX II mounted to an Odin receiver strapped to the side of the tripod. The visible cable is a PocketWizard camera shutter trigger connected to a PW Plus II unit.

With the Phottix Odin Wireless TTL Flash Trigger for Canon the pair of ST-E2s are officially retired and collecting dust until they find new owners. Although I have very little use for the Plus II, I’m keeping them as a camera shutter trigger — the Phottix and PocketWizard work beautifully together like that. It’s always good to find ways to revalidate  the original investment in them. An assignment where the Phottix Odins were used to light up Radisson Hotel’s main entrance.

A close-up view of the PocketWizard camera shutter trigger cable connected to a PW Plus II unit. Ever since I adopted the Phottix Odin TTL trigger for flash while the Plus II duty is limited to camera trigger for now.

If you’re wondering why I hadn’t gone the PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 TTL route let me just sum it up in a few words. I have never come across a company that tries so hard to make a gadget so incredibly difficult and confusing to use like PocketWizard has with their Canon ETTL-II compatible triggers. I followed initial developments of the Mini/Flex until it began to look less and less promising — at one point PocketWizard even blamed Canon Speedlite’s Radio Frequency noise when things didn’t pan out well which incidentally is a true story. Things took too long before PocketWizard decided the best way to counter this is to wrap things up in the literal sense of the word. Phottix, on the other hand, worked on a solution quietly and rolled out an incredibly user-friendly product they named the Odin.

PocketWizard CM-N3-P cable connected to the Canon 5D Mark II N3 remote terminal.

A even closer view of the PocketWizard CM-N3-P camera trigger cable with Pre-Trigger switch.

Recent assignments where the Phottix Odin had been instrumental:
Radisson Hotel Brunei Darussalam Fine Dining at Deals Restaurant
The Gryphon Gourmet Tea Experience At Tasek Brasserie Radisson Hotel
From The Deli Takeout to Tasek Brasserie Dine-in at Radisson Hotel Brunei Darussalam