The Phottix Ares Radio Flash Trigger

Transmitter flipped up to the "extended range" position

I've been playing with the Phottix Ares radio trigger and have been very pleased, so far. In an earlier post, I mentioned that I bought it because I wanted to experiment with a dedicated, radio controlled speedlight. The real reason was I broke the ribbon cable on my neutered Nikon SB-28DX speedlight, rendering the hotshoe circuitry unresponsive. It could only be triggered through the supplementary PC connector on the side.

• Reliability: The Phottix has been a refreshing change from the other (cheaper!) Chinese radio triggers I own. Now you get what you pay for, and I've paid much more for radio triggers with very high reliability profiles. So far, it's been as simple as remembering to turn both the transmitter and the receiver units on, and you're basically good to go. The transmitter /receiver pair has been extremely reliable so, but I have yet to experiment with distances farther than fifteen feet. But after using the Photix for several weeks, I can share the things I like about the unit:

• AA Batteries: Both the transmitter and the receiver use a pair of AA batteries, which add somewhat to the bulk. But the ease of replacement can be a godsend when you accidentally put one away in the "on" condition.

• Mini-Microphone Connections: The receivers have a convenient hotshoe for quick setup, and will accept Mini-Microphone cables when necessary. I connected said SB-28DX with a cable that had a mini-mike connector on one end, and a (Nikon style) locking PC connector on the other. This gives the user the reliability of  the mini-mike connector and access to a variety of cables to properly connect the flash you are using. In all the units that I've personally used, the lesser radio receivers with a PC connector don't have the clearance to accept the more secure locking Nikon-style connectors.

Warranty Card packed with the Ares transmitter

• 2 Year Warranty: This is important. If nothing else, it's an indication that the manufacture takes customer satisfaction seriously by selling a serious product. 2 years is twice what you'd expect from most of the older, established manufacturers.

• Serial Numbers: This was a surprise when I saw it. Each transmitter/receiver pair is laser engraved with a serial number, a reassuring indicator that Phottix is actually trying to keep track of their products, and even if the numbers only represented a specific production run, it sure looks to me like the company cares about its products.

Transmitter flipped down for portability

• "Patents Pending": A Chinese company taking steps to protect its intellectual property? Perhaps the engineers at Phottix actually created something unique and want to keep the technology in the family. I am willing to believe this, as I have faith in the two year warranty, which I hope never to use.

Latency: Latency, as I heard it called, is the delay introduced while the trigger sends the radio impulses that will fire the flash. As a rule of thumb, I increase the shutter speed (exposure duration) the equivalent of one-third of a stop for standard speedlights used with the focal plane shutters found on nearly all DSLR cameras. There are some exceptions, most notably the Nikon D70 and the D70s, which can potentially synchronize a speedlight at any shutter speed when connected using a neutered flash cable, provided the duration of the flash's light burst is briefer than the exposure duration you opted to use.

For the record, I tested the Phottix with my older Sony R1, a Nikon D70, and the Nikon CoolPix A, to determine the shortest exposure time that would allow me to use my Nikon SB-900 at Full, Half, and Quarter Power. Here's what I found:

Sony R1		Nikon D70		Nikon CoolPix A
Full	1/400	Full	1/400	Full	1/2000
Half	1/640	Half	1/640	Half	1/2000
Quarter	1/800	Quarter	1/800	Quarter	1/2000

The figure for the CoolPix A are surprising - I could potentially control a speedlight with the Phottix at full power with exposure times of 1/2000 of a second. It doesn't make sense, but I'm anxious to find if this has a practical application. Missing from the text is my Fuji X100S. I'll get to that another time.

So far, the trigger has worked VERY well. I'd buy another, if I didn't already own so many radio triggers...