As I was packing up for a shoot over the weekend, it occurred to me that over the years I’d spent quite a bit of money on wireless triggers—not including the ones that came with various studio strobes. While it’s great, and necessary, to have backups, there comes a point where budget must come into consideration.

Photo courtesy of Phottix

Enter the new Phottix Ares II, the successor to the original Ares released in 2012. Although not backward compatible (Phottix says there’s too much new technology in the Ares II for that), the new models expand their usage with the Strato II receivers and are now compatible with studio lights such as the Mitros+ and Indra series. Each transmitter and receiver costs $55 (you’ll save a few dollars if you buy them as a set for $100).

As part of the Phottix “ecosystem,” you’ll get expanded use, but the Ares II transmitters and receivers are also compatible with most major cameras including Canon, Nikon, Sony models with MIS (multi-interface shoe), Pentax, Panasonic, Fuji and Olympus, along with most hot-shoe flashes using the X-Sync port.

Photo courtesy of Phottix

In addition to 16 channels (and Strato II compatibility on channels 1 to 4), the Ares II offers control over four groups, an estimated range of almost 500 feet and a sync speed that maxes out at 1/250 of a second.

Should you find yourself sharing a location or studio with other photographers, no need to figure out who is shooting on which channel. Simply dial in a four-digit ID code and no one will accidentally trigger your flashes. Numeric options for the codes run from 0000 to 9999, so you’re more likely to win the lottery than have another Ares II user on location choose the same ID code.

Powered by two AA batteries, each unit is equipped with a bright LCD display and convenient control buttons. While you won’t find TTL or high-speed sync features, the Ares II units are a solid option with budget-friendly pricing, so you’ll never get caught short for your main or backup wireless triggers.

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