Pocket Wizard Compatible Remotes Are Invading from The East

UPDATED: Steve from Phottix (CEO) checks in with some answers to our questions, inside...
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With the announcement of the "Atlas," Hong Kong -based Phottix has just gone from an unremarkable, third-party accessory manufacturer to a company who is raising serious eyebrows.

This upcoming PW-compatible remote is getting lots of attention -- and with good reason.

Details inside.
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Charles Verghese, a friend from the UAE (and the person from whom I nicked these product photos -- thanks, Charles!) has been testing an early set and has been surprised and impressed at the results.




Highlights

• They are transceivers, like the PW II+'s
• AA batts.
• They are PW-compatible (chan. 1-4 only)
• Metal foot, w/big screw collar
• Built-in 1/4x20 mount (!)
• Built-in female hot shoe (!!)
• Range seems to be at least that of the PWs. (Caveat: see below)


Question Marks

• Can it sync clean at a 250th? Unknown.
• Charles was getting some (repeatable) phantom pops.
• There are also reports of some hinky stuff in burst mode.
• No US compatibility yet -- only CE. (Said to be coming, tho.)
• Not so fast: Am told that if that extra range is coming from a chip that is not limited (to make it legal on emissions) US models probably will not meet FCC specs.
• Price: Not yet known, but street price in Singapore dollars translates to USD ~$115.


UPDATE: Phottix checks in w/answers:

• The Phantom triggering problem and "hinky" burst mode have been corrected - the reviews were based on pre-production models, not the final model.

• Sync speed is 1/250 on cameras that will sync that fast (my Canon 40D will sync with the Atlas at 1/250 no problem).

• The FCC models will be FCC approved - and should be on the street by late July - early August. I will be testing these models next week.

• Regarding the patent - we feel our product does not violate present patents.

So, muddy enough for you?

Maybe. But interesting, too.

Charles has lots more info in a detailed, three-part series in which he tested them pretty thoroughly. It begins here.