In the event you’re stacking for star path or Milky Manner photographs, having an important timer is essential. And if it’s simple to make use of at evening is even higher. Enter the Phottix Aion Common Wi-fi Timer and Shutter Launch (intervalometer and timer) with radio distant management.
An intervalometer is a timer that controls your digicam. It controls how typically and the way lengthy your pictures are taken. And for that matter, what number of pictures are taken and the time between pictures. In addition they do fundamental distant shutter launch, Bulb Mode, a delayed shutter launch, and extra. If you wish to discover ways to use an intervalometer, look no additional!
Some cameras include them in-built. Some intervalometers are exterior, and hook up with your digicam with a wire or wirelessly.
Professionals
- The Aion is simpler to make use of at nighttime than another intervalometer I’ve used
- One machine can work with a number of cameras
- The design, together with the separate cables, is extra sturdy
- Radio frequency appears to be extra dependable than bluetooth-controlled units
- The machine connects to your digicam wired or wirelessly
- The sunshine stays on in case you are regularly adjusting the controls
- The controller presents affirmation beeps.
- The controller tells how a lot time is left on every publicity as an alternative of how a lot time has elapsed
Cons
- Costly in comparison with different intervalometers
- The LED indicator lights indicating focusing and finishing a photograph are pink and inexperienced that are onerous to distinguish for people who find themselves red-green colorblind.
The Phottix Aion — Technical specs
- Merchandise Sort — Wi-fi: RF (Radio Frequency)
- Digicam Connection: Canon 2.5mm Sub-mini, Canon 3-pin (N3), Nikon 10-pin, Nikon DC-2, Sony Multi-Terminal
- Channels: None
- Wi-fi Frequency: 2.4 GHz
- Interval Timer/Programmable: Sure
- Dwell View: No
- Cellular Machine/App-enabled: No
- Shutter Modes: Steady, Single Shot, 2-Second Delay
- Wi-fi Vary: 196.85′ / 60 m
- Receiver Dimensions: 3.3 x 1.5 x 1.2″ / 85.0 x 37.5 x 31.0 mm
- Receiver Energy Supply: Battery
- Receiver Battery Necessities: 2 x AAA
- Receiver Weight: 1.32 oz / 37.5 g
- Transmitter Energy Supply: Battery
- Transmitter Battery Necessities: 2 x AAA
- Transmitter Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.8 x 0.9″ / 130.0 x 46.0 x 22.0 mm
- Transmitter Weight: 2 oz / 57 g
The Phottix Aion — First impressions
The Aion is a 2.4GHz radio set off that does all of what intervalometers do plus publicity bracketing. There are two primary units.
One of many units is a receiver. This may sit on the recent shoe on prime of your digicam and connects to the digicam by way of a cable.
The opposite machine is a transmitter. This communicates with the receiver so you could management your digicam remotely. That is what you’d use to enter controls and activate the digicam, very similar to a TV distant management. This transmitter might also be wired on to the digicam as an alternative, bypassing the receiver.
OK, the Aion is costlier than different intervalometers … so why ought to I purchase this?
Your digicam might need a built-in intervalometer. Or you may get a wired intervalometer for a 3rd of the value. Nevertheless, right here’s some issues to contemplate.
Phottix contains shutter launch cables for many main fashions
Simply this alone is perhaps well worth the worth of admission. When you’ve got a number of completely different digicam fashions however solely use one by one, why purchase a number of intervalometers? The Aion contains shutter launch cables for Canon, Nikon, Sony, and extra. By default, this additionally signifies that they might management different cameras that use the identical connectors, similar to Pentax, Hasselblad, and extra.
It’s possible you’ll use it wired or wirelessly
This isn’t a characteristic that’s distinctive to Aion. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless good to have.
The Aion (and possibly most intervalometers) are doubtless extra versatile than your digicam’s inner intervalometer
For example, many cameras might have an inner intervalometer that solely opens the shutter for as much as 30 seconds at a time. Moreover, some inner intervalometers are notoriously tough to determine. Exterior intervalometers such because the Aion are typically simpler to make use of from my expertise.
The controls are much less irritating and extra ergonomic than most different exterior intervalometers
One of many issues that frustrates me about my intervalometers is the one management for all features. It’s very easy to mistakenly change to the following setting inadvertently. I exploit an intervalometer on a regular basis and nonetheless handle to do that commonly. Nevertheless, the Aion has separate buttons for Set, Up, Down, Left and Proper. Ahhhhhh … …
All of the cables disconnect
One of many primary points with wired intervalometers most individuals expertise is that cables are completely linked. Throughout pictures or storage, they’ll bend backwards and forwards and finally break or grow to be unreliable. My pal Tim Little, who has taught lots of of individuals by way of evening pictures workshops, notes that a lot of individuals’s frustrations happen from malfunctioning exterior intervalometers. Broken or pressured cables absolutely trigger a lot of those points.
Runs on radio frequency, not Bluetooth
I’ve used distant units by way of Bluetooth. Perhaps my expertise is completely different. Nevertheless, I’ve used two completely different telephones with two completely different Bluetooth units, they usually’ve all grow to be unreliable after some time.
The two.4 GHz radio frequency seems to have an extended vary and better reliability than Bluetooth. Phottix claims a variety of virtually 200 toes/60 meters. I used to be in a position to set off the digicam efficiently a number of instances from distances as much as 100 toes by three to 4 home partitions when the digicam was both inside or outdoors of the home.
It doesn’t require an app out of your cellphone
Talking of telephones, I don’t wish to put on down my cellphone or tie it up when I’m photographing at evening. I additionally don’t like blowing out my imaginative and prescient by utilizing my cellphone. Whereas I do flip the brightness of my cellphone down and allow the reddish-looking blue-block filter, I nonetheless would slightly not interact my cellphone for pictures if I can in any respect assist it.
When the controller has acquired a sign, it reveals a tower and three bars as its connection icon. If I flip off the receiver on the highest of the recent shoe, the transmitter doesn’t present it for so long as a minute or extra. Nevertheless, in the event you press the beginning/cease button to start the sequence, the icon will instantly disappear. From my expertise, it seems to both present the tower and three bars or nothing in any respect. In different phrases, it appears to be a discrete icon, and doesn’t present a variety of connectivity like your cellphone the place it reveals one to 5 bars.
The lights keep on whenever you want them on
After you activate the backlight for the backlit readout, it’s going to keep on whilst you proceed to vary the settings. This alone is nearly well worth the worth of admission. Most intervalometers appear to show the sunshine off prematurely, which is annoying. This may even keep on for 10 seconds in the event you do nothing.
The controller presents affirmation beeps
The controller beeps twice whenever you activate the intervalometer. Then it beeps as soon as each time it cycles.
The controller tells how a lot time is left
Slightly than inform how a lot time has elapsed, the controller tells how a lot time is left for every publicity. I discover this simpler to grasp.
Different ideas
The distant activates in the event you press firmly. It then continues blinking whereas on, which is a usually good characteristic. In observe when it is extremely darkish with no moon out, the sunshine could be distracting or annoying. Nevertheless, I actually love the concept of figuring out that the machine is on. I’d most likely tape one thing over it to boring the sunshine.
The Phottix Aion seems to be solidly constructed. And as I discussed earlier than, all of the cables disconnect. Cables are much less more likely to break. But when they do break, you possibly can simply substitute a cable and preserve going. The Aion was simple to make use of, particularly at nighttime resulting from its ergonomic keypad nature. I might truly really feel the separate buttons at nighttime much better than the single-button management of my different intervalometers.
The LED mild on the timer will flip inexperienced when focusing and switch pink when a photograph is taken. That is maybe a small quibble, however roughly 8% of males are red-green colorblind. I’m considered one of them. It’s tough to find out what it’s doing with these colours. I would favor in the event that they used completely different colours similar to blue as an alternative of pink.
