Photography News issue 25

Photography News Issue 25 absolutephoto.com

First tests

Phottix Indra360 TTL kit From£779

Specs

Price £779 includes one Indra360 head, battery pack in pouch, charger, S-mount reflector, softbag, manual on USB stick. AC adapter £290, Easy-up Umbrella softbox 70x70cm £70, Luna folding Beauty Dish 85cm £68, Odin from £150 Maximumoutput 360 watts, adjustable in 0.3 or 1EV steps Flashmodes TTL auto, manual, multi Modelling lamp Yes, 4.5W with 9 adjustable levels LCD Yes, 320x240 TFT display with orientation sensor and choice of 3 colours Built-in radio trigger Yes, 100m range Wireless trigger modes Odin-C, Odin-N, Strato II, via port Optical slave Indoors 12m, outdoors 7m High-speed flash sync Yes, with Odin-C or -N trigger Sync port 3.5mmminijack Channels 4 Multi-flash Frequency 1-100Hz, 1-100 times Output colour temperature 5500K +/-200K Cooling Built-in automatic cooling fan Recycling time With AC adapter 0.1-1secs, with battery 0.1-5secs Dimensions (wxhxd) 140x267x190mm Weight Head, no reflector 1795g, battery pack, case and lead 595g Contact eu.macgroupus.com Verdict There is a great deal to like about the Indra360 TTL. I tried the unit with a basic radio trigger and then also with the Odin-N in manual and TTL mode. It is an excellent system to use and the TTL system works well – obviously the camera plays a major part here – and accurate results are readily achievable. The compact battery (that can also be used to power speedlights with the appropriate cable) has plenty of capacity and enough for most shoots. All told, a lovely kit that is portable, great to use and versatile. If you are looking for a flash system that works from a battery or from the mains, the Phottix Indra360 TTL must be on your shortlist and as it comes, it is impressive value for money. Pros Compact, good output, capacity, handling, LCD Cons Cost of accessories such as the £290 AC adapter, cooling fan comes on a lot How it rates

There have been huge advances in flashover recent times and there are so many options. For location shooting, you can either take the speedlight approach with portable camera flashguns or the other option is using a system that is at home whether in the studio or in the great outdoors, like the Phottix Indra360 TTL. The Indra360 kit tested here sells at £779 and comes with a portable, high-capacity battery pack. Buy the optional AC mains adapter for £290 and up to two heads can be run from the mains like any studio flash. Choice of power is just one key feature. The Indra360 TTL can be used manually where you have total control over output but invest in the Odin radio trigger (Canon, Nikon and Sony are available for £150-160) and you have the option of TTL flash control and even high-speed flash sync. The Odin has the choice of manual wireless, cable sync and an optical sensor, so it really depends on how you prefer to work. The Indra360 head is a solidly constructed unit that inspires confidence, but it’s no lightweight. Design, though, is excellent. The rear panel is clearly laid out and there is a large readout with four menus for plenty of control. The portable battery pack is impressively compact and comes with belt pouch. The power cable is permanently attached and the only socket is for recharging. Plug the lead into the head, hold down the on button for a couple of seconds and the battery comes up with green LEDs indicating power level – four means fully charged. Click on the on switch on the head and you’re ready to go. Scrolling through the four menus is done by the orange control and

then each item is accessed by pushing the button under it. The orange button scrolls through the options and pushing the same button down confirms selection. It is an easy and quick to use system with a little experience. The large LCD is excellent and very clear. No trigger comes with this kit so allow £150 for an Odin, £75 or a Stratos or use your existing trigger via the sync socket or another flash. To aid focusing (or for use as a continuous light source) there is a built-in modelling lamp. This can be controlled wirelessly with the Odin. Modifiers fit via the head’s S-bayonet – this is a very widely used fitting so third-party modifiers fit and there is plenty of choice fromPhottix’s own system. The very quick to set up and solidly made Luna 85cm Beauty Dish is especially worth a look for anyone using an S-fit head Battery capacity is very good. From a fully chargedpack I got over 250 full- power manual flashes and still had one LED’s worth of energy left. You’d get many more in TTL or at lower output settings. Recharge time in full manual was 5secs and stayed the same until 140 flashes when it slowed to 6secs. By 235 bursts recycling time extended to nine seconds. In terms of power, I set the head on a stand and used a Gossen meter to measure output. With the supplied reflector I got a full-power reading of f/16 at threemetres and ISO 100.With the Luna 85mm Beauty Dish modifier I got f/8.09 at the same distance and output while the Easy-up Umbrella softbox gave f/11. For a compact unit, this is impressive and certainly versatile enough with respect to aperture, capacity and modifier options. WC

From a fully charged pack I got over 250 full-power manual flashes and still had one LED’s worth of energy left

Top The Indra360 TTL kit comes with head, battery, case and cables. The Odin trigger that allows TTL control is extra and costs £150 for Canon and Nikon, and £160 for Sony. Left The LCD readout is excellent and whole control layout is well considered and easy to use once you get used to it. Below The head is solidly constructed but it is no lightweight.