A7RII A7S with Phottix OdinII TTL and Indra 360 and Mitros+TTL

[firedog]

I recently purchased the Phottix OdinII TTL for Sony MIS and the Phottix Indra 360 to work with my A7RII and A7s.

Also thinking of selling my Sony HVL-F60M flash, and buying the Mitros+TTL.

Does any have experience using this system and have any recommendations?

Also any links to good tutorials? Any particular type of softbox or accessory that works best?

I have long term experience working as a professional photojournalist using mostly natural light, not so much using this type of flash system.

Thanks.

 

(I originally posted this in video section in error, don't know how to remove from there, requested site monitor to do so)

[michelb]

I have experience with the 1st version of Odin and Mitros+ and they do all that they advertise as long as you use chipped lenses.

Un-chipped adapted lenses just don't work wether it be with Odin or Mitros+.

 

If you sometimes intend to use these adapted lenses without communication to the body/flash, only the Sony units still work in TTL/HSS and so forth. As soon as i mixed a Phottix product in the mix like Mitros+ in WL controlled by HVL-F60M, the whole rig stopped working ( it does work but anything connected to a Phottix product loses its ability to change power levels in Manual mode or do any sort of reliable TTL.

 

Read the instructions 3 times while playing with the unit since these are somewhat unique in their operation and can be somewhat confusing at first.

 

I know little about the Indra since it was not compatible with the Odin 1st generation as far as i know.

 

Did you get any receiver for Odin II ?

 

Base for flash lighting would be:

 

http://strobist.blogspot.ca

 

Videos that are not too long and show how the pros do it 

 

http://www.theflashcentre.com/learn.html

[firedog]

Thanks for replying, will check out the links.

I have not bought any receivers yet.

So far I am liking my results with the system, will  spend quite a bit of time developing my technique.

I have a small home studio, and plan to do a fair amount of outdoor "people in their environment" portraits-

one of the main reasons I bought the Indra 360 (plus it was on sale for $750).

I am interested in how much I will be able to incorporate it into my photojournalism work.

I cover a fair amount of wildland fires here in southern California, and want to work on a series images of firefighters.

Need to develop a system that is one-man-band, stable, easy to transport and safe.

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

To me off-camera flash is anathema to documentary photography because it requires you to control and manipulate the scene.

 

I would suggest that you keep the hvl-60 and buy an Odin trigger for it. That way you can do effective on-camera and off-camera flash.

 

To do on-site portraits I woul suggest getting a softbox for speedlights and a light stand. That way you could use the hvl-60 and move the lighting around easily as the scene requires. I think that would be the least intrusive option as well as the most portable and manageable.

[firedog]

Thanks for your reply Jaf.

It is a decades-old debate about control in documentary photography.

According to one theory, as soon as you frame a scene the way it occurs for you, and select your exposure, you have manipulated the scene.

I've been a professional photojournalist for over 20 years, and subscribe to the NPPA code of ethics, which requires that no alteration of content is done to any created image.

I was very happy when the A7s first came out with its amazing low-light capabilities...it allowed me to create images utilizing existing light that simply were not possible before.

Now I am specifically interested in developing my skill using the Phottix equipment either integrating it into my photojournalism, or as a commercial portrait photographer.

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

Excellent. I am really concerned that many photographers stop caring about ethics to get cool or bankable photos. The habit of staging shots is growing even among conflict photographers.

 

But my answer was earnest. For portraits I use 1-3 speedlights on light stands. Either with softboxes or umbrellas, depending on the shots. The benefit is that they are very easy to move around to fine-tune the lighting. I also think speedlights have a nice range of power to do anything from a low key single portrait to lighting a small group of people. I would also reconmend getting a reflector or two as they make a big difference to the lighting dynamic.

 

A speedlight with a light stand and a softbox or umbrella is also easy to carry and employ in the field.

 

Studio flashes are nice and necessary to light a bigger stage but I see people use them in situations where they are not necessary and even detrimental to the photo.

[firedog]

Thanks for replying again. Best wishes...