I just received the new Phottix Indra 500lc and just wanted to share my first impressions for those of you who may be interested in mixing a studio strobe with your Canon flashes.
I am a wedding photographer and have been using a strobe in addition to my flashes for a couple of years now. I went through a couple different strobes, but whatever I used required me to use some kind of other radio system with my Canon 600s. It was always a pain to me and I have been waiting for something like the Indra 500lc for a long time.
Here are a few observations I have had with just a little testing:
-It is small and portable. I am used to the flashpoint rove light which is similar in size to the B1 and this little Indra is tiny. The reflector is also small (5") and it comes in a nice little bag that is small but will cary the strobe, the battery and cord along with a Canon 600ex and lasso trigger (very similar to the Canon ST-E3-RT)
-The external battery is not really much of an additional hassle. Obviously it is nice to have a strobe with a built in battery and no cords, but the smaller size of the strobe almost makes up for the lack of an integrated battery. The battery that comes with the Indra is light weight, the cords have very secure connections and it connects to the light stand easily with a nice clamp bracket or a strap. I think the battery actually adds a better overall balance to the light stand and I am not as worried about having my light 13' in the air. Set up time is a few seconds longer, but those few seconds are hardly a hassle.
-Controlling the light with a Canon flash, ST-E3, or a phottix Laso is so nice! I hate having additional triggers with my on camera flash during a wedding. Even a trigger with a pass through hot shoe is annoying to me. Working directly with the Canon system is perfect for my needs. Not only can you control the power, but you can change the mode form manual to ETTL, turn on and off HSS and even turn on the modeling light all from the master flash.
-This light has plenty of power and the recycling time is very respectable. I am used to the 600 watt rove light but this thing has almost as much power and after some comparison shots, I don't see myself needing the extra 100 watts the rove light gives me. There is about a 2 second recycle time at full power, which is much faster than what I was used to with the rove light.
-The Laso trigger from Phottix seems like a much better option than the Canon ST-E3-RT. Not only does the Laso have an AF assist, but it seems to have a much greater range. I walked about 300 feet away and the Laso trigger worked flawlessly with both the Indra and a 600ex. However, when I tried to use my 430 ex III I had to move closer to get the lights to sync up.
I am looking forward to testing the light out at a wedding soon, but so far I am very impressed. Below is a picture with a size comparison of the Indra with a Canon 600ex. Also the camera is a 1DX2 with a 430ex III flash on top.
I am a wedding photographer and have been using a strobe in addition to my flashes for a couple of years now. I went through a couple different strobes, but whatever I used required me to use some kind of other radio system with my Canon 600s. It was always a pain to me and I have been waiting for something like the Indra 500lc for a long time.
Here are a few observations I have had with just a little testing:
-It is small and portable. I am used to the flashpoint rove light which is similar in size to the B1 and this little Indra is tiny. The reflector is also small (5") and it comes in a nice little bag that is small but will cary the strobe, the battery and cord along with a Canon 600ex and lasso trigger (very similar to the Canon ST-E3-RT)
-The external battery is not really much of an additional hassle. Obviously it is nice to have a strobe with a built in battery and no cords, but the smaller size of the strobe almost makes up for the lack of an integrated battery. The battery that comes with the Indra is light weight, the cords have very secure connections and it connects to the light stand easily with a nice clamp bracket or a strap. I think the battery actually adds a better overall balance to the light stand and I am not as worried about having my light 13' in the air. Set up time is a few seconds longer, but those few seconds are hardly a hassle.
-Controlling the light with a Canon flash, ST-E3, or a phottix Laso is so nice! I hate having additional triggers with my on camera flash during a wedding. Even a trigger with a pass through hot shoe is annoying to me. Working directly with the Canon system is perfect for my needs. Not only can you control the power, but you can change the mode form manual to ETTL, turn on and off HSS and even turn on the modeling light all from the master flash.
-This light has plenty of power and the recycling time is very respectable. I am used to the 600 watt rove light but this thing has almost as much power and after some comparison shots, I don't see myself needing the extra 100 watts the rove light gives me. There is about a 2 second recycle time at full power, which is much faster than what I was used to with the rove light.
-The Laso trigger from Phottix seems like a much better option than the Canon ST-E3-RT. Not only does the Laso have an AF assist, but it seems to have a much greater range. I walked about 300 feet away and the Laso trigger worked flawlessly with both the Indra and a 600ex. However, when I tried to use my 430 ex III I had to move closer to get the lights to sync up.
I am looking forward to testing the light out at a wedding soon, but so far I am very impressed. Below is a picture with a size comparison of the Indra with a Canon 600ex. Also the camera is a 1DX2 with a 430ex III flash on top.
