Behavior: I finally did a firmware update 9/6/2014 -- issued by Phottix a year ago for TCU and receivers. My Odin kit was 1.0 and those sold now are 1.5, but Phottix implies that the firmware update makes them functionally identical (they use the word "compatible".)
I set up a little test shoot to see the results of the firmware -- and practice some use cases I have not yet done with the Odin -- for clients. I just want to learn more about the Odin kit. Here's the problem: Since the update yesterday there are times I shoot a frame in which no flash occurs and then the second shot will fire as expected -- as will further frames as long as I keep going. This wake-up frame seems to occur when there is perhaps a minute or two of inactivity.
I first noticed this yesterday so I cleared the TCU, took out the batteries and let it sit without power for a day. This had helped some photographers last year at the time of the firmware update, which didn’t go smoothly for everyone. My flashes in this test are one each 580EX and 550EX. They are set to stay on, not to go to sleep. It is not battery power. But tonight I had that blank frame reoccur.
I was shooting tethered to an Android tablet and thought something wonky in its shutter button but the same issue happened with out tether. A pause takes the camera into some form of standby. I will ask Phottix. Any thoughts here?
NEXT,
Nowhere can I find a detailed discussion about when it's best to leave the flash units as TTL using "TTL Compensation" on the TCU to affect a ratio. Non-TTL is called Manual but the flash is STILL set for "ETTL". I have been asking myself how TTL on controller *and* flash head (speedlight) can work when the shoot calls for the flash unit to be facing the inside of a umbrella of softbox. Using TTL in the test setup I did see some change in the flash output when I put a white card behind the mannequin head (my "model"). In TTL with changed aperture the whole rig was "OK" at producing similar histograms. But one of my strobes, the 580, was flashing into a silvery umbrella on every shot, The other light was a 550EX directly at the model.
Changing mode on the TCU to "manual" would seem to avoid confusion from TTL decisions, I guess, so I set full power from the umbrella and 1/8 power from the direct 550. Shoot. This strong ratio does show on the back-of-camera screen as soon as I hit the shutter. Changes in ratio show right away.
I have very little experience with TTL and trust manual (admittedly limiting). I expect to meter the flash as I own a Sekonic L558. Even though there appears to be no preflash in this Phottix version of "manual" my meter is confused. It reads f3.2 for a flash level that is f10 when I get the histogram right. (I know in-camera histograms aren't perfect…) (In preflash for TTL operation my meter successfully waited for and displayed pretty accurate results of a "second" flash stronger than the first.
Why is there a wake-up shot required?
Why doesn't the speedlight inside something or facing an umbrella mess up the Odin TTL system?
I set up a little test shoot to see the results of the firmware -- and practice some use cases I have not yet done with the Odin -- for clients. I just want to learn more about the Odin kit. Here's the problem: Since the update yesterday there are times I shoot a frame in which no flash occurs and then the second shot will fire as expected -- as will further frames as long as I keep going. This wake-up frame seems to occur when there is perhaps a minute or two of inactivity.
I first noticed this yesterday so I cleared the TCU, took out the batteries and let it sit without power for a day. This had helped some photographers last year at the time of the firmware update, which didn’t go smoothly for everyone. My flashes in this test are one each 580EX and 550EX. They are set to stay on, not to go to sleep. It is not battery power. But tonight I had that blank frame reoccur.
I was shooting tethered to an Android tablet and thought something wonky in its shutter button but the same issue happened with out tether. A pause takes the camera into some form of standby. I will ask Phottix. Any thoughts here?
NEXT,
Nowhere can I find a detailed discussion about when it's best to leave the flash units as TTL using "TTL Compensation" on the TCU to affect a ratio. Non-TTL is called Manual but the flash is STILL set for "ETTL". I have been asking myself how TTL on controller *and* flash head (speedlight) can work when the shoot calls for the flash unit to be facing the inside of a umbrella of softbox. Using TTL in the test setup I did see some change in the flash output when I put a white card behind the mannequin head (my "model"). In TTL with changed aperture the whole rig was "OK" at producing similar histograms. But one of my strobes, the 580, was flashing into a silvery umbrella on every shot, The other light was a 550EX directly at the model.
Changing mode on the TCU to "manual" would seem to avoid confusion from TTL decisions, I guess, so I set full power from the umbrella and 1/8 power from the direct 550. Shoot. This strong ratio does show on the back-of-camera screen as soon as I hit the shutter. Changes in ratio show right away.
I have very little experience with TTL and trust manual (admittedly limiting). I expect to meter the flash as I own a Sekonic L558. Even though there appears to be no preflash in this Phottix version of "manual" my meter is confused. It reads f3.2 for a flash level that is f10 when I get the histogram right. (I know in-camera histograms aren't perfect…) (In preflash for TTL operation my meter successfully waited for and displayed pretty accurate results of a "second" flash stronger than the first.
Why is there a wake-up shot required?
Why doesn't the speedlight inside something or facing an umbrella mess up the Odin TTL system?