PHOTTIX INDRA500 TTL & BATTERY Pack KIT

This is like the photogenic offspring of the Elinchrom and Interfit location flash kits

Like the Elinchrom ELB 400, the Phottix kit uses a separate power pack and clip-on Li-ion battery, which connects to the flash head via a thick cable. However, apart from a switch for standard or fast recycling speeds, all controls are built into the flash head, more like the Interfit S1. The Phottix head is also about halfway between the Elinchrom and Interfit in weight, at 2.1kg.

You can plug two flash heads into a single power pack, as with the Elinchrom. Here, though, you can set the power of each, rather than being limited to a 2:1 ratio. The overall power range equates to eight f/stops.

High Speed Sync mode is available and you can also use auto TTL flash metering, if you buy the optional Phottix Odin II remote trigger for £160/$210. RF triggering is also compatible with Canondedicated Phottix Mitros+ TTL Transceiver flashguns. Alternatively, the Indra500 ‘LC’ TTL kit has built-in RF connectivity for the Canon ST-E3 transmitter and Canon RT Speedlites.

Performance

In our tests, the Phottix didn’t quite match the Interfit for maximum power, with a Gn of 51, compared to 57. The drop in power when using HSS mode was also more noticeable, sinking to Gn 22. Recycling through most of the power range is practically instantaneous, but slows to 4.8 seconds after a full-power flash. You can boost the speed to 2.7 seconds in fast mode, but the battery drains faster. Fully charging a drained battery is a lengthy process, taking up to five hours.