What do you do when you have access to a fully equipped studio, a large range of modifiers and a variety of seamless backdrops? Why, break out the speedlites of course and find the corner of the room that is used for storage of random bits of furniture and assorted electrical gadgets. It goes somewhat against the grain here in Taiwan where there seems to be a growing trend for people to equip themselves with a large range of studio gear just because they can. In rare instances, such as the studio I used for this shoot which is a working commercial studio, the people with all this gear actually make their livings with it, but more often than not, it’s simply a hobby and they have high paying jobs that allow such luxuries. While there are some incredibly talented photographers here, there are a lot more who think that having all the gear is the recipe to success. They look at the work of someone like Joe McNally and think they need enough lighting gear to light a small city despite the fact that he mostly works with one or at most two lights. As the old saying goes, it’s not what you got but how you use it.

Making new year resolutions is not really my thing but this year I am endeavoring to shoot more personal work that doesn’t always fit in with the work I create for a living. Ideas will often come to me but in the past, unless they have a connection with my predominant genres, I’ve usually put them in the box marked later and never actually gotten around to following up on them. This year, I’m aiming to actually put a few of these into practice and this Taipei Noir shoot was the first. A lot of the inspiration for this style of shoot came from the work of Mark Krajnak and his noir series.

For this I arranged some talent to come in one Sunday afternoon, booked some studio time (mostly for the space not the need for a studio as such) and lined up a couple of assistants. One of the assistants cancelled 15 minutes before the shoot started so my wonderful wife Selina jumped in to help. We used two basic locations, one indoors and then another outdoor one in the city. Lighting was all small flashes and with the exception of the use of a single lightstand in one scene and a Justin clamp in another, the flashes were all handheld. A few gels, some Honl grids, a Lastolite Ezybox and some Phottix Odin ETTL radio triggers completed the gear. Small, portable and fast. In fact, from first shot to last we only needed 3 hours to cover 3 indoors scenes and 4 outdoor ones. And that includes set up, tear down and taxi ride from the studio to the outdoor location.

Strictly speaking this may not meet the definition of noir but the inspiration and idea came from there and I’m sticking with. The concept did evolve somewhat during the course of the shoot and I feel that the resulting photographs are stronger for it. My three models for this, Patrick, Mark and Hannah all did a fantastic job and there’s talk of working together again on another conceptual shoot in the near future. I already have a few ideas in mind for that one. All in all, this shoot was a lot of fun to conceive, arrange and undertake.

As well as providing studio space and acting as a voice activated lightstand, Dilip shot some behind the scenes images. I’ll be offering a peak at those in the future as well as a full rundown of all the shooting details, lighting diagrams and more images in the next issue of my newsletter. You can sign up to that on the top right of the page if you haven’t already done so. In the meantime, here’s a small slideshow with a few more photographs.

On an unrelated note, there are still a few places open in the 2012 China workshop that will be held in Guilin, China with myself and John Batdorff. Click on the image below for more details and to sign up. This promises to be a once in a lifetime trip so don’t delay.

Nun on Black

Today I want to share a few previews of a series I’m currently working on. Think of these ones as more or less test shots to see how much potential the whole thing has. Processing was done in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 with a few minor touch-ups completed in Photoshop. This series is going to evolve into a longer term project through 2012 so stay tuned for more previews in the near future.

Age on black

Young on black

In my look at the newly announced Phottix Odin ETTL flash trigger last week, towards the end I mentioned compatibility with the Phottix Strato. As pointed out in my update, the guys at Phottix send me a firmware update for it that would upgrade my earlier demo samples to the latest firmware which promised compatibility. Due to teaching a multimedia photography workshop over the weekend, I didn’t have a lot of free time for much testing but was able to quickly put it to the test. All I really needed to find out was whether or not I could trigger the Strato from the Odin. Sure enough, it was possible. Read on after the jump for the details.

My first step was to update the firmware. That was a simple as running a small utility and connecting the Odin TCU and each receiver in turn to a USB cable and letting the utility do its thing. It only took a couple of minutes for me to update the transmitter unit as well as three receivers. When you buy a Phottix Odin set you won’t need to do this as yours will be factory updated but if there are any future updates, I can let you know that it’s a very smooth process.

Due to the lack of spare time I had for the test, I decided to shoot a self portrait rather than arrange a model. I figured it could serve double duty as a new profile photo for Twiiter, Google+ et al as well as allowing me to test the remotes. So here I am wearing an I Shoot RAW shirt designed by Jared Polin of Fro Knows Photo.

Self Portrait

I set up a camera with a 70-200mm lens on a tripod in my kitchen, facing out the door towards the balcony and the trees behind. On the balcony itself, I placed a light stand with a 580EXII attached to an Phottix Odin Receiver set to ETTL. This was shot into a small softbox and was placed 45 degrees to my (as subjects) right. On the left also at 45 degrees I attached a 550EX with a Phottix Strato II Multi to a water pipe using a Justin Clamp. I placed a basic dome diffuser over the head and set the power to 1/8. Here’s the lighting setup.

Self Portrait Lighting Setup

It was a bright day and my background was metered at f8 when keeping within my cameras native sync speed which was a lot more depth of field than I wanted. As I was at ISO100, normally my only option would have been either let the background blow out or wait until the ambient light changed. Due to time constraints this second option wasn’t possible, and I didn’t want to have a background that was a stop or so brighter than the light hitting me. Which makes the Phottix Odin even more of a wonderful tool in that simply sticking it into high speed sync mode meant I could use a shutter speed of 1/400 which allowed me to shoot it at f4 and still keep things in balance, allowing just enough light from my strobes to brighten up the shaded balcony where I was standing. I hit the self-timer on the camera, got in placed and sure enough, both the speedlight being triggered by the Odin and the one being triggered by the Strato fired. Compatibility assured and a successful self portrait shot.

The Phottix Odin is available at the Phottix Store now and should be in retail stores in the coming days if not already.

Phottix Odin

It’s here. The Phottix Odin, an ETTL capable remote flash trigger that has just hit the market. The release announcement was today and they will start shipping next week. I’ll add some links to the Phottix Store as soon as it’s ready to buy. From talk that’s gone on around the photography world in recent months, this is a device that has been eagerly awaited by many since it was first announced earlier this year. As a Phottix-sponsored photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time over the past few months testing with demo samples of the Odin and providing some feedback to Phottix from real world situations. Now that it’s been released, I can offer you my thoughts on this unit. What follows is based on my experiences with the Odin and is in no way influenced by my relationship with Phottix.

Firstly though, some specs. So far, the Odin is only available for Canon but they are working on a Nikon version. The Phottix Odin boasts the following.

Technical Specifications

• Frequency: 2.4 GHz
• Distance: 100m+
• Channels: 4 channels
• Groups: 3 groups – A, B, C
• Batteries: 2 x AA batteries (TCU and Receiver), 5V DC on receiver (external power port)
• Max sync speed: 1/8000 sec*
• Output: Hot shoe, 3.5 mm port (receiver)
• Input: USB port (transmitter and receiver)
• Attachment: 1/4 tripod lug, cold shoe (Receiver)
• Input voltage:2.4-3.2V
• Flash port voltage handling: 6V (transmitter) ≤300V(receiver)
• Body dimensions: 94(L) x 66(W) x 35(H) mm, (transmitter), 90(L) x 45(W) x 40(H) mm (receiver)
• Antenna: built-in PCB antenna
• Weight: 105g (transmitter), 66g (receiver) – without batteries
• Operating temperature: -15—65 C
• Storage temperature: -30—85 C

* On compatible cameras / flashes

Notice that maximum sync speed – 1/8000. Pretty sweet. Here’s proof.

1/8000 (click to zoom in - speed is in the upper right)

For years now, I’ve been a dedicated proponent of manual flash usage. Give me a speedlight with manual settings and a remote trigger and I can eyeball a scene and get my settings correct first time 90% of the time. There’s no secret to it, it’s just a factor of experience and knowing my gear. I was never interested in TTL, possibly because Canon’s ETTL leaves a lot to be desired when compared to Nikon CLS. With the Phottix Odin though, that’s all changed. Now, when I need to use a speedlight or three in my work, it’s the Phottix Odin that I find myself reaching for.

Nothing is more frustrating during a photo shoot than setting up lights and then finding you need to adjust the power, especially after you’ve placed the light in a hard to reach place. Perhaps you’re balancing the speedlight with late afternoon ambient light and as the natural levels decrease, you need to make a corresponding adjustment to your strobe to maintain the correct balance. Assuming you don’t want to adjust your aperture to affect the flash output, you need to walk over to the light, lower the stand, make your power adjustment and put it back in place. Sounds simple, but if you and your subject are in a “zone”, that small interruption may be enough to affect the mood or concentration. Which brings me to the first thing I love about the Phottix Odin. You can make all your adjustments to power settings remotely from the transmitter unit on the camera. No need to break concentration, a few clicks of the button on the Odin transmitter and you can increase or decrease the amount of light without affecting any other setting.

In the stream - using the Phottix Odin on location.

Two other great features of the Phottix Odin are the ability to use second-curtain sync and high-speed sync. Both of these functions have been effectively off-limits to photographers working with manual lights so to have access to them now is a fantastic step forward for a lot of people. High-speed sync is especially useful in this part of the world. Not only does it work wonders in action photography, so many location shoots seem to get scheduled during the middle of the day in here in Taiwan and having a high-speed sync function makes it simple to kill the ambient if needed. While a photographer would always try and schedule a location shoot when the light is better, it’s not always up to the photographer so this is a real help. More commonly though, you’ll probably be using it in action shots, especially if it’s just a touch of fill lighting you need. You will lose a stop or two of light when using high-speed sync but as long as you’re aware of that and work around it, you shouldn’t find it an issue.

Jogging with high-speed sync.

With about 4 months of use of the Phottix Odin in hand now, I can safely give it a big thumbs up. I’m told that the final release version has had a firmware update which will allow it compatibility with the Phottix Strato flash trigger. This is big news, as it makes for a much easier upgrade path for a lot of photographers. Those Strato’s you already have won’t just sit there gathering dust if you pick up a set of Phottix Odin. Note that I haven’t actually been able to test this personally as my copy of the Odin is an earlier test model. If I get my hands on one of the production versions, I’ll be sure to give it a try and let you know.

UPDATE – Phottix sent me the firmware upgrade which can conveniently be done via the USB port on the units and I made the quick and easy upgrade to give me compatibility with my Strato units. I’ll do some testing over the weekend and post the results in a couple of days.

Chips and salsa. Window light for the main and an Odin-triggered speedlight for fill.

Taiwanese female in traditional Shanghai style qipao dress in an old Chinese temple. Shot using the new Phottix Strato II Multi wireless flash trigger.

Phottix made a big entry into the field of wireless flash triggers last year with the release of the Phottix Atlas and Phottix Strato. One year on and the Strato has undergone a makeover, boosting it’s features and specifications to bring you a better wireless flash trigger. The new Phottix Strato II Multi 5-in-1 Wireless Trigger, like its predecessor offers a TTL passthrough, 4 separate channels, a 1/250 shutter sync and the ability to function as a remote shutter. This new updated version goes further, boosting the range to 150m, offering 4 groups (A, B, C, D) in addition to the 4 channels, a slight physical redesign for better handling, and backwards compatibility.

Specifications

Model Strato II Multi
Frequency 2.4GHz worldwide
Range 150m
Channels 4
Groups A, B, C, D
Batteries 2 x AAA (transmitter and receiver). Also 5V DC external power port.
Flash Wake-up Yes
Max Sync Speed 1/250
Remote Shutter Release Yes
Transmitter Hotshoe TTL pass-through
Transmitter input 3.5mm
Receiver output 3.5mm, 2.5mm
Attachment 1/4 tripod lug, cold shoe (receiver)

Phottix Strato II Multi transmitter and receiver.

The Phottix Strato II Multi ships with all the various cords, adapters and connectors you need to get started. Along with the transmitter and receiver, the package contains AAA batteries (I recommend picking up some rechargeable AAA batteries like the Eneloop), cords for connecting via PC or to your camera’s remote shutter release connector and a carrying strap.

In Use

If you’ve previously used the Strato, then the controls will be largely familiar to you. The power and channel switches are better designed on this second generation unit, and like the original Strato, you can connect your speedlights either directly onto the Strato receiver via the cold shoe or through your flash’s PC sync port. The receiver has a 1/4″ tripod lug that allows you to mount it on a tripod or light stand, or you can slide it onto a Stroboframe shoe.

Connecting the Strato II Multi to a 580EX II via PC cable.

Backwards Compatibility

This is a biggie. As David Hobby recently pointed out on Strobist, it’s quite common for flash trigger manufacturers to re-engineer each successive model of trigger so that you have to go and buy a complete new set each time a new release rolls around as there is no backwards compatibility. Well, I can happily point out that Phottix don’t do this. The Strato II Multi will quite happily fire flashes that are connected to the original, first generation Strato receivers. This is great for photographers as it means your older gear won’t simply gather dust as you build up your system, and your bank balance will be that much healthier. Also, based on when I received my set of Phottix Strato II Multii’s to test, it’s evident that Phottix already had the intention to offer backwards compatibility prior to the post on Strobist.

Strato At Work

The photograph that opens this post comes from a recent test shoot that I specifically arranged in order to test the new Phottix gear. Using the Phottix Strato II Multi on a rainy day outdoors and they performed reliably. There were no misfires that I noticed, and no interference from any other radio devices or other flash triggers. And yes, they got a bit wet in the rain but it didn’t seem to affect them negatively although it’s never a good idea to get electronic gear wet.

I also used them on a commercial job with one of my local clients (and before anyone asks, I also had a different set of flash triggers on hand just in case). I can’t show you any of those photos now because the client hasn’t used them yet but I can tell you that shooting approximately 500 images over a two hour period in a gym was no problem for the Phottix Strato II Multi. They fired with 100% reliability each and every time I pressed the shutter button.

Top - the Strato connected as a remote shutter release. Bottom - the Strato and flash on a light stand.

Conclusion

All in all, the Phottix Strato II Multi 5-in-1 Wireless Trigger offers a good series of improvements over the already impressive Strato. If you are shopping for your first set of wireless flash triggers, then picking up a set should be a no brainer. If you already have the original Strato, then getting this one as well will expand your remote flash abilities while still allowing use of your old gear.

Alan in the alley

What and where a photographer places a portrait subject is often determined by a few different considerations. At times, you’ll simply be carrying out a client brief and have little or no say in the matter. Other times, you’ll only have 5 or 10 minutes to get the shots and have to do it in a boardroom or the corner of an office. Sometimes you’ll have the luxury of being able to create a concept and fully storyboard it and build up a set much like Dave Jackson did with his circus shoot. Other times it’ll be basic seamless backgrounds in a studio or found locations using the natural environment. Every photographer has their own bias and ideas as to what is best. A few days ago, I found myself in the newly opened D Studio in Taipei for an afternoon worth of casual shooting. I’d gone in with one particular idea that I wanted to try expecting that we’d be photographing some Brazilian and Hungarian dancers. I had a concept in mind for the Brazilian dancers that I’m not going to tell you about because I hope to execute it sometime in the future. Why couldn’t I do it the other day? Simply because none of the dancers bothered to show up. Or call and tell us they weren’t coming. Or answer the phone when we called them. It seems to be a growing problem amongst some of the foreign models and artistic community here in Taiwan that they think they can simply blow the shoot off. Fortunately we had a second session booked this time, following the previous week where a different model didn’t bother to show up or call (apparently a dog ate his phone). The second session featured a couple of Taiwanese guys who had a distinct idea as to what they wanted. Most of the shoot involved one of them only with the other deciding he wanted a quick session at the end. In comparison to the foreign talent, the locals are wonderful. Reliable, punctual and full of ideas.

We started out on a seamless setup in the studio. A simple lighting arrangement with a large, softbox in the upper right and gridded fill light on the left. Alan, on the left above, had plenty of ideas for what he wanted, so for the photographs of him I mostly just let him do his thing. All of his shots were pretty much undirected. Johnny, on the right, just wanted a quick session at the end, and his were a mixture of his own ideas and a few that were directed. The hat shot above was a directed pose whereas the jump shot lower down the page was his own suggestion.

Johnny jumps.

Props can be very useful when photographing on a simple setup such as this one. The hat in the shots above or the computer and red seat below can spur some additional creative ideas and keep the session flowing fairly smoothly. Both of these guys were naturally at ease in front of the camera which made photographing them a delight but for some subjects, a prop of some kind is almost mandatory if only to get them to loosen up and relax. No such issues here though but the props did add a bit of variety.

Alan and some props.

Some photographers love to shoot in a studio environment and can happily spend hours there. I’m not one of them and find that it gets boring rather quickly unless it’s a highly conceptual type shoot. To me, the found environment is a much better shooting location and thankfully there’s a tiny alley right out the back door of D Studio. After we’d run through pretty much everything indoors, I suggested a move to the alley for some additional photographs. In the photograph that opens this post we positioned a Bowen’s light inside aimed out of the barred window and positioned Alan so that he was in the path of the light. The idea behind it was to create some hopefully interesting shadows across his face as the bars acted as a gobo. Behind him was placed a speedlight with a CTO gel for a little background effect. For the image below, that was basically reversed. Alan turned to face the other way so that the Bowen’s light is coming from about 45 degrees behind his right should and he’s looking towards the gelled speedlight.

In the alley.

As the late afternoon light starting so find its way into the alley we decided to move further down it to where it was darker. Some great light and shadow interplay was going on but it needed a little help if we wanted to make use of it. The following two shots show the setup and result. A simple one light arrangement was used. I put a 580EXII with a full cut of CTO onto a Justin clamp and attached it to the framework holding an air-conditioner unit. It threw out a nice warm light which was enough for us to create some nice photographs. I dropped the shutter speed to about 1/60 to let some of the ambient light into the background.

Greater satisfaction is found when you can make use of the local environment in your photography. At least that’s the way I look at it. Plenty would disagree, some would agree. When it comes right down to it, as long as the photographs you make are satisfying to you (and your clients if it’s work), then you’ve achieved all you set out to.

580EXII with CTO on a Justin clamp.

A selection of wireless flash triggers

There’s probably not a photographer alive these days that hasn’t at least considered usign off-camera flash. Since Strobist first appeared on the scene in 2006 through to Joe McNally’s book and workshops, Zack Arias’ One Light and more, the secrets and tools for lighting have moved out of the realm of professionals only and within reach of all photographers. Coming with that has been a boom in options for photographers to get their lights off camera wirelessly. What follows is a look at the various options available today to photographers everywhere. It’s important to note that I’m not reviewing any of these today (although I’m happy to if someone sends me any I don’t already have), but just an overview of what is available.

Most of the wireless flash triggers available work on radio frequencies. There are a couple of options such as the Canon ST-E2 and Nikon SU-800 that operate via infrared however you’re restricted to shorter distances, line of sight and a single camera/flash combo with those. What follows are mostly designed for manual setting of flash and will work with any combination of camera and lights. There are a couple that take advantage of ETTL/iTTL as well. Click on the product names for more information on each.

Pocket Wizard Plus II

The industry standard wireless transceiver, reliable at long distances (500m / 1600ft), multi-channel and simple to use. $169.

Pocket Wizard Multimax

Billed as the most advanced wireless trigger available it can do just about anything including rear curtain sync, time lapse imaging and more. $295

Flex TT5 and MiniTT1

Available for Canon and Nikon, these allow you to take advantage of the E/i-TTL abilities of the speedlight systems. $219 Flex TT5 and $199 Mini TT1

Phottix Atlas

4 channel transceiver that boats a range of 100m/330ft and includes a hotshoe port as well as a PC sync port. $123

Phottix Strato

A 4-in-1 trigger that features TTL pass through allowing you to use a TTL speedlight on camera and pair it with remote manual lights. Available for Canon and Nikon. $83 for 1 transmitter + 1 receiver.

Elinchrom Skyport

This offering from Elinchrom is very small, lightweight and offers extra features when used with Elinchrom lights. If you don’t have Elinchrom lights, it’ll work perfectly with standard speedlights as well. $242.95 for 1 transmitter + 2 receivers.

Radio Popper PX System

With a 500m / 1500ft range, high-speed sync and TTL abilities, the RadioPopper gives you full control over your flash in either manual or auto (Canon / Nikon). $249 transmitter and receiver (sold separately).

Radio Popper JrX

Almost the same as the PX system above except without the TTL triggering. Perfect for mixing and matching lights from different makers. $79.95 transmitter and $99.95 receiver.

Cyber Sync

Created by Paul C. Buff and the Alien Bees team, the Cyber Syncs boast a 110m / 350ft range and are usable for anything from small speedlights to studio systems. $59.95 transmitter and $89.95 receiver.

Yongnuo RF-602

Another trigger that boasts a 100m / 330ft range on a 2.4GHz signal, these also feature a hotshoe connection on the reciever and use AAA batteries. Approx $60

That was the 352nd Daily PhotoTip. If this post was useful to you, why don’t you subscribe to my feed, leave a comment and share it with your friends. You can also get access to exclusive content and special offers by subscribing to my newsletter. Sign up today. Thank you.

In the living room.

One of the most common situations that the average person may find themselves in when it comes to photography is taking a photo inside the house. It presents a unique challenge especially in daylight, that is fortunately pretty easy to overcome. Imagine you”re the designated photographer at a family gathering. Maybe a kids birthday party or something like that. You know enough to know that using on-camera pop up flash is usually a no-no. You know that window light is great and you’ll use it if you can, but this is meant to be a family get together not a portrait session and it’s simply not possible to photograph everyone using the window light. So what can you do?

A little preparation is in order. As long as you have some means to get a flash off camera, you’ll have all you need to succeed. If possible, shoot a few test shots in the empty room before the guests arrive so you at least have some ballpark numbers to work with. Start off with a photo of the room where you meter for the ambient light inside room. In the example below, I’ve metered the light where the candles on the table are. You’ll immediately notice that the window to the side is incredibly blown out. The settings for this were ISO 800 f.5.6 1/30.

Blown out window

Now compare the above photo to this next one. Here I’ve metered for the outside light. I’ve got my window looking good but the rest of the frame is too dark to be any use. Settings here were ISO 100 f5.6 1/125. That’s a full 5 stops different to the inside light. Anybody who gets photographed in this light is going to be lost in those shadows.

Deep shadows.

It’s obvious that I somehow need to balance that outside light with what’s inside. Doing so is pretty simple and only takes a couple of minutes preparation to get right. I can’t really control the amount of light that’s outside, so I’m going to base my metering around that. Which means I’m going to be shooting at f5.6 1/125 at ISO100 or pretty close to. What I can control however is the light inside the room. For this, I use two Canon speedlights positioned in opposite corners of the room. Farthest away from the window (camera left), I placed a 580EXII. I just put it on top of a shelf in the corner, with the head zoomed to 50mm and pointing at the ceiling. The ceiling height in my living room is approximately 4m (13′). Flash power was set to ¼. On the other side of the room, closer to the window, I had a second speedlight. This had a Stofen diffuser on it and a power setting of 1/16. This second light mainly served to fill in a few shadows around the window.

Balanced light.

And that’s pretty much all you need to do. Set up is quick and easy – meter for the outside light, add a remote flash to bring the inside light up, and if need be, a second flash to fill some shadows. Now you’re free to shoot without needing to worry about blowing out the window or losing people in the shadows.

That was the 232nd Daily PhotoTip. If this post was useful to you, why don’t you subscribe to my feed, leave a comment and share it with your friends. You can also get access to exclusive content and special offers by subscribing to my newsletter. Sign up today. Thank you.

Cupcakes

Last month I previewed a new type of flash trigger from Phottix, the Strato 4-in-1 Wireless trigger. This is the latest wireless flash trigger release from Phottix following on from the Phottix Atlas a couple of months ago. I mentioned then that it appeared to be a remote trigger that would be most useful for wedding and event photographers, as it features a TTL pass through. First, some basic specs, and then onto the test review.

Before we get into it, I want to remind you about Selina Maitreya’s The View From Here. Selina brings 3 decades of portfolio consultancy experience and wisdom to this MP3 series that’s a must-have for anyone either contemplating becoming a working photographer or professionals looking for a little extra inspiration. Normally $199, it’s available at a 50% discount using the code FOSCFI.

The Phottix Strato 4 in 1 Wireless Trigger is a 4-channel, 2.4GHx, with a range of 100m+ (330 feet) and syncs at 1/250. Not much different to a number of other offerings, except for one key difference – TTL. The unit features a TTL pass-through, meaning you can use your standard TTL flash on-camera and trigger non-TTL lights off-camera. It also works as a remote shutter for your camera.

The flash attaches via a hot-shoe on the transmitter and/or receiver. You have the option of attaching the transmitter to your camera and using that alone to trigger other lights, or attaching the transmitter and a e/iTTL flash to your camera, and triggering remote lights. Previously, to trigger remote lights while a TTL flash was on-camera, you’d need them to be all on the same system (ie all Canon or all Nikon), or you’d be reliant on line-of-sight optic slaves. With the Strato, you get the ability to use non-TTL remote units without the need for line-of-sight.

I wanted to test them in a real world situation. Not being a wedding photographer, I rarely shoot in situations where this type of setup would be needed, so I had to wait a few weeks until an opportunity presented itself. An old client contacted me asking me if I’d be interested in photographing a Saturday morning party for their daughter’s first birthday. I’d never photographed anything along these lines before, so figured it’d be a perfect opportunity to both shoot something different and give the Strato a test in real world conditions.

Arriving at the venue, I was presented with a moderately large room – maybe double the size of an average living room. It was also fairly light – I could probably have gotten away with just using the ambient light and a medium ISO. However, I wanted to put the Phottix Strato through its paces, so I set up two light stands in diagonally opposite corners of the room. On those went the Strato receiver unit, which screwed directly into the mounting screw on the light stand, and I slid a couple of older Canon speedlights onto the Strato’s hotshoe. In this case a Canon 550EX and a 540EZ were used. The Phottix Strato allows manual triggering of the lights, so I had then in M with the power backed off to 1/16. The Strato’s transmitter attached to the hotshoe of my Canon 5D Mark II, and I attached my 580EX II to the transmitter’s hotshoe. The 580EX II was set to E-TTL, mostly using a -1 flash exposure compensation. All the light meant I could keep the ISO at 100 or 200.

Phottix Strato and Canon 580EX II

I was very happy to see the two remote lights fired each and every time. The little fill light they allowed me to use made for some really nice light in the room. The 540EZ fired a couple of times without being triggered but I think that’s due to the speedlight itself and its age rather than the flash trigger, as I’ve experienced the same thing when using that light with Pocket Wizards, Elinchrom Skyports and the Phottix Atlas.

While the cupcake photograph above is from the party, I’ve elected not to include any photographs with people in them in this post as I didn’t want to bother having everyone sign model releases, especially as in most cases only one parent was present. I will say though that the chocolate cake was the best I’ve had in Taiwan.

Digression over. I believe that these units will become available very soon. If you regularly shoot weddings, events or in any other situation where you want to mix e-TTL/i-TTL with manual settings, the Phottix Strato 4 in 1 Wireless Trigger will do the job well. For the working photographer, I can simply say that it works and works well. It reliably does what it says it will.

Side view

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Betty during a studio test of the Phottix Atlas flash trigger

I recently had the opportunity to do some pre-release testing of the newly released Phottix Atlas Wireless Flash Triggers. Steve Peer, CEO of Phottix, is someone I’d known online for a couple of years, and he approached me about doing some testing for them. My first thought after agreeing was that the testing should be videoed, so I called Michael Geier and Peter du Preez from FirstZoom TV and arranged to both use their studio and have them make the video. We tested it in a studio environment with a single model, Betty, as our subject and assistance from colleague Dilip. Subsequent testing was outside on location just after dawn, and we also used them in a lighting workshop I taught at FirstZoom Studios where 9 photographers put them through their paces on 3 different setups. The video of the first test is after the jump. Incidentally, the video was filmed on a Canon 7D.

Since doing the testing, I’ve had the chance to put them through their paces some more, both in a controlled studio environment and on the job. A former US governor and presidential candidate recently visited Taiwan and I was hired by the organizers to photograph a series of portraits of him with some VIP guests. I chose to use the Phottix Atlas Wireless Flash Triggers instead of Pocket Wizards or my usual choice of Elinchrom Skyports and they performed flawlessly. They were also used last weekend in a studio shoot with Michael of FirstZoom and Carrie of My Several Worlds and again, they performed flawlessly. We had a three light setup going for that one and all units fired correctly each time. The photograph on my previous post What’s New In Lightroom 3 opens with an image from that session.

Here is the final set of photos from the testing session.

First Zoom – Phottix – Images by Craig Ferguson

These Phottix Atlas Wireless Flash Triggers are now available for a little over $100. If you’re looking for an alternative to Pocket Wizards but don’t want to risk using the unreliable e-bay triggers, check them out.

Disclaimer – I received 5 pre-release versions of the Phottix Atlas for testing. The test results and conclusions are based on my experiences using the unit.

Charles Verghese, a photographer in Dubai has also done some testing. Check out Part 1 here.