The wizards at Phottix just keep cranking out awesome new products.
In the past I’ve raved about their excellent Odin and Strato flash triggers, and now I’m here to sing the praises of their latest innovation in third-party flashes for Canon and Nikon (with Sony coming soon).
It may seem a bit of a stretch to describe a new third-party flash as “important” but I’m going to tell you why I think the Phottix Mitros and Mitros+ flashes are groundbreaking and why they may help level the photography playing field.
Phottix Mitros Flash for Canon and Nikon
Earlier this year Phottix released the Mitros Flash for Canon, and some months later a Nikon version followed. (A Sony version is reportedly in the works.) I’m not going to go into detailed technical specs here, since those are easily found on the web. (just Google “Phottix Mitros review Canon” or ““Phottix Mitros review Nikon” for plenty of facts).
Click to enlarge
Instead, I’m going to explain why this flash matters if you’re looking for quality and value on a budget, and why it’s rocking the world of the big camera makers.
When Canon retired the 580EX II earlier this year, it left Canon shooters with no full-featured master flash except for the spendy new 600EX-RT, which retails for about $500. And for those who would like to take advantage of the built-in radio triggering in the 600, Canon expects us to buy a whole suite of those monsters for off-camera use at $500 each.
The Phottix Mitros for Canon fights back against this trend, basically replacing the missing 580EX II with a better flash, for less money. With power and features equivalent to the 580, the Mitros fills the gap in the Canon line, and it even raises the bar a bit, by adding some nifty features that Canon has always lacked, like:
- Battery Level Indicator
- Snap-On Diffuser
- Recycle beep
- Optical Slave mode
Click to enlarge
Judging by my own testing and the reports of others, the Mitros seems about as well-built and reliable as a Canon flash. And it comes with twice the warranty (two years versus Canon’s one year).
And it retails for about $300, compared to $500 for the Canon 600EX-RT.
So we’re talking about a flash of roughly equivalent power, with equivalent build quality, with useful extra features, with twice the warranty—costing about $150 less than the Canon flash that it replaces, and about $200 less than the current Canon flagship flash.
I consider this a shot across Canon’s bow, announcing a new world of competition.
And the story with the Nikon version is roughly the same.
I don’t shoot Nikon, so I didn’t test the Nikon Mitros first-hand, but judging by David Hobby’s Mitros for Nikon review, he felt the same way about the Nikon version that I did about the Canon version.
In short, the big camera makers need to watch out, because high-quality competition is racing up fast in their rearview mirror.
The Mitros+ (Mitros Plus)—An Even Bigger Threat
Phottix Mitros+
Now Phottix has announced an even bigger threat to Canon and Nikon with the Mitros+ (aka Mitros Plus). At the time I’m writing in October 2013, this flash has been announced, but is not yet on the street.
So why am I telling you about it if you can’t buy it yet?
Because if you’re on the brink of buying an expensive flash (such as the Canon 600EX RT or the Nikon SB-910) and an expensive flash trigger system (such as the ST-E3, or Pocketwizard, or Odin, or YN-622), you may want to wait a bit.
Because the Mitros+ promises to be the best of both worlds—an affordable flash and flash-triggering system all in one.
Phottix Mitros* (Plus)
The Mitros+ is basically a Mitros flash with a Phottix Odin triggering system built in. (Read my review review of the Odin to see why it’s my favorite flash trigger of all time, and see my flash portrait course for ways you might use multiple off-camera flashes.)
This, of course, is similar to what Canon has created in the 600EX-RT (but with some advantages we’ll discuss below). And of course Nikon has not yet even released a radio-triggered flash system.
Now, with the Odin built into a flash, my only two previous complaints about the Odin trigger have been resolved:
1) With the Odin on-camera you could not mount a flash on the camera.
2) The Odin lacked a focus assist beam to help us focus in low light.
With the Mitros+ flash mounted on the camera, both of these problems are solved.
And with the Odin radio triggering system built-in to the flash, you now have ability control all your remote flashes with Odin ease.
And wait, it gets better.
The built-in Odin trigger in the Mitros+ is backwad compatible with all older Phottix Odin receivers, and even with the non-TTL Phottix Strato receivers.
So if you have existing Phottix triggers, you can just keep using them.
Or you can buy more Mitros flashes, with their built-in receivers, and not need to purchase any triggers at all. Or you can buy Odin or Strato receivers and use them to trigger your existing flashes, or even less-expensive third-party flashes, like those made by Yongnuo.
The possibilities of mixing-and-matching Mitros+/Odin/Strato systems to suit your budget is almost endless.
And all of this, of course, would cost much less than buying a whole platoon of Canon 600EX-RT flashes (or the equivalent Nikon setup) for your off-camera lighting.
I think you can see why I’m excited now.
The Mitros+ has already slipped past its original projected release date, so who knows exactly when it will hit the street. But if past products from Phottix are any indicator, these delays occur because they take the time to get it right before shipping it out the door, unlike some other third-party gear makers.
I certainly plan to be one of the first line to get my hands on the Mitros+ when it ships.
Meanwhile, you can currently get the Mitros—a great flash at a great price—if you’re not looking for a built-in radio triggering system:
Price the Mitros for Canon on Amazon.com
Price the Mitros for Nikon on Amazon.com
I want to congratulate Phottix on consistently stepping up their game and challenging the big camera makers with innovative and affordable alternatives.
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Update January 2014:
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The Mitros+ for Canon are out on the market. I got two and I’m loving them! We’re told a Nikon version is coming very soon.
You can price the Canon version on Amazon here:
How many flash groups is the Mitros Plus capable of controlling in optical and radio mode?
Thanks for review and comments. I just bought Phottix Strato II triggers and receivers. Love them. I also bought some inexpensive Yongnou flashes to augment my SB600’s. Will need to check out the Mitros and Mitros +….
The Mitros+ sound like it is just what I am looking for…ya’ll have to do some testing and a review for us when you get your hands on one…oh and if ya get to know when they will be available in the UK let us know as I will certainly be in the queue waiting patiently…ok, not so patiently!…lol
Hmmm… would be a definite for me if it were compatible with my existing setup of PW flex’s and SB900’s… I don’t want to swap my system it would not be cost effective..
It great that there more 3rd party gear loaded with lot gd feature at a lower price. Now few of my gears on my canon camera are 3rd party. Tamron 24-70 lens, yongnuo 622c triggers etc.
My main flash is still the 580ex2, but I have yongnuo 568ex as my spare flash. It come with TTL, HSS, slave mode at more than half price of canon.The newer 568ex2 has the master mode.
Think the yongnuo 560 III manual flash has the built in trigger as well, but it not TTL. Now with Phottix, there another choice.
Hi Phil,
Great review! Was just wondering if I read this right…
I currently have the Phottix Odin and LOVE it! Yep bought it shortly after reading your review of it! Are you saying that if I purchase the Mitros it has a receiver built in so I can control it with my Odin or would I have to use one of my receivers?
Thanks again for the review!
Clark
Clark, I think you’d be able to control the Mitros+ flash, with the built-in Odin system, without using another Odin receiver. Of course, I haven’t tested this yet.
Are you able to use the canon’s built settings? In other words can you control the settings on the flash from your camera?
Thanks for the review and comments Phil!
Wow! I really appreciate this heads-up as I was preparing to buy a 2nd flash and an Odin trigger. I have a Nikon SB700 flash. Would I need to purchase any other equipment besides the Mitros Plus in order to use either the SB700 or the Mitros plush as a remote flash? I’m just getting started in flash photography and preparing to do portraits for my family.
After not having time for photography for a number of years I dumped my camera bag with Canon AE1, lenses, filters, macro extension rings and fancy Braun flash straight into the bin. I didn’t even think about putting it on eBay to try and sell it.
I must have have had a brain snap or something.
No sooner had I done that and my interest in photography was reignited by a friend in Bangkok, so now loaded with a new Nikon 5200 I am in the market for a flash again.
Very timely article as I am currently saving for a flash and it is good to know there are alternatives.
Thanks for the info. I’ve been trying to figure out how to add a 600EX-RT into my gear bag to go with my 430EX II. This will make it much more affordable and give me the same options as the 600… Always great to read your reviews as they save a beginner a lot of money and give alternatives with great quality products.
I’m glad I stumbled upon your tutorials a few weeks back as they have helped me realize I don’t need to go buy thousands of dollars worth of lights power packs or batteries to get great portraits inside or outside. Following your advice I’ve had a handful of successful senior portraits in a short period of time, all with one speedlight an umbrella and a reflector.
Thanks tons Phil!!!
Sincerely,
Todd
Do you have an opinion on the LumoPro LP180 manual flash? David Hobby gave it a very positive review, but I would be interested in your opinion as well.
Your review of the Mitros flashes is very helpful. Thank you!
@Sharon – I haven’t tried the Lumopro LP180, but from everything I read it sounds like an excellent manual flash. I’m also getting good use from YN560 manual flashes, very inexpensive.
@Lori – if the Mitros+ for Nikon works the way I expect it to, it should be able to trigger the SB700 using the built-in Nikon triggering system.
@Everyone, thanks for the great comments.
is it completely compatible with my.existing pair of 600ex-rt’s allowing me to add more flashes at less cost, or am I inextricably tied to 600’s now?
Good review, thanks Phil. Do you know if pre-flash has been sorted out on the new units so we can use a flash meter? Phottix have a software update for existing flashes but I’m not keen to try this until I hear a bit more about it’s successful use. I have the Odin controller with three receivers and it never misses – bought on your recommendation BTW.
I use the Yongnuo YN622C highspeed ETTL flash tirggers and the YN568 II high speed flash they are like using the 580EX II speedlight at only $180.00 and the triggers are about $80 for two. I love using the high speed even in manual mode.
For non TTL with double and tripple the power I have been looking at the new Godox strobes, much cheaper than Quantum strobes http://flashhavoc.com/godox-witstro-ad180-ad360/
Thanks for taking the time to inform us and keeping us posted on the latest.
@Michael – I don’t think the radio system in the Mitros+ will be compatible with the radio in the 600EXRT — The Odin radio and the Canon radio are two different species. But in every other way they should be compatible.
@Charles – Glad you are enjoying the Odin. I’m not sure about pre-flash on these, best check with Phottix on that.
Thanks Phil – Very timely review as I was just about to buy a triggering system of some kind. I had the question about radio triggers being compatible with different flashes.
Phil
Is there any difference in the zoom and output from the 580exII phil?
Great review Phil, very helpful. As a beginner flash photographer who has taken you terrific course “how to take professional looking head shots,” it seems that in this course you are emphasizing using flashes off the camera. You provide an example of headshot photography with a flash on the camera. Here is my question. I was getting ready to by a radio transmitter and receiver for use with my Canon 430 EX II flash so I could use it off the camera. however, given the capabilities of the mitros +, I see that it would take care of the radio sending device and I would just need to buy a receiver for use with the off camera flash. However, I’m not sure of the advantages or situations where use of the additional flash, in the form of the mitros + on the camera. thanks, Jeff
If you already have one or more 600EX-RT flash units you may want to take a look at the new Yongnuo YN-E3-RT flash trigger that has all the features of the Canon ST-E3-RT plus a focus assist lamp. This unit is reported to be ready for release this month. They also have a YN600EX-RT flash unit slated for release in December. Both these items will fully implement the Canon 600 series flash features and be operable from a camera mounted flash or trigger, or via the camera’s flash control menu. Prices for these new items have not been realeased but they should be dramatically lower than Canon prices based on Yongnuos past pricing structure. For those that have not yet purchased 600EX-RT flashes this Mitros equipment looks like a great alternative. Lots of information here: http://flashhavoc.com/yongnuo-yn-e3-rt-adds-group-mode-for-pre-2012-cameras/
And here: http://flashhavoc.com/yongnuo-yn-e3-rt-features/
Hi Phil, great news and I do ned a new flash. Can you let me know when the new flash is released please?
Also note new e-mail, do I change this or do yoy?
Regards
@Dave, thanks the info on the upcoming Yongnuo gear. Sounds promising.
@Dave Tombs, you can use the link at the bottom the Mitros email that you got from me to change your email address.
Phil and Dave, thanks to you both for great info.
I just checked the Phottix website and it appears to me that the Mitros+ is only available for Canon camera owners, not Nikon owners. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Lori, the typical pattern is they roll out the Canon version first, because there are more Canon users, then the Nikon version second.
Being new to photography and looking for my first flash, I kept being steered toward the 430EX II. Seeing the Mitros is the same price, I believe this would this be the better purchase. Am I correct at assuming this or would this flash be too overwhelming for a new photographer?
Eric, I’m a big fan of the 430EX II, but now that the Mitros is out, I’d probably get a Mitros. Unless you want the 430 for its smaller, lighter size.
Hi Phil,
I have recently purchased a Canon 60D and want a flash for it, but know very little about them. If I go for the Mitros flash, what else do I need to purchase to enable the flash?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Arleen, if you purchase the Mitros you don’t need anything else to “enable” it. Just put it on your camera and shoot. Of course if you want to use it off-camera that’s a whole different story. See my off-camera-flash portrait course for info on that. Hope that helps — Phil
i bought a mitros for canon last july and it works great. but yesterday while doing an indoor photo coverage, photos went dark in the middle of the event and realized that ettl is not working properly. tried manual mode for flash and it works fine, but can’t always adjust flash power since it slows me down. so, i decided to use my back-up flash. what just happened there? is my mitros busted?
mitros + for sony anything there ?
Bought the Mitros+ in Feb 2014 so I could use it and the ODIN’s as the triggering system for my lighting setup which now includes Godox AD360’s which I am just waiting on the odin receivers to test the whole system. Unfortunately two days ago the flash started misfiring randomly.. just missing the odd shot here and there at first and then yesterday stopped firing altogether. Sounds like the capacitors are discharging still be no light output at all.
Contacted Phottix Hong Kong with a support ticket and they replied within 2 hours asking me to send it to them. Will be interesting to see what happens. At $90 AUD in postage (and having to go and buy Canon 600EX because I need a flash for the weekend and can’t get another Phottix in time) it’s an expensive warranty repair. Hopefully this is a once off and not an indication of the build quality. It hasn’t been very hard at all really in that time.
Nice Review Phil, very informative.
I’m in the market for another light and currently use 3 x 580 exii’s with Odin triggers with 7D and 5DIII. The Odins work great!
A questions for you about the Mitros+ which I can’t seem to get a definitive answer to;
Can you set the Mitros + to have settings independent of those of the other three groups? For example mitros on camera set at ettl, Group 1 set at Manual 1/16, Group 2 set to Manual 1/64, Group 3 set to manual 1/4. Web literature/photos infer that this is the case, but I can’t find anything which spells it out. Can you help answer that for me?
Thanks in advance!
Andrew, I think so, but when it comes to flashes and triggers, what should work in theory is sometimes not what happens in practice, so my answer is always, “You just gotta try it and see.”
Cheers,
Phil
Thanks Phil!. The photo of the LCD in your review suggests it does. If it does that provides another reason to opt for the Mitros+ in my setup, instead of another 580 /430 exii paired with an Odin receiver.
I’ll keep trying to find the answer
FYI…….Just found the answer!
Confirmed that when Mitros+ used on camera as the controller you have a 2 options regarding its “own” light .
A)On/Off
B) Set to ETTL, Manual etc
Both options are independent of the settings for the other groups. In a sense this means the Mitros+ has a “4th” group where that group is a single flash and it is operating on camera as the controller.
On that information Mitros+ looks even better …but Marks problems are a bit of a concern!
Phottix Mitros flashes won’t work with vintage and “unchipped” manual lenses—this is a really big deal for mirrorless camera users! TTL and M modes do not work when mounted on the hot shoe, or when controlled by an Odin transmitter. There’s a horrible work-around by using them off-camera in M mode, and adjusting each flash at the flash (exactly not the reason you’d by into the Odin/Mitros+ system). You should really take a look at this and maybe do a new review and point out the other flashes that don’t have this limitation.
Robert, thanks for this info. Those who are shooting with vintage manual adapted lenses (I don’t do that, but I know many do) may want to watch out for this limitation.