New Lighting gear , new thoughts
A while back we had the opportunity to upgrade all of our lighting gear, the old equipment all meted!
So what to buy? In the past we always used Paul C. Buff While lightning Studio flashes and Nikon Speed lights.
We do mainly location work so the studio units were not in the game plan.
After a lot of research we settled on Elinchrom Ranger Quadras and Elinchrom Ranger AS Speed.
We have been shooting with the lights now for a few months , I am very impressed with the power , portability and durability.
They are well suited for the type of shooting that I do and I suspect would be a great choice for most working pros.
There are a couple of short comings, we live in a plug and play world, we buy new phones and whip them out of the packaging and away we go. I cannot remember the last time I read a manual because the products we buy are so well designed that they are intuitive.
This is where the Elinchroms fall a little short. The interface where the user makes selections regarding slave mode , channel operation and recycle speed is cumbersome. To go from one setting to another you have to change from 1 "little c" to 1 "big c" is not exactly user friendly. When you first begin using these units you better take your manual with you. Because the icons that show the different modes are foreign and in all honesty a little useless. They may mean something to some one but not to me.
If you end up in the field and get bumped into the wrong mode, god help you if you don't have the manual.
The other issue that I have found is that the bayonet mount for the reflectors and modifiers can get awkward when it comes to large modifiers.
So here is the recap, A+ for quality, A+ for a rugged design, B for accessory mounting , B+ for battery life ( new l-ion batteries will solve this I suspect) and a D for design of the menu input.
Buy them , they will treat you well but you better make sure you have space in your back pocket for a manual.
Keith
So what to buy? In the past we always used Paul C. Buff While lightning Studio flashes and Nikon Speed lights.
We do mainly location work so the studio units were not in the game plan.
After a lot of research we settled on Elinchrom Ranger Quadras and Elinchrom Ranger AS Speed.
We have been shooting with the lights now for a few months , I am very impressed with the power , portability and durability.
They are well suited for the type of shooting that I do and I suspect would be a great choice for most working pros.
There are a couple of short comings, we live in a plug and play world, we buy new phones and whip them out of the packaging and away we go. I cannot remember the last time I read a manual because the products we buy are so well designed that they are intuitive.
This is where the Elinchroms fall a little short. The interface where the user makes selections regarding slave mode , channel operation and recycle speed is cumbersome. To go from one setting to another you have to change from 1 "little c" to 1 "big c" is not exactly user friendly. When you first begin using these units you better take your manual with you. Because the icons that show the different modes are foreign and in all honesty a little useless. They may mean something to some one but not to me.
If you end up in the field and get bumped into the wrong mode, god help you if you don't have the manual.
The other issue that I have found is that the bayonet mount for the reflectors and modifiers can get awkward when it comes to large modifiers.
So here is the recap, A+ for quality, A+ for a rugged design, B for accessory mounting , B+ for battery life ( new l-ion batteries will solve this I suspect) and a D for design of the menu input.
Buy them , they will treat you well but you better make sure you have space in your back pocket for a manual.
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