Buyers’ guide
Nanlite › nanlite.co.uk
in-body cooling, an integral brolly mount, pre-programmed lighting effects and the popular S-mount for lighting modifiers, these units offer good output and performance for the money. If you prefer control over the colour of the light, the FS-300B Bi-Colour – priced £432 – is the unit for you. Output can be varied within the colour temperature range of 2700-6500K.
shooting – it offers the option of being battery powered and comes with a carry case. Key shared features of the two lines include a locking yoke, carbon-fibre body and high CRI and TLCI ratings. The FS selection is mains powered only. Three models are available, with the entry-level FS-150 at £260, the mid- range FS-200 at £330 and the FS-300 costing £410. With 5600K daylight output,
Nanlite prides itself as a brand designing lights image makers can use to realise and expand their creative horizons. Its product family is extensive whether you want ring lights, tube lights, panels or monolights – and both studio and location shooters are catered for. If you prefer monolights for studio use, the FS series is the better option, with the Forza line-up designed for location
Light & Motion › theflashcentre.com
Broncolor › broncolor.com
Engineered and manufactured over in Switzerland, Broncolor’s goal is to produce state-of-the-art kit. While its product range is small, both build quality and design are beyond reproach – and it all performs as well as it looks. Broncolor has two mains-powered monolights, the Siros 400 S and Siros 800 S. The range also has battery-powered monolights of the same outputs. The Siros 400 S has a 400Ws power output with a range of 9EV, controllable in 0.1 or 1EV increments, with quick recharging as brief as 0.2secs enabling sequence shooting up to 50 frames. Colour output is also claimed to be very consistent right from minimum to full power. With a single rotary control and large info readout, using Broncolor flash units is made very easy – and that functionality continues with the bronControl app and its wireless control. Buy into the ecosystem and you have the support of a vast range of modifiers, including the legendary Para reflectors, available in four sizes. These handmade, 24-panel modifiers give a 3D effect, but are expensive. The smallest is the Para 88 which costs £1877. The Siros 400 S head costs £1435 and the 800S is priced at £1717. A compatible RFS 2.2 radio trigger is £124, available for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony.
US brand Light & Motion has been a top name in lighting for over 30 years, and introduced the compact and powerful StellaPro LED lights in 2017. The CL family is a line of continuous lights, while the Reflex series comprises three hybrid models designed for stills and video. The Flash Centre offers the Reflex at £858 and the Reflex S at £1106.40 – those prices include the head, medium optic, combined handgrip/battery and 0.6m USB cable. The third model is the entry- level Reflex Studio. StellaPro says the Reflex was the first Continuous Strobe Hybrid (CSH). Digital Burst technology allows sequence shooting at 10fps with the Reflex and 20fps with the Reflex S. The battery takes two hours to charge and can give 30 to 600 minutes of continuous lighting depending on the power setting. In Digital Burst mode, a fully charged battery gives over 10,000 full-power bursts and is compatible with Godox, Elinchrom and Profoto triggers. Connect the unit to a 100W USB power supply and you get maximum power, up from 12,000 lumens to 18,000 lumens in burst mode. At 2m, 12,000 lumens with the Reflex’s 120° native light spread allows an exposure of 1/125sec at f/2.8 and ISO 400, and you can use smaller apertures with narrower light spreads. Elinchrom Quadra modifiers fit natively and stand adapters for Bowens and Profoto modifiers are available. StellaPro lights are a serious investment, but if you need a versatile, powerful and rugged light for stills and video, the money will be well spent.
36 Photography News | Issue 103
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