Photography News Issue 33

Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com

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News

bron go portable Photographers love the flexibility and convenience of battery-powered flash but still want the power and performance of mains units and that’s what bron’s latest flash heads offer

bron, world renowned for its top quality studio equipment has added a battery-powered monobloc unit to its range. The Siros L (L stands for lithium) is available in 400 or 800W/s output options but have an identical feature set – the physical difference is that the 800 version is slightly longer. Key selling points of Siros L units are very brief flash durations, as short as 1/19,000sec in Speed mode, constant colour temperature output in normal use and even light spread in different modifiers thanks to the design and positioning of the flash tube. Constant colour is possible with bron’s ECTC (Enhanced Colour Temperature Control) which controls voltage and flash duration to give constant colour temperature over the whole output range. In Speed mode, where very short flash durations

are needed, ECTC is cancelled but even here the variance in colour temperature is minimal. In normal use mode, the minimum output of the 400L still gives a brief flash duration of 1/9000sec. Output is manual only, controllable over a nine EV range from ten (full power, 400 or 800W/s depending on the model) to two (two or four Watts per second) in 0.1 f/stops. The rechargeable battery gives an impressive 440 full output flashes and this increases significantly if lower output settings are applied. The batterymust be charged outside of the flash unit and a charger is supplied in the kit. The new heads are fully compatible with bron’s range of modifiers including the wonderful Paras. High speed sync is available on the Siros L heads but not with the existing bron

RFS 2.1 trigger, but that will change later this year when a new trigger will be launched. A free app, bronControl, is available for iPhone, iPad and Android from the Apple store and Google Play, and this makes using the Siros L even slicker. Up to six units can be controlled so that you can adjust the power output, fire test flashes, turn on the modelling lamp and much more via the Siros L’s own Wi-Fi network. Guide prices start from £1818 for the Siros L 400 with RFS2.1 trigger and bag – the same kit but with the 800 head is £2106. A two unit Outdoor Kit costs £3594 for the 400 and £4194 with 800 heads.

broncolor.com

Above Chris Burfoot, broncolor’s UK sales manager, proudly shows off the battery powered Siros L.

Fujifilm’s range of lenses has grown with the arrival of the XF2X TC WR teleconverter. The 2x converter is compatible with only two current X-lenses, the 50-140mm f/2.8 and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6, giving focal length ranges of 100-280mm and 200-800mm respectively when fitted. Both lenses will need firmware updates to function fully. With an optical construction of nine elements in five groups, the quality of the lens it is fitted to is maintained at a high level. Also, with its WR design, it can be used with the two compatible lenses and the Fujifilm shooters can get more from their telephotos with its new 2x teleconverter Fujifilm gets longer

News in brief

USBType-Cdrive G-Technology has introduced a range of mobile hard drives with the USB-C interface. These new drives have a transfer rate of 136MBs. The 1TB version costs £107.40 and the 3TB £162.40 g-technology.com CaptureOne updated Capture One Pro software has been updated to v9.1.2. A key benefit is support for cameras including the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and the Nikon D5. The full versions costs €279 (£216) but it is a free upgrade for Pro 9 licence holders and subscribers. phaseone.com

X-T1/X-Pro2 bodies in adverse weather conditions. It will be available from late June and costs £349.

fujifilm.co.uk

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