Lighting
£549
£949 and £2075
theflashcentre.com
profoto.com
Profoto A10 and B1X
When you’re starting out with flash, an all-in-one kit is a great option. Elinchrom’s D-Lite RX One/One Softbox To Go kit certainly fits the bill, coming with two durable, mains-powered RX One heads and two softboxes: one a 66cm square and the other an octagonal 56cm version. A translucent deflector is also included for softening the light, as well as a Skyport Plus wireless trigger, two 88-235cm light stands, cables and a bag to carry it all around in. The RX One heads have an output of 100Ws, adjustable over five stops down to 6Ws, in 0.1EV increments, and their recycle time at full power is 1.5secs, quickening to 0.44sec at the lowest. You can also use the EL-Skyport app to control the flash on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and there’s a huge range of Elinchrom light shapers to get creative with. ElinchromD-Lite RX One/ One Softbox To Go Set
World leaders in professional flash gear, Profoto’s range is designed with options for photographers of all levels. At one end of the scale, you have a unit such as the A10. It looks much like a regular speedlight, being portable and battery-powered, but it’s engineered to have the stability and consistency of a studio flash’s output. In addition, its rounded flash emitter gives a more natural spread of light than a traditional diagonal speedlight design. Its maximum output is 76Ws, and that’s controllable across a 9EV range, with recycle times of 0.05 to 1.0sec. Intuitive in operation, it’s usable on- or off-camera up to 300m away, via Profoto’s AirTTL system, and the A10 also offers TTL and HSS modes. Plus, you quickly and easily fit all sorts of light shapers using the magnetic Profoto Clic system. If you need more power on location, there are bigger hitters like the Profoto B1X. With the same commitment to quality of light and usability, it ups the power to 500Ws, still adjustable across 9EV steps in 0.1EV increments, while recycle times remain fast, at between 0.1 to 1.9secs. It can also give an impressive 20 flashes per second for stroboscopic action effects. The B1X uses the same AirTTL connection as other Profoto flashes, including the A10, letting you rig multiple lights and control them all in the same system, and a wide range of triggers is available. It’s also fully equipped with TTL and HSS modes. Cordless in design, the internal battery gives up to 325 full-power flashes and the whole head weighs only 3kg.
£209
kenro.co.uk
Nanguang RGB Sword RGB88 The wand-shaped RGB Sword
The RGB Sword RGB88 uses 176 individual LEDs. These can be set to output in common colour temperatures, from a tungsten 3200K to a daylight 5600K, via the simple interface on the handle. But the red, green and blue LEDs can also be mixed to create up to 360 different colours. Sized 6.7x3.6x59.2cm and weighing 876g, the Nanguang has a metal housing and can be powered from an AC adapter or with Sony NP-F type batteries (not included).
RGB88 is designed for light painting. Basically, you set a long exposure on the camera, and move it around while the shutter is open. This way, you can get beautiful wraparound lighting on a static subject, or make the sword’s light part of the picture itself. Or you can use it as a simple LED strip light, by attaching it to a stand via the mount at the base of the handle. An included safety strap can also be attached to the handle.
£99
litra.com
Litra LitraTorch 2.0 LED
Almost impossibly small, the LitraTorch 2.0 LED gives out a lot of power for such a pocket-friendly model. Perfect for those who want to work with continuous light on location, it measures 3.8x3.8x4.2cm and weighs only 90g, but still gives an output of up to 800 lumens, or 500 lux, at 1m. Output from the 16 individual LEDs can be set at full, half or 1/8 power, and its rechargeable lithium-ion battery will give up to 35 minutes at full power, and four hours at the 1/8 setting.
Charging is via a standard Micro USB port, and it can be run from a power pack if you need longer life. Its light is colour-balanced at a daylight temperature 5700K, while the flicker-free output is measured at 90+ CRI for consistent colour and tone. Being small doesn’t mean it’s brittle, either. The LitraTorch 2.0 has a drop-proof aluminium body and is waterproof down to 20m, and it features two standard 1/4in camera threads and an embedded magnet. A GoPro mount and a belt clip come in the box.
18 Photography News | Issue 88
photographynews.co.uk
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