Photography News Issue 44

Photography News | Issue 44 | absolutephoto.com

AwardWinner – First tests

ElinchromELB 400 from £1420

Specs

Prices £1420 ELB 400 Action/Hi-Sync/Pro To Go Set £1655 ELB 400 Dual Pro/Action To Go Set £2690 ELB 400 Pro/Action/ Hi-Sync/Twin Set Power output 7-424Ws in 1/10EV increments Flash duration 1/550–1/5700sec depending on head Recycling time 0.03–1.6sec Modelling light 50W LED Strobe mode Up to 20fps Max high speed sync 1/8000sec Battery Lithium-Ion 14.4V/ 4.1Ah Battery life 350 flashes at full power Display OLED Weight (with Quadra head) 2.25kg Dimensions (lxwxh) 15x8.5x18.5cm Contact elinchrom.com The standard kit of a power pack, single head, Skyport Transmitter Plus trigger and case costs £1420 and there are lots of kits available with different heads. This is pro- quality kit that will last for a long time and if anything goes wrong, it can be repaired rather than thrown away. With the features on offer, usability and the back-up of Elinchrom’s system, an ELB 400 outfit is a real investment in your photography. Pros Hi-Sync, easy to use, head options, colour temperature consistency, Skyport Cons Fixed asymmetric power output Left Elinchrom’s Hi-Sync gives comparatively high and usable levels of light output when you want to venture out into the sun with your flash. out, with rival manufacturers launching their own versions A lot has changed since the Quadras first came Verdict

It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since Elinchrom transformed the location flash market with its groundbreaking Ranger Quadra system. It was the natural upgrade for the off-camera-flash strobists who wanted more power on location, and the chance to use proper studio flash-type accessories without having to resort to DIY methods or bits of Velcro. Plus, the built-in Skyport radio receiver meant no flimsy cables or the line-of-sight issues that plagued off- camera hotshoe flashes. The original Quadra offered a lightweight flash that was rugged, packed a very useful 400Ws of power, took Elinchrom’s range of accessories – from softboxes and beauty dishes to ringflashes and more. It could pump out up to 140 full-power flashes from a single lead battery, was just at home in a studio and didn’t cost a fortune or weigh anywhere near as much as the more pro-orientated offerings from several rival manufacturers. It was a do-all light loved by location shooters across the board. But a lot has changed since the Quadras first came out, with rival manufacturers launching their own versions of affordable and portable flash solutions, featuring lots of latest technology like high-speed flash sync, more advanced radio control, more power and even lighter weight. Elinchrom reacted with constant updates to its Quadras, such as a brighter LCD screen and lighter, more powerful lithium battery. But the latest version of the kit, now rebadged the ELB400, takes it onevenmore. It keeps all the features of the original Quadras and builds on them in a big way, with no big increase in price. Which is why they are still hugely popular and a worthy winner of the Portable Flash category in our Awards. Physically, the ELB pack is very similar to the Quadras but now have push-fitcoversontheconnectorsrather than screw fit and a USB connector for firmware updates, rather than having to send them back to the dealer. The ELB400now features amodernOLED display which falls in line with its top- of-the-range studio flash units. This is much more simple to operate than the old Quadra system, thankfully. There is a 25%increase inmaximum power flashes in fast recycle mode – up to350onafullcharge.Ifyou’reshooting at less than full power – which is most of the time – then it lasts even longer. A full day’s shooting is possible with one battery formost users. The newbattery management system can also recover deeply discharged lithium batteries – something that plagued early versions. The power has been upped to 424Ws, with a reduction in low-end power to make the range of f/stops almost seven. Recycle timehasdropped from two seconds to 1.6 seconds at full power, too. The heads – which are small and light but feature a full-size circular flash tube asused inElinchrom’s studio units – are available in three types to suit different photographers’ needs. They will also accept Elinchrom’s fullsize modifiers via an adaptor.

The Pro Head is the standard head for general use, the Action Head has fast durations to freeze motion while the HS Head is designed to work with Elinchrom’s own Hi-Sync with the EL-Skyport Transmitter Plus HS. This allows you to trigger your DSLR camera up to 1/8000sec shutter speed but works in a very different way from the usual HSS high-speed sync used by lots of other manufacturers. The Elinchrom Hi-Sync system means the flash output is not quite as consistently bright across the frame as HSS versions, but the power is hugely increased. That’s why it’s popular for overpowering the sun on very bright days, and for action and sports photographers who often need the extra reach that more power gives. Just like the latest Elinchrom Pro- HD heads, the ELBs now have several clever flash modes built in. In Strobo mode, the ELB 400 can fire up to ten flashes per second, and Sequencemode allows you to sequentially trigger up to 20 separate ELB 400 packs so that you can shoot at high frame rates. The packs have two output ports, so you can use two heads at once. The power output is split 66% from port A and 33% from port B but isn’t adjustable. The colour temperature of the flashes is 5500K and very stable across much of the ELB 400’s power range, compared to many rival units which can deviate by up to 20%. The pack is easy to control, without delving into the menus. Six buttons on the pack include obvious buttons to increase and decrease flash power and one to control the LEDmodelling light. Charging the lithium battery is very fast, from dead to full in about 90 minutes. And in a studio with access to a power socket, the battery can be recharged while shooting, recharging between shots. AD