How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

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pr4photos
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p.2 #1 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

I have plenty of flashes I can and do use for fill. I wasn't trying to run down the Quadra. Just trying to see which gives the most power for when I do want to overpower the sun. My assistant is quite capable of lowering the power

Sep 13, 2012 at 12:59 PM

JohnJ
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p.2 #2 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

ukphotographer wrote:
JohnJ wrote:

There are ways around this. I have external SLA 6V batts (I don't remember how many AH) which I've wired into my Metz batteries.

I thought these ideas were interesting from your website here: http://photocornucopia.com/

...

Being able to drop your equipment into place without too much messing around is always useful.

Thanks. It helps that I usually work out of the back of my car so I can carry specialised things like that plate. It's very simple and cheap to make too.

Sep 13, 2012 at 01:01 PM

ukphotographer
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p.2 #3 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

I find that its 'all the bits' that get accumulated to sort out problems before they cause issue which are important.. and they're right there and available when they're needed rather than scratting around to find pieces of rock to prop things up or fitting adapters to adapters - which gives the impression that its all dead easy... until you try to do what you do - without. Those Metz packs are halfway designed to be fitted like that to those stands with their 1/4" threads on their bases.

I just bought another 200Ws Sunpak with zoom head, 2 batteries and a charger for $36 on e-bay-gum to go with the other two I have, and the 'dozen or so Quantums and Lumedynes. If I'd wanted to buy a Quadra, I would probably have bought a few of those if they appealed, but they didn't.. and I still use the SunPaks and I still use the Quantums and I still use the Lumedynes. You won't find them all listed in my profile though... Maybe Sunpaks are 'uncool' and shouldn't be there anyway?

I think Sunpaks and the Metz are worth bigging up. In the case of the Sunpak theres no other flash with 200ws output that has a self contained battery, zoom head and Auto and Manual facilities and both marques return phenomenal results compared to ANY 400Ws flashes WHATEVER they are. Knowing the boundaries and strengths of each different system helps to make informed choices and use what is appropriate.

$36!! Thats less than the upgrade Elinchrom wanted to charge just to make their earlier Quadra heads compatible with their new Lithium Ion battery.

So what happened when Metz decided to reduce the power of their flagship models, and Sunpak decided not to pursue DSLR compatibility? Did the sun become a couple of stops darker to compensate and therefore make less endowed flash equipment more adequate? It didn't, and so still those two great flashes remain. You just can't stop loving them.

Sep 13, 2012 at 05:54 PM

BrianO
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p.2 #4 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

ukphotographer wrote: ...Did the sun become a couple of stops darker to compensate and therefore make less endowed flash equipment more adequate?

No, but we did gain 2 or more stops of sync speed...which has the same practical effect.

Back when I was shooting professionally I would have given a lot for an SLR that would sync faster than 1/125 (or 1/60 on some bodies), and a leaf-shutter that would sync at 1/1600 would have seemed like science fiction. (My Yashica was limited to 1/500.)

I think the main players in the portable flash arena felt that -- in a world where clean images at ISO 400 and higher are possible -- high power levels weren't as much in demand as they had been in the past, so they scaled back.

Sadly, we lost ISO 25 and 50 in many cases, and so it is lower power levels that seem most-missed on the big strobes, as several here have mentioned. ND filters help there, but at some cost in the viewfinder and AF array.

The best course is, as always, having a big tool kit to handle multiple scenarios, but of course the bigger the tool kit the higher the investment.

Sep 13, 2012 at 07:42 PM

thumphrey
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p.2 #5 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

BrianO wrote:
ukphotographer wrote: ...Did the sun become a couple of stops darker to compensate and therefore make less endowed flash equipment more adequate?

No, but we did gain 2 or more stops of sync speed...which has the same practical effect.

Back when I was shooting professionally I would have given a lot for an SLR that would sync faster than 1/125 (or 1/60 on some bodies), and a leaf-shutter that would sync at 1/1600 would have seemed like science fiction. (My Yashica was limited to 1/500.)

I think the main players in the portable flash arena felt that -- in a world where clean images at ISO 400 and higher are possible -- high power levels weren't as much in demand as they had been in the past, so they scaled back.

Sadly, we lost ISO 25 and 50 in many cases, and so it is lower power levels that seem most-missed on the big strobes, as several here have mentioned. ND filters help there, but at some cost in the viewfinder and AF array.

The best course is, as always, having a big tool kit to handle multiple scenarios, but of course the bigger the tool kit the higher the investment.
Very well said!
If I want to "big up" I have a tool for it. I just don't use it as much since I got the Quadra. I've been through every piece of kit imaginable to find the "perfect" mobile kit. Elinchrom has met my needs.

Sep 13, 2012 at 08:30 PM

ukphotographer
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p.2 #6 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

(Ducks for cover).

Sep 13, 2012 at 08:32 PM

thumphrey
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p.2 #7 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

BrianO wrote:
ukphotographer wrote: ...Did the sun become a couple of stops darker to compensate and therefore make less endowed flash equipment more adequate?

No, but we did gain 2 or more stops of sync speed...which has the same practical effect.

Back when I was shooting professionally I would have given a lot for an SLR that would sync faster than 1/125 (or 1/60 on some bodies), and a leaf-shutter that would sync at 1/1600 would have seemed like science fiction. (My Yashica was limited to 1/500.)

I think the main players in the portable flash arena felt that -- in a world where clean images at ISO 400 and higher are possible -- high power levels weren't as much in demand as they had been in the past, so they scaled back.

Sadly, we lost ISO 25 and 50 in many cases, and so it is lower power levels that seem most-missed on the big strobes, as several here have mentioned. ND filters help there, but at some cost in the viewfinder and AF array.

The best course is, as always, having a big tool kit to handle multiple scenarios, but of course the bigger the tool kit the higher the investment.

Very well said!

If I want to "big up" I have a tool for it. I just don't use my Rangers as much since I got the Quadra. They are a beast to haul around. I don't need an assistant to lower the power, I can do it from the camera with Skyports. Assistants are nice to have though!

I've been through every piece of kit imaginable to find the "perfect" mobile kit. Elinchrom has met my needs.

Sep 13, 2012 at 08:43 PM

BrianO
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p.2 #8 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

ukphotographer wrote: ...Nikons were emerging then (1977) in the shape of the FM2 with 1/125s shutter sync... Hmmm.. thats not far off from what Canon only achieve now isn't it??

(Ducks for cover).

Funny, but not that far from true. My Canon AE-1 Program only synced at 1/60, the same as my cheap Pentax K-1000 that I had in school. If I needed faster sync I had to go to medium format (I owned a Yashica Mat 124G, and had access to Mamiya MF SLRs), or I'd borrow a Nikon.

Nowadays I use mostly Speedlites -- and I have all kinds of modifiers and adapters for them -- but if I get back into the business in any significant way next year I plan on getting some larger strobes. Elinchrom is on my short list.

(See, I'm not really going off topic.

)

Sep 14, 2012 at 04:09 AM

photosymbol
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p.2 #9 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

I'd also like to add that using a Quadra with a highly efficient modifier such as the Maxilite allows you to use in in mid-day sun situations, such as:

NehaNkhilPreviewSmall01 by Boston Wedding Photographer - SymbolPhoto, on Flickr

Boston-Wedding-Photography-Blog-19 by Boston Wedding Photographer - SymbolPhoto, on Flickr

VanishaAneeshEngagementPreview1 by Boston Wedding Photographer - SymbolPhoto, on Flickr

Sep 19, 2012 at 07:39 PM

macpherson
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p.2 #10 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

My metz 60ct's have come into a new life using Li-ion batteries. The only place you can get them is on Ebay

The specs are:-

Original Code: Metz 60 CT-1
Type: Li-ion
Voltage: 7.2V
Capacity: 7000mAh
Weight: 325g
Dimensions 51.60 x 61.00 x 97.60mm
This battery comes with a Li-ion Charger

I can not praise them enough 4 secs recycle time on max output, so much less weight to carry around and totally reliable.

Jon

Oct 27, 2012 at 09:11 AM

RustyBug
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p.2 #11 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

Late to the party ...

+1 @ 622 being a nice "system" with the zoom head, barebulb, etc. ... even an IR head if you're inclined to such things. Owned one back in the 80's / 90's.

Sorry to see them go out of production ... are there any considerations @ voltage with digital cameras with the older Sunpack 622's being designed pre-digital era.

Oct 27, 2012 at 03:20 PM

BrianO
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p.2 #12 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

RustyBug wrote: ...are there any considerations @ voltage with digital cameras with the older Sunpack 622's being designed pre-digital era.

The 622s are listed at DPAnswers as having 6-volt sync, so no worries with digital cameras.

Here's their comprehensive list:

http://dpanswers.com/roztr/volt_finder.php

Oct 27, 2012 at 04:03 PM

ukphotographer
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p.2 #13 · How powerful is the Elinchrom Quadra?

The availability of a 7000mAh battery will certainly improve the viability of the Metz 60's and the 622's are improved by the addition of 5000mAh (and 9000 mAh) rechargeable NiCad C cells.

The 622's have been out of production for some time now, but their specs and versatility are pretty awesome with the zoom head.

Oct 27, 2012 at 05:17 PM

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