I read that announcement what about the new announcement?
Einstein II's damm i must of missed a day of checking the website and missed the window of opportunity of the first version. Now we have to wait longer.
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Anyways i am hoping for the Einstein to include a way to flash before the shutter starts and stay on till the shutter ends for a super cool out of this world high speed sync enabled monster flash the uses low battery power and still recycles as fast as a shooting star on a solar eclipses.
Would love to see a new TTL device like the RPs from Paul.
I also would love to win the lotto and take the rest of the year off and go drinking around the world and take vacation photos.
Wanted to add
I have never waited to buy something like this for this long but i am still excited and hoping for the best.
We just booked three more sessions today coming up soon.
Going to keep using my older flash system for another week holding out for a announcement but i have some High school seniors coming up i would love to use the 1000 watt version on outside in the sun.
My current system can not do that.
Where exactly do the Einsteins fit in with the Alien Bees and White Lightnings? Are these going to be like a premium line, or are they to replace either the ABs or WLs?
kenyee wrote:
Einsteins are premium AFAIK. They have digital controls and more power than AB/WLs...
To be accurate, the idea of the Einsteins are premium as there are no Einsteins to actually be anything at all, much less premium. Personally, I've been involved in far too many industries where products are announced, with short timelines, only to take months and even years to appear. As much as I respect the current Buff products (high value, decent quality, excellent customer service), this sort of thing is nothing but amateur hour. When you have a product, announce it and ship it. When it's a breadboard idea, call it that. And don't confuse the two. In the long run you'll look a lot more intelligent.
Todd Warnke wrote:
To be accurate, the idea of the Einsteins are premium as there are no Einsteins to actually be anything at all, much less premium.......
Peace,
Todd
Todd, I believe the use of the word "premium" in this context is within the PB line. If that is the case it is premium compared to WL and AB.
Todd Warnke wrote:
quality, excellent customer service), this sort of thing is nothing but amateur hour. When you have a product, announce it and ship it. When it's a breadboard idea, call it that. And don't confuse the two. In the long run you'll look a lot more intelligent.
Maybe it's the pressure of Internet style development or what, but seems to be more common than not nowadays....MS/IBM way back started preannouncing stuff to keep customers waiting for their stuff years back
In the photo industry, we have radiopoppers being the classic case, then pocketwizard w/ their buggy TTL1 first release (though they made up for it by releasing firmware updates quickly), then Mola w/ their prelease of the Lumi beauty dish, and of course the Einsteins
cordellwillis wrote:
Todd, I believe the use of the word "premium" in this context is within the PB line. If that is the case it is premium compared to WL and AB.
Cordell
I know that. All I'm saying is that this thread goes back to August over a product that was due out any day. I'm betting it will have a birthday before we have the Einstein. Sad. Even more sad considering that Paul keeps saying the industry is full of misleading information and only he gets it right. I call the Einstein release date of Sept. '08 pretty misleading. And until it is an actual shipping product, calling it anything but an idea is just a joke, with us the the butt of said joke.
Todd Warnke wrote:
I know that. All I'm saying is that this thread goes back to August over a product that was due out any day. I'm betting it will have a birthday before we have the Einstein. Sad. Even more sad considering that Paul keeps saying the industry is full of misleading information and only he gets it right. I call the Einstein release date of Sept. '08 pretty misleading. And until it is an actual shipping product, calling it anything but an idea is just a joke, with us the the butt of said joke.
Peace,
Todd
I, like most folks on this thread, have been waiting for the Einstein Line to be a reality. I don't have any affiliation with Paul Buff, except that I own 3 AB 800's. Also, back in the early '70's I helped design ASCOR flash units. At the time, they were quite impressive in the industry.
So here are my thoughts on this topic.
If you haven't been involved in the design or manufacture of commercially available electronic flash units, then you don't have the right to condem anyone as to why a product is late for production. Stuff happens.
In perfect economic times, radical designs that incorporate cutting-edge features at an affordable price-point can have unforeseen challenges. Paul, or anyone else for that matter, can not afford to make a mistake. This stuff is very complex and is dependent on both engineering skills as well as reliable suppliers of critical components. I can't tell you how hard it was to find the proper components with high reliability. Factor in the proper price point, and you can quickly see the interdependancies that are at play.
Flash systems have come a long way from ballasted capacitor and inductors to today's complex electronics. Put those complex electronics in close proximity of a flash tube, and you are treading into a very hostile environment. Add to this the demands of amature and professional photographers and you got some serious pressure.
In order to survive as a manufacturer, in this space, you have to do this right the first time. That takes time my friends, that takes time.
I am sure that any input by Paul on this topic might only be viewed as a negative by some on this forum, at this time. So I was compelled to throw in my two cent perspective.
As Paul hasn't taken any TARP funds that I am aware of, I don't think we can fire him.
Let us hope that all the issues are resolved, and we'll be able to enjoy a new standard in afforable flash photography.
I have been involved in the planning, development and marketing of commercial software, audio hardware and other products. I know the difference between design, development and delivery. And I know that issues that delay a product by nearly a year are significant enough that some previous step was not followed correctly.
BTW, my point is not with the design (as no one but Paul knows that side), but with the repeated, any minute now comments. That's the unprofessional bit. Yes, by all means do a cutting edge design, and even better make it affordable. But don't rip everyone in your industry as purposely misleading the masses and then mislead the masses by making unfilled promises. You can't have it both ways.
Again, Buff makes good stuff ... when he makes it. And when the Einstein is out I'll look at it. But to make promises about when something will be delivered even before it is done being designed is a joke (since it had not passed FCC inspections as of a couple of months ago, no one can reasonably claim the design was finished last summer when the original ship dates were announced). This applies even more on a cutting edge design. So, I give Buff his props for the AB and WL stuff, but this has become a rather silly joke by now.
BTW, my point is not with the design (as no one but Paul knows that side), but with the repeated, any minute now comments. That's the unprofessional bit. Yes, by all means do a cutting edge design, and even better make it affordable. But don't rip everyone in your industry as purposely misleading the masses and then mislead the masses by making unfilled promises. You can't have it both ways.
Nikon, Pentax, and Mamiya come to mind there. Probably others.
Todd, this happens in every single industry around the world. Though there is an expected release date anything can happen....and it does. Heck, I work as an accountant and we provide dates of expected completion of crunching numbers. Guess what We often end up pushing the release date back. This is the same deal with a heck of a lot of companies because I see it all of the time.
What also happens to US companies that are trying to stay as American-made as possible is that in tough times like these, component suppliers can dry up. You might have been lined up to buy 20,000 diodes and suddenly get a shrug from your supplier.
I've got a friend who does purchasing for a very large insurance company based in my town. They had a contract with HP to provide 80,000 laptops this year, and HP is now giving them shrugs. They turned to Dell, and Dell is shrugging too.
First, I announce what I'm doing as early as possible for the sake of the customers - never to hype products or to stimulate sales. The reason I do this is to let customers know what's coming so they don't buy something, then get a big surprise a week later. If people want to treat this as a negative, so be it. So your surprise is the product is late rather than you got screwed as usual.
Second, I have indeed had 98% of my work done on the new projects for many months and got dragged down unexpectedly by development partners that gave me overly optimistic projections of what they could in what time frame.
Third, the parts that require FCC approval have had that approval and certification for about a year. Look on you CyberSync component and you'll see the number. Go to the FCC site and you can see when it was approved.
Go ahead and beat up on me - I can take it and perhaps deserve some of it.
As for TARP funds, we certainly don't want or need any "help" from big bro. He can go to H where he can't screw up the country for the next 20 years. Our business is roaring while others are failing left and right. Walk a mile in my shoes and you might revise some of these opinions.
We often end up pushing the release date back. This is the same deal with a heck of a lot of companies because I see it all of the time.