It's been mighty quiet on the Einstein 640 front over the past few weeks. Here we are in December and I was wondering if there have been any updates regarding ETA?
Very true, Derek, but that doesn't answer my question. My question was whether there have been any updates regarding the ETA of the Einstein 640. Earlier in this thread, Paul said "projected for December." Is it still or has the target move?
tetrode wrote:
Very true, Derek, but that doesn't answer my question. My question was whether there have been any updates regarding the ETA of the Einstein 640. Earlier in this thread, Paul said "projected for December." Is it still or has the target move?
Dave F.
Symptomatically replying; the update would be something like 'one of the days in December'
At this point we're on target for the end of December . . . unless something very unexpected pops up. But this is complicated by the Christmas holidays.
Paul Buff wrote:
At this point we're on target for the end of December . . . unless something very unexpected pops up. But this is complicated by the Christmas holidays.
*sigh* I really want to buy a few of these but need to make a purchase really soon.
The info page for the Einstein light on the PCB site goes into some detail about how the IGBT circuitry works and has graphic depictions of the light durations showing the t.1, t.5 for old tech and the IGBT.
As a long time Balcar user (I also owned some Broncolor mono lights) who switched to WL and ABs some years ago (I still occassionally use the Balcars)... I have always wondered why Bron charges around $2400 for a head and $400 for a flashtube. Whereas a Paul Buff flashtube is only $35.
As for power, my Balcar units claim to be 1600ws. But the WL X1600 (660ws) is 1/10 stop brighter. I shoot architectural interiors and have not had any problem with the color from the WLs and ABs. I used to use a color flash meter to measure my Balcar lights and found that the color would vary depending on the reflector or other modifier, and various factors on site - ambient brightness and the color of the space - to such an extent that measuring color temp of the flash was irrelevant regardless of the power setting.
The size, weight, cost, performance, and speed (with radio remote control) of the WL and AB units put them way ahead for me.
PeterBerressem wrote:
Not true. Using CTC / FCC control priority alters the flash duration, of course, in the same way as Einstein. You may switch it off for shortest durations.
Btw, it makes no sense to compare the features of $ 10,000 to $ 450 units. In the opposite, I justifiably expect a lot more at a price this high.
Btw II, CTC was introduced with the Grafit in 1996, by no means 'mid 80th'....
Peter, Thanks for your usual depth of knowledge and voice of reason in a sea of misinformation.
A Bron salesman told mein the mid 90s that Visatec was their answer to WL Ultra. Check out the comparative specs sometime - particularly flash duration and power range.
Mr.Buff, since you are reading the posts here, I thought I'd offer a suggestion for a new reflector design. Consider a reflector that is turned 90 degrees from the direction of all current reflectors. The idea is that one could mount an X3200 or X1600 in a nearly vertical position and still aim the light at the subject rather than the ceiling. This would allow for much better balance of the longer light units and would allow one to hide lights more easily behind columns and other objects.
I made a reflector like this some time ago and use it a lot.
Unlimited wrote:
The high end 1600ws pack is below 8K. Not sure why you deliberately inflate the price by over 2K. The 3200ws is over 10k but I doubt you would compare 640ws to 3200ws and not be aware of the 1600ws. Additionally there are often random discounts of 25% or more on the brand products or special deals that make some items cost 50% the catalog price. It's still very expensive but your judging on what people who shop and pay for the brand is simply off.
Of course you need a head with this. Doesn't a head cost around $2400? Add $100-400-800 for a simple reflector, $500 for a head extension cable, and you see where this is going... The head alone weighs 6lbs.
If you shoot interiors as I do and you try use pack/head systems, you'll end up with a number of packs as you can't run the cords all over the place. (Lights are often pretty widely dispersed.) I have 10 Balcar heads and six packs. If I need one head boomed out over a balcony, I'd prefer to carry one monolight up there rather than dragging a heavy pack and head.
What I don't like about the pack/head systems is that adding a head divides the power rather than adding power. So if you are using all of the juice from a pack and then need to add another light, you are out of luck unless you have another pack handy. (The Balcar PSU system is an exception as the capacitors are in the heads so that is the pack/head system I have.)
Alan Goldstein wrote:
Mr.Buff, since you are reading the posts here, I thought I'd offer a suggestion for a new reflector design. Consider a reflector that is turned 90 degrees from the direction of all current reflectors. The idea is that one could mount an X3200 or X1600 in a nearly vertical position and still aim the light at the subject rather than the ceiling. This would allow for much better balance of the longer light units and would allow one to hide lights more easily behind columns and other objects.
I made a reflector like this some time ago and use it a lot....Show more →
Unlimited wrote:
As a kid I too wanted to be a troll police officer. Then I discovered that being a troll officer involved being a troll to start with and engage in off topic discussion in an effort to create a group and sideline people intentionally for personal reasons. I thought you have to be pretty weak to do that so I skipped and became a photographer.
So what is your agenda by only posting to PCB threads? Pure coincidence?
I have two of those background reflectors already. That isn't quite what I'm talking about - way too wide a spread. Imagine a reflector that is about 12 inches wide, 5 inches high and 6 inches deep - where the light attaches at the bottom. This gives a bout a 70 degree spread horizontally and a narrower spread vertically. It can be used to light part of a room without making the ceiling too hot. An X1600 can fit inside of it so it takes up little space.
