I usually shoot through a softbox say 3 feet away from the object at 1/6000th. What could I expect to get out of an einstein in that situation? f11 or better? Is the flash duration selectable like it is on Broncolor? Serious question.
Brent Ward wrote:
I usually shoot through a softbox say 3 feet away from the object at 1/6000th. What could I expect to get out of an einstein in that situation? f11 or better? Is the flash duration selectable like it is on Broncolor? Serious question.
When you select flash duration on Broncolor, you of necessity, change the flash power. You can't have both very short duration and high power at the same time.
You can essentially do the same on Einstein . . . as you adjust the power, look at the LCD (or Cyber Commander) and you will see the flash duration (t.1.) This only occurs at one power level in Action Mode and one power setting in Color Mode. I believe the same applies to Bron.
In Action Mode, 1/6000 t.1 occurs at about -2.5f (about 100WS) and should probably give you right around f11 from a softbox at 3' (ISO100). The color at -2.5f in Action Mode will be about 5900°K.
In Color Mode (5600°K +/- 50°) , 1/6000 t.1 occurs at about 1/32 power (20WS) so you may not reach the desired 1/6000 with softbox.
cineski wrote:
Is this a "Do not touch" area when using the light? Stuff happens on set. What happens if it snags lightly on something? Thanks for the info, Paul.
Edit, what are your recommendations for storage (Pelican Case) ? Take them out? Or is it okay to leave them in?
Edit #2, if you chose to use PocketWizards, what happens to the hole on top where the CSXCV Transceiver goes? Is there a cover for it?
No cover. The only thing exposed (recessed) is/are eight small holes for the Transceiver pins. Something like a compact flash card, but much more durable pins.Unless you plan on pouring coffee into it or something like that it's pretty secure. You can leave the transceiver in place or unplug it depending on your package - whatever fits best.
You should be able to fire it with a PW via sync jack with or without transceiver. If you are using Cyber Commander, the pocket Wizard will honor all settings and groups you setup with the CC.
Paul Buff wrote:
When you select flash duration on Broncolor, you of necessity, change the flash power. You can't have both very short duration and high power at the same time.
You can essentially do the same on Einstein . . . as you adjust the power, look at the LCD (or Cyber Commander) and you will see the flash duration (t.1.) This only occurs at one power level in Action Mode and one power setting in Color Mode. I believe the same applies to Bron.
In Action Mode, 1/6000 t.1 occurs at about -2.5f (about 100WS) and should probably give you right around f11 from a softbox at 3' (ISO100). The color at -2.5f in Action Mode will be about 5900°K.
In Color Mode (5600°K +/- 50°) , 1/6000 t.1 occurs at about 1/32 power (20WS) so you may not reach the desired 1/6000 with softbox....Show more →
Thx for the info. I might have to buy a couple to play with.
I fondled an Einstein at the PPA Imaging USA trade show in Nashville TN yesterday. Closer to a an AB than a WL in size.
The CSXCV plugs in adequately securely--it won't fall out. It's a study device, but it's not a chunk of solid metal--it would be necessary to take a bit of care when packing the light with the CSXCV plugged in. When unplugged, the pins do project, so it would be better to put it into some small container of some sort rather than to stick it into your jeans pocket; this looks like another use for those plastic Sucret boxes.
The port is open with the receiver unplugged, but it's likely that any supplied cover or dummy plug would get lost pretty quickly by most people. Not by me, though--I'd figure a way to lanyard it to the light. I'm thinking I would leave the CSXCV plugged in and just not treat it like a football.
Einstein appears to have refined some of the handling characteristics of the AB and WL. Not that they were bad, but everything can be refined. There are two side-mounted modifier attachments, for instance, that are easier to control than the WL but are more sturdy than the AB. The umbrella shaft tube is also longer than the AB's (it's the full length of the light). The quartz cover over the light elements is a nice touch--relieves a bit of worry.
I definitely would get the CSXCV and CyberCommander. Einstein has some excellent light characteristics, but it's with remote control that it really shines brighter than anything else. Also, although push buttons and LEDs are the the most popular control types these days, I preferred knobs/levers for electronic flash so that I wouldn't have to look at them to set them. Einstein has the popular buttons and LEDs, so I'd personally want to be sure to use the CC.
I missed meeting Paul or Debbie (a friend of mine who writes equipment mag reviews did catch Paul at the trade show booth), but I did meet some of the others on his staff--nice folks.
perhaps a rubbery press-on contact cover (like the Nikon D300's PC terminals) that is affixed to the unit to cover the CSXCV socket?
I would have preferred an infinite rotary knob adjustment (potentiometer) for power setting (think mini optical encoder) but it all sounds like this is gonna be a gamechanger
I take it you didn't get to use it? Was it a working model or just a dummy?
I didn't get to flash it (actually, I didn't ask--they might have let me try it), but it appeared to be a fully working device. I did pull off everything that was detachable, pushed buttons, et cetera. All seemed to be in order (might not be now...my bad).
The receiver feels as if it were a solid piece of polycarbonate, and the body of the receiver plugs into the body of the flash about 5-7mm, so it's got a good amount of physical support--it's not just hanging on by the pins. It should also be pretty well dust-sealed when the receiver is inserted. I think it's okay as long as it's not drop-kicked like a football.
But as I said before, using this with the CyberCommander will be the killer application.
RDKirk wrote:
I didn't get to flash it (actually, I didn't ask--they might have let me try it), but it appeared to be a fully working device. I did pull off everything that was detachable, pushed buttons, et cetera. All seemed to be in order (might not be now...my bad).
Speaking of the Cyber commander, I saw a post of yours saying that you had been playing around with using the CC as a light meter in lieu of your Sekonics. What is your thoughts on that? If I am just using Paul Buff's lights can I ditch my L358 and just rely on the CC as a light meter?
RDKirk wrote:
I didn't get to flash it (actually, I didn't ask--they might have let me try it), but it appeared to be a fully working device. I did pull off everything that was detachable, pushed buttons, et cetera. All seemed to be in order (might not be now...my bad).
The receiver feels as if it were a solid piece of polycarbonate, and the body of the receiver plugs into the body of the flash about 5-7mm, so it's got a good amount of physical support--it's not just hanging on by the pins. It should also be pretty well dust-sealed when the receiver is inserted. I think it's okay as long as it's not drop-kicked like a football.
But as I said before, using this with the CyberCommander will be the killer application. ...Show more →
danielsan wrote:
Speaking of the Cyber commander, I saw a post of yours saying that you had been playing around with using the CC as a light meter in lieu of your Sekonics. What is your thoughts on that? If I am just using Paul Buff's lights can I ditch my L358 and just rely on the CC as a light meter?
I believe so.
The CyberCommander is now part of my normal workflow and does all my flash metering. I will probably sell my L358 and buy another CyberCommander. I'll keep my L558 because I still use its spotmeter for non-flash work.
Once you get beyond, "will the buttons fall off?" "build quality" gets to be more personal than real.
I'll always be old school in some of my psychological preferences--I was raised when Detroit produced "big iron" vehicles, and I'll never really like plastic bumpers. That said....
It's not the extruded aluminum of the WL, but polycarbonate (Lexan) is pretty well proven for this kind of purpose. Aluminum is certainly tougher, but is aluminum necessary? Any impact that's going to break the Lexan would break internal components inside an aluminum shell anyway--the Lexan is as tough as it needs to be.
The switches/buttons are an improvement in "build quality" over WL and AB, and are certainly superior to membrane buttons (which always eventually crack open in my experience) used in some other flash systems at this price point.
As I mentioned before, I prefer knobs or levers to buttons and LEDs, but that's a personal opinion, and even that objection is obviated for me by the CyberCommander.
I personally would have liked a shiny casing, but others would not. I also would have liked an aluminum stand mount, but I don't know the statistics the company has comparing the polycarbonate stand mount of the AB with the aluminum stand mount of the WL....the actual statistics may show a dead heat.
After all this rambling, I think CNC-ing the thing out of a solid chunk of aluminum and adding tail fins would really ring my chimes, but that would be expensive and unnecessary. The electronic improvements in the specifications--light quality and control--are a magnitude above anything else at this price point, and build quality that I could experience handling the unit is at least equal in all respects (and superior in some) to anything at its price point.
And I keep saying that combining this with CyberCommander is an OMG experience. There is a saying: "A man with lots of money in his pocket is good looking and also sings well." This flash unit has lots of money it its pocket.
)