Paul Buff wrote:
unless you want to settle for low power and long flash durations or a heavy cable and high cost (read: Quadra).
The Quadra A head can reach up to 1/6000 flash duration at 133ws. (No clue if its t1 or t5 but even half that would be pretty darn fast)
Not sure what the fastest speed at full is, but with that option, i dont think i'd ever call the quadra "slow."
I wouldn't call it weak either.
But i'd sure as hell call them pricey, try not to find faults where there aren't Mr. Buff, you wouldn't like someone doing that to your products. The big fault with the quadras is the Price point.
As far as i know, (And i'm sure there are some Profoto/Bronc/etc variants) the most used flash for sports on the high-end is the Ranger A system, which offers a whole LOT of power, and fast flashes, also uses a head/pack combo that can be mounted in the rafters, isn't very big. By high-end, i would mean SI high or just major publications high. I am now curious enough to see if i can find out what SI is using to shoot finals. I remember reading some thorough guides but i don't remember them mentioning what kind of equipment they'd use or be allowed to use (Mindful of the TV cameras i'd guess)
I am sure there are ways to use a flash like an Einstein on the court, mounting stuff to rafters doesn't need the size of a SB-900. You just need to do it properly, and i'm sure the Einstein could haul its weight and with its price point, become a viable option for shooting sports for mid-end photographers.
Don't make me out to be a eli fanboy, i wouldn't think twice about selling them and getting other lights if i could find a good deal. But for the years i've spend with elis so far, i had to learn about them and see if there are viable options in the future.
I didn't say Quadra A isn't fast, or inferior, or imply anybody was an Eli fanboy . . . just that that requires an expensive cable. The 133WS 1/6000 second is t.5 . . . same as a $225 160WS AB400 that weighs 2.5lbs complete. (Now, did I just say AB was superior? No, I just stated the specs.) And I'm quite accustomed to posters finding faults with my products any time my products are mentioned.
Einstein at 133WS has a t.5 duration of about 1/20,000 second by my measurements. I'm not trying to sell lights here . . . or denigrate competitors . . . just provide info. Got more sales than I can handle.
Talk to Rob Galbraith about whether 1/3000 t.5 is "pretty darn fast" . . . he's the real expert and fiercely independent and incredibly knowledgeable (though his measurement techniques of absolute flash duration are suspect. For his sports work he reports regularly the need for 1/3000 t.1, which equates to 1/9000 t.5.
1/6000 t.5 is quite fast. Unless specifically stated as t.1, flash durations specs are always t.5, and, except for IGBT units, t.1 is invariably about 3 times as long as t.5 spec. Most monolights in the 200-500WS range have t,5 times between 1/800 and 1/3000 - look through all the lights on B&H and you can see the spread of times. With IGBT units the normal specification of duration is specified as t.1 (but not always) But even an IGBT unit will typically have a measured t.5 time of about 40% of the t.1 spec . . . but no rigid formula is involved.
You can see from Rob's pictures why he's such a bug about this. 1/3000 t.5 / 1/1000 t.1 will do a good job of stopping most action, but won't meet Rob's critical demands.
I was thinking more along the lines of a souped up SB-28 type manual flash, with an integral battery. I read where people are now lashing several SB-type flash together to get more power, something I've had to do myself in certain situations. A very compact monolight or large SB-type flash with an assortment of reflectors/modifiers would be highly portable and highly versatile. It could be the sort of thing you could easily take on a trip or in a backpack. I often take 5-8 SB-28 flash with me when I need something compact & lightweight, but the low power has me up on tip toes with my current camera gear, shooting ISO 800-1600, f1.4 to f2.8. I can't be the only one thinking about something like this. There are snowboarders, adventure photographers, location portrait people, etc. that would surely be interested too. I just can't justify the price of Quadras or Q-flash.
Like some, I've got multiple speedlites, battery packs and radio remotes (cybersyncs) on the go for locational photography. Personally if I'm going to need multiple speedlites per a light modifier it starts getting complicated with cables, brackets, battery packs, etc. All the little extra things take time to set up, make things more complicated, and add one more link to possible failure. In theory it works but at some point in time it's important to start looking at getting a portable studio strobe system.
Just read this blog item from an equipment rental house--he's written some very interesting stuff. But this new "law" he's promulgated is interesting:
Roger’s Rule of Problem Announcements: Once its announced [by a manufacturer] that 5% of lens X has a certain problem, 50% of the members of any online forum will announce their lens has the problem. Whether they own lens X or not.
RDKirk wrote:
Just read this blog item from an equipment rental house--he's written some very interesting stuff. But this new "law" he's promulgated is interesting:
The purpose in offering a 240vac version is for people who live in countries where that is the standard. Just buy the one that matches standard household voltage in your country. (USA= 120)
