We have been using for just over a year now, the Elinchrom Quadra & Ranger lights. We still use Canon 580ExII flash guns for some things shooting through the Ezy box system. In choosing the Quadras we were looking for a system which was a little more reliable, faster recycling or equivalent and also a little more power was on the shopping list.
So onto the Quadras! There is a lot of punch in such a little package that’s for sure. With over 400ws of power it is more than enough for most situations.I also wanted a kit that would easily over power the mid-day sun with fast recycling and waterproof and that is why I also purchased the Elinchrom Ranger RX speed AS kit, more on that later! So far I have used the Quadra kit at a wedding, a pre-wed, a food shoot on location, a family shoot on location, a fashion shoot at the studio & on location, even ovrer powered the sun at numerous weddings in Canada. So versatile. The kit comes with a pack/battery/pack/2 RQ A speed heads/sykport/cable/case & caps. Incidentaley the pack/battery & head weighs only around 3kg, with the head alone weighing less than a cup of coffee! When I purchased the kit I also purchased 3 extension cables to “daisychain” the lights to stretch out the distance a little more, which has been invaluable and numerous lighting modifiers (which we will cover later.) I have used it in light rain and it’s been fine, it is not reported to be waterproof but as long as you dont keep it out too long it should be ok. Nothing a few plastic bags wont fix! The heads also have daylight balanced modelling light which can be great for using as a focus light or even a video light at weddings.
Also with the RQ-EL adapter you can use all of the Elinchrom light modifiers which opens a world of new creative possibilities. Without getting too techi! The packs are Asymmetric, which means that the pack splits the power between the two output channels. If you are using just one head in the A socket then you have the full 400ws of the kit at your disposal, if you are using both lights in A&B sockets then the power is split, 266 ws & 134 ws respectively. Although I have yet to shoot through a full battery it is reported to last approx: 2000 shots on minimum power ( slow recycle) & 150 shots on full power ( slow recycle). It is worth getting an extra battery with your kit as you don’t want to get caught short on the shoot. One question that I have been asked a lot is, ” Can the pack overpower mid day sun?” Well it would have to be pretty close to the subject to overpower mid-day sun but it will certainly overpower afternoon or evening sun. If you look at the blog post from a couple of weeks ago the last shot at the wedding was taken with the Quadra, CLICK HERE TO SEE or scroll down the blog postings.The sun was directly behind the couples heads so you can get an idea of how strong it was, still very strong even at 8pm.We still had one stop of power to use so weren’t using it on full power.
To see more and read about the technical aspects of the Quadra system please download the brochure from HERE.
In conclusion I think it is a fantastic kit. Very versitile. Great for using at weddings, the portability is very good. You can also use flash guns at the same time with the kit if you are using the same radios triggers for them all. If you are doing any commercial work then they can be easily taken on location, powerful enough for most jobs including lifestyle, food, fashion, products etc…Any pack like this will have a few limitations but apart from the power I can’t see any more. If you want a kit that can do most things, very portable, reliable, well made then this is the kit to go for. You should be looking at around £1500 inc vat for a two head kit, when you consider that two 580exII flash guns are around £350 each then it’s a pretty good deal.As I mentioned before I also wanted a kit that I could use with or instead of the Quadra kit with more power that I could take on location and use for training. This came in the form of the Elinchrom Ranger RX speed AS kit. With almost 1200ws of power it will blow away the afternoon sun!!
The bigger, heavier pack weighs in at almost 8kg. It is quite heavy but considering it’s amazing performance you quickly forget about this! We have been using this kit recently for fashion shoots, inside the studio and on location. The kit comes with one head so if you want another you will have to ad it to your list. At the shoot we had last night we shot over 720 images in and out of the studio at powers of 2.8-6.2 the unit goes from 1.5-7.5 stops.The battery display was still on around 75%!! So pretty amazing battery life. The recycling time is what amazes me the most, I only once shot faster than the pack could keep up with me, when using it on 6.2 power directly into the sun. The amount of shots will also differ if you are using the fast or slow recycle channel.With a little over 2s recycle on full power is amazing.With an fstop of 64 at 1m at 100iso.
I can honestly say that since using this kit it has changed the way in which I shoot. It has allowed me to keep going even when the sun goes down or is too bright, raining etc… No situation is too much and no dark corner remains unlit! Although the larger RX pack is quite heavy we don’t treck the earth with it, not yet anyway! It is super reliable as is the smaller Quadra pack. The smaller Quadra is perfect of small jobs, head shots , first dance, cake cutting and weddings abroad. It fits snugly into a carry on and gives me the confidence to perform any flash job when I can’t take the larger RX pack with me.
Image shows the High Performance reflector being used
MODIFIERS THAT I USE:
I use a mixture of modifiers with my Elinchrom system but regularly go back to my favorite 70cmx70cm softbox & my Deep Octabox 70cm. I also have strip boxes, Snoot & grids, beauty dish and numerous gels & screens.
To see a couple of great shoots using the Elinchrom kit please click on the links below:
OVERNIGHT COURSE IN THE WOODS
