Comments on: Flash flood in the Country ~ Pictures and Techniques

By: martin

martin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:22:39 +0000

I have the Elinchrom Ranger and before that I had an early-model Broncolor Mobil. The Broncolor was stolen and thanks to Damien’s generosity I briefly had use of the latest A2R Bron kit. The Bron is great – it has a small head and if you use more than one head per pack the switchable asymmetry is often more practical than moving a head back or losing power through a ND gel. If you only have one flash head like me that doesn’t help much.

The Elinchrom is cheaper. Its also better weather sealed, recycles much faster than my old Bron (though the new A2R seemed quicker than my old one) and also has an inexpensive radio trigger system that lets you adjust power from the camera position. If you happen to have a big investment in Elinchrom modifiers then that helps swing the deal in Elinchrom’s favour.

By: Adam Barnard

Adam Barnard — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:43:49 +0000

I’m confused, who is the extra model in the 4th image? they’re both so good looking! It was an absolute pleasure to help out on this shoot. These images are all superb examples of how the rainy weather can only dampen your clothes, not your spirits.

By: Steven Finlay

Steven Finlay — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:23:35 +0000

@Damien + David. Thanks for all the info. Much appreciated

Regards
Steve

By: David Jones

David Jones — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:06:25 +0000

Hi Steve – sorry, just adding to Damien’s comment. I looked at the Elinchrom and it boasts very good weather protection. But it was the overall power and the switchable power distribution that was lacking. That’s why I eventually opted for the Bowens as it has a total power of 1500ws and this can be directed 100% to channel A, 50/50 and 70/30 between channel A and B. And as an added bonus, it can provide battery power to charge up normal Gemini heads. So in theory you can get 3,000ws of total flash power to 4 heads (2 x Quad controlled directly from the generator and 2 x Gemini 750). Wouldn’t expect the battery to last long though. And I definitely wouldn’t be taking the Geminis out on location!

All of the work I have used the Explorer for so far has been inside or external good weather. It’s been great for that.

All in all, if I was still in a position to buy I would definitely be going for the Broncolor!!

By: damien

damien — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:34:47 +0000

Hi Steve, Another mobile lighting kit to consider is the Elinchrom Ranger. It is less expensive than the Bron kit but doesn’t have the switchable power distribution between the outlets. In my opinion this is important. The ProPhoto system is good too but don’t get sucked into anything less than 1200Ws of power. I think the Elinchrom is slightly less but not significantly so. If you can afford it the Broncolor Mobil A2R is the best of the bunch. I hope this helps, Damien.

By: Steven Finlay

Steven Finlay — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:40:29 +0000

@David, Thanks for that reply. Up here in Scotland the weatherproofing would be a good idea. Time for a bit more research I think. Thanks for the offer of the Explorer but I’ll pass for the time being until I know a bit more about this mobile lighting stuff.

Regards…
Steve

By: David Jones

David Jones — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:36:39 +0000

Reply to Steven – I’m not necessarily down on the Explorer. I’m using it a lot at the moment and it’s great. But it just looks and feels a bit fragile when you compare it to the broncolor. You should have seen it last Wednesday. Raining constantly. But Damien just plonked a Bron generator on the wet ground, popped a couple of heads on stands with no weather protection on them at all and we were shooting! In the open field he did put the rain cover over the generator but that just provides top protection. It was still sat in foot high wet grass. Looking at my Explorer, there are vents all over the place with a fan running. The 3KM head is a bit bigger than the Broncolor and it has a bare flash tube and I have the UV dome. There is little weather protection. the Bron units seem to be completely self contained and the ‘look’ weatherproof and in action they appear to be so.

I wanted to buy Broncolor last year but at the time it was a financial stretch and the importers just weren’t interested in selling to me. Now that Damien has taken on sales and has put together a complete and very practical kit, I really do wish I had waited.

Tell you what – do you want to buy my Explorer?!?

Cheers
David

By: Toby Clark

Toby Clark — Sat, 30 May 2009 11:32:44 +0000

Damien these look fantastic, I did wonder how the day would go with all that rain coming down. The colour of the sky in the first picture is gorgeous and with the rain droplets it really adds a sense of drama.

See you on the monday workshop.

By: Steven Finlay

Steven Finlay — Sat, 30 May 2009 10:06:10 +0000

Sorry, a bit off topic but, David, why are you so down on the Bowens Explorer 1500? I ask because I was considering one of those to complement my other Bowens gear. Wanted to keep it all from one manufacturer so to speak.

Regards…
Steve

By: Tara Taylor

Tara Taylor — Sat, 30 May 2009 10:05:13 +0000

Hi Damien, I really enjoyed myself despite the weather. Looking forward to August – many many thanks for offering us another day.

I am really impressed with the Broncolor Kit! it was great to see it in action – I want it!!!

The other guys on the course were great and we all had plenty of time and opportunities to get the shots.

Holly – thank you so much for staying so calm and cheerful despite the rain!

By: David Jones

David Jones — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:52:20 +0000

Hi Damien. It was a great day despite the rain. Pity I had to leave before we got to the beach. And thanks very much for the complimentary re-shoot in August.

This is the first time I’ve really seen the Broncolor kit in action and under those conditions it was amazing. I’m sat here looking at my Bowens Explorer 1500 and I really can’t see myself sitting it in the middle of a rainswept field as we did on Wednesday with the Bron!

That last shot of Holly in the buttercups – well, you just had to be there to know that it wasn’t a bright summer afternoon.

Thanks for a great day and huge thanks to Holly.