What are the most important features you look for when buying a flash? Many photographers consider the amount of power a unit has to be the most important, but there are a few other specifications that are just as important, including flash duration. In this article, I will break down exactly what flash duration is and how it works.
Rotolight, an award-winning LED lighting company based in the UK, has recently released the $1,399 AEOS 2, a circular LED that can be used as a constant video light as well as a strobe for still work and has zero recycle time. As an added bonus, the light features a series of built-in filters and gels that allow users to create nearly any look and mood imaginable and a mobile app for controlling and changing settings when the lights are in awkward and precarious positions.
How do photographers freeze motion? With shutter speed, of course! This is something fundamental that everyone starting out in photography learns to do. If you’re shooting sports, for example, just crank the ISO up, set a high shutter speed, and expect a good frozen-in-time image. However, when using a flash, things are a little different. In fact, shutter speed is by far the worst way to freeze motion. Here’s why.
Elinchrom has just released two new mid-range monolights that are both full-featured and surprisingly affordable for what they offer. The new ELC 125 and ELC 500 boast to 131Ws and 522Ws of power, respectively, and offer everything from standard options like TTL and HSS support, on up to more niche features like "Smart Pro-Active Cooling" and light-up logos that indicate flash group.
Westcott just announced an exciting new 400W/s monolight and universal wireless trigger that promise to provide a killer combination of portability, affordability, and compatibility for on-location photographers who have been relying on Godox/Flashpoint for their lighting needs.
Chinese lighting manufacturer Godox has already released a few products in 2017 that have helped a lot of strobists build lighting kits with a modest investment. Most notably the Godox AD-200 (also sold as the Flashpoint eVolv) has become a crowd favorite for a portable and powerhouse flash.
Profoto isn't being shy about their new B1X monolight. They're calling it the "new benchmark for on-location lighting." A significant improvement on the Profoto B1, "This isn’t an update," explains Profoto. "This is a significant replacement with improvements in three important areas: power, power and power."
Photographers using Cactus' new V6 II and V6 IIs wireless flash transceivers are about to get a huge update. Cactus is launching a series of brand-specific firmware upgrades that will allow you to mix and match camera and flash brands without losing TTL or HSS... and they're free!
High speed sync is a big deal when you're capturing portraits on-location. As photographer Manuel Ortiz shows in this informative video, it can mean the difference between a captivating shot and something full of background distraction.
Elinchrom today announced the EL-Skyport Transmitter Plus HS, a transmitter that not only lets you control and visualize the power settings of your lights, but one that opens the door to 1/8000s shooting in Hi-Sync mode.
Shooting flash photography with a wide open aperture on a bright summer day can feel almost impossible sometimes. You have a collection of beautiful shots that could use flash, but due to the sheer amount of light coming into your lens your flash units can’t keep up with the situation. You may be able to use an ND filter to cut down on the light, but your flash units will also have to compensate in the process. Now, professional lighting company, Priolite, has a solution they say will allow Pentax photographers to shoot Hot Sync flashes at speeds up to 1/8000th of a second.
Profoto has been teasing the letters HSS over the past week, and today the big announcement finally came: it's the introduction of High-Speed Sync (HSS) to the company's popular B1 off-camera flash through a simple firmware update.