Elinchrom Ranger RX Asymmetrical(?)

<p>Hi guys:)<br>

I`m considering to buy a Ranger RX speed AS with a "A" head.<br>

I understand that the RX AS SPEED packs have either an asymmetrical or symmetrical output. I`m only going to use one head on each battery pack, what will be the best choice for me?<br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=532562&is=REG#specifications">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=532562&is=REG#specifications</a> - Best and fastest ranger kit? <br>

Do i need to buy a Skyport radio slave set to trigger it wireless?<br>

And stands, what`is to recommend?</p>

<p>Thanks..<br>

Simen</p>

<p>I have the RX Speed AS. You do still want the AS version even if you are only using one head for the pack. It allows you to use the "B" channel and get a lower output, for those times when you want to get a light really close to someone or balance against low level ambient light. Basically it gives you a wider range of useable f-stops at the low end.</p>

<p>You don't have to buy a Skyport to trigger the pack, you can use other brands like Pocket Wizard, etc, or you can even use the sync cable. However the Skyport system will allow you to not only trigger the pack but also remotely adjust power in 1/10 stop increments as well as turn on/off the modeling light.</p>

<p>The kit you showed is good, but maybe has some extra items you don't need. You could probably skip the extra battery. I find the battery life to be very good, have done 3-4 shoots in a row without recharging. I've heard the hard case isn't great for on location shooting. I personally use either a modded hard case like the Stanley FatMax toolbox with some padding put in (cheap and STURDY!) and also will just throw the pack in a backpack. I recently got Elinchrom's soft bag which fits the pack + one head well. I think I'll end up using that the most. Not sure too much about the wide angle reflector and varistar umbrella. Just looks like a shoot through with a backer. I might save a bit on those and instead look to something like a beauty dish or rotalux softbox/octabox.</p>

<p>For stands, there's lots of good stuff out there. I have a larger Bogen 007BUAC that I use when I want something really beefy and need the lazy leg, or when I'm using a boom (Avenger D600). I'm going to be grabbing something a little lighter for when I want to pack stuff out on location and I don't have any extra help carrying things. Some of the models I was looking at were the Avenger A630B or A635B (discontinued) or the Bogen Stacker 306B (discontinued) or the newer 1005BAC.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>The Ranger RX Speed AS is an asymmetric pack, meaning that the B" channel output is 1/3 that of the "A" channel. It doesn't operate as a symmetric pack. The RX Speed AS offers significantly higher recycle times over it's RX Speed counterpart. If you are going to use two packs, I'd probably recommend two RX Speed AS packs.<br>

The Elinchrom Skyport transmitter is much smaller than Pocket Wizard, and (as mentioned above) offers you the ability to adjust power to one or both packs in 1/10 stop increments. For studio work, you can also purchase a SkyPort USB transceiver, which allows you to control the lighting from your computer. The big benefit I've seen is the ability to store my favorite lighting settings, and instantly recall them.</p>

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<p>The RX Speed AS offers significantly higher recycle times over it's RX Speed counterpart.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I wasn't aware of this. Elinchrom's literature quotes the same recycle time for both the RX Speed and RX Speed AS, both of which are faster than the original RX (non-speed). Were you referring to the difference between the Speed and the non-Speed RX packs?</p>

<p>Yes, I should have clarified that - the RX Speed and RX Speed AS offer faster recycling times than the RX (non-speed). Also, I haven't seen the RX Speed in the US - just the RX Speed AS.<br>

And, a quick note on Elinchrom's customer support. I use their monolights, and have been very pleased with them. When I had a question (not related to the performance), my dealer suggested I contact Elinchrom. They are very pleasant to work with! I had my first reply within just a couple of hours.</p>