Highpowered portable Flash: Norman/Lumidyne/Metz/Etc

I'm looking to increase the flexibility of my kit by adding more power to my flash. A greater range for fill-flash is a major concern, as I tend to stay waaay back and shoot with a 200 or 300mm lens on my Canon F-1--non-autoexposure.

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Does anyone have any warnings about the major high-powered units, or a favorite? Or how to tell effective GN for those which only list watt-seconds? Advantages/disadvantages of separate battery pack units (Lumidyne, Quantum, Norman) rather than the all-in-one handle-units (Sunpak, Metz) also welcomed.

Hi Kevin, Lumedyne is outstanding! I have been using them for 14 years

with almost flawless performance, 2 minor repairs. I am a heavy

user and tough on equipment, they are VERY beat up, NO PROBLEMS. In

addition I have used them in very cold 15 degree weather up to

several hours and all day in 95-100 degree heat without trouble. I

mostly use the basic 065 200ws packs with regular (not mini)

batteries and a few different heads. I also have boosters to make

400ws and an AC power supply that runs the model heads of which I have

2 for small studio set-ups on location. Good Luck!

I on the other hand am a Norman fan. I use the 200c with my F-1

(35-105) and on the Speed Graphic and Rollei. I have used it on

zero-degree days and on 90+ days and it hasnt missed a beat. I got a

little nervous in the rain a few times with 450 volts strapped to my

side but it had no problems. Norman makes a tele relfector that

focusses into a narrow beam and is listed as GN 640 at 200 w/s for 100

speed film as opposed to GN 140 for the standard reflector. It comes

with a socket adapter that positions the flashtube at the focus of the

reflector. My photos are generally shot at 10 feet or less, so I

havent tried this reflector. The standard reflector works fine for me.

Guide numbers are tied to flash tube output in BCPS (not input power

in w/s), reflector in use, and film speed, plus the other variables of

your equipment.