AB, Elinchrom, Photoflex or Photogenic

[james_martin9]

Ok so I am going to ask the same question that has been asked about which

lights to buy with a twist. I have a local brick and mortar dealer who always

gives me a great deal on everything and I feel I owe him the loyalty of my

purchase. I am about to buy a one monolight with soft box set up and my options

from him are Elinchrom 400BX, or D Lite. Given the high price point of

Elnchrom, I can not get as much in terms of equipment as if I purchased Alien

Bees but not from my dealer. Is Elinchrom really much much better than AB? WHat

about photoflex or photogenic

[paul_d5]

Elinchrom light quality and consistency and controls are very good. If you buy D-Lites check out that they are the new model with fans. Also check with your dealer on the largest softbox they will take. I use a medium 3x4 with mine and I would not like to use anything larger. This MAY be a limitation. I don't care for the screw which allows the sbox to be elevated. There have been reports of this being stripped.

 

If I bought again I would go for the BX's which are made in Switzerland and not India. I can't comment on the other brands.

[ellis_vener_photography]

I think your real decision here is betwee nthe Alien Bees and the Elinchrom.

 

Both make good light , consistently. Bot hhave a very large range of light modifiers they can use. Which has the more powerful modeling light? Wha tkind of turn around on repairs does each offer you? How much are common repairs ( common is a very relative term: In my experience most electronic flash equipment is very reliable over the long term but whe n something goes wrong youobviously likes it to be fixed ASAP and at a reasonable price) like sync circuits, triacs and capacitors? Do you see a strong feature that one has and the other does not? Is the flash tube and modeling light user interchangable on both? Do either or both both take a commonly available umbrella shaft size (when I owned Elinchroms (EL1000) they used a hard to find 7mm shaft)? Does Elinchrom still use a proprietary sync connection design?

 

The weak point on the Elinchroms for me is the design of the reflector and speedring attachment. I found it easly to accidently deform the ring on their reflectors.

[paul_d5]

Ellis -- I agree never liked the reflector design and speedring.

[Barry Dale]

James-I have used AB for four years. They have user replaceable modeling lights and flash tubes which is important to me. The first year one of the units developed a humming noise in the cooling fan. It didn't hamper the operation but it was annoying to hear. I sent it to the factory, they corrected it and had it back to me in about three days. No charge. I am very happy with AB.

 

Barry

[dave404]

Alien Bees have great customer service when you need them also, they are in the USA. Other brands of softboxes and accessories will fit them so you have choices.