Profoto RFi and Elinchrom Rotalux modifiers for the rest of us: which one is right for you?

[studio460]

<p>In April of 2012, Elinchrom announced the availability of new third-party speedrings to fit their highly regarded line of Rotalux modifiers to owners of non-Elinchrom gear. In November of the same year, Profoto announced their new RFi line of softboxes, along with their new line of third-party speedrings as well. Incredibly good news for owners of other brands of flash heads who've for years may have wanted either Elinchrom or Profoto modifiers for their other-branded flash heads. Since I now have a choice of two of the best-branded modifiers on the market, I thought I'd make a quick comparison. Here's my quick take on Elinchrom vs. Profoto.</p>

<p>Elinchrom Rotalux:<br /> + Excellent "umbrella-like" design for super-fast set-up and tear-down.<br /> + Unique flat-storage bag enables storing an un-tensioned modifier without disassembly.<br /> + Easy-in, 90-degree turning speedring receiver.<br /> + Availability of renowned Deep Octas to owners of non-Elinchrom strobes.<br /> + Deep-recessed diffusers for greater feathering ability.<br /> - Fabric eggcrates [softgrids] available only from Lighttools--large grids are very expensive (e.g., grid for 69" octa is $659).<br /> - Extra-large strips, squares, rectangles, and octas are very expensive ($967-$1,038).</p>

<p>Profoto RFi:<br /> + Price-competitive with third-party brands.<br /> + Available line of softgrids for each RFi product--most, reasonably priced.<br /> + Available line of masks.<br /> + Wide selection of rectangular, square, octa, and strip light boxes.<br /> + Color-coded pins.<br /> - Few improvements over previous versions.<br /> - No innovative umbrella, or quick-release design allowing for easier set-up.<br /> - Color-coded pins not a huge "feature."</p>

<p>For location use, I think the Elinchrom products are the clear winner. The innovative umbrella design and un-tensioned storage bags make set-up and break-down faster than any of their comptitors' products (save for the similar-folding, Paul C. Buff modifiers). However, for those wanting fabric eggcrates for each of their softboxes, Profoto makes one for each RFi product, many of which are reasonably priced.</p>

[studio460]

<p>My decision? I went with Profoto RFi.</p>

<p>The Elinchrom Rotalux products were very hard to dimiss for my personal purchasing decision, particularly due to Elinchrom's especially innovative designs, and unique time-saving features. Not the mention, Elinchrom's acclaimed light-shaping performance, and deeper-dimensioned, Deep Octas. But it finally came down to a more economical total system price, for the particular selection of products I wanted from Profoto:</p>

<p>Example A:<br /> <br /> Elinchrom 69" Rotalux Octa/69" Lighttools softgrid = $409/$659; total = $1,068<br /> Profoto RFi 5' Octa/5' Creative Light softgrid = $319/$240; total = $559</p>

<p>Now, I am cheating a bit here, as the Profoto-branded softgrid for the 5' Profoto octa is also fairly expensive at $425. I just happened to get lucky in that B+H still stocks a 5' octa-shaped softgrid made for the now-discontinued 5' Creative Light octa (which hopefully fits the Profoto octa as well). But, even with the Profoto-branded grid, it still totals $324 less than the Elinchrom combo.</p>

<p>Example B:<br /> <br /> Elinchrom 13" x 69" Striplite/[softgrid unavailable] = $968/NA<br /> Profoto RFi 1' x 6' strip softbox/1' x 6' Profoto softgrid = $289/$143; total = $432</p>

<p>Here, the strip-light comparison is a bit more dramatic. This really puts the two products in dramatic contrast. First, I can't find a softgrid made for the Elinchrom Striplite on Lighttools' site, the only provider of fabric eggcrates for Elinchrom that I'm aware of. This is one of the modifiers I most want a grid on since, I'll be using it primarily as a backlight. Plus, the insanely over-priced Elinchrom Striplite itself, just seems uber-exorbitant.</p>

<p>Again, as I said, it was very difficult to choose the, in many ways, superior, Elinchrom modifiers over the Profoto RFi series. But, both total system price, and the lack of availability of certain softgrids in the Elinchrom line-up guided the final decision.</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

I'd have gone with Chimera SuperPRO Lightbanks over the RFi copies.

[rob_h5]

<p>Ralph, for me hands down its Elinchrom's Rotalux line of lightbanks and the Rotalux indirect /inverse lightbanks with even lighting, no "hot spots" to worry about with this light modifier. I have shot with the Photoflex 5 foot Octodome for years and its a great octa but hot spots can be an issue as with any direct light modifier. Now with the new Elinchrom adapters I can adapt these to my Bowens pack and head lights.</p>

<p>Elinchrom Rotalux Deep Inverse 59'' Octa<br /> <a href="http://www.elinchrom.us/rotalux-deep-inverse-59-octa">http://www.elinchrom.us/rotalux-deep-inverse-59-octa</a><br /> Elinchrom Rotalux softboxes<br /> <a href="http://www.elinchrom.us/softboxes-rotalux?n=1">http://www.elinchrom.us/softboxes-rotalux?n=1</a></p>

<p><strong>I have mentioned this before but you can rent most of these light modifiers</strong>: Elinchrom, Chimera, Profoto, Rimelite....ect. The new light modifiers that came out in 2012 like the Profoto RFi lightbanks are probably not available for rent yet but most the light modifiers including the Elinchrom Rotalux are available for rent.</p>

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[studio460]

<p>Rob:</p>

<p>Yes, it's hard to argue the design benefits of the Elinchrom Rotalux modifiers. The only upside to my decision is that I won't be disassembling my Profoto RFi boxes very often--they will be more or less permanently installed.</p>

<p>Also, I agree, I never thought the Photoflex octa was deep enough to spread the beam properly--again, the Elinchrom Deep Octas are the winner here. Ideally, I would have the Profoto RFis for in-studio use only, and Elinchrom Rotalux modifiers for location use.</p>

[d_someone]

<p>Sorry but i fell of my chair with laughter at your plus point for the profto rfi... Really? you cant honestly tell me that Profoto are competitively priced... hundreds of $'s for a softgrid? you think that is priced competitively? Dont get me wrong the quality is excellent but the price is a vulgar display of greed. At a quarter of the price they would still make a decent profit.</p>

[studio460]

<p>Well, almost three years' later . . . I suppose this thread could use an update. I've since switched to all-Elinchrom modifiers. This, mainly for two reasons: 1.) I now own all-Elinchrom strobes. 2.) They're among the lightest modifiers on the market. However, the biggest downside to Elinchrom's modifiers is their sparse selection of Rotagrids. I bought two Elinchrom striplights with matching Rotagrids to use for backlights, but for all of my other Elinchrom modifiers, I have to use them un-gridded.</p>

<p>The main reason I've moved away from Profoto is their weight. Since the Profotos are designed to also accommodate hot lights, their heat-resistant, canvas-like material makes them heavy and a bit unwieldy. Their larger softboxes are even too heavy to be properly supported by their rods, and I ended up returning two 4' x 6' Profoto softboxes because of this.</p>

<p>As for Profoto's "reasonable" pricing, their smaller softboxes are price-competitive with other brands such as Westcott and Photoflex (I wasn't necessarily comparing them to "value" import brands). And though their larger softgrids are pricey, they're still less than their Lighttools counterparts. There are also savings to be had by buying other brands' softgrids to fit Profoto modifiers, e.g., those from Photoflex and Calumet (however, note that Photoflex' 3' softgrid is too small to fit the Profoto 3' octa, while the 5' Photoflex softgrid fits the 5' Profoto octa perfectly).</p>

[fotografz]

<p>Makes sense to do what you did Ralph, especially given that you moved to Elinchrom lights.</p>

<p>I recently downsized my studio gear including selling off my Profoto D4-2400 pack/heads, and also now split time between Michigan and Florida studios … mostly Florida. Wholesaled a ton of stuff to get it out of here, and had to make some hard decisions.</p>

<p>Stuck with Profoto D1s, B1s, Acute B2600 Battery Pack/Head, and B2 Pack/Head because 1) all are AIR units that sync at 1/1000 with my Leica S leaf-shutter system, and 2) the Profoto mount that allows adjustment of the modifier on the head, 3) I can mix in my Hensel Porty Pack which is also Profoto AIR radio. </p>

<p>However, I did keep a lot of the Elinchrom Rotalux modifiers using their Profoto speed-ring because of their easy versatility switching from studio/location work … including 5' Octa, 39" and 27" Deep Octas, and a few smaller soft boxes. The only issue I've found with this strategy is that the Elinchrom Profoto Speed-Ring mount is lesser quality compared to the Profoto ones. The tightening clamp especially, and in some cases the actual fit on the Profoto lights. I also do not like the way Elinchrom fit their egg-grids/ on some smaller soft boxes by requiring disassembly of the box to mount them. BTW, that nifty Rotalux bag doesn't allow the folded mod to fit with the Profoto speed-ring on it. Grrrr. </p>

<p>I kept most other modifiers Profoto including the entire system of strip lights from 3' to 6' because I like their additional add ons like the 1" mask etc. </p>

<p>- Marc<br>

</p>

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[studio460]

<p>Hey there, Marc! Looks like you kept the right stuff! Just after I bought a ton of Elinchrom ELC Pro HD monolights, I ran into a Getty photographer at an event: He only brought a <em>single</em> Profoto B1 Air! He had a 5' Profoto octa mounted, and he also set up a 9' gray seamless. Although it was an event with a bunch of A-list celebrities, he was set up backstage, so he wasn't shooting hundreds of frames. Still, I got that pang in my side, thinking, "What have I done?" Perhaps, after I become wildly successful, I'll pop for an all-DC set-up using B1s also.</p>

<p>Anywho, it took me quite some time to finally decide on a strobe system and its modifiers. I don't miss the eggcrates on my keys as much as I thought I would (I still own an eggcrated 5' Profoto octa), but the Rotagrids for my striplight/backlights are invaluable. Still, I'm pretty darned happy with my Elinchrom modifiers and mix of Elinchrom strobes and accessories. I love their in-reflector umbrella receivers and other doo-dads, like the insertable deflectors for knocking down levels when needed. I do have a couple of nits, however: 1.) Elinchrom's bayonet system <em>still</em> needs improvement. 2.) Elinchrom's 5/8" receivers don't fit quite right on normal 5/8" spuds (why is that?).</p>