A few weeks ago Elinchrom announced their new adventure light, the ELB 1200. However, they didn’t release any pricing at the time, but they are now official. The Swiss flash manufacturer also recently added a few versatile light shapers to their already comprehensive range of products.
The ELB 1200 is the unit replacing the aging Ranger RX. Lighter than his older brother but more powerful and with specs that can only make a flash photographer want one, the question when it was announced was regarding the price. Because as good as a unit can be on paper if it’s priced too high, interest is quickly lost. Pricing is now public and as follows:
- Elinchrom ELB 1200 To Go Kit – includes a pack with the air battery, a flash head (HS, Pro, or Action), and a ProTec Location Bag – $3,499.99
- Elinchrom ELB 1200 To Roll Kit – includes a pack with the air battery, a flash head (HS, Pro, or Action), and an umbrella, a rolling case – $3,699.99
- Flash Head (HS, Pro, or Action) – $899.99
- Power pack (no battery) – $2,449.99
- Air battery – $399.99
- HD battery – $549.99
Between these two announcements regarding the ELB 1200, Elinchrom also discreetly extended their light shaper line with deep umbrellas. They are available in 2 different sizes, 41" or 49", and in three different fabrics, white, silver, or translucent. I’ve recently had the chance to play with them and a review will be coming soon with a lot more details. For now, let’s just say that my deep octas may be for sale very soon. Their pricing also makes them an extremely appealing option for beginners or photographers on a budget. Starting at just $96.95 for the translucent in 41" and going up to $136.95 for the 49" silver and white, it stays within a very reasonable pricing range.
You can learn more about the ELB 1200 here. For further information on the deep umbrellas release, head over to Elinchrom’s website.
Very interesting...question if I may, do these umbrellas control the light spill better because they are deeper or only affect the light quality and would throw light everywhere like a regular shaped umbrella? Thanks!
Absolutely not, despite what you may have read elsewhere :D. The new deep silver Elinchrom umbrellas will definitely send light at a narrower angle than Elinchrom's previous umbrellas, but not because they are deep. Depth is mostly uncorrelated with a narrow beam angle with silver indirect reflectors. What matters is the actual shape (it can be very shallow, it just needs to be precisely calculated, usually in the form of a paraboloid for long distances), and the material used (silver materials bounce light rays a bit like a ping pong ball on a table, at the opposite angle, but some scatter light a bit more than other, more directional silver materials - see for example the difference between Paul Buff's extreme and soft silver PLMs). For bare flash tube spill (when the flash tube is visible from the sides), it should be taken care of with an umbrella / spill kill reflector. Regarding white materials, since white scatters light rays in all directions, shape or depth aren't that important. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a B2 head (with a recessed flash tube, so a spill kill reflector isn't necessary in the shot's circumstances) and 1) a Jinbei deep white 105cm umbrella, 2) a Paul Buff PLM soft silver + diffusion cover, 3) a Paul Buff PLM soft silver naked, and 4) A Cactus 105cm silver umbrella (which is quite shallow, and a poor copy of Paul Buff's extreme silver PLMs).
Any update on the review of the Deep Umbrellas? I've just ordered the large white with diffuser panel for food photography use, keen to see how it stacks up against my reliable rotalux 100x100mm soft box but interested to see some reviews on the translucent in particular to see if it's worth trying out as well!
Plus I always love seeing how others use the same modifiers for photographing different things to what I do.