Any Speed, Any Power: Fstoppers Reviews the Priolite Hot Sync Strobes

Priolite makes strobes that should cause any photographer to perk up, because they sync at any speed and any power. The prospect of being able to shoot freely with a flash without having to worry about shorter battery life, power loss, or gradation issues is certainly appealing. Check out our review of the Priolite strobe system.

Introduction

The Priolite MBX1000 Hotsync and MBX500 Hotsync Ultra are, in theory, a sort of dream for many on-location strobists: a battery-powered monolight that shoots as if it isn't there, that is to say you don't have to worry about the normal considerations that come with flash and sync speeds. Many manufacturers have a way around the sync speed issue, each with tradeoffs. I won't get into all of them here, but you can read about the various methods in this excellent article. Priolite obviates this issue by using an unusually long flash duration: 1/200 s (t.5) at full power. This essentially turns the strobe into a continuous light as far as the camera is concerned, allowing you to shoot however you please. It does mean, however, that action has to be frozen with the camera, not the flash. 

Specifications

• Power output: 500 Ws and 1,000 Ws
• Recycling time: 2.5 s at full power
• Fastest flash sequence: 3 per second
• Flash duration: 1/200 s (t.5) at full power
• Color temperature: 5,500 K
• Sync speed: 1/8,000 s with controller
• Power control: 6 stops (7 in MBX 1000) in 1/10-stop increments 
• Modeling light: 80 W LED (MBX 500), 100 W dimmable halogen (MBX 1000)
• Battery life: 220 flashes (160 for MBX1000) at full power, 6,000 flashes at low power
• Charging time: 2 hours to 80 percent, 3 hours to full
• Dimensions: 29 x 17 cm, 46 x 17 cm
• Weight with battery: 2.95 kg, 4.5 kg

Unboxing and Build Quality

The units have an appreciable heft to them; there's no getting around that they're heavy, but they balance very well with modifiers, which is aided by the center of gravity bar that runs along the underside. The housing is very sturdy, and all controls are solid. I'd have no problem taking them on location, even if it meant a few bumps. To test them, though, I brought the lights to the studio of my good friend, James Douglas. Instead of closing the giant windows that wrap around two sides of the studio and flood the space with light, we set to work shooting, using shutter speed to block out the ambient light as needed.

Setup

I've literally never had an easier time setting up a photography product in my life, except for maybe a foldable reflector. I'm used to having to finesse the fickle radio triggers on the Canon system a bit. However, with the Priolite system, I literally turned the monolight on, put the controller on the hotshoe of my camera, and had no sooner said "James, any idea how to pop these?", when I hit the shutter and the flash fired. The remote had automatically found and paired with the light instantly (as evidenced by the green status light in the dome on top of the light). I was able to set about shooting immediately and intuitively, even with multiple lights, which is important to me when it comes to lighting. Not once did I have to reference the manual.

The light is so intuitive, in fact, that I never had to touch the rear panel, though it does give you full control, should you need it. The single-digit LED display on the left identifies the assignment of the individual light, while the double-digit display on the right indicates its power setting. 

As you can see, the controller makes it very easy to know which flash you're using, control its power, turn its modeling light on or off (with a proportional option), and control teams of lights. In practice, commands were received instantly. Even better, Priolite makes the controller for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Leica, meaning almost everyone can take advantage of the lights. 

The only minor complaint I have about setup or build quality is that the latch that holds the speedring has a little play in it, but in practice, I had no issues with modifiers being unstable. 

Features

Priolite really didn't skimp on features. With 500 and 1,000 Ws of power, 2.5-second recycling time, very powerful modeling lamps, and 220/160 full-power flashes per charge, the lights definitely hold their own against other brands. Other little features round out the shooting experience nicely: the ability to charge while shooting, the proportional modeling lights, etc. 

Two features that you might miss are a faster stroboscopic mode and TTL. At three flashes per second, the stroboscopic mode is not particularly fast, but it's also not a feature many photographers use. I certainly didn't miss it. I'm a bit more on the fence when it comes to TTL. I personally don't miss it, particularly in the studio, but other photographers may prefer to have it. 

In about 400 shots, there were no misfires and color consistency was very good, which was pleasing to see with multi-light setups and something one expects from a light of this caliber. The Hotsync worked at every power setting perfectly well. Speaking of changing power, the system also has built-in autodump, so there's no need to fire the flash when dialing down the power. The small fans inside the lights are quite quiet, but they did a good job of keeping them cool and operating without incident, even during rapid-fire sessions.

In terms of modifiers, Priolite has their own line of all the standards you'd expect. The mount is a combination bayonet that natively accepts Priolite, Bowens s-mount, and most Hensel speedrings. They also make adapters for Profoto and Elinchrom, 

Price

At $1,275 for the MBX500 Hotsync Ultra and $2,125 for the MBX1000 Hotsync, these lights are definitely into the pro realm, but they're also priced quite comparably with other brands.

What I Liked

• Dead simple setup
• Ability to shoot at any speed and power
• Good recycling time
• Reliable wireless control
• Proportional modeling lights
• Remote options for almost any camera brand

What I Didn't Like

• No TTL

Conclusion

While the Priolite system is kind of the oddball amongst the more well-known manufacturers, it's thoughtfully designed, feature-filled, reliable, and appropriately priced. The freedom of switching exposure parameters without a second thought and without a loss of capabilities really makes a significant difference in one's workflow and could be a real boon to certain photographers. I'd certainly have no qualms recommending them. To purchase them, click here.

Special thanks to James Douglas for his help and the use of his studio.