J.A.F. Doorhof
25th of October 2006 (Wed), 08:53
Today I tested the Elinchrom Skyport RX set.
THIS IS NOT A FINAL RELEASE product (or so I'm told).
The units are packaged in a very nice carton box with a clear manual.
The units are wonderful small and fit nicely on the camera and in the RX flash system, small attenas are used for getting better reach, although in my studio even with the antennas close down to the units I got a 100% hit rate.
I have used a tristar set for the last year or two and most of the time this gave me very good results, but sometimes it would loose a flash, so I started using 2 sets, meaning I could trigger two flashes, if one would not be triggered it would be via the second flash (optical slave options).
With skyport I have tested one set and during the whole day, even with the most extreme positions in my studio I got a 100% hit rate :D
One thing I could not value before I worked with the set was the remote control settings on the camera unit.
With this unit you can set the power of your RX strobes via the camera.
In other words if after metering you want to drop one of your lights 1/10th of an stop or more off course, just press the buttons on top of the transmitter and magically the strobe you have selected goes down.
Luckely this works VERY fast, I was very afraid you would be working longer than walking to the unit and making the adjustment, however this fear was not necessary, it works flawlessly.
I will receive my own sets probarbly in November but what I have seen now is VERY VERY impressive.
The big advantage is also that with the universal set you can trigger other brands than Elinchrom, off course you can't set the power of your units in this case (only RX).
Without a doubt, for the money a very good product.
If you don't want to loose any flash in the studio, or if you want more secure channels, the skyport system is superb.
Add.
There is also a version for connection to PC and MAC by USB. In this setup you can store and recall settings for the whole studio (RX) including accessories and other data.
I have not tested this version, but the software looks incredible.
Greetings,
Frank
THIS IS NOT A FINAL RELEASE product (or so I'm told).
The units are packaged in a very nice carton box with a clear manual.
The units are wonderful small and fit nicely on the camera and in the RX flash system, small attenas are used for getting better reach, although in my studio even with the antennas close down to the units I got a 100% hit rate.
I have used a tristar set for the last year or two and most of the time this gave me very good results, but sometimes it would loose a flash, so I started using 2 sets, meaning I could trigger two flashes, if one would not be triggered it would be via the second flash (optical slave options).
With skyport I have tested one set and during the whole day, even with the most extreme positions in my studio I got a 100% hit rate :D
One thing I could not value before I worked with the set was the remote control settings on the camera unit.
With this unit you can set the power of your RX strobes via the camera.
In other words if after metering you want to drop one of your lights 1/10th of an stop or more off course, just press the buttons on top of the transmitter and magically the strobe you have selected goes down.
Luckely this works VERY fast, I was very afraid you would be working longer than walking to the unit and making the adjustment, however this fear was not necessary, it works flawlessly.
I will receive my own sets probarbly in November but what I have seen now is VERY VERY impressive.
The big advantage is also that with the universal set you can trigger other brands than Elinchrom, off course you can't set the power of your units in this case (only RX).
Without a doubt, for the money a very good product.
If you don't want to loose any flash in the studio, or if you want more secure channels, the skyport system is superb.
Add.
There is also a version for connection to PC and MAC by USB. In this setup you can store and recall settings for the whole studio (RX) including accessories and other data.
I have not tested this version, but the software looks incredible.
Greetings,
Frank