My First Strobe!! Einstein? or other?

Hello Everyone,

I am on the hunt for my first studio strobe! Well my first flash in general! I've only used natural lighting outdoors, or my continuous video lighting in studio. I want a strobe kit I can easily travel with a battery pack! I was looking into einstein but i hear mixed reviews. I found a used one for $300 and he has multiple. I have a canon 6d. Mainly Shoot Portraits.

Does anyone recommend another strobe that would work better?

gabe212 wrote in post #17888271
Hello Everyone,

I am on the hunt for my first studio strobe! Well my first flash in general! I've only used natural lighting outdoors, or my continuous video lighting in studio. I want a strobe kit I can easily travel with a battery pack! I was looking into einstein but i hear mixed reviews. I found a used one for $300 and he has multiple. I have a canon 6d. Mainly Shoot Portraits.

Does anyone recommend another strobe that would work better?

I would go for a strobe that has extra features especially Hypersync or High Speed Sync.

gabe212 wrote in post #17888271
Hello Everyone,

I am on the hunt for my first studio strobe! Well my first flash in general! I've only used natural lighting outdoors, or my continuous video lighting in studio. I want a strobe kit I can easily travel with a battery pack! I was looking into einstein but i hear mixed reviews. I found a used one for $300 and he has multiple. I have a canon 6d. Mainly Shoot Portraits.

Does anyone recommend another strobe that would work better?

The Einstein light and cyber commander for control is an outstanding studio strobe system.
As Phil points out, if you're going to be outside, then X sync and balancing daylight become a consideration.

The 1/250 X sync on the 6D becomes a limiting feature.

Today there are other options if you want battery powered Mid-powered strobes.
Cheetah/Godox, Profoto is money is irrelevant. Rove light from Adorama and others.

There are lots of YouTube videos to help you evaluate.

I've personally used the Einsteins, Cheetah/Godox and Rovelight. For outside with batteries my personal preference would be Cheetah/Godox. The ideal option for you is the yet to be delivered second generation 600Ws unit. HERE: http://flashhavoc.com …tro-ttl-strobe-announced/

gabe212 wrote in post #17888271
Hello Everyone,

I am on the hunt for my first studio strobe! Well my first flash in general! I've only used natural lighting outdoors, or my continuous video lighting in studio. I want a strobe kit I can easily travel with a battery pack! I was looking into einstein but i hear mixed reviews. I found a used one for $300 and he has multiple. I have a canon 6d. Mainly Shoot Portraits.

Does anyone recommend another strobe that would work better?

Head over to Adorama, and pick up a Streaklight 360 with battery setup. Inexpensive, awesome lighting, portable.

Very best,

dmward wrote in post #17888381
The 1/250 X sync on the 6D becomes a limiting feature.

I think you meant to say, "The 1/180 X sync on the 6D becomes a limiting feature."

Wilt wrote in post #17888387
I think you meant to say, "The 1/180 X sync on the 6D becomes a limiting feature."

Thanks Wilt.
I was thinking it was crop, I forgot that the 6D is FF with a slower shutter.

gabe212 wrote in post #17888271
I was looking into einstein but i hear mixed reviews. I found a used one for $300 and he has multiple.

$300 for an Einstein is a pretty good deal unless it has been beat up. Rarely do I see them sold for less than $400 used.

Lots of interesting options on the market nowadays, e.g., the Godox AD600B
http://flashhavoc.com …tro-ttl-strobe-announced/

I've been going through the same search for first strobe. I've decided to go for the Godox AD600BM. It is a little cheaper than the Einstein and Vagabond, but offers in studio or portability. I actually wish I didn't invest a few hundred in YN560 setup (although that works well for me when power is not an issue). The AD600 allows HSS, which can be really handy outside using ND filters at times.

I figure I can add one or two AD360 to the setup and have a nice non-speedlight system, all Bowens mount. I'm currently testing the X1N transmitter with the YN560TX transmitter to link YN560-III speedlights with the Godox transmitter system, before I buy the AD600BM (and they are just starting to become available.)

This is the same system as Adorama Steaklight 360 or some of the Cheetahstand lights. They seem to be solid and reliable battery powered strobes. I think the AD600 TTL versions will be exclusively through Adorama. But I'm a more manual strobe guy.

The X1(C or N) transmitter works with the AD600 and with the new X16 receivers will work with the AD360 versions.

so the godox ad600 has the high speed sync? does the Einstein have it as well? Where is the best place to buy the ad600 and what transmitter/receiver works best with it?

Some have shot with the Einstein at fast shutter speeds at full power, using the flash duration to extend through the shutter. But it doesn't have true HSS.

The AD600BM is just coming out. There are some on ebay. Cheetahstand will be rebranding it, I'm sure. The X1(C/N) is the transmitter to use, model depending on Canon or Nikon. The non (M) at the end is TTL version and more expensive. B at the end is Bowens mount, vs Godox proprietary mount.

The AD360 is like a speed light in sizing, but a bare bulb 360Ws strobe. You can get a Godox mount for speedlights to Bowens on Amazon for $18. The new X16 receiver will mount in the AD360 to power from the X1 transmitter. I'm hoping I will be able to buy the old manual AD360 (not the AD360II) with the newer 2.4 GHz X remotes, rather than the older 400 MHz style.

With Godox early release items, you need to get used to updating firmware. This requires Windows and with Windows 8+ requires booting into unsigned driver land to update. Overall they seem to offer good reliability and performance.

the firmware thing kind of turns me off. Maybe ill go for the Einstein or maybe ill just stick with natural lighting and a reflector! haha

If you wait for a few months after release, everything is generally worked out. Nothing at all wrong with Einstein. Many professionals use this as their in studio strobe.

am I even able to do hss with a canon 6d because of the restricted shutter speed?

gabe212 wrote in post #17889401
am I even able to do hss with a canon 6d because of the restricted shutter speed?

X-sync is the max speed that you can shoot with ordinary strobe, because the curtain needs to be fully open at the time of the short-duration flash burst.

Anything > X-synch speed causes the Canon dSLR to command the ETTL HSS-capable flash to go into HSS mode (if it is enabled in the flash)...so the 6D simply needs to command HSS sooner (than 5DII or 7DII )

gabe212 wrote in post #17889401
am I even able to do hss with a canon 6d because of the restricted shutter speed?

The key is getting the camera to switch from X-sync to FP-sync. That is accomplished by having a trigger or flash in the hotshoe that will send the appropriate signal via the signal pads on the hotshoe.

When the camera receives the appropriate signal it permits the shutter to be set above the X sync speed and changes the fire signal timing from just after the shutter is fully open to just before the shutter begins to open. Some more TTL triggers have an option for fine tuning the FP-sync signal timing to get better performance from the strobe.

There are three ways a strobe/speedlite can illuminate a subject when supporting FP-sync;
A) High Speed Sync - This is a proprietary technology the camera manufacture incorporates into its TTL speedlites. It is a rapid (50KHz) repeated flashing of the tube to create a consistent light throughout the shutter travel.
B) H Mode - This is a configuration for non-TTL capable speedlites/strobes that also uses the rapid repeated flashing. It is not measured by the camera
C) Hyper Sync (Pocket Wizard marketing term) relies on the tail of a strobe that uses voltage power control to illuminate the subject during the time the shutter is traveling across the sensor.

Since all three techniques require that the energy stored in the capacitor(s) is expended over a longer time the effective illuminate is less than a speedlite/strobe fired in x sync mode.

The Einstein is problematic because it uses IBGT power control so there is no tail when power is reduced from full.