Elinchrom Quadra or Ranger?

TMR Design wrote in post #8940498
Are you raising the shutter speed to try to cut back on ambient light? If not then why push the shutter speed? Why not work at a more conservative and very safe speed of 1/125s or 1/160s?

yep, having just 400Ws, i'm trying to get as much as possible cut by curtain speed.. interestingly, using cybersync radios, i'm able to get 1/320 without any banding.. so it's definitely the skyport issue, and i'd expect it to work with camera sync speed of 1/250... well, will see how the chanell change helps, but going down to 1/200 or even lower is not something i'd like to do (will check with the dealer here)

imagiag wrote in post #8942335
yep, having just 400Ws, i'm trying to get as much as possible cut by curtain speed.. interestingly, using cybersync radios, i'm able to get 1/320 without any banding.. so it's definitely the skyport issue, and i'd expect it to work with camera sync speed of 1/250... well, will see how the chanell change helps, but going down to 1/200 or even lower is not something i'd like to do (will check with the dealer here)

The max x-sync speed specified for a camera pertains to using a branded on camera flash. Many people expect to achieve that speed with triggers and manual strobes. Not all cameras will make that happen.

You say you don't want to go down to 1/200s sync speed. Again, is this because it doesn't allow for you to reduce ambient light enough or are you worried about sync speed for any other reason?

walrusgoat wrote in post #8938030
and after hours of reading all these quadra and ranger threads I still haven't decided!

imho, it's kind of like the whole strobes vs speedlights thing. Do you want power/range/ability to use heavy modifiers.

For me, having enough power (also being able to go to a lower power) and the ability to use any darn elinchrom modifier I can find, is what made it a no brainer for me to go for the ranger rx.

truth be told, I originally planned to get the ranger rx for my key light, and then add a quadra set for rim/fill/kicker lights. Now that I've fallen so deeply in love with my ranger RX AS speed.....I only see more ranger RX's in my future. Lightweight/portabilit​y is nice...but worrying about not having enough power/modifiers to get the job done just scares me.

Plus, given the size of my camera bag, and the fact that modifiers, stands, sandbags, and other stuff all needs to get dragged to the shoot....having a smaller light bag, just isn't gonna make that much of a difference for me.

Cathpah wrote in post #8942984
imho, it's kind of like the whole strobes vs speedlights thing. Do you want power/range/ability to use heavy modifiers.

The diffrence in power between the 300RX and the 1200RX doesnt make one more like a speedlight imo.Neither is the case with the Quadra and Ranger RX.

However i agree that the powerdiffrence is a big factor, and so is the weight/size (for many).

Walrus I answered your pm, but to answer some of your questions in this thread as well.:

The term overpowering the sun seems to be a bit missused.

Overpowering the sun (as in underexposing the sun) with the Ranger RX will not be easy (for a environmental full lenght portrait) here you will need effective modifier with little spill. So big lightbanks/softboxes isn not gonna work to well.
With this in mind one can imagine how effective the 400ws will be in doing the same. In short in wont.

However not everyone wants/needs to underexpose the sun.. what they want to do is to have a blue skye, and maybe the sun behind their subject acting as kicker/rim. Here 400ws will be enough given your close enough and use a modifier that wont "waste" to much light.

Wich oftens means a smaller modifier at a closer distances wich makes for a harder light.

With the Ranger RX you can simply use larger modifiers and get a softerlight and a wider spread.


So it depends alot on what you intend to shoot and when, shooting nothing but middays in bright sunlight and want the "freedom" of using any modifier you want. The Ranger RX is your best bet.

Dont need all that power, and will be happy using your light as fill most of the time and want the "freedom" of much smaller and compacter system that can be carried easily by you or a assistent and that can be moved very quickly the Quadra will fit the bill just perfect.

If you dont know if you need the power of Ranger RX , you obviously dont at this point. That can of course change..

Good luck with your decision.


Kindest

Question for Quadra users. With no locking collar on the bayonet mount (as with the normal Eli mount), have any users had issues/concerns so far with the 'authority' of the Quadra bayonet?

Nope no problems at all, the native Q mount is more then enough for the modifiers it supports. Iv read that some people found it a bit "stiff" and that it needs to "wear" in, not something iv noticed though.

looks like i might have to rent two quadras this weekend to see about the car side of things, im not trying to overpower the sun, so the extra flexability of two seperate packs and positions might be much better than 1100w and the RX..

Although I would still like the 1100w, i dont think I can justify 2x RXs atm

itsafastworld85 wrote in post #8948197
looks like i might have to rent two quadras this weekend to see about the car side of things, im not trying to overpower the sun, so the extra flexability of two seperate packs and positions might be much better than 1100w and the RX..

Although I would still like the 1100w, i dont think I can justify 2x RXs atm

Why don't you rent one of each, help you decide?

Thanks Paul.

Rudi wrote in post #8948526
Why don't you rent one of each, help you decide?

Im going to, but if both quadras work ill do that as in the UK atm I can get 1 2head quadra kit + a second quadra and head for the price of a ranger AS kit + second head, then ive got the triggers ontop....

So having 2 units seems much better for placing likghts, IF the power is enough for me.

Hello all.
I appologize already for my lack off understandment but I have a bit of jetlag at the moment.
Just got home today and unwraped a nice big box full of stands and a octabox, now I need help with setting the octabox up. I have also a hood for the octa,I can set the box up but how do you do it with the hood ?? and do you use the inner diffusing cloth with the hood too ??
and how / what is the best way to push the rods out ??
also once it is up is it best to pull down ?

sorry my headc hurts to much now have to go.

any help would be great

thanks
Smithers

i can only say for deep octa -

put all the wires in the pouches along the front (the capped ends go there), and put all the other ends in the springloaded "screws" that are in the center. Then I work with two opposite facing wires a time, i hold the lock-screws and push the wires by outer-edge of the hands down, so that the force is spread over bigger area than if you tried to move it by just the locks. Once i get the first two locked, i rotate the box and do another pair (90 degrees to the first one). Last 4 are usually quite easy. Also note it's hardest to set it up for first time, as the fabrics is slightly "rested" from the package. After few weeks and about 10 usages, it's actually very easy to set it up.

As for the hood - i'm using it with inner baffle as well, on deep octa the hood has to be attached to the wires before you lock the wires, so that adds complication to the process My trick is to put the wires through the deep hood, then move the deep hood all the way down to center, so it gets less in a way, then i lock the wires, and then i move the hood back in place where it's supposed to be. For easier acces to the lamp (for gels..) i usually leave two wires unattached to the hood, and then just rotate the octabox so these two are down (so it's hold in right place by gravity).

I had been told to keep the octa disassembled for first few weeks, before the material gets more accommodated to the tension, but honestly i just did that twice, and now i store it just collapsed, but assembled in the case.

hope this helps

When locking/unlocking the DO support wires, don't press on the knurled locks themselves - press down about 1" OUT from the knurl on the wire themselves. It gives you that little extra leverage - suckers pop right in/out no probs.

Put DO or the 53", etc mount side own and lean into it. As prior poster said, work at around the locks at about 90 deg angles.

Conner999 wrote in post #8983377
When locking/unlocking the DO support wires, don't press on the knurled locks themselves - press down about 1" OUT from the knurl on the wire themselves. It gives you that little extra leverage - suckers pop right in/out no probs.

Put DO or the 53", etc mount side own and lean into it. As prior poster said, work at around the locks at about 90 deg angles.

I will add that when I setup my DO on a wood floor, I put a piece of cardboard or something as not to marr the floor, because it can happen...

-Mario

Weird, i guess we all have our methods. I do it above my head, like an umbrella.