Is this beginning of the end ?

All these stories at Paul Buff company with Einsteins and AB Maxs could be be very sinister and may signal frantic attempts by the management to keep the company alive. There is a lot of new worthy competitors in the last year or two and multiplied by the state of current economy I am not surprised that it is very difficult to stay in business.
Have you ever heard about for example a new Canon camera before it is officially released to the public ? The new development in a company usually is a top secret and companies are very diligent keeping that secret.
If you look closer there is very little new real development at Paul Buff. All is empty talks with unfulfilled promises.
I have been waiting for cyber commanders for a year now and still cannot comprehend why it is not there. A flash controller is not more complicated than a regular home phone and if the company cannot release it in time I would be very cautios making a bigger investment depending on it.
Caveat: I this is just my reasoning the real picture could be very different.

vadim_c wrote in post #8245247
The new development in a company usually is a top secret and companies are very diligent keeping that secret.

Probably never worked in the valley. Almost all new stuff gets leaked in this internet age long before the official annoucements.

If flash controller is such a simple thing, why don't we have more companies making it? I am too loooking at the CC and new ABmax and dissappointed with them not having digitial power supply which can run on non-sinusoidal inverters. But if I was in photography business, I wouldn't be sweating about AB stuff like most folks on the forums are. I would spend the money and buy work horse lights which work day and night for many years to come and I being able to rent them if I need to. AB aren't in that league, IMHO. You don't buy entry level rebel if you serious.

THis is just how I feel.

and that's the beauty/agonizing dilemna of releasing new products. Leaked photos garner huge waves of intrigue that create speculation and set the expectations pretty high. it is in my opinion a great way to market your product within the coming months that it will be released. on the other hand, it also lets your competition know what to expect so that they can increase investment in their capital equipment to adjust for your new product.

but as always, everyone waits for the reviews before spending their hard earned cheddar.

vadim_c wrote in post #8245247
Have you ever heard about for example a new Canon camera before it is officially released to the public ?

Yes, on a regular basis. Canon routinely announces new DSLR's at least a month or two before they're distributed.

The difference is, with a company like Canon, when they make a product announcement it means the camera has already been built, tested, bugs fixed (ok, most of 'em anyway) and is in the mass production stages already. It's not vaporware or a product being designed, it already exists and works.

bobbyz wrote in post #8245529
Probably never worked in the valley. Almost all new stuff gets leaked in this internet age long before the official annoucements.

There is a big difference between 'leaked' photos and statements by a company representative and describing it on the company website years if ever before the product is ready for shipping.

bobbyz wrote in post #8245529
If flash controller is such a simple thing, why don't we have more companies making it?.

Really ? What about Elinchrom Skyports? Canon remote TTL ? Nikon flash system ? Radiopoppers ?

A remote flash controller is not more complicated than a garage opener and companies do not make noise about it, they just manuafacture it simiularly to any other product. ( with the exception of Paul Buff that does not manufacture but makes a lot of noise).

DennisW1 wrote in post #8245632
Yes, on a regular basis. Canon routinely announces new DSLR's at least a month or two before they're distributed.

The difference is, with a company like Canon, when they make a product announcement it means the camera has already been built, tested, bugs fixed (ok, most of 'em anyway) and is in the mass production stages already. It's not vaporware or a product being designed, it already exists and works.

Released to the public means the company officially stated that the product is ready for the shipping. And yest it takes a month for the retailes to learn about the new product, negotiate orders, receive the product, etc.

So are you one of the people that complains when Canon or any other company releases a product full of bugs and has to recall them repeatedly? I for one am glad to see a business owner with enough integrity not to just throw the product out there to get customers money and then fix the bugs later. You cannot have it both ways.
So vadim_c, when is your flash controller going to market since it cannot be that hard to produce one?

vadim_c wrote in post #8245908
Really ? What about Elinchrom Skyports? Canon remote TTL ? Nikon flash system ? Radiopoppers ?

Umm the JrX's are vaporware as well. There might be a test unit or two. But the same for the cyber commander.

vadim_c wrote in post #8245908
A remote flash controller is not more complicated than a garage opener and companies do not make noise about it, they just manuafacture it simiularly to any other product. ( with the exception of Paul Buff that does not manufacture but makes a lot of noise).

Then buy those and be happy.

More options are good for us consumers.

I am guessing a HUGE part of the problem is the federal government. A better radio "popper" is exactly what terrorists are looking for. Something that can trip a flash unit (or a bomb) at a far enough distance that the trigger man won't be killed also. Have you tried to buy a battery powered remote control to turn regular lights on and off lately?

Ben

Benji, your post made me laugh. I'm sure 'terrorists' are so very limited by available triggering options.

Benji wrote in post #8246010
I am guessing a HUGE part of the problem is the federal government. A better radio "popper" is exactly what terrorists are looking for. Something that can trip a flash unit (or a bomb) at a far enough distance that the trigger man won't be killed also. Have you tried to buy a battery powered remote control to turn regular lights on and off lately?

Ben

that's why they use cell phones. i can say with relative confidence that radio signal power isn't limited for antiterrorism reasons. my best guess would be consumer electronic interference.

Detrimental wrote in post #8246286
Benji, your post made me laugh. I'm sure 'terrorists' are so very limited by available triggering options.

They sure are, which is why they buy them wherever they can and whenever they can, even in my little farming community of 10,000. They apparantly can't get them "over there" so they come over here and buy them.

Benji

Radio control on one channel for one function is simple. i.e. garage door openers, or blutooth gadgets.
Radio control over multiple channels and for multiple functions is a bit more arcane, especially if you want it all to happen in a finely split second.

Likewise, converting direct current to smooth alternating current is a bit complicated when you want it to include high load capacity too.

It's obvious that Buff's engineers could do it, but not within the parameters that they had agreed to. I strongly suspect that to get the performance that Buff (and by extension his customers) expected, the inverter will have to be either heavier or more expensive, and probably both.
and those ARE already on the market.

drh681 wrote in post #8246669
Radio control on one channel for one function is simple. i.e. garage door openers, or blutooth gadgets.
Radio control over multiple channels and for multiple functions is a bit more arcane, especially if you want it all to happen in a finely split second.

Likewise, converting direct current to smooth alternating current is a bit complicated when you want it to include high load capacity too.

It's obvious that Buff's engineers could do it, but not within the parameters that they had agreed to. I strongly suspect that to get the performance that Buff (and by extension his customers) expected, the inverter will have to be either heavier or more expensive, and probably both.
and those ARE already on the market.

I'm sure you're absolutely correct. It's not that it can't be done. The problem more than likely is that it can't be done at a price that Buff can deliver to consumers that makes sense and still makes his products more affordable than other brands and more expensive systems.