Looking at Elinchrom D-Lite4 or AB800, thoughts?

So I work at a camera store, our Bogen rep came in Monday and told us about the awesome sale they're having for employees, basically well below cost.

So that got me looking the Elinchrom D-Lite4's. (Elinchrom, Avenger, Gitzo, Manfrotto, Nat Geo, Kata, and Datacolor are all distributed under the Bogen name.) Before this I pretty much had my eye on a couple AB800's, but with this sale I can get the Elinchrom D-Lite4 (just the head) for about $100 less than than an AB800 head.

My question, have any of you had experience with both of these heads? What are the advantages/disadvantag​es of these? I just have sorta assumed that the Elinchrom's are going to be higher quality than the AB800's, am I incorrect in saying this? What are the pros and cons of each?

Thanks!

Can´t compare these as I don´t own any PCB equipment but make sure the "D-Lite4" head is actually a "D-Lite4it".

Yes, as mentioned, get the "it" version; they have auto fans. The biggest driving force for me was the fact that I can dial my power up and down without having to color balance it every single time. That would've waste so much of my time that I would've sold the AB's before the mailman had time to turn around =P
I'm sure I don't need to tell you about the modifiers as well. AB's (except Einstein I guess) have a color-shift issue with dialing up and down that the Elinchrom lights don't have.
Pretty much it from me that is more than justifiable. With the prices you're getting you'd be wise to get the Elinchrom.

I use DLite 4's, the old version. No problems in the last three years and they get carted all over the place. Haven't used the alien bees so can't help there.

I've been shooting Elinchrom for a while now and my very first upgrade was from Alien Bees to Elinchrom D-Lite's. For me it was absolutely the right choice and the D-Lite's proved to be excellent strobes.

At the price you're getting I think it's a no-brainer and you're buying into a system and a mount that gives you lots of choices and possibilities for light modifiers.

Another vote for Elinchrom. The D-Lites are a very capable strobe, but best of all is the fact that you are buying into a very capable system! Considering that you are getting a better deal as well, it's a win-win.

Another vote for the D-Lite it for the same reason as the posts above.

If you get a chance to play with both, I'd highly advise you doing that. Also, feel free to search the forum for much more in-depth (and heated) debates regarding this topic.

Good luck with you choice!

Have any of you D-Lite users ran into any problems with the flash duration? That's one plus twoard the AB's IMO, the Eli's have a duaration of 1/800th, and the AB's are much shorter. How important is that in the real world? I'd like to do some sports shooting with these as well, (and the recycle time is slightly longer than the AB's) but I don't know if I'm going to be doing anything quicker than 1/800th...

How are skyports? I know I can always switch to something like PW's, but how are they, range, reliability, ect.

The question is... how important is it in YOUR real world shooting?

A lof people focus on flash duration when it's not even a factor in their shooting. If you are going to shoot action and movement then it could be an important consideration but for most portraiture, events, weddings, etc. it's a non-issue.

Also, don't confuse small hand or body movements of a model with other types of movement. You can get away with a lot in terms of movement within your subject area when using strobes with relatively long flash durations.

EDIT: That's one instance where the Calumet Genesis monolights are not a good choice. Despite outstanding performance in other areas, the flash duration is on the long side and if you're not doing static portraiture it could be a problem.

MSIGuy wrote in post #11264913
Have any of you D-Lite users ran into any problems with the flash duration? That's one plus twoard the AB's IMO, the Eli's have a duaration of 1/800th, and the AB's are much shorter. How important is that in the real world? I'd like to do some sports shooting with these as well, (and the recycle time is slightly longer than the AB's) but I don't know if I'm going to be doing anything quicker than 1/800th...

How are skyports? I know I can always switch to something like PW's, but how are they, range, reliability, ect.

I use both PW's and Skyports. In my experience I would say that PW is 100% reliable and Skyports are 95% reliable. Nothing scientific about those numbers but I've found that PW's were really solid and never failed me. I've had some misfires and inconsistencies with the Skyports. But, 95% reliable is nothing to sneeze at. I highly recommend Skyports as an alternative to PW's and as a triggering and control system for Elinchrom strobes and packs.

MSIGuy wrote in post #11264913
Have any of you D-Lite users ran into any problems with the flash duration? That's one plus twoard the AB's IMO, the Eli's have a duaration of 1/800th, and the AB's are much shorter. How important is that in the real world? I'd like to do some sports shooting with these as well, (and the recycle time is slightly longer than the AB's) but I don't know if I'm going to be doing anything quicker than 1/800th...

I haven't done any sports shooting, but for normal studio settings the D-Lite it works fine.

Excellent. If you're getting the D-Lite it, the receiver is built in and in the packages even the transmitter is included. If you buy your gear separately, the Eco is good enough since the D-Lite its are trigger-only Skyport anyway.

Tobi

I would get the D-lite over the AB just because of color shifting at different setting on the AB.
I find the skyport to work great as long as I remember to put my battery in and turn it on.

I would like to add that with my experience with Skyports so far, I have had 100% reliability. Also note that I don't shoot as often as a full-time professional, I'm only starting to. Others who shoot way more often than me, might be able to give you better figures (Rob's post above).

The range for my Skyports, in real world shooting, has been reliable as well. I've shot with a cropped body and a 300mm lens for a tight shot of whatever it was from that distance. To me, knowing that was only an experiment and I will most likely never shoot like that for what I do, it says that "Skyport works at long, practical distances".

By the way, that experiment (I rented big lenses, but didn't use my strobes, for boxing --Miguel Cotto vs. Yuri Foreman) included not just firing the strobes (D-Lites) but also adjusting power settings (BXRi).

Alien Bees have faster flash duration that is helpful for sports and their customer service is vastly superior. But you work at a camera store and can contact reps is a problem arises so the latter may be rendered moot. ABs seem to have both color and exposure inconsistency but it seems to vary quite a bit. My ab800 had a moderate magenta color shift but it had a 1/2 stop exposure inconsistency that was more annoying. Replacement parts are also cheap.

The Dlite4 has several advantages, primarily it's less prone to color and exposure inconsistencies. The digital adjustment is a welcomed addition. And their power settings are consistent on their lights so a 20 is the same power output whether a dlite 200, 400 or rx 600.

I do not shoot sports so I cannot comment on the flash duration and whether one is better suited than the other. However, Rob mentioned the Calumet Genesis and while they may not be ideal for sports they are very impressive strobes for the money. While their power settings might not be linear, they are consistent in color and exposure and fairly comparable to the dlites, IMO.

However, I would consider the elinchrom RX or BX-Ri series as they can be adjusted remotely. Being able to adjust the power settings remotely is a fantastic feature especially if the strobes are on a boom or perched high up on a 10 or 13ft stand. These strobes also have a faster flash duration so they will work well when you need to freeze the action. I don't know what kind of discount you get on these but I would highly consider them if they're near your budget. Otherwise get the d-lite4s though you'll probably upgrade to higher elinchrom strobes if you're like me.

emitecaps wrote in post #11265538
Alien Bees have faster flash duration that is helpful for sports and their customer service is vastly superior. But you work at a camera store and can contact reps is a problem arises so the latter may be rendered moot. ABs seem to have both color and exposure inconsistency but it seems to vary quite a bit. My ab800 had a moderate magenta color shift but it had a 1/2 stop exposure inconsistency that was more annoying. Replacement parts are also cheap.

The Dlite4 has several advantages, primarily it's less prone to color and exposure inconsistencies. The digital adjustment is a welcomed addition. And their power settings are consistent on their lights so a 20 is the same power output whether a dlite 200, 400 or rx 600.

I do not shoot sports so I cannot comment on the flash duration and whether one is better suited than the other. However, Rob mentioned the Calumet Genesis and while they may not be ideal for sports they are very impressive strobes for the money. While their power settings might not be linear, they are consistent in color and exposure and fairly comparable to the dlites, IMO.

However, I would consider the elinchrom RX or BX-Ri series as they can be adjusted remotely. Being able to adjust the power settings remotely is a fantastic feature especially if the strobes are on a boom or perched high up on a 10 or 13ft stand. These strobes also have a faster flash duration so they will work well when you need to freeze the action. I don't know what kind of discount you get on these but I would highly consider them if they're near your budget. Otherwise get the d-lite4s though you'll probably upgrade to higher elinchrom strobes if you're like me.

Thanks everyone for the input!

I'm aware of the color shift and exposure inconsistencies with the AB's, but honestly I thought it was just another example of people on the internet being like they are and blowing something out of proportion. What I'm going to be using these for are more likely 90% portrait and wedding work. I'm trying to create/grow a business, and that seems to be where the money (in my neck of the woods) is.

I'd love to go with the higher end Elinchrom's but they just aren't in my budget right now. I think I'll just pick up the D-Lite 4it's and see how I like them. If I'm not a fan, I can sell them without losing anything.