Test Elinchrom FIVE | Test & Recension

We have tested the new Elinchrom FIVE - A battery flash for studio and on-location

Elinchrom FIVE is the name of the latest battery flash from Elinchrom. FIVE has its own battery but can also be powered from a mains socket or from a power bank. This means that FIVE can be used in the studio with the setting light on without having to constantly change the battery. The setting light also works great as video lighting and can be set from 2700 to 6500 Kelvin.

First Impression of Elinchrom Five

Right from the first contact with the flash, it feels familiar because I used the ELC 500 before, so there was a lot that felt familiar in connection with how it looked and how it felt in the hand.

Weight and design

Since the Elinchrom FIVE has a built-in battery, I probably thought there would be a more significant difference in terms of weight between the 2 flashes Elinchrom ELC 500 and FIVE. It is admittedly 0.5 kg that separates them, and the extra weight that using FIVE instead of ELC 500 means is not felt so much thanks to good placement of the battery so the flash maintains a good balance.

I chose to block my flash already during the first tests and of course, there you can sense a difference, but if I don't compare directly or look for differences, I probably won't think that it exists. In the future, if I have to block a flash and choose between the ELC 500 and FIVE, I would probably say that the FIVE will probably be the first choice because other advantages of it outweigh the small extra weight.

The weight and appearance are probably the first thing that comes to mind when you get the flash in your hand, but I feel that the definition of a FIVE is a battery-powered ELC 500 and then everything is ready or is there more? Yes... actually... Once I start photographing with FIVE, I notice some things that I partly didn't know and partly didn't understand the value of.

First Photography

In order to have the opportunity to play and test FIVE in a "sharp" mode, I contacted Erica and we decided to shoot some fashion and portraits during the day. I currently have access to a FIVE, so some images that required more than one light were supplemented with the Elinchrom ONE. However, my FIVE had to function as main light all the time and was the most challenged in terms of battery load.

During the time that Erica was in the studio, we took almost 2000 pictures and the setting light went to full effect. How is that even possible?
Well... something that makes Elinchrom's battery compacts so amazing is that you can easily connect power to the flash via the USB-C connector and thus get maintenance charging all the time when you are shooting. This makes it easy to plug the unit into a power outlet and continue shooting without necessarily having to have one or more extra batteries to change. Something that is even better is that thanks to its way of charging the battery (which can partly be charged while it is in the flash or remove the flash and charge separately) I also get the opportunity to connect a completely normal power bank and thus maintenance charge the flash's battery without having to have a cord for the wall socket.

If I go out into areas where power outlets become unavailable, it's easy to just plug in a power bank and continue shooting as if nothing happened and in the studio I can continue to move the tripod without having to think about power cords lying on the floor and still extend the life on the battery as far as the power bank allows.
So during this shoot with close to 2000 exposures and the setup light at full power, I had a Tether Tools Powerbank connected to the FIVE which allowed me to move the flash around the studio without having to plug the flash into a wall socket or stop for battery changes.

Great freedom

It's probably only when you start working battery-powered in the studio that you understand what a luxury it is to be able to freely move the flash around with a tripod without having to take into account that a power cable is attached. I've been using battery flashes in the studio on and off for a few years, first with the ELB 500 TTL and most recently with the Elinchrom ONE.
It has worked excellently and it is only when I need to work with a very fast shooting tempo for a longer period of time that I feel the need to pick up the ELC Pro HD 1000.
The flexibility of the battery drive gives me a wonderful feeling of freedom not only outdoors but also inside the studio.

Several different Effect Scales

A small detail for us geeks. Elinchrom FIVE has three different ways of presenting the flash's set strength, which can easily be changed in the flash's menu. By default, the Elinchrom scale is shown, which means that FIVE, which can be power regulated from 7.1Ws up to 522Ws, can be set between 0.1 to 6.3. The advantage of the Elinchrom scale is that the numbers on the display correspond to a certain power in Ws, so if you e.g. set two flashes that have different maximum output power, the number 3.0 will mean that the flashes are at 53Ws. If you then change to 2.0, an aperture stop, both will be set to 26Ws. Smart and practical!

Alternatively, FIVE can be set so that the set value is displayed in Ws or presented on the basis that full power has value 10 and then the scale goes down to the lowest possible output power for the flash.
Regardless of the setting, you can adjust the flash with 1/10 f-stop precision.

LED BiColor Model Light

Just like the Elinchrom ONE, the FIVE has an LED setting light that also works great to use as video lighting. The color temperature is adjustable, which is much appreciated by photographers who often work with the setting light switched on during photography. The light in the studio can feel cold if the LED light is set to daylight 5500K, but many people then prefer warmer light such as 3200K.
If you use the LED light to create an image with a sense of movement, then choose a long shutter speed and trigger the flash on the second curtain. Set the LED light to 5500K which makes the flash light and setting light match each other.
When shooting video, set the setting light to the same color temperature as the ambient lighting.

Flash before ready

The flash, just like several of its siblings, has a mode called "Flash before ready" which is advantageously activated when you prefer the flash to be triggered, even if it has not had time to charge up to the set power. For me personally, I prefer not to have the function active other than when I am photographing e.g. small children then it can sometimes happen that those moments that you don't want to miss end up between 2 fully charged flashes and then I prefer a slightly underexposed flash to a black box. This also applies to animal photography such as e.g. dogs and cats.
Objects which, on the other hand, can be checked more easily, e.g. adults or still life, I don't need the function, but then I prefer that the flash is only triggered when it has reached the desired effect. It minimizes my post-work.

Bluetooth built-in

I have also happily discovered that the FIVE, just like the ONE, has the Skyport function Bridge. The function makes it easy to control FIVE from App my smartphone.
The built-in Bridge function also means that compatible Elinchrom flashes, which do not have Bluetooth built-in, will be able to be controlled from your app as long as your FIVE is switched on.
This applies to all current flash models and several generations of flashes back in time. You can't help but be delighted at how Elinchrom gives new functionality even to flashes you've had in the studio for a long time.

Summary - For whom?

So who benefits from this type of flash? In addition to the obvious advantage of actually working with flash in general, I would say that my own area of use will mainly be when I am active in the studio with many different lighting settings that must be moved for a short time. Even when I go out to a customer and need flash with high output power without being limited to an external power source.

Personally, the ELB 500 TTL will probably continue to be my "go-to" flash when I'm outdoors due to its small flash heads and low center of gravity, but as soon as I get indoors, in my own studio or out at a customer's place, the FIVE will be the most likely flash I use.

/Fotograf John Hagby