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An Introduction to Buying Studio Flash

A guide to purchasing your first strobe for studio photograph. To make the purchase a little easier, we've put together a few points to consider before you invest. You are also very welcome to contact us if you have any questions. You can always reach us at info@aifo.se.

Guide - To buy a studio flash

Start by looking at how others are doing!

A good way to learn something new is to look at how others do it and then pick out what you think is good. We have produced several videos where we present products and show how they can be used.

Here you will find all our videos »

Video - Get started with studio photography

Check out this webinar where we talk about how a studio flash works and give tips on some lighting for portrait photography.

How strong do the flashes need to be?

Often the price difference can be relatively small between flashes with different maximum output power in a model series, but remember that stronger is not always better. Choose a flash that has an effect range that is adapted to the type of subject that you mainly photograph.

Face portraits need little output due to the size of the subject, a relatively large lens aperture (short depth of field is often desired for portrait photos) and that one likes to place the light source close to the subject. Power set to 20-50Ws per lamp head is usually sufficient for this.

Product photography generally requires more light because you usually want a large depth of field = small aperture on the lens. This requires more light from the flash. Should you e.g. photographing a sofa may require approx. 400-500Ws from each flash.

For portrait photography and groups of up to 4-6 people, flashes with a maximum power of 200-250W work best. Should you photograph e.g. a football team, you choose a flash with a strength of 500Ws or stronger.

Elinchrom studio flash

Is two flashes enough?

Most Elinchrom flash sets contain two flashes, which goes a long way. One light source is used as main light and the other as fill light or similar.

It is more important to choose a good quality flash model than to choose a set that contains many flashes of inferior quality. Elinchrom flashes maintain the highest quality in terms of safety, construction and light stability (even exposure and color temperature over long image series).

Our advice is to start with one to two flashes and then gradually add more light sources

Elinchrom studio set

Are all the accessories I need available?

To be able to develop your photography, you must choose a flash system that has a large selection of flash models, light shapers and other accessories.

Elinchrom has flash models adapted to different levels and types of photography as well as one of the market's absolute largest accessory programs of light shapers.

Elinchrom light shapers

Choose the flash model adapted to your needs

Elinchrom has several model series adapted for different areas of use.

In addition to the strength of the flash, it is important to choose a flash model adapted to how much you photograph. There is a big difference between a studio flash for hobby use and one to be used professionally. The difference is that a flash for professional use is designed to handle high, intensive loads during long working days. All components such as flash tubes, capacitors, cooling system, mechanical construction are dimensioned for this, which of course is not required by a studio flash for hobby use.

Elinchrom has divided its flashes into different model series:

Starter Flashes designed for those who want to start photography with studio flash. Also excellent flashes for the small company that periodically needs to create its own image material. Low price combined with high quality.

Pro TTL Very versatile flashes intended for professional use, while the ease of use makes them suitable for all levels of photographers. TTL automatically provides the correct exposure from the first image and HSS the freedom to freely choose the camera's shutter speed down to 1/8000 second.

Pro Exclusive flashes with performance and function adapted to the highest requirements. Suitable for high production tempo over long periods of time and photography that requires super-fast upload times, short burning times, special functions, etc.

Inside or outside?

Do you have your own studio? Do you primarily want to shoot outdoors? Should the equipment be picked up and taken down at each shoot?

Think about how and where you are going to photograph and choose the flash that is best suited for this. If you do not have a surface where the flashes can be set up between shots, it is important to choose equipment with a compact size and that is easy to pick up and take down. Umbrellas and Rotalux softboxes are light shapers that are very easy to handle.

Will you often take the equipment to another location? Low weight and robust construction that can withstand transport are then important.

Do you shoot mostly outdoors? Choose a battery-powered studio flash that is built for the demands of outdoor environments.

Elinchrom Studio flash with battery

Why choose Elinchrom

There are a number of flash brands on the market with varied range, quality and price level.

Elinchrom has been manufacturing flashes since 1963 and today has the market's most complete range of flash models with accessories at a very attractive price level.

  • Construction and Safety - A charged studio flash contains extremely high charge voltage and can be downright dangerous to use if the design is not reliable. Elinchrom has long experience in manufacturing and designing studio flashes and places the highest demands on material selection.
  • Stability - One of the biggest reasons for using studio flash is to gain control over the light. A flash that in a series of 10 images gives varied exposure results and color temperature (very common with less reputable brands) is not to be trusted and means that you will quickly tire of the flash and in the worst case get a bad reputation as a photographer with lost customers as a result.
  • Reliability - Elinchrom has a very long service life on all products and leads the development of new innovations.
  • Service and Support - We believe in first-class service. Elinchrom has a well-developed service organization around the world. Spare parts and service are an obvious part of our organization and we stock flash tubes and spare parts for all models. Aifo AB has an extensive dealer network in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, which means that you can often buy and receive support locally.
  • Rent - We offer the possibility to rent flashes and light shapers. This means that you can rent different flashes before buying or rent extra flashes and light shapers if you only need them for a short period.

Short glossary of photo terms

Here is a small explanation of words and specifications that are often mentioned in connection with studio flashes.

  • Power Range -A studio flash can be adjusted up and down in strength without affecting color temperature. Elinchrom studio flashes can control over 5 to 8 f-stops, depending on the model, with 1/10 f-stop precision.
  • Stability — What i.a. what separates a good studio flash brand from a worse one is the ability to deliver flash light that does not deviate in exposure or color temperature over long bursts of images regardless of the set effect.
  • Charge Time - The time it takes for the flash to recharge between exposures.
  • Flash Duration - The time between the flash tube firing until it goes out. When shooting with studio flash, it is the focal length that determines how sharp a moving subject can be reproduced.
  • Modeling light - Elinchrom studio flashes have both a lamp and a flash tube. The lamp, the setting light, lights up before exposure to facilitate lighting.
  • Photocell — Elinchrom studio flashes have a small light-sensitive photocell that triggers the flash when another flash is fired. On some models, Elinchrom has an advanced variant of photocell called Eye-Cell which can be used to use the studio flash as a slave flash for regular camera flashes. Since all camera flashes emit a number of pre-flashes before exposure, the Eye-Cell function is required for the studio flash to ignore the pre-flashes and fire only on exposure.
  • HS (High Sync) - Normally, cameras can only use shutter speeds that are within the camera's sync time limitations. This means that if too short a shutter speed is used, part of the image will be shadowed by the camera's curtain shutter. It is common for system cameras to have the shortest sync time around 1/200 - 1/250 sec. With the High Sync (HS) function, it is possible to use shutter speeds down to 1/8000 sec without the exposure changing significantly across the image surface. In order to obtain Hi Sync, you need a studio flash that has a long burning time and a camera trigger dedicated to the camera being used.
  • HSS (High Speed Sync) - High Speed Sync is another technology that, like HS, allows shutter speeds shorter than the camera's regular sync speeds to be used without the shutter curtain appearing in the image. For this technique, a studio flash with HSS function and dedicated camera trigger is needed.
  • TTL — The abbreviation stands for "Through-The-Lens" and means that the light measurement takes place through the camera's lens. This means that when you photograph with a studio flash that has the TTL function, it is the camera's light metering that controls the flash's output. For this function, the camera must be equipped with a flash controller that can communicate wirelessly between the camera and the flash.

Elinchrom Authorized Distributor

Elinchrom are a Swiss studio lighting manufacture famed for their consistent innovation and being at the forefront of both portable and studio photographic lighting equipment. Since the start in 1962 Elinchrom have continued to develop and innovate flash lighting, groundbreaking products. Elinchrom studio and portable lighting solutions are available for both professionals and those just getting started with flash photography.

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