Which battery flash suits me best and which features are important? Regardless of whether you are going to buy your first battery flash or upgrade to a new one, there can be many questions. In our buying guide, we help you clear up questions and list what to think about in order to find the battery flash that suits you best.
Before choosing a battery-powered flash, it is important to think about the situations in which you will use it and what your needs are. You should consider whether you prefer a compact all-in-one solution or a battery-powered flash where the flash head is separated from the generator with battery. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.
It is important to consider how you want to transport your flash. Battery flash with integrated battery has the advantage that everything is stored together in one space in the bag, which can be adapted to the size of the flash. Battery flash with external head and generator with battery have the advantage that the flash can be taken apart during transport to be placed in smaller compartments and the weight can be distributed.
In what environment and under what conditions will you mainly use your battery flash? If you are shooting outdoors on uneven ground and when the equipment is exposed to the elements, a battery flash with a separate flash head and generator battery is often a wise choice. The compact and lightweight flash head is easy to protect and a light tripod can be used. If it is cold or rainy, the generator battery can remain protected in the bag.
If your photography takes place mostly indoors at the client's premises, a battery flash with a built-in battery is a good choice. Packing up and unpacking is quick and it will be easy to move the flash because the battery is built-in. However, it is important to remember that both options can be used in all situations.If you have more indoor shoots than outdoor shoots, flash with built-in battery can be a good solution for quick unpacking/unpacking of your equipment. In situations where your flash setup is sensitive to ground and wind, you can use a heavy duty tripod and extra weights to weigh down the bottom of your tripod to make it more stable.If you often photograph products, or other subjects, lit from above, a separate flash head has advantages with its light weight, which means that simpler boom stands can be used.
Depending on your shooting style and the size of the surface you want to illuminate, it's important to consider the maximum power your flash needs. Modern studio flashes can be adjusted down to very low power levels so it is usually the maximum power that you need to consider.The powerful the flash you have, the more possibilities you will have when lighting your subjects.
If you want to illuminate your subject from a longer distance, to avoid having to edit the position of the flash in the image afterwards, or to create a more even light image from your lighting, then more strength may be required. In these cases, we recommend a battery flash with 500Ws.If, on the other hand, you often work with shallow depth of field, indoors and on a limited surface such as portrait photography, you will probably do well with Elinchrom ONE battery flashes that have 131Ws.Elinchrom are well known for delivering high brightness per Ws which makes it difficult to compare Elinchrom Ws with studio flashes from other brands. As an example, the Elinchrom ONE with 131Ws can often provide as high a brightness as a flash with 250Ws from another manufacturer.
The battery capacity of a flash is usually stated in the number of flashes that can be taken before the battery needs to be recharged. However, it is important to remember that this is measured at full power.
A flash with 250W output power and which can handle 500 flashes on one battery charge may have a worse capacity than a flash with 500W output power that can handle 300 flashes if both flashes are triggered at the same power level When you lower the output power of the flash, the number of flashes you can handle per battery charge can be doubled or multiplied .
This means that a more powerful flash can usually handle more discharges per battery charge when used at a lower output compared to a less powerful flash set at the same output.
Important! Make sure to always charge your flash batteries after use to keep the battery in the best condition possible. The battery must never be discharged for a long time as this can affect the battery's capacity. If the battery flash is not used for a period of 1-2 months, it is recommended that the battery be serviced from time to time.
The latest versions of Elinchrom battery flashes have the advantage that they are charged via their USB-C connector. This allows the flash to be charged from the standard USB wall adapter or from the power bank. You can therefore charge the flash from a power bank when it is packed in its bag on the way to the photo assignment!
Elinchrom battery flashes have a feature called Active Charging. Active Charging means that the flash can advantageously be connected to an external power supply because the battery is also charged during photography. You won't have to stop shooting to charge the battery, instead you can fully focus on capturing the perfect moment.
Another advantage of Active Charging is that your battery-powered flashes are always fully charged and ready for photo assignments outside the studio and far from wall sockets. Active Charging in combination with USB-C connection reduces the need for an extra original battery and increases the flexibility in the use of Elinchrom battery flashes.
If for some reason you can't get by on a single charge, you can easily supplement with an external power bank to continue shooting without interruption. With Elinchrom's USB charging, you have everything you need to maximize your productivity and performance.
Short flash duration is a crucial feature of studio flash as it can freeze motion of fast moving objects and reduce motion blur in the image. Most often, the photographer wishes to create images with high sharpness, and a short flash duration is an important tool to achieve this.
Whether you're shooting athletes, dancers, or other fast-moving subjects, a studio flash with short flash duration can help you get sharp, stunning images. Elinchrom's battery flashes can be set to Action Mode, which means that the flash prioritizes a short flash duration when desired.
Two functions that help guide and control the lighting in your images.
TTL. By measuring the light reflected back from the subject, the flash adjusts to give the correct exposure automatically. The advantage of TTL is that you get the correct exposure right from the first shot, which you can then adjust according to your personal taste and the nature of the subject. TTL can also be useful when shooting in rapidly changing light conditions, such as when shooting in an environment with varying natural light.
HSS is a function that enables shorter shutter speeds than the camera's standard sync time (system cameras often have a standard sync time of around 1/200 – 1/250sec). When shooting with studio flash that does not have the HSS function, part of the image will be shadowed by the camera's shutter curtain when shorter shutter speeds than the camera's regular sync time have been selected.
The HSS function means that the studio flash will automatically send a series of fast flash pulses (not visible to the eye) when a short shutter speed has been selected and in this way the entire image surface will be correctly exposed.The advantage of HSS is that the photographer can balance existing light with flash light and use a large aperture on the lens to create an image with a shallow depth of field.
Both TTL and HSS are useful tools for taking control of the lighting in your images using a studio flash. TTL helps you get correct exposure from the first shot as well as smoother exposure as the ambient light changes. HSS gives you creative freedom to balance ambient light with flash, even on a sunny day, as well as the ability to create images with a shallow depth of field.
When shooting with battery-powered flashes outdoors, it is common to place the flashes in more or less accessible places than when working with studio flashes indoors. To ensure a good overview of the settings and to be able to easily see if the flash is set to maximum or minimum power, it is advantageous to use flashes that have two-way communication.This means that the flashes can receive instructions and transmit information about output as well as to a camera trigger or other device. All flashes from Elinchrom have built-in remote control via radio and two-way communication so that each flash's set value can be quickly read on the Transmitter Pro camera trigger.
The latest battery-powered studio flashes ONE, THREE and FIVE from Elinchrom have remote control via both radio and Bluetooth. This means that the flash can also be controlled via Elinchrom Studio Software as an app on a smartphone and as software on a computer, both versions can be downloaded free of charge. The Bluetooth function in ONE, THREE and FIVE also acts as a bridge between Bluetooth and Skyport radio, which means that all Elinchrom studio flashes that are activated in your set-up will be visible in Elinchrom Studio Software even if they do not have built-in Bluetooth as standard.
If you do not yet have a ONE, THREE or FIVE, you can supplement with a Bluetooth bridge called the Elinchrom Bridge. With this module, all Elinchrom Skyport flashes become visible in the Elinchrom Studio Software, which means that all functions can be controlled from an app in a smartphone and from a computer.
If you travel a lot, of course the weight and size of the flash must be considered when choosing a flash model. A bag is always included when you buy an Elinchrom battery flash, but if you wish to pack the flash together with other photo equipment in a larger bag.
Flash models with a built-in battery have the advantage that there is only one device for which space must be prepared in the camera bag (ONE, THREE and FIVE have charging via a USB-C connector, which means they can use the same charger as for computers and smartphones).The design for flashes that have a separate flash head and generator with battery has the advantage that the parts can be picked up in different, smaller compartments, which also means that the weight can be distributed.
If you are going to transport your photography equipment longer distances on foot, it is of course important to keep the weight of each part of the equipment down. Then choose a flash with a combination of output power and weight that suits the photo adventure, you don't want to leave your flash at home and thus the opportunity to be able to actively light your subjects during the photo adventure.
All Elinchrom battery flashes have LED modelling lights of very high quality, which means that the color reproduction will be correct when you use LED light for photography and filming.
When working in the studio and outdoors in low light conditions, the setting light shows how your lighting the subject looks and helps your camera's autofocus find focus. The modelling light also works great as a general light when it is dark where you are shooting.
Since the quality of the LED light from Elinchrom is very good, the light also works well for photographing when you only want minimal fill light from your flash.
You can also use the setup light as a video light with the advantage that you can both photograph and film in the same set-up. On Elinchrom ONE, THREE and FIVE, the color temperature of the modelling light can also be regulated, which means that you can balance the color temperature of the ambient light with the LED light.
All Elinchrom battery flashes have a unique function called Active charging. This means that your battery flash can be connected to a wall outlet at the same time as you are photographing and you can photograph in a lot of work, or film video with the LED light, without interrupting for battery charging.
In addition, the battery of your flash will always be fully charged when you go out on the photo jobs. Elinchrom ONE, THREE and FIVE can be connected via their USB-C connector to a wall adapter or power bank, which means that the flash can receive an external power supply in all environments.
Before you buy your battery flash, it's good to think hard about what kind of subject you mainly photograph and in what environment. Here we make a short summary about which type of battery flash is best suited for different types of photo assignments.