What to look for in a studio flash

Here’s a closer look at the Elinchrom ELB 500 TTL

Flash heads

The ELB 500 TTL itself is the rectangular power block: the flash heads are chosen and bought separately, or as part of a kit. There is a cheaper kit with one head, but a two-head kit offers more lighting control.

Modelling lamp

The flash heads incorporate a daylight-balanced LED lamp, which can preview the effect of the flash but also provide a lower-intensity continuous light source for both stills and video.

Recycle time

The recycle time is between 0.05 and 2 seconds, depending on the power setting, which is a lot quicker than regular flashguns and especially for quick-fire fashion shoots indoors, say, where full power is seldom used.

HSS

The ELB 500 TTL’s HSS (High Speed Sync) system allows shutter speeds of up to 1/8,000 sec, which is way beyond the maximum sync speed for regular flashguns with DSLRs or mirrorless cameras.

TTL or manual flash

TTL flash control can be a handy option in situations where there’s little time to check flash settings, but manual control is available too for more controlled setups when there’s more time.

Asymmetric output

The ELB 500 can power two flash heads at the same time via ‘A’ and ‘B’ outputs, and offers asymmetric output for different power settings for each head.

400-shot capacity

The detachable rechargeable battery pack can deliver 400 full-power flashes, and has an Active Charge feature that lets you use it even while it’s charging.

500Ws power output

This power output is towards the top end for studio flash systems, and is enough to use flash with outdoor shots in bright sunlight, thanks to Elinchrom’s high-speed sync technology.