Elinchrom ELB 500 TTL

£1499/$1899 www.elinchrom.com

The Elinchrom is flattening the learning curve of studio light heads, with this powerful 500Ws portable flash that includes the convenience of Nikon TTL compatibility. The battery and control unit together measure a compact 16.3x9x18.1cm and weigh an equally portable 2.48kg, yet pack enough punch for 400 full-power flashes with two-second full-power recycle times. High Speed Sync enables shutter speeds as high as 1/8000 sec, helping you freeze motion, and you can charge while shooting thanks to Elinchrom’s Active Charging technology. Available in one- or two-head kits, you just need to add an Elinchrom Skyport Plus HS or Phottix Odin II transmitter.

First impressions_

It doesn’t take long to master a conventional studio lighting setup with the aid of a light meter, or even some good old trial and error, but the combination of TTL in a portable package makes the ELB 500 TTL a rather alluring buy for any enthusiast.