Photogenic StudioMax III AKC320R and PL24R Glamour Reflector

Photogenic Professional Lighting, founded over a century ago, is one of the most respected designers and manufacturers of lighting gear for photographers in the US. Its product lines range from the FlashMaster power packs and heads to several lines of monolights, along with a wide range of accessories. The entry-level monolight line is the StudioMax III. I tested the 320 watt-second AKC320R StudioMax III model that includes a proprietary radio receiver for wireless triggering. Photogenic also sent along the PL24R 24 inch Glamour Reflector.

Having recently tested the Broncolor’s entry-level $2000 Senso A2 power pack, I wasn’t expecting to be impressed by the $320 StudioMax monolight. My first test of the consistency of the color temperature of the flashtube at different power levels proved how wrong I could be.
I had faulted the Broncolor for the wide variation in color temperature from minimum to maximum power. The Photogenic 320R was consistent within +/-100K, from 1/32 to full power, even better than the unit’s specification. So I decided that I had a serious piece of gear in my hands.
While the consistent color temperature is a definite plus for the 320R, cost savings had to come from somewhere. Those areas turned out to be flash output, recycle time and flash duration.

Maximum power output of the 320R is 320 watt-seconds. The power output is continuously variable down to 1/32 power, or 10 watt-seconds. A rotary dial on the back of the unit controls power output. Also on the back are a sync cord jack, manual test button, ready light, photo slave and power switch. The power switch has settings for “Off”, “Flash Only” and “Flash/Modeling Light”. The modeling light is a 100-watt quartz bulb, which is bright enough with the normal reflector and with the beauty box I used, but not much use with the monolight in a softbox or bounced into an umbrella unless the shooting area is fairly dark.

The 320 watt-second power output turned out to be more than enough for the portrait session I did with the beauty light. I was able to use f11 at ISO 100 using the full power output, but more on the beauty light later.

At 3-4 seconds, recycle time at full power is adequate for portraits, seniors, groups or product photography, but would be marginal for children and pets. Recycle time decreases at lower power settings, down to 0.02 seconds at minimum power, according to the unit’s specs.

Flash duration could also be an issue at full power if you need to stop action, or the ambient light level is high. With a flash duration of 1/120 second at full power, it is necessary to use a shutter speed of 1/100 second or longer to use the full power output of the light. At lower power settings, the flash duration, like the recycle time, decreases.

Another feature of the 320R that, like the constant color temperature, I didn’t expect is the built-in radio trigger. It requires an optional $64.50 Smith-Victor RTT transmitter, but it’s a welcome feature. The receiving antenna is built into the 320R, so there is no protruding antenna on the monolight. It is necessary to disable the photo slave by putting a shorting plug into the sync outlet of the 320R. A short sync cord is included with the RTT transmitter for this purpose.

There are four available radio channels and syncing the transmitter and receiver is as simple as choosing a channel on the transmitter, then holding a button on the monolight while you press the “Test” button on the transmitter and waiting for the monolight to flash twice. I did lose sync at one point, but after removing the transmitter from the camera’s hot shoe, and then replacing it, I was able to continue, and had no further issues with the radio trigger system.

Photogenic supplies a dedicated line of very affordable accessories for the StudioMaster monolights, but all Photogenic Quick-Change light modifiers also fit the line. If you like the look of classic Hollywood portraits, then the PL24R Glamour Reflector is worth investigating for the 320R.

The PL24R is a 24-inch diameter beauty light reflector. It mounts like a normal 7-inch reflector, but the flashtube does not fire directly on the subject. Instead, a deflector mounted over the flashtube directs the light into the roughly parabolic satin-anodized interior of the reflector before reaching the subject. This eliminates the central hot spot and creates an even, but still very contrasty, light on the subject. An added advantage to this type of light is that the shallow bowl of the reflector allows you to bring the light very close to the subject. It is an excellent light for dramatic portraiture, but has a place as a main light in product photography also.

The PL24R provides 145 degrees of even coverage according to Photogenic, but it is difficult to feather. The sharp cutoff from direct light escaping from the edge of the reflector can create a hard line across the background when the light is feathered. Mounting points around the outside rim of the PL24R allow you to attach optional barndoors to better control the light falloff.

I found that the reflector was at its best when feathered only slightly. And while it doesn’t have the smooth falloff of the large Fresnel hot lights used by Hurrell and other Hollywood photographers from the Golden Age, it is far easier to master and the results are far different than the umbrellas and softboxes in common use today. Street price of the PL24R is about $180.

More information about these and other Photogenic products is available at www.photogenic.com. Although the pricing is entry level, the build quality and features are excellent. If you can live with the flash duration and recycle time, the AKC320R and the PL24R are interesting tools to create another lighting look for your clients.

AKC320R Specifications
Maximum Watt-Seconds: 320
Power Output Levels: 10-320 watt-seconds, stepless
Sync Voltage: 5 VDC
Color temperature: 5400K +/-200K
Modeling light: 100-watt quartz ESR bulb
Triggering: Sync jack; test button; photo slave; proprietary radio 
Dimensions: 5.25″ H x 5.25″ W x 7.0″ L
Weight: 3 lbs
Housing: Molded high-impact ABS

Recycle Time

320 watt-seconds: 3 seconds
   
10 watt-seconds: 0.02 seconds


Flash Duration

320 watt-seconds: 1/120 second

10 watt-seconds: 1/4800 second 
   

Stan Sholik is a commercial/advertising photographer in Santa Ana, CA, specializing in still life and macro photography. His fifth book, Nik HDR Efex Pro, for Wiley Publishing, is due in October.