Mighty Lights: The Musts in Studio and On Location

EDITOR’S CHOICE: Elinchrom ELC Pro HD 500/1000 Compact Studio Flash
These studio flashes, the first with OLED screens, have three new shooting modes that let you trigger up to 20 ELCs with the Sequence Mode, capture a stroboscopic effect in a single frame with the Strobo Mode or get creative with curtain syncs in the Delayed Mode.
Prices: $1,167 (500 W/s); $1,611 (1000 W/s)

K 5600 Evolution Kit
Whether you’re shooting stills or motion, on location or in the studio, you’ll always be ready to go with the K 5600 Evolution Kit. Conveniently organized in a rolling softcase for travel or storage, this versatile lighting kit—which includes both 3200K and 5600K lamps—is available in five configurations with options for the Joker 200 and/or the brand new Alpha 200. Also bundled with the kit are AC power supplies, barn doors, kit stands and optical accessories.
Price: starting at $3,990

Denny EZ Stand
If you’re tired of fussing when you need to move a lightstand, check out Denny’s EZ Stands. Lift the stand and the legs, which expand out to 28 inches, collapse; place the stand back on the floor to reopen the legs. It’s as simple as that. Designed to hold small flash units or monolights, the stands extend up to 8 feet and collapse to a compact 30 inches.
Price: $85

Chimera Beauty Dish
Portability and multi-functionality are key components of this lightweight beauty dish that does double-duty as an Octabank and, in a pinch, can be used as a folding reflector. How is this possible? For one, instead of metal, the bounceback ring is constructed of translucent flexible plastic (which creates lovely catchlights). It’s available in two sizes and as a kit with the Versi Octa speedlight attachment ring.
Prices: $262 (24 inches); $350 (30 inches); $350 (kit)

Flashpoint RoveLight 600 Monolight
Battery-powered, the RoveLight 600 Ws monolight from Adorama’s Flashpoint line is an affordable lighting option for locations where AC outlets are inconvenient or non-existent. With a guide number that reaches 262 feet at ISO 100, a built-in modeling lamp and 16-channel remote control, to mention just a few of its many features, the RoveLight is a great addition to any lighting kit.
Price: $600

Westcott Eyelighter
Designed to fill in age lines and help eliminate other imperfections, the cleverly designed Eyelighter is a curved reflector that’s ideal for portraits and headshots. As its name implies, the Eyelighter also produces slightly curved catchlights to flatter your clients. The reflector is 57 x 25 inches and comes in an easy-to-tote carrying case. (Read more about it on Tech Tuesday.)
Price: $300

Dynalite XP800 Pure Sine Wave Inverter
The 14-pound XP-800 Pure Sine Wave Inverter features a trio of AC outlets and three USB ports. Powered by a 12000mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery, which reaches a full charge in less than 3 hours, the XP-800 is perfect for hooking up your studio lights and charging mobile devices while you’re in the field. (Dynalite has also just launched the Baja B4, a battery-powered off-camera flash that will retail for $595. The unit will work with an accessory radio controller and uses a Bowens mount for adding light modifiers.)
Price: $915

Photogenic ION Pure Sine Wave Inverter
Power on-the-go doesn’t get much smaller or lighter than Photogenic’s ION Pure Sine Wave Inverter. It weighs 3.5 pounds, measures a highly portable 7.5 x 4.4 x 3.3 inches and is equipped with two AC outlets and five USB charging ports. The rechargeable battery is good for about 1,200 flashes at 320 W/s and recharges in about 3 to 4 hours. Kits, extra batteries and accessories are also available.
Price: starting at $383

Metz Mecablitz 64 AF-1
Metz balances size and output strength in its new Mecablitz 64 AF-1 compact flash with an impressive guide number of 64 (210 feet at ISO 100). Equipped with a color touchscreen, along with a host of other high-end features, the flash is available for Nikon, Sony, Olympus/Panasonic and Pentax cameras.
Price: $500

Profoto Air Remote TTL-N
Profoto has answered the prayers of Nikon shooters with a new version of its Air Remote, the TTL-N, that attaches to a Nikon hot shoe to enable TTL metering with the B1. It can also be used to manually remote-control and sync the B1 or other Profoto flashes that use the company’s Air technology. Also new from Profoto, a forthcoming firmware upgrade is in the works to enable high-speed sync on the B1 system, as are new light-shaping tools optimized for on-location photography. TTL functionality for additional camera manufacturers is also on the way.
Price: $395