Articles tagged "flash"

Flash and accessory manufacturer Phottix has announced a new version of its Indra500 studio head that has a built-in TTL radio receiver for Canon’s RT flash system. Read more

As promised, Metz has launched the compact mecablitz M400 – a flagship model for the company's new line of compact flash units. Read more

Olympus has announced their new external flash unit, the FL-900R. It features a guide number of 58m, a refined user interface, and a splash and dustproof body. Read more

German company Metz has teased a new generation of flash products ahead of Photokina, where it plans to launch the first flash model in this new product line. Read more

Sony's wireless radio flash system, which includes both a transmitter and receiver, is coming to retailers in August. Sony has announced pricing, and given us a brief opportunity to go hands-on. Read more

Hong Kong flash and flash trigger manufacturer Cactus has upgraded its V6 wireless transceiver system to allow flash sync speeds of up to 1/8000sec. Read more

Rogue has introduced a new FlashBender 2 XL Pro reflector designed in collaboration with photographer Frank Doorhof using a 'Super Soft Silver' fabric for a not-too-soft, not-too-harsh lighting effect. Read more

The Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT updates the manufacturer's top-shelf flash unit, claiming it fires up to 1.5x faster in continuous shooting with AA batteries or up to 2x with a new CP-E4N optional battery pack. Learn more

Flash manufacturer Nissin has announced it has produced a receiver unit for its NAS wireless flash communication system that allows flash units from Canon, Nikon and Sony to be used within its radio command structure. Read more

To kick off WPPI in Las Vegas, Sony has announced that it's developing a wireless radio flash control system for its range of flashguns. Consisting of the FA-WRC1M radio commander and FA-WRR1 receiver, the system will offer control over 15 flashes in 5 groups up to 30m away. Read more

Flash manufacturer Nissin offers some compelling alternatives to on-brand flashes, and they've recently updated their lineup with the i60A, Nissin's second, and smaller, flash that integrates with their 2.4GHz radio wireless control system. Nissin's got their flashes, commanders, and receivers on display here at CP+, and we got our hands on a few of these exciting products. Read more

Flash manufacturer Nissin has announced a hotshoe flash unit that features a guide number of 60m and the company's radio wireless control system. The Nissin i60A can control three groups of flashes in its role as a commander, or it can be controlled via another Nissin flash unit (only the Di700A at the moment) equipped with the NAS system or by the company’s Air 1 commander unit. Read more

Sigma has announced a more powerful external flash for DSLRs, the EF-630. It updates the existing EF-610 flash units by covering a 24mm to 200mm focal range (as wide as 17mm with the built-in Wide Panel), with an auto zooming function. Based on Sigma's naming conventions it's safe to assume the EF-630 offers a guide number of 63. It's also able to tilt upward by 90°, left/right by 180° and downward by 7°. Read more

Flash and accessory manufacturer Phottix has released details of the second generation of Odin flash controllers that will go on sale mid-February. The Odin II units, which allow wireless TTL control of hotshoe and portable studio flash units, will add two extra control groups and 28 additional channels to the radio trigger’s reach, and will make the user interface easier to handle. Read more

Among all of its new camera announcements, Fujifilm also made public the development of a new external flash. The EF-X500 is a high-end, weather-sealed model with a guide number of 50m at ISO 100, the ability to control up to three sets of off-camera strobes, and a high-speed sync mode that supports the X-Pro2's maximum 1/8000 sec shutter speed. Read more

Lighting manufacturers Elinchrom and Phottix are collaborating with the light meter brand Sekonic to establish a common standard for communication between wireless lighting devices. Read more

Canon has introduced its 430EX III-RT midrange Speedlite. This is the company's second flash to support radio-based wireless TTL, which offers longer ranges, more flexible positioning, and no line-of-sight requirement like traditional optical wireless flash systems. The 430EX III-RT is also faster, lighter and features refined rear controls, more custom settings, and a built-in catchlight panel. Read more

Phottix, a lighting equipment maker, is reporting an issue where its Odin TTL triggers may not work properly with the Nikon D750. According to a recent blog post the company claims that the D750's hot shoe design differs slightly from that of other Nikon DSLRs, which causes the pins of the Odin trigger to line up incorrectly. Read more

Adorama has launched a 400ws ring flash which uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Part of the Flashpoint brand, it features a circular flash tube with an aperture capable of accommodating a lens barrel with a diameter of up to 3.5in/95mm. With a guide number of 82ft/25m the ring is powerful enough not only for macro work, but also headshots and full-length portraits. Read more

Flash equipment manufacturer Elinchrom has launched a new portable flash system that promises faster recycling times, more bursts per charge and greater flexibility than the company’s current battery-powered kits. The Elinchrom ELB 400 is a 424Ws pack that can manage up to 350 full power flashes per charge and can recycle in 1.6 seconds after a maximum output burst. Read more

Ricoh has announced the AF201FG external flash for Pentax interchangeable lens cameras. The AF201FG is weather-resistant, can tilt down ten degrees and up ninety, and has a  guide number of 20 meters at ISO 100. It also weighs just 141g (5oz). The AF201FG will be available in March for $149/£129. Read more 

Lighting manufacturer Metz is to introduce a new miniature flash unit designed for use with small cameras, such as premium hotshoe-equipped compacts and compact system bodies. With a maximum guide number of 26m/85 ft at ISO 100, the Mecablitz 26 AF-1 is many times more powerful than the flash units that come bundled with, or built-in to, this sort of camera - and indeed many don’t come equipped with a flash at all. Learn more

An inventor from Bristol in the UK is developing an LED-based light source for high speed photography, promising to produce a burst of flash with a duration short enough to freeze a bullet. The Vela One, which will be priced at a similar level to standard hotshoe flashguns, uses nine LEDs arranged in a bank that generates a million lumens and is powered by just four AA cells that the inventor claims will last a full day’s shooting. Learn more

Phottix has unveiled Sony versions of its Mitros and Mitros+ TTL flash units for that manufacturer's multi-interface hotshoe. The Mitros+ offers remote radio flash control, with built in Phottix Odin and Strato II receivers. Both flash units provide a guide number of 58, with 180° rotation and tilt by 97°. Learn more

Previously introduced on its European website, Metz has announced its new flagship model the Mecablitz 64 AF-1 in the US market. It's the most powerful flash in that manufacturer's lineup with a guide number of 64 at ISO 100 and a zoom range covering 24-200mm focal lengths, and will be available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and Pentax cameras. Read more

An IndieGoGo project called FlashQ seeks to make wireless flash triggers small in size and stylish to look at. The FlashQ is a 2.4Ghz wireless trigger and receiver system that mounts to a camera’s hotshoe and a flash’s hotshoe adapter. The compact device is aimed at owners of mirrorless cameras and other small camera bodies. Learn more

Kenro has announced the Nissin i40 compact flash gun that also has a built-in video light. It's compact in size and has a flash output of GN40 at 105mm with wireless TTL mode. The new model also has a LED video light providing nine steps of output level adjustment. The Nissin i40 is now available for Nikon and Canon, with Sony and Fujifilm fits coming soon. It will sell for £204/~$338. Learn more

Ricoh has announced the AF540FGZ II and AF360FGZ II Pentax-branded flash units. Both are updates to existing models, now boasting weather-sealed construction to match Pentax's line of weatherized DSLRs. The new flash units also feature built-in LED lights, intended for video recording. The AF540FGZ II offers a guide number of 54 at ISO 100/ft (178 ft) and the AF360FGZ II has a guide number of 36 at ISO 100/m (118 ft). Click through for the full press release.

RayFlash has announced a new universal ringflash adapter for DSLRs. Designed to clamp on to your own hotshoe flash, it utilizes the light from your existing flash unit and bends it through the circular structure around the lens of a DSLR. It's offered in two sizes - one fits most DSLRs (and the Olympus E-M5 O-MD) and another is configured with a longer neck for cameras with a higher body. It replaces the original adapter which could only accommodate a few Nikon and Canon flash units. Click through for more information.

Ever since Harold Edgerton photographed a bullet tearing through an apple, it seems the urge to document these split seconds of destruction has not flagged. In photographer Jon Smith’s case, his victims are lightbulbs filled with colorful objects. He creates the images using a DSLR, a pellet gun and a relatively inexpensive lighting setup all in his garage. Click through for more details. 

Sony has announced the HVL-F43M, a high-end flash unit that's based on the HVL-F43AM but uses Sony's Multi Interface Shoe, which can be found on the latest SLT, NEX, and R-series cameras. The HVL-F43M also features a LED video lamp for brightening up subjects for still and video recording. It retains the 'Quick Shift Bounce' feature of its predecessor, which allows you to rotate the flash head 90 degrees for portrait shooting. It will be available in July for $400.

A patent filed by Apple in 2011 and discovered this week by appleinsider.com seems to hint at a 'social camera flash' system, allowing multiple iOS devices to be connected and used as secondary strobes for impromptu flash setups. The patent is filed as an 'illumination system' and describes 'initiating a master-slave relationship between the image capture device and at least one secondary device'. Click through for more details.

Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind have written a beginner’s guide to photographic lighting centered around an unusual conceit. By structuring a book around a list of common challenges, they are able to give simple, understandable, and achievable solutions that add up to a 'lighting 101' guide.

Studio Lighting accessories maker Phottix has announced the 16-inch Multi Boom, with a tiltable bracket for umbrella softboxes. Priced at $69.99, it can hold up to two flashguns, and allows compatible softboxes to be tilted up to 180 degrees. According to the company, umbrella softboxes from Phottix and other manufacturers are easy to set-up, but almost impossible to tilt on traditional light stands. This can be resolved by attaching the Multi Boom bracket.

CP+ 2013: Pentax has shown two prototype products at the CP+ 2013 trade show in Japan: a bounce flash and a body cap lens for the Q-system. The flash is tentatively named the AF360FGZ II and has a guide number of 36, vertical and horizontal bounce capability, and is expected to ship this Summer. The 'Mount Cap Lens' is limited to the Q-mount camera line, and includes what appears to be a small hyper-focal lens which Pentax says will produce a 'toy-camera-like visual effect,' and is also expected this Summer 2013.

DCWatch has provided more details of Panasonic's DMW-FL360L - the company's first wirelessly controllable flashgun. The feature is designed to work with the company's recently-announced range-topping DMC-GH3. The bounceable flash has a guide number of 36 (m at ISO 100) and includes a flip-down wide-angle converter to provide coverage for an 8mm (16mm equivalent) lens' field of view. It also features an LED continuous lamp for video work. US pricing isn't available but is expected to cost around £250 in the UK and ¥30,000 ($376) in Japan. (via DCWatch)