Flash unit

[Photoworks]

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3 minutes ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

I think it's just Leica being pig headed. Trying to keep as many funds in house as possible by selling a cheap flash at double what it's worth. While it may feel profitable to keep sales of accessories in house I think it would benifit Leica much more if they made the SL and S (non CS lenses) more attractive to potential buyers by having Godox and ProFoto available as partners. I think they'd more than make up any losses in camera/lens sales and they'd have one less inventory and product development issue.

 

Numbers may be small but it's just a hotshoe and some software. The flashes and commanders already exist for other brands. Leica need to stop trying to put the red dot on flashes and give the protocols away for free OR carry a range of Leica badged commanders for ProFoto and Godox systems and be done with it. If they need to have a gun with a red dot the superb lithium powered Godox unit is the one.

 

Recently they changed their policy on the Fotos software realising it was doing more harm than good. Hopefully they'll realise that it's the same for their flashes. One can only hope. The SL excels in the studio. It'd be better with HSS support.

Gordon

I Agee with most of it.  Metz and Nissin where never excellent flashes.  

I just want a TTL flash that I can use! the SF-60 overheats easily, and it is hard to store open or close in a bag with that stupid design.

I like Profoto and Godox to have a go. 

Godox has been making flash with wireless master combination for a long time. I great option to have a flash on camera and few remotes.

Leica please, while you are dealing with flash can you fix the bug in SL2 when the flash does not fire in bright light?!?! It has been 7 months since reporting it!

[Stuart Richardson]

I am not so concerned about flash sync speed. For me the convenience would be in having TTL or an ability to use TTL with flash exposure compensation so that I do not have to adjust the flash exposure for ever single shot when I am not the move, particularly when the strobe is off camera. The biggest challenge in my use is that I need to just eyeball it...if I am shooting really close then I will need to dial the flash down, then I am at 3m and it is another setting, full power for infinity etc. I need the truly powerful modeling light of the A1 (or a headlamp), as it doubles as both a light to allow for focus as well as a guide to the thing I am shooting. I think my use case is very specific, but it would be very easily solved with TTL. I actually miss the auto function on my old Metz that I used for Leica before. It is not nearly as powerful or useful, but at least it could be put in manual, auto (so the flash measures the exposure), and TTL (the camera drives the flash). Auto is a great fall back if the camera does not support TTL, but since every normal manufacturer does, it does not seem as popular anymore. I would really like it on the A1, as it would mean that it would work with film cameras as well...

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[DrM]

On 11/18/2020 at 8:13 PM, albireo_double said:

I have received similar answers from both Leica and Profoto over the years.   

Elinchrom now offer a HSS trigger even for Pentax. Not sure about Pentax sales volumes compared to Leica.

Broncolor evidently collaborated with Godox for the RFS 2.2 triggers, to offer HS. I bet a lot of Leica users are Broncolor users, too.  But I don't think Bron are very keen to offer a Leica HS trigger, either. 

Now that Priolite is insolvent - the only people to have ever offered a working Hi Sync trigger for Leica SL - (and with Metz, Hensel and Multiblitz being bankrupt, too), I wonder if there is a chance for Leica to buy the know-how and whatever else is needed, in Germany, on the cheap, and perhaps reengineer a solution like they did with the S lens adapters for Hassy H and Contax 645 to offer a Leica trigger for Profoto lights (or Broncolor etc.) without any support from the strobe maker themselves. On a side note, the Priolite trigger is actually nice in that it is bidirectional, unlike any of the Profoto etc. triggers - you can see the power number set on the strobe on a display on the trigger and vice versa. 
 

Too bad priolite is insolvent.. I’m in the market for a new studio kit and the specs are great.. any alternatives?

Best,

Marc

Edited November 21, 2020 by DrM

[albireo_double]

On 11/21/2020 at 9:23 PM, DrM said:

Too bad priolite is insolvent.. I’m in the market for a new studio kit and the specs are great.. any alternatives?

Best,

Marc

If you go to Priolite's online shop website, they still seem to offer equipment for sale. Perhaps they are functioning under a "protection from creditors" regime or selling down inventory - I don't know, haven't looked into it. So you should be able to buy the equipment now...with some risk re availability of spares and service support in the future, and likely no new product development. Priolite use the Bowens bayonet to attach modifiers. While Bowens too went bankrupt a few years ago, there are many modifiers with the Bowens mount available (plus adapters for all major soft box etc. brands). Also Godox use the Bowens mount, and Godox are probably the fastest growing strobe maker now, especially in the "prosumer" segment. Alas Godox offer no Leica trigger either, so no alternative to Priolite if you need HS with Leica SL/SL2. If you mostly use just one strobe when shooting outside (this is my case), you may consider getting one Priolite 1000WS battery kit with the Leica HS trigger (the "Dresden Kit" looks amazing...I would have bought it about a year ago but it was not in stock when I was ready and I ended up buying a Broncolor Move 1200 in the end). You can complement this with some Godox strobes that share the same mount - can trigger these in the slave mode if you want to combine them with the Priolite (when you don't need HS).