I'm looking to increase the flexibility of my kit by adding more power to my flash. A greater range for fill-flash is a major concern, as I tend to stay waaay back and shoot with a 200 or 300mm lens on my Canon F-1--non-autoexposure.

Does anyone have any warnings about the major high-powered units, or a favorite? Or how to tell effective GN for those which only list watt-seconds? Advantages/disadvantages of separate battery pack units (Lumidyne, Quantum, Norman) rather than the all-in-one handle-units (Sunpak, Metz) also welcomed.

-- Kevin Connery (connery@keradwc.com), August 06, 1999

Answers

Hi Kevin, Lumedyne is outstanding! I have been using them for 14 years with almost flawless performance, 2 minor repairs. I am a heavy user and tough on equipment, they are VERY beat up, NO PROBLEMS. In addition I have used them in very cold 15 degree weather up to several hours and all day in 95-100 degree heat without trouble. I mostly use the basic 065 200ws packs with regular (not mini) batteries and a few different heads. I also have boosters to make 400ws and an AC power supply that runs the model heads of which I have 2 for small studio set-ups on location. Good Luck!

-- Dave Wilson (wbigdave@home.com), August 09, 1999.

I on the other hand am a Norman fan. I use the 200c with my F-1 (35-105) and on the Speed Graphic and Rollei. I have used it on zero-degree days and on 90+ days and it hasnt missed a beat. I got a little nervous in the rain a few times with 450 volts strapped to my side but it had no problems. Norman makes a tele relfector that focusses into a narrow beam and is listed as GN 640 at 200 w/s for 100 speed film as opposed to GN 140 for the standard reflector. It comes with a socket adapter that positions the flashtube at the focus of the reflector. My photos are generally shot at 10 feet or less, so I havent tried this reflector. The standard reflector works fine for me. Guide numbers are tied to flash tube output in BCPS (not input power in w/s), reflector in use, and film speed, plus the other variables of your equipment.

-- Tony Brent (ajbrent@mich.com), August 11, 1999.