Apples

Apples

by Garik

submit your photo


Picture of the Week Themes
Suggest and vote on themes

Please participate in Meta
and help us grow.

Tell me more ×
Photography Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional, enthusiast and amateur photographers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 3 down vote favorite

I was hoping to get some idea about what the misfire rate for studio strobe lighting is. Meaning how often on average do your studio strobes not fire when you take a picture? My Elinchrom Style BX-500 Ri seems to exhibit this behavior once every 15 or so pictures. I am also using the SkyPort wireless sync that came with the units. I am kind of 'new' to studio lighting and I chose Elinchrom because of the color shift consistency. I have already sent one pair back to the retailer because the failure rate was 5 failures for every 7 shots (more or less).

share|improve this question
Have you tried eliminating the SkyPort wireless sync as a problem? That is, using a sync cord? – Dan Wolfgang Jan 16 at 20:47

2 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

There really shouldn't be any failures with a pro class system... Some things to think about though:

  1. Are you letting the system recharge between shots?
  2. Might there be some equipment interfering with the RF trigger signal?
  3. Does the transmitter have a problem (assuming you didn't replace it)
  4. Is the transmitter within range (probably far less than the spec'd range)

1, 2 and 4 are easily answerable. 3 can be tested by trying different group/frequency settings. Looks like a nice unit though...

share|improve this answer
on #1, the "ready" light does not mean "ready at full power specified" but rather "ready to fire at some power". Very few lights have a separate status light for "ready as specified". Maybe you are having serious radio interference? – Pat Farrell Jan 16 at 20:47
Well the first set that I sent back I verified misfires by pushing the "Test" button on the back of the head. The power level would flash as expected but no light was emitted. After a few seconds the "Ready" beep would sound indicating the head was charged and ready to discharge again. I really haven't tried using a sync cord yet. But I will look into that soon. Basically that test would eliminate items 2-4. I know that I letting the heads charge to the full capacity because I can hear the "ready" beep about a second and a half after I discharge the head. – Mr. Young Jan 16 at 22:38
1  
@Mr.Young - are you sure that the trigger wire (the wire wrapped around the flash tube) is contacting the trigger electrode (the post-and-clamp thingy opposite the main electrodes) properly? If the clamp is sitting between the coils rather than contacting them, you won't get reliable arcing. – Stan Rogers Jan 16 at 23:17
Useful information... Failure to flash using the 'test' button is an entirely different kettle of fish and points to a problem with the basic flash circuitry. Does the second set fail using the 'test' button as well? – BobT Jan 16 at 23:41
up vote 1 down vote

I use elinchrom skyport triggers and usually I see misfires after approximately 200-300 shots without recharging the batteries.

share|improve this answer
If you recharge the batteries does the problem disappear? – mattdm Jan 16 at 23:18
This would be expected as transmitter power drops... – BobT Jan 16 at 23:40
After recharging, I see no issues – vspicture Jan 17 at 15:13

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.