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Details at a glance
Style 400BX
Power range 25 - 400 W/s
Recycling 0.3 - 1s
Flash duration 1/900s
Weight: 1.95kg
We clicked with
Light weight, fast recycling, great power range Shots in the dark
Control buttons could be better, pricey compared to budget models Links
Elinchrom
The Flash Centre |
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To misquote IBM, no-one ever got fired for buying Elinchrom. For many years, Elinchrom have made their mark on the world as one of the best choices for studio flash equipment. Now though, as photography rushes into digital, it seems the studio light manufacturers are doing the same. Elinchrom's new "Style" series of studio flash heads offers digital control and stabilisation - but is the jump to digital worthwhile? I had the opportunity to test the Style 400 BX and find out.
The Range
The 400 BX is in the middle of the Elinchrom Style series of flash units. Below it is the very similar FX range; above is the RX. All the units offer the same basic controls and are fan-cooled.
Compared to the FX, the BX's main additions are a user-replaceable flash tube and multi-voltage support - handy if you regularly shoot in other countries. Otherwise the BX and FX offer the same features and performance, and this is reflected in the very similar prices. On the other end, make the leap to the RX series and you'll be getting the same digitally stabilised flash technology but with more power and optional computer and remote controls.
The BX and FX are available in 100Ws and 400Ws variants. The RX offers 300Ws, 600Ws and 1200Ws variants. I tested the 400Ws BX unit.
First Impressions
When you're first presented with the Elinchrom Style 400 BX, you'd be forgiven for thinking the box is empty. These are seriously lightweight flash heads - just shy of 2kg for the 400 BX, and the lower models are lighter still. The 400 BX is also a remarkably compact unit. If you regularly find yourself carrying flash heads around the country, you'll find the Style 400 BX pleasingly portable.
Whatever Elinchrom have removed to save weight though, they haven't done it at the expense of build quality. While not the tin cans of the old Elinchrom 500, the 400 BX feels solid and reliable in the hands. There's a nice carry handle on the back for easy handling around the studio, and the front has the standard Elinchrom accessory mount allowing use of the huge range of soft-boxes, reflectors and light shapers that exist today. A brolly mount is provided just offset from the flash itself, running neatly through the core of the device. This is standard Elinchrom design and it works well.
In Use
It's at the controls that you'll see where Elinchrom has deviated from their old plans though. Instead of the switches and sliders of old, you now get the digital control panel. A series of membrane switches provide all the old functionality - slave trigger, independently variable modelling lamp and precision adjustment of power - but now there is also an LED-display showing the power output of the lamp. This allows the flash power to be precisely changed in 1/10th of stop intervals, over a five-stop range.
It's a pity that Elinchrom chose to use membrane buttons for the controls, as the feel isn't as positive as other switches and they do seem a bit cheap for a flash of this class. That said, as membrane switches go the ones on the 400 BX are some of the better examples.
It's debatable whether you really need control as precise as 1/10th of a stop, but the 400 BX does follow through with highly consistent power output - a godsend if you are coming from older (or cheaper) flash units that are prone to varying power output. This is what the digital control is all about - it works and it works well.
The recharge cycle is also very fast - just one second at full power - so you won't be left waiting to take a shot. Even in the test environment, where neighbouring flash tests would sometimes trigger the slave on the 400 BX, the flash was generally happy to hammer out close sequences of shots without issue.
Conclusion
All of which goes towards making the Elinchrom Style 400 BX a very good buy. It's a very capable, very portable light with good build quality and great performance. It certainly doesn't disappoint in use and the digital control produces consistently excellent results. Maybe you don't need 1/10th stop precision on the power adjustments, but this is a true set-it-and-forget-it unit - choose your power output then keep firing. The flash will be there waiting to deliver exactly what you asked for, whenever you need it. All in all, this is exactly what you would expect from Elinchrom.
That said, there's not much here to make you abandon your existing flash heads - especially if you are already using some of Elinchrom's earlier model analogue units. Sure, the digital control on the 400 BX is nice, but if you were already buying Elinchrom you'll already be used to using high precision, solid and reliable flash units. The digital controls make it better, and I would speculate that they will keep their precision over time better than the analogue units, but there's not enough improvement here to make you swap.
But for first time buyers or those needing to replace existing lights, the Style 400 BX would make an excellent choice that you won't be disappointed with.
