Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

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Mon Sep 28, 2015 4:52 pm

Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 4:33 pm
Posts: 1
Location: Arizona

Hey this is the first time I have posted to this forum however I have had Alien Bee lights for years and love them. I am an outdoor photographer and normally take photos of people climbing. I have used your lights with the old vagabond and now I have the vagabond mini. Over the years lugging up gear just to take one light with me on a long hike can sometimes be a pain in the but. Plus I always have to be concerned that I might damage the light. Got me thinking it would be really nice to have a light that had an internal battery that could be replaced. This light could be in a housing that could take on mild elements. Not water proof by any means but just enough I would not have to worry if there was a light sprinkle. Even just one of these lights would change things for me greatly. Anyway I have greatly appreciated my alien bees since before I could make a dollar shooting. You guys make a great produce and I am glad they accessible for new photographers. There quality has kept me a loyal fan. Thanks.




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Thu Oct 01, 2015 4:42 pm

Site Admin
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:43 am
Posts: 5266

When coming up with a new item the first thing we ask ourselves is ... is there a market and if so how big is it.
Over the years we have learned never to say never....




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Fri Oct 09, 2015 4:17 am

Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2014 1:58 am
Posts: 2

I would want some for location shots as well




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Wed Nov 11, 2015 12:24 am

Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:20 pm
Posts: 23

I would love to see PCB come out with such an item as well. I would want it to do HSS (pulse mode, like speedlights) or hypersync (slow flash for high speed syncing).

I actually purchased a Nicephoto strobe last year, and use it very often for location shoots. It does the hypersync method, which means the duration is slow when using it at standard sync speeds, but I can sync to 1/8000's during daylight. My particular model has a couple of drawbacks - the built-in remote receiver seems to need line-of-sight to work reliably so I need to hang a Pocket Wizard from it, and it can't be adjusted remotely (though newer models solve the latter problem).

I'm looking to replace it with a remotely adjustable model, and am considering the Profoto B1, and a new, cheaper alternative from Interfit, as well as some others.

Aside from the Interfit, all the units I've seen have to run from the battery, and don't have the option to run directly off AC power. I'd love a unit that can do both. The Interfit has a slow 5 second recycle, and I'm not sure if it will run any faster on AC power. If PCB could make a battery strobe that could also be plugged in to get the same performance as a studio Einstein, that would be pretty sweet.




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Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:01 am

Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2012 5:37 pm
Posts: 53

I wouldn't want such a product. I know others are doing this but it just adds weight to the light. that vagabond is nice in that you can just sling it over your shoulder or put it in your bag and not have the light encumbered by the weight of the battery. The einstein without the battery is about the heaviest light I'd ever want to put up no a boom above a model's head. Many of these flashes with the built in batteries weigh 1 or 2lbs more than the einstein.

A better product would be a flash with the einstein power but with the capacitors and heavy components in a battery pack to make the flash head light weight. And of course, they need to add HSS and TTL though I personally wouldn't use the TTL.

Alternatively, a product along the lines of the godox 360 which would be a 400ws type head that is on 2.5-3lb and would also support TTL and HSS.

IMO, this is going to be a key for the continued success of buff lights as the chinese companies are coming hard after the market in this price range.


capturedconnections wrote:
Hey this is the first time I have posted to this forum however I have had Alien Bee lights for years and love them. I am an outdoor photographer and normally take photos of people climbing. I have used your lights with the old vagabond and now I have the vagabond mini. Over the years lugging up gear just to take one light with me on a long hike can sometimes be a pain in the but. Plus I always have to be concerned that I might damage the light. Got me thinking it would be really nice to have a light that had an internal battery that could be replaced. This light could be in a housing that could take on mild elements. Not water proof by any means but just enough I would not have to worry if there was a light sprinkle. Even just one of these lights would change things for me greatly. Anyway I have greatly appreciated my alien bees since before I could make a dollar shooting. You guys make a great produce and I am glad they accessible for new photographers. There quality has kept me a loyal fan. Thanks.




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Mon Jan 23, 2017 6:16 pm

Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:00 am
Posts: 32

I agree on this I don't care so much for the TTL but HSS is something I do use. An Einstein with this is important to keep up with standards.




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Sat Feb 04, 2017 5:37 pm

Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:44 am
Posts: 100
Location: Chicagoland, USA

Technical Support wrote:
When coming up with a new item the first thing we ask ourselves is ... is there a market and if so how big is it.
Over the years we have learned never to say never....

Since switching to Einsteins as my primary studio and location lights back in 2012, the number of problems I have had with them equals 0. The customer service I have received from PCB equals 10 out of 10. The only times I have had to send anything in were due to mishap and repair need. The repair service I have received equals 10 out of 10.

For that, I not only want to see PCB maintain market share, but want to see it thrive and grow even more.

So, I am hoping PCB will reach out and formally and thoroughly survey its customer base about what they want and need in the next generation of lights. Find out when they are planning to buy and what they have already bought.

And, find out how much customers are willing to spend for the features they want, but from a company who stands behind and services product the way PCB does; PCB might be very pleasantly surprised what a survey on this might reveal.

Craíg




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Sun Feb 05, 2017 9:54 pm

Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:11 am
Posts: 23

+1 on Craig's suggestion

My dream monolight is: (Profoto B1/Godox AD600 Killer)

based on the Einstein, but can be bigger
HSS
(I don't need TTL, but it could be nice)
at least as much power as the Einstein (to overpower the sun in HSS)
Internal CC receiver
Internal and removable battery
option to connect to mains - 120-240V
I would probably pay around 900$ for this


New transmitter to support the HSS
with better UI:
I want to be able to change the output of the current flash without looking at the transmitter.
easily change to 'selected' flash.
very fast 'one click' turn on\off a specific flash.


[I currently use the godox AD600 for outside/HSS shoots
and 8 Einsteins for indoor locations/studio]

Yitzy




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Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:52 am

Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:49 pm
Posts: 9
Location: Nashville, TN

Yep. I totally agree. That would be AMAZING. The stuff from Godox and others looks great but service is a big question. If something goes wrong where do you get it repaired? With their terrific customer service, PCB has a real advantage in the market. I'd totally pay $900 for the light you describe. Maybe even as much as $1100.


yitzy wrote:
+1 on Craig's suggestion

My dream monolight is: (Profoto B1/Godox AD600 Killer)

based on the Einstein, but can be bigger
HSS
(I don't need TTL, but it could be nice)
at least as much power as the Einstein (to overpower the sun in HSS)
Internal CC receiver
Internal and removable battery
option to connect to mains - 120-240V
I would probably pay around 900$ for this


New transmitter to support the HSS
with better UI:
I want to be able to change the output of the current flash without looking at the transmitter.
easily change to 'selected' flash.
very fast 'one click' turn on\off a specific flash.


[I currently use the godox AD600 for outside/HSS shoots
and 8 Einsteins for indoor locations/studio]

Yitzy




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Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:43 am

Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:44 am
Posts: 100
Location: Chicagoland, USA

yitzy wrote:
+1 on Craig's suggestion

My dream monolight is: (Profoto B1/Godox AD600 Killer)

based on the Einstein, but . . . .
Yitzy


Your list of a dream monolight is definitely very similar to mine.

I intentionally did not put my wish list here because my point was PCB has had a very loyal (and deserved) customer base for the reasons I noted above. PCB could get a good measure of the market by surveying them.

There was no response from PCB to this suggestion, which made me sigh honestly. Maybe that is because they already know, or already have something new in their development pipeline. I hope that is the case, because the sound of silence is not always golden.

It's not market research, but the strong sense I get from participating in other forums like Strobist (David Hobby's group on Flickr) is HSS capable lights started trending with the intro of the Profoto B1, and the trend has gotten much stronger over the past 18 months. Fast flash duration has its advantages and strengths, but so does HSS and more flexibility to control ambient when shooting outdoors, and TTL for those like the wedding shooters among us.

Craíg




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