Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi,
im new to this... i recently got 2 old White Lightning 10,000, i read the manual, set them up, tested them.

one of them is way lower powered than the other? that cant be normal can it?

i did a test with a flashmeter set at iso 100, on a stand 27 inches away. the readings i got are:

Light 1 (the one with the possible issue):
1/3 power = f8.4
2/3 power = f22.4
full power = f22.8

light 2:
1/3 power = f32.4
2/3 power = f45.6
full power = f64.1

i switched the flash tubes, and got the same readings... so i dont think it's the tubes.
the only physical difference between the 2 strobes is that the one with higher output has a more shiny reflector, while the low output one has a more matt reflector. could that create such a big difference?

considering i dont know anything about strobes in general, or these particular ones history... any thoughts on what this could be? any other tests i can do? is this a common problem?

thanks!
jon

Yeah, there is something wrong with light one. There should be a 1 stop difference between 1/3 and 2/3 power. As is, there is a 3 stop difference. Given the age of these lights, I would call our repair department about getting these (or at least the one) serviced.