Swiss manufacturer Broncolor has announced a battery-powered version of its Siros monolight. The Broncolor Siros L runs from a removable lithium-ion battery pack that fits into the top of the flash head. There will be two models: the Siros 400 L and Siros 800 L, rated 400 and 800 Joules, respectively.
Touted as “perfect light without restrictions”, the Siros L is aimed at “ambitious professional photographers” working in the studio or on location.
Each flash has a 9-stop power range with 1/10-stop control precision. Its most impressive specs, as promoted in the company literature, emerge at the minimum power levels of 2 and 4 Joules, with flash durations of 1/9000 (t0.1) and 1/19,000 second (t0.5) in “speed mode” and recycle times from 0.03 seconds. At full power you are looking at a more sedate 1/400 and 1/250 second t0.1 flash durations (1/1200s and 1/700s at t0.5) and recycle times up to 1.9 or 4.3 seconds.
Already featuring built-in radio and WiFi functionality, the inclusion of a lithium-ion battery pack makes the Siros L truly wireless. You can control your Siros system remotely from an Android or iOS mobile device using the bronControl app, or trigger it from your camera with the RFS 2.1 transmitter. Read our review of the original Siros S system here.
According to the manufacturer, the 28.8V 2.5Ah battery will keep the Siros 400 L going for “more than 440” full-power flashes, or “over 1700” at a quarter-brightness and below. The Siros 800 L uses the same battery for ostensibly double the output, so its battery life is only 220 full-power flashes per charge. Pretty decent, though not quite “endless” as proclaimed in the company brochure, nor does it compare with the 600+ flashes provided by the budget-friendly Nicefoto N-flash system.
Both Siros 400 L and 800 L feature a 25-watt LED modelling lamp, which has a colour temperature of 3000K so it looks more like a conventional halogen bulb as that found on the mains-powered Siros and Siros S. The main flash tube is colour balanced to 5500K.
There is a USB port for firmware updates, a sync port and an optical slave sensor for more traditional triggering. Direct power control is achieved with a digital rotary dial on the back of the units. The Siros L heads weigh 3.1kg (400 L) and 3.7kg (800 L) without the battery, which adds a further 0.6kg. There appears to be no mains power option (other than buying a separate Siros S head) and it seems like the battery must be removed from the head to be charged (which takes 75 minutes).
Pricing in the UK, excluding 20% VAT, is set to be as follows.
- Siros 400 L head — £1,515
- Siros 800 L Head — £1,755
- Siros 400 Outdoor Kit 2 — £2,995
- Siros 800 Outdoor Kit 2 — £3,495
Update: US pricing is as follows.
- Siros 400 L head — $2,095
- Siros 800 L Head — $2,395
- Siros 400 Outdoor Kit 2 — $4,195
- Siros 800 Outdoor Kit 2 — $4,795
The Outdoor Kit 2 includes two heads and batteries, one charger, an 85cm silver umbrella, a 60cm square softbox, a sync cable and a wheeled backpack to carry it all in. The RFS 2.1 radio transmitter is not included.
Visit the Broncolor web site for more information.