Following the release of the EL-Skyport Plus HS — a radio transmitter granting fast flash synchronisation speeds to Nikon, Canon and (eventually) Sony cameras, Elinchrom has also announced a universal flash trigger simply called EL-Skyport Plus.
The EL-Skyport Transmitter Plus is a non-dedicated trigger that will fit on any Iso-standard camera hotshoe. It works on eight channels, with “standard” and “speed” protocols, giving 16 channels in total, and supports up to four groups.
A simple LED display on the back indicates the currently selected channel and group, and the body of the trigger “offers a swivel function for optimum orientation”. That is, you can either stand the transmitter upright or tilt it forwards to lie parallel to your lens. The unit runs on two AA batteries and has a claimed range of 200 metres.
Elinchrom’s EL-Skyport Receiver Plus is the company’s first radio receiver natively to support speedlights, thanks to a new integrated hotshoe. It is a single-pin connection so you only get basic triggering (no flash wake-up or TTL) but when used in combination with a Skyport Transmitter HS it’ll also offer long-tail high-speed sync (assuming your light has a long enough flash duration) a bit like PocketWizard’s HyperSync or Yongnuo’s Super Sync. There is a 3.5mm sync port as well so you can use the Receiver Plus to trigger any kind of flash with a sync port.
The Skyport Plus system is backwards compatible with previous Skyports and “forward compatible to the additional frequencies offered by the latest Elinchrom ELB and ELC units”. Most modern Elinchrom flashes have radio receivers built in, so the Skyport Plus allows you to add older or non-Elinchrom flashes to your setup without feeling locked into the system.
The Transmitter Plus is included in the latest ELB 400 “Pro” and “Dual Pro” portable flash kits, and D-Lite RX, BRX and ELC Pro HD twin head studio kits. The ELB 400 “Action” lighting kit includes the new Transmitter Plus HS for action-freezing high sync speeds.
For more information, visit elinchrom.com.