Interfit Photographic has announced the S1, a new 500J studio flash equipped with a lithium ion battery, built-in radio, Canon and Nikon TTL/HSS support and the ability to power from the mains. The Interfit S1 is pitched as a rival to the Profoto B1 and other TTL-enabled studio flashes, designed as a portable, powerful light at home in the studio or on location.
As Interfit are keen to point out, it even has one or two features over the B1:
“The engineers at Interfit have been hard at work developing the world’s first 500Ws monolight withĂ‚Â High Speed Sync, TTL for Canon and Nikon, IGBT technology, Lithium Ion battery and multi-voltageĂ‚Â AC power pack in one complete package. This unique combination of features gives theĂ‚Â photographic market a versatile, affordable, high-powered flash lighting solution for both on-locationĂ‚Â and studio shooting.”
The S1 has a removable 4500mAh battery capable of providing 350 full-power flashes, but you can also power the light from any mains socket using the included multi-voltage adapter. If you don’t anticipate using the battery very often, Interfit also offer the S1a, which is a slightly smaller, lighter and much cheaper head that runs on mains power only (either 110V or 240V), but retainsĂ‚Â all the TTL and radio features.
To get TTL and high-speed sync support for your camera, you can buy an S1 TTL Remote (RRPĂ‚Â $99.99) for Canon or Nikon, which provides full 2.4GHz wireless control.
Specifications – Interfit S1 and S1a
- 500Ws
- 7-stop power range
- 3 second recycle time on AC and DC (S1a: 2 seconds only)
- 1/10-stop power control precision
- 1/1,000 – 1/9,000 second flash duration (max–min power)
- 10W LED modelling lamp (modes: off/50%/100%)
- Built-in 2.4GHz radio, optical slave and sync port
- Manual, TTL and HSS shooting for Canon and Nikon
- Max sync speed 1/250 second (normal) or 1/8000 second (HSS)
- 4500mAh Li-ion battery capable of 350 full-power flashes (S1 only)
- Fan cooled
- Aluminium construction
- Length: 34cm (S1) / 32cm (S1a)
- Diameter: 13cm
- Weight: 2.85 kg (S1) / 2.25kg (S1a)
The Interfit S1 has a recommended retail price of $999.99, including the battery, AC power supply and a 7-inch S-fit reflector. The AC-only Interfit S1a is listed at $599.99 including a 7-inch reflector. Spare batteries are to be priced $199.99 each. Both models are expected to become available in early December 2015. Visit the Interfit Photographic web site for more information.