Priolite, the German lighting manufacturer, has announced a wireless high-speed sync solution for Pentax cameras. The Priolite RC-HS/P is a wireless radio transceiver allowing the company’s MBX Hot SyncĂ‚Â battery monolights to work with P-TTLĂ‚Â cameras at shutter speeds up to 1/8000 second.
“This changes everything,” boldly claims Alex Munoz, a professional photographer based in California. At least it will for one particularĂ‚Â niche: Pentax DSLR and medium format users who want to use flash lighting on location.
Though Canon and Nikon (for whom Priolite already offers Hot Sync) generally have much larger market share, what sets Pentax apart is the 645-series of digital medium format cameras, including the 645Z. According to Munoz, the Pentax 645Z works reliably with the Priolite MBX Hot Sync flashes at shutter speeds up to 1/4000 second without the need for special leaf-shutter lenses.
The Priolite MBX Hot Sync series consists of the MBX 500 Hot Sync, MBX 1000 Hot Sync — both monolights with removable lithium ion batteries — and the M-Pack 1000 Hot Sync, a battery-powered pack-and-head system. Using the RC-HS transmitter you can wirelessly control power and modelling lamp settings of up to four groups of nine lights, with 1/10-stop precision.
The Priolite RC-HS/P has a recommended retail price of $273 in the US. Flashes start at $1,970. For more information on the Pentax HSS system, visit priolite.us/pentax_hss. To learn more about Priolite, visit priolite-usa.com or priolite.com.