Photoflex, the Californian studio lighting manufacturer, has announced two new monolights. The FlexFlash is their latest series of self-contained studio flashes, sitting alongside the StarFlash studio line and TritonFlash location kit.
According to the company, the FlexFlash represents a “quantum leap in monobloc strobe lighting” and is “the perfect solution for studio photographers of all levels”. There are two variants, called the FlexFlash 200W and FlexFlash 400W, drawing up to 200 joules and 400 joules of energy, respectively. Both sport a Bowens S-type accessory mount and run from mains power.
Photoflex reckons that the new units are “light-years ahead of the competition” thanks to their 2.42kg weight, two-second recycle time and “short flash outburst”. Though the products probably don’t have any features that you can’t find elsewhere, they do collect together some handy ones, such as a pre-flash-detect optical slave for synchronising with Auto-TTL camera flashguns.
The lights each feature an “oversized” backlit LCD which can display power in fractions (1/64–1/1) or decimals (2.0–6.0) depending on user preference. The 120-watt modelling lamp can be adjusted proportionally to the flash power, independently or switched off. There is also a “continuous mode” in which you can disable the flash tube and light your photograph using the modelling lamp only.
Worldwide mains voltages (90–260V) are supported — all you need to do is swap over the modelling bulb and power cable where appropriate. Both 200-joule and 400-joule heads will recycle from a full-power flash in 2.0 seconds. The respective flash durations go down to 1/1200 second and 1/800 second.
The FlexFlash is said to be “attractively priced” though exact figures have not yet been announced. Photoflex products are widely distributed. For further information, visit the FlexFlash product page.
Update: Photoflex tells us that their recommended retail prices are $319.95 for the FlexFlash 200W and $389.95 for the FlexFlash 400W, with the series to be available “at the end of August”.
What do you think? Are you tempted? Let us know in the comments below.