
An emerging Chinese company, Mmbel, have unveiled a new format of flash units they describe as a “breakthough in digital studio lighting technology [that] will change photography forever!” In a break from traditional “barrel”-shaped studio lights, Mmbel’s Digital Studio Flash MB-301 is a cross between a monolight and an LED panel, featuring a flash tube in the centre of a large rectangular array.
According to the company, using an LED modelling lamp is advantageous because of the vastly reduced amount of heat it will emit compared to a traditional halogen bulb. The heads will accept umbrellas, barndoors, grids, colour filters and dedicated softboxes. Fan-cooled and mains-powered, both the continuous LEDs and the flash (up to 600Ws) brightness will be digitally adjustable via a rear control panel. It’s unclear whether models with brighter flash tubes will feature more diodes.
Specifications
Model | MB-301-200 | MB-301-300 | MB-301-400 | MB-301-600 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Flash Energy | 200Ws | 300Ws | 400Ws | 600Ws |
Guide Number | 42 | 52 | 62 | 75 |
Recycle Time | 2-3 sec | 2-3 sec | 2.5-3 sec | 3-4 sec |
There are currently no known distributors of the Mmbel Digital Studio Flash MB-301 series. For more information, please visit the company web site and Alibaba page.
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