Elinchrom Quadra

Livin The Dream

Livin The Dream

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At some point this year I do want to add a portable solution to my set up. I currently use Elinchrom D Lites and a reasonable selection of accessories so naturally Quadra would be the obvious choice. I also like the idea I can add one into my current set up where needed.

Since I last looked at them they certainly seem to have broadened the range. They seem to have brought a budget version in called Living? Spec looks similar to the rest but half the cost, what am I missing? Doesn't seem to be sold in many places in the UK either?

My specific concern is regarding longevity of the kits. Batteries naturally degrade, so how long should these realistically last?
 
Livin The Dream said:
My specific concern is regarding longevity of the kits. Batteries naturally degrade, so how long should these realistically last?
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With proper care you should get several years out of them but it depends on the type and how you use them, a SLA battery is rated at something like 3-5 years in ideal conditions but if you keep taking it under 60% it'll be less and if you really mistreat them they can have very short lives.

In fairness though replacing a SLA battery is cheap and easy but most of the kit is lithium now. I'm not sure about how long they last in practice but they should be easier to maintain than a SLA battery as they don't need as constant charging.

I don't think the living thing is a new range, just a branding exercise but I'm not certain.
 
I'm not sure about 'Living' either but it just looks like a reduced price bundle.

Until quite recently, Quadra was pretty much the only game in town for a powerful, shoulder-portable location system - and it still has a lot going for it, including newer options. But there are plenty of alternatives now, namely Godox* with the 360 and new 600 monobloc, Phottix, Profoto and others. What do you want to do?

*Godox products are also available under numerous over-bands, eg Lencarta, Interfit, Calumet and many others internationally.
 
I did a little reading around the range last night and still can't quite fathom where the hybrid fits into the range. The Living kit seems to be the price fighting, entry level version, which, other than action and high speed sync requirements, will do a decent enough job for most people. There's a lower capacity on the Living, they quote around 140 full output shots, where the ELD is 350. The part that I do like about the Quadra over most others, is that theres no weight in the head, makes it easier against the elements outside I would imagine (and great for typical ceilings shooting at home). I'm not sure the ELD range amounts to twice the cost though. Higher capacity, but output is the same and so is the range (6 stops). It seems to have a new OLED display which is not exactly that ground breaking and a new bundled transmitter and obviously the choice of 3 heads (plus a nice swanky bag). High speed sync would be handy for me as I do prefer shooting wide open, but not sure I could justify it for that, I think an ND filter will do for now.

As to what I want to do. Well, I do the odd wedding here and there but that will never be a big thing for me. I do want to do more in the way of lifestyle and home portraiture, so it would be really handy to have. The cheaper option is probably a good way of me dipping my toe in and see how things develop, £1350 for the ELD is a bit of a luxury right now. 2 packs would be great for a mobile home solution but I shall continue to get by with cables I think. Still works out dearer than the others named but it would integrate into my current system.
 
Well, if it's any help it seems to me from reading the specs on their website for the "Living" that it has the lead acid battery, which explains the lower number of flashes. 140 flashes between recharging may be OK for some people, but it isn't a lot when used with digital cameras, and when the unit only has 400Ws of power it will obviously be used at higher power settings than competing products, which means that the battery will work harder.
I'm not sure where the claimed 6.6 stops of power adjustment comes from - it actually has 5 stops (full power to 1/32nd) but I can see that this becomes 5.5 stops of difference when a single head is used, and used with both output sockets.

Elinchrom certainly seem to be trying to get closer to their competitors' prices at the moment, I guess that like everyone else they're feeling the effect of Chinese sellers on Ebay, selling without any customer service or warranty, and which don't pay VAT, duty or taxes.
 
In terms of battery life... I have the Quadra with the lead batteries. Had it for about 5 years and one of the batteries has no packed in.

Scouring the internet now to find and find a replacement lead battery.

Or upgrading the pack so it will take lithium batteries.

Or going down the Profoto route.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Well, if it's any help it seems to me from reading the specs on their website for the "Living" that it has the lead acid battery, which explains the lower number of flashes. 140 flashes between recharging may be OK for some people, but it isn't a lot when used with digital cameras, and when the unit only has 400Ws of power it will obviously be used at higher power settings than competing products, which means that the battery will work harder.
I'm not sure where the claimed 6.6 stops of power adjustment comes from - it actually has 5 stops (full power to 1/32nd) but I can see that this becomes 5.5 stops of difference when a single head is used, and used with both output sockets.

Elinchrom certainly seem to be trying to get closer to their competitors' prices at the moment, I guess that like everyone else they're feeling the effect of Chinese sellers on Ebay, selling without any customer service or warranty, and which don't pay VAT, duty or taxes.
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Thing is Garry, yes there's a premium for a lithium battery, but not £500. They offer a gel pack or lithium so assume the gel to be the SLA? They haven't seen the need to upgrade the RX packs though.
 
T_J_G said:
Have you considered the Godox AD600?
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The biggest advantage of the Quadra is its very light weight - which is also one of the biggest disadvantages of the Godox AD600
 
Steve-T said:
But no weight disadvantage with the Godox Rs or ES series
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That's the model that our own Safari 2 is based on. But even I have to agree that the Quadra is quite a bit smaller and lighter, although of course the Safari has significant advantages, it's really just horses for courses, because different things are important to different people.
 
I would t buy a lead acid battery powered flash today, it's old tech now.

In fact if it was my cash, I'd definitely be buying the newest tech for the price.
 
Phil V said:
I would t buy a lead acid battery powered flash today, it's old tech now.

In fact if it was my cash, I'd definitely be buying the newest tech for the price.
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We'll have to see what bonus day brings this year before I make up my mind. Safari, along with a smallish softball could just as well do what I need it to do. In brief Garry, what are the Safari's advantages, I shall have a peek later too.
 
Livin The Dream said:
We'll have to see what bonus day brings this year before I make up my mind. Safari, along with a smallish softball could just as well do what I need it to do. In brief Garry, what are the Safari's advantages, I shall have a peek later too.
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The advantages are faster recycling, shorter flash durations and a warranty.
 
I've recently bought a Pixapro CITI600 which is the same as the GodoxAD600 mentioned earlier. It has its pros and cons compared to the Quadra but personally I think it comes out with far more pros.

I picked mine up for just £500 with the X1 trigger set included so price-wise it beats the quadra. It gives you more power, HSS and TTL. Personally I prefer the fact that it is all in one unit so there are no wires to be messing about with. I'll admit that it's a lot more weight to go on top of a stand or on the end of a boom arm if you have a VALS but having been a VALS for someone else it is well within the weight limits to be using it without too much stress for a good 10-15 mins at a time.

I'd highly recommend taking a look at it, I love mine.
 
Phil V said:
I would t buy a lead acid battery powered flash today, it's old tech now.

In fact if it was my cash, I'd definitely be buying the newest tech for the price.
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Well they give you the choice of both, if the weight and capacity isn't a problem it's certainly going to work out cheaper.
 
Phil V said:
I would t buy a lead acid battery powered flash today, it's old tech now.

In fact if it was my cash, I'd definitely be buying the newest tech for the price.
Click to expand...

simonbarker said:
Well they give you the choice of both, if the weight and capacity isn't a problem it's certainly going to work out cheaper.
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I went with Phil – cost a fair bit extra but undoubtedly better and will work with future equipment.
 
Popped into the flash centre today and the boys hadn't come across the living version until they discovered it on their website. I reckon it looks good value in comparison. The beauty of either battery pack is that you can upgrade them easily later anyway. The more I look at the Quadra, the more I think it will integrate into my current setup.
 
The only thing I'd say against the quadra is it feels more fragile compared to the profoto system.
 
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