Elinchrom or Bowens

chiffs

chiffs

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Sean
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Im going to purchase 2 light sets to work with a lastolite hilite 6x7.

Im stuck between the Elinchrom D-Lite 4 studio 2 go set and the Bowens Gemini 400/400 Twin Head Studio Kit.

I do like the digital dial for adjusting power settings on the Elinchroms and have used them before but not the Bowens kit.

So has anyone used both and if so could you give me some pros and cons for both.
 
As Paul says you get a built in skyport with the Eli's. To me the Geminis feel a little better built (but thats just my opinion) and you can add a pulsar card to the gemini for £40 or so.
 
I suppose in some ways it depends upon the usage. With the Gemini's you have a dial control as opposed to the digital technology of the D-Lites. Being able to adjust lights power rom the Skyport transmitter is a great. Unlike the Elinchrom's there is no modelling lamp adjustment on the Bowens apart from on or off. If you are using the set up in a studio situation the Skyport system can be controlled either by a laptop or iPad. The Skyport software to memorise your lighting set up and automatically reset it is also a nice touch.

Looking further than the actual lights themselves, the Elinchrom Rotalux OCTA is a joy to use and so easy to put up without having to manually insert fiddly rods.
 
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I got the Bowens Gemini 400Rx kit recently & the modelling lights are adjustable & they have built in Pulsar receivers.
 
Would love to save more and have them but will need some for the beginning of December. Will probably upgrade in 12 months time though and look at higher spec lights then.

I think I'm swaying towards the elimchrom set from googling about.

Is there alternates that are of good quality for different modifiers other that elimchrom stuff as it seems expensive?
 
I've a set of DLite4's (No skyports in mine though) and Lastolite Lumen8's, and the digital nature of the DLites is a real bonus, you can move between settings so easily when it's digital..

But VFM wise, I'd really look at Lencarta..

My choice would be the UltraPro300's (£199 each), or UltraPro 600's (£259 ea) they have adjustable modelling power, digital control, etc, etc, 300Ws, and for £50 you can buy a remote controller that will allow you to change all the settings remotely (only need 1 remote for up to 10 UltraPro heads)..

They have the same Bowens S-Fit mount which I prefer to the Elinchrom for ease of use (but Elinchrom is still OK), so accessories are readily available without any hassle..
 
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The Noir Dude said:
Lynn, Sean was asking about the Gemini 400s not the RX. The RX are more expensive than the D-Lite 400 and the Bowens 400s
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Yes I realised after I'd posted, I posted from the iPhone app and couldn't edit and was going out of the country so no wifi. I got the 400RX set with 20% discount which made them a bit cheaper. (I couldn't find any stockists where I could actually look at/try Elinchrome (or Lencarta) which was one reason why I opted for Bowens - just wanted to actually see the lights before getting them.)
 
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Bayrunner said:
Found your post puzzling until I looked at your location.
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Yep - more limited range in Belfast! I've used Bowens before when renting a studio so familiar with them and the 20% discount was a good incentive.
 
I'd check out the reviews.

Elinchrom always seem to do well, and they've been around for ages.

Remote control and other fancy stuff is now included in the kit prices, --- the only downside is that if you are looking for secondhand gear, prices hold up really well.
 
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