Any Elinchrom 500 flash head users

[mark beaumont]

I've just picked up 3 heads from Ebay, 2 newer ones with the user changeable tubes and 1 older one. All three have different wattage modeling lamps (100 W,150W,250W), any body know what wattage should be in them?

Also does any body know if they are safe to use with DSLR (I've got infra red trigger)?

Thanks

[IanG]

From memory mine use 100w, but as they are over-run 180volt bulbs they give out a decent amount of light.

Elinchrom do offer different wattages and you need to choose & standardise for yourself, depending what are easy to obtain as replacements.

If you have a trigger they are perfectly safe. But I wouldn't use any mains flash with a DSLR & a direct lead.

Ian

[Phil Hudson]

The "original" modelling lamps were called "Super Leuci" and these were basically overrun household lamps with a distinctive mushroom shape that fitted aroung the flash tube nicely. Google "Super Leuci" and "Elinchrom" you should get what you want.

From what I can remember they were 100W but they were rated at 196v or something somewhat short of the usual 220-240v here in the UK. I guess this produced more light but they have a notoriously short life.

Because of the recent EU directive aimed at phasing out regular incandescent lamps I have heard that a similarly specified halogen replacement lamp is available as an alternative. It is supposed to have a much longer life.

IIRC the small flash tube diameter of the Elinchrom units prevents the use of a regular photoflood type (they might touch the tube) so the narrow design of the newer halogen types makes sense.

A friend of mine in the UK got his at Mr Cad photographic, www.mrcad.co.uk

Phil