2017-07-26T09:08:21
Rated 5 out of 5
The Mercedes benz of Lighting
Top notch quality and performance.
great service from ADORAMA & my sales specialist Mr. Arthur is the best and most knowledgeable pro to guide you with your questions.
I bought 2 of these and planning to buy 2 more soon.
MARTIN A.
2017-03-22T08:42:51
Rated 4 out of 5
Almost Perfect
The light and battery work beautifully together and with the rest of my Elinchrom lighting setup. However I would have preferred to have a fitted case to slip the battery into rather than using a strap attached to the top of the unit. Of course I understand that this might cause heat issues. I also would have preferred the battery be lighter in weight. You can't have everything.
MICHAEL R.
2015-05-25T21:00:00
Rated 4 out of 5
fairly portable, still a few quirks
This is my second Quadra Powerpack. The first is still going strong (after having to be repaired once) but I just needed a second. So, after using the system for about 3 years, I know it pretty well.
On the plus side it is fairly small and the heads are light enough to be boomed over just about anything. I've stuck it in corners, hung it from a scissor clamp from a drop ceiling, and have done all day "run and gun" shoots with it in a backpack. If you're not doing anything too fancy, like trying to synchronize with a Canon/Nikon flash with pre-flashes, you really don't need to carry around the instructions.
The remote firing is pretty good. The transmitter is small which is a plus and I'd say that it has about a 95% fire rate from 20+ feet.
So... the negatives...
I've had one instance where it seems that the battery doesn't make connections when the pack is hanging from the supplied strap. I think it might actually be pulling loose. They offer the "Snappy" which is sort of a mesh bag to put it in, but I don't understand the purpose of it, as you have to use the original strap. What I wish was provided was a way to screw in a 5/8" bolt so I could super clamp this to a stand. That would make moving from location to location faster and safer. It would also allow me to use the battery/generator as a counter weight on a boom arm. There is an aftermarket item for this for the Paul Puff Vagabond II, which would be ideal in this case.
Secondly, the heads. While this doesn't have to do with the generator/battery per se, you can't use this without the heads, so it's really all part of the package. The head casing, including both mounts, don't feel very solid. This limits the size of the modifier you can safely put on it. I haven't broken one yet, but I swear I've heard it whimper with larger umbrellas and mods. This is understandable, given it's intended use. What is a little more baffling is that the adapter you must use to allow the use of a regular Elinchrom speed ring also feels flimsy. Because I use soft boxes much of the time I usually store the Quadra heads on the adapter mount, and put a regular elinchrom cap on it. Unfortunately, at that point, it's not very portable to transport anymore, but it's a bit faster to set up.
All in all, despite the cost and the lower power, I actually like the idea of Profoto's B2, especially in that you don't need an additional adapter to use standard speed rings. I'm also waiting for Elinchrom to come up with something similar to the Profoto B1. Overall I like Elinchrom's modifiers better than their lights.
MATTHEW R.
