Below we have compiled answers to the most common questions we receive.
What are your lights made of?
All of our lights use an alloy-metal frame, metal exterior covers, and metal hardware for durability and to support heavier modifiers without problems
Where are your lights made?
All of our lights are manufactured and tested in Germany, then they are once more tested in the US before they are shipped out to you
What is the warranty on your lights?
All of our lights include an industry-leading two year warranty covering the internal electronics and mechanical failure
What modifier mount are you using?
All of our lights use the industry’s only combination bayonet, allowing you to mount PRIOLITE modifiers, but also Bowens s-mount and most Hensel speedrings without modification. We also offer adapters and separate speedrings, so you can easily use or convert your Profoto and Elinchrom gear without the need to purchase new light shapers
What cameras are your lights compatible with?
Priolite HotSync currently supports most recent Pentax, Canon, Nikon, and Sony cameras at up to 1/8000th of a second, the Pentax 645Z and 645D at up to 1/4000th, and similar to other strobes, all other focal plane shutter cameras at up to 1/250th
Are you using HSS?
HSS is primarily used in speedlights, because they offer lower power output and smaller capacitors, enabling the quick pulsing that is necessary for HSS to work. In ideal situations, this can produce a very even light, but comes at the cost of overall maximum output, because the more output is required, the slower the flash discharge becomes. This physical limitation makes this approach practically impossible for high output applications.
Are you using hypersync?
Hypersync changes the timing of the flash trigger to when the first curtain starts to move. Most strobes are then able to more or less discharge slow enough at certain power settings (generally only at higher power settings, or lower power settings, depending on the technology used, but usually never across the entire power range). Hypersync is a one-directional technology and requires you to work within a certain power range on your strobe, without it being optimized for various applications automatically.
What is HotSync then?
HotSync uses special electronics to provide the most uniform illumination possible across the ENTIRE POWER RANGE of the strobe, and at ANY SHUTTER SPEED for all supported cameras. Our bi-directional communication between the camera and the strobe enables us to fine-tune the exposure and flash discharge for various camera models without the need to play with settings manually. You will always AUTOMATICALLY get the most consistent flash output at any given power setting and shutter speed.
What is the stopping power of your strobes?
You often hear about the stopping power of a strobe. Many manufacturers compete on who’s having the fastest strobe on the market, but this only matters if you cannot sync above x-sync, AND if your image is not contaminated with any ambient light. If you shoot action and/or want to balance ambient and flash light, the ONLY variable that matters is how fast you can sync to your camera’s shutter. Unlike any other system, all PRIOLITE HotSync lights can synchronize to any supported camera at their maximum shutter speed and at ANY power setting, which means you can stop motion at up to 1/8000th, regardless of ambient light!
What power settings do you offer, and how consistent is your output?
All of our lights use electronically controlled power settings, enabling us to have exact power output from shot to shot, adjustable in 1/10th increments.
What radio trigger are you using and what is the range?
All of our lights use a built-in 2.4GHz radio with an optimized range of up to 1000ft. 2.4GHz is important, because it allows you to travel with your lights anywhere without breaking local laws, and it enables us to offer control for 4 groups with up to 9 lights in each of them. You can control each light individually or all of them at once, you can control the modeling lights, or prevent individual lights from firing: all with the help of our remote control HS. And if you ever change camera manufacturers, all you likely need is to replace the remote, instead of all of your lights.
What batteries are you using, and can I take them on a plane with me?
All of our lights use Li-Ion battery packs, made with Japanese Grade-A cells from a major manufacturer. All of our battery packs are below 100Wh, so they are safe to be taken onto an airplane in your carry-on, or installed into a light when checked. If you fly frequently, take a look at our Airline approved hard shell cases, which will protect your investment whenever you go places.
Do I need to trigger the flash whenever I change power settings?
All of our lights use autodump, meaning that whenever you lower the power setting, the extra charge present in our capacitors is safely reduced without you having to do anything. This saves you an additional step and ensures correct power output any time.
What is X-sync?
X-sync is the maximum shutter speed at which your shutter is fully open, and before the second curtain starts to move and close up the sensor area again. If your flash does not support any form of High Speed Flash Sync, x-sync is the fastest speed you can reliably expose your images with the help of a strobe.
How do I charge the batteries?
All of our lights include a UL/CSA/CE approved multi voltage charger, enabling you to recharge your batteries anywhere you have access to a 110-240V outlet. In addition, we offer an optional 12V car charger for our MBX300 and MBX500 series. You can charge any of our batteries while they are installed inside the unit, or when you have them removed. Charge time varies depending on the charge state of your battery, but should rarely exceed 2 hours time. Our battery packs offer triple protection: the charger has a protective circuit, the battery itself has a battery management system to control the charge state, and the cells inside our battery packs have individual protection circuits as well.
Why would I ever need 1000Ws?
PRIOLITE is the only manufacturer to offer High Speed Flash Sync monolights and pack/head combinations with up to 1000Ws each. While most customers will rarely find the need to go above 500Ws, please keep this in mind: Above x-sync, any strobe becomes effectively a permanent light source (similar to ambient light). For example, if you increase your shutter speed from 1/250th to 1/1000th to drop your ambient light by two stops, you will do the same to your strobe light, meaning that if the strobe was at 20% output earlier for a great flash exposure, you would now have to increase its power to 80% in order to keep the same flash exposure. You could stop down the aperture, but this will equally affect the flash exposure and additionally also the depth of field. Normally, flash is not influenced by shutter speed, hence your flash stays the same, as you increase the shutter and drop ambient light; however, keep in mind that this rule is no longer applicable once you go above x-sync. If high speed action shots, or shooting in direct sunlight is what you do most often, you might want to consider 1000Ws as your key light; for almost any other case the 500Ws units should suffice.
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