Elinchrom, a Switzerland-based lighting company, manufacturers photography equipment that includes light banks, spot lights and compact flash units, such as the EL 500. The EL 500 is a small, light weight and portable version of a studio flash bulb, which is used to illuminate the display in front of a camera as a photographer snaps photographs. The Elinchrom 500 may seem small when compared to a full-sized standing unit, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in power.
Flash
The bulb's flash duration is 1/2600 of a second. It has a plug-in flash tube that is inserted by sliding the bulb directly into the unit. No further assembly is required. The variable flash power is stepless, which means that the transition between the lowest and highest speed settings for the duration of flashes is seamless and fluid. When using a 230 volt battery, the minimum flash recycling time is 0.3 seconds and the maximum flash recycling time is 0.9 seconds. When using a 115 volt battery, the minimum flash recycling time is 0.4 seconds and the maximum flash recycling time is 1.6 seconds. Flash recycling time is the amount of time it takes for the battery or power source of the bulb to regenerate enough power to create another flash. The quicker the flash recycling time, the more frequently the bulb will flash.
Power
The modeling lamp contains a 100 watt bulb and exerts 500 joules during usage. Joules are units of energy. The trigger voltage (or strobe voltage), which is the amount of energy exerted firing the flash bulb, is 12 volts. This is fairly low power, as other Elinchrom equipment registers up to 30 volts.
Measurements
The body of the EL 500 is black in color. The bulb is clear and tubular in shape. It measures 28.5 cm in length and 13.5 cm in diameter. The total weight of the equipment, including the body and the bulb, is 2.25 kg.
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