Thursday, June 10, 2010

Innovatronix Rolls Out the Tronix Speedfire

What's a Tronix Speedfire? It's an A/C power supply for your Canon Speedlite or Nikon Speedlight.

Simply plug one end of the Tronix Speedfire's cable into an A/C wall socket, the other to your Canon or Nikon flash, and voilĂ ! You can kiss replacing those "AA" batteries, over and over, goodbye! And get this: The Tronix Speedfire recycles your flash in less than a second! I'm a big fan of faster recycle times.

The Tronix SpeedFire provides power to the flash only. Your flash's other functions, such as the LCD display, exposure processing, and other controls, are still powered by the internal "AA" batteries housed in the flash unit. But those functions don't drain much power. It's the flash itself that depletes your batteries and the Tronix Speedfire replaces the need for batteries for that power-depleting function.

You might wonder about overheating with the fast recycle time which enables you to shoot repetetive flashes in a short period of time. That's always a problem with small flashes regardless of what's powering them. Innovatronix recommends a cool-down period after firing 40 continuous, full-power flashes to avoid any damage. That's great advice regardless of what's powering your flash devices.

So check it out! The Tronix Speedfire from the good folks at Innovatronix. They also sell them as kits, with a sotbox and adaptor for your flash. If your a Facebook person, like I am, check out the new Tronix Speedfire Facebook Page and click "Like."

The pretty girl at the top is Hannah from some time back, shot at a Harley dealership. Hot chicks always look hotter on a Harley!

2 comments:

Von R Buzard said...

AWESOME
I use the Nikon SB800 and SB900

This will be great to use in studio and on location

EleganceAndChaos said...

For those still wanting portability I noticed that B&H is carrying these high voltage battery packs starting in July

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/294330-REG/SP_Studio_Systems_SPDCBPRC_Power_Pack_for_SP.html

They appear to be similar to the Quantum Turbo and Lumedyne power packs but are priced in same range as the new Tronix Speedfire system.
It looks like a nice alternative for those that don't want to be dependent on AC power.

Only a used Lumedyne micro-cycler is going to be cheaper than this setup and not by much. I am hoping to try the new power pack out in the future myself. Maybe Jimmy can get SP to spot him a power pack so he can give us a review.

I have to say I prefer the convenience and durablity of monolights in the studio though.

If I was on a budget I don't know which system I would pick the SpeedFire or the SP Power Pack.
The SpeedFire is a nice bridge to monolights or a pack strobe system.
I always find the need to stop and wait for the flash to cool down frustrating when I shoot with my
Lumedyne or Quantum power packs though. I added a Q-Flash to my equipment for that very reason.
The limited power is still not that great in some siuations though.

In the end it is all about workflow and how you want to work and interact with your model. Everyone will have different preferences.