Paul C. Buff has started shipping Einstein pre-orders!
1) Here is a look at one of the first Einsteins w/ the CSXCV transceiver and Cyber Commander transmitter! I’m using a school computer, so I don’t have sound. But it is very exciting to finally see them in production! Hopefully I’ll have mine by mid-late summer!
2) Unboxing pictures (courtesy of jacuff on POTN).
Here you can see pictures of the CSXCV transceiver unplugged. It does not use the same mini-phone connection that the previous CyberSync transceivers use. Instead, it is proprietary and will work with the Einsteins only. Note that the CSXCV has the male end of the connection. That is, it has exposed pins that risk being bent. A huge design flaw if you ask me. Then again, they’re only $30 (cheap compared to it’s siblings and competitors.
^^^photo courtesy of ZSutton
4) And here is a brief review from lucky number 001 – the first to receive his Einstein pre-order!
Well, sorta. I’m very pleased with the quality of light that the products produce. However, I’ve had some issues with the defective and broken products (and I’ve only been a customer for less than 2 months).
X1600 – modeling lamp didn’t work. PCB sent me a replacement.
Diffusion sock (beauty dish) – elastic band broke the first time I tried to put it on (and no, I didn’t overstretch it). PCB sent me a replacement.
Inner diffusional panel (giant softbox) – 2/4 buttons broke off. I will be calling PCB tomorrow for a replacement. Edit: They are sending me a replacement (free of charge) via USPS First Class. It should be here by the weekend. Thank goodness for their customer service, or I’d be one very upset customer! Edit: received it yesterday, which is great. I just wish I didn’t have to get a new one to begin with.
I am very pleased with the quality of light that the above mentioned products provide. I just wish I could use everything as it was intended. So far I am very pleased with their customer service, but there is some serious quality control issues over at PCB. Then again, these are budget strobes and accessories (relative to other brands). As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Luckily, their customer service has been outstanding thus far. I don’t think PCB would be nearly as successful if it weren’t for their customer service.
Rocked a shoot with Carissa Christina, a makeup artist (MUA) based in Carslbad, today. Shoot lasted all day and now I’m beat. I’ll update this post (or just make a new one) some time this week. But in the meantime, check out a couple shots.
Edit: As promised, here is a (short) update to the post.
The shoot started at Carissa’s apartment where we got some smokin’ shots (see below, you’ll know what I mean). Around 2 o’clock we wrapped up and our stomachs were getting grouchy, so we head out to Pizza Port in Carlsbad (waaay bigger than their Solana Beach spot) for some bomb Pizza (had the Pizza Roma) and house brewed rootbeer (awesome). Then we headed out to a spot down in Encinitas to work on a ‘lil something Carissa had in mind (you’ll see).
Equipment used on this shoot:
Canon EOS 40D w/ BG-E2N
EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Canon 580EX II Speedlite
Paul C. Buff White Lightning X1600
CyberSync Transmitters
UPS dropped off yet another new toy today – a PCB TS13AC 13-foot Air-cushioned Stand. I picked this up specifically for my X1600 before I decided to return it, but no matter, because it will be used with the Einstein (whenever that arrives).
PCB advertises this stand as 7 lbs, but, either I’ve gotten significantly stronger or it is < 7 lbs. For what it's worth, the shipping weight was listed at 5.5 lbs - but that isn't always accurate. I wish I had a scale around here to check the weight for myself. But the important thing to take away from this is that it's lightweight, making it portable and great for on-location work. Collapsed length is 42.25" with working heights of 42.5" to 13'. The advertised footprint diameter is 44", but I measured the radius at 26", making the diameter a substantial 52". This is ideal for stability when used with studio strobes and large modifiers.
Here are a couple quick snapshots comparing the footprints of the TS13AC to the Impact 8'. It's heard to fully appreciate the footprint of the TS13AC in these pictures.
I picked this bag up at this weekend. All I can say is, “why didn’t I buy this earlier!?” While there isn’t anything particularly special about this bag, it does what it’s intended to. Well, sort of. The TB stands for tripod bag. But I won’t tell if you don’t!
It makes life so much easier. Instead of having to carry three separate light stands, I can throw this bag over my shoulder and free up two hands. This may sound trivial, but it saves at least once trip from the car to the location. This is certainly a justified purchase at only $25.
Pictured above is the bag with three (3) Impact 8′ air cushioned stands with attached umbrella brackets and two (2) Vivitar 285HVs (I probably won’t keep the Vivitars in there normally, I just wanted to see if they fit).
The bag’s dimensions are:
39 3/8″x6 1/4″x7 7/16″
***Excuse the iPhone pictures in the last couple posts!
UPS had a present waiting for me today! And to my surprise, it was my ABR800 ring flash! I ordered a 13′ light stand the day before I ordered the ABR800, but both items shipped the same day. The item that was scheduled to arrived today matched the weight of the light stand, not the ABR800. So I was expecting to come home to a light stand (not that I wouldn’t be excited about that, but this is just so much cooler!). But I’m not complaining!
No test pictures yet. In fact, I’m not even going to assemble it (there’s not much to assemble unless you want to put it on a stand/tripod) until I finish my paper on the American mass media (hurray for political science, not).
I should have some test shots this weekend, though! Can’t wait!!!
But it is very exciting to finally see them in production! Hopefully I’ll have mine by mid-late summer!
