Finally - A Battery To Get Charged Up About

Pardon the corny heading. Battery and charging and all that - it is he legacy of hack writing for newspapers and small publications. At least I didn't use the WAR! typeface or Gotcha!

The product that got me going is an answer to the enquiries we get regarding portable studios. Lots of people have studio mono-block kits made by Elinchrom and Bowens - as well as other manufacturers - and want to take the lights out into the open where they cannot access AC mains.

Some firms make battery sets that can power these mono-blocks.  I remember that they were lead-acid types that weighed a fair bit  and were bulky. Some units, like the inexpensive D-lite sets from Elinchrom, did not have a connection point for an DC battery. Users were forced to go over to the speed-light system and work with little AA cells.

Now they can have the battery pack option out in the field. Jin-bei is a Chinese manufacturer who has made a number of flash units, soft boxes , and light stands. They have brought out the EN-350 inverter set. Please see the images and note that they device converts the DC from the Li-ion battery to AC and allows two conventional Australian cords to plug in. Your D-lite will chug away quite happily just as usual for a hundred shots or so.

It is light enough to be packed easily over one shoulder and comes with a padded bag and a dedicated clamp that allows you to attach it to the side of a standard light stand. The whole lot in one small footprint. I should thoroughly recommend a D-lite 4 head, a 44cm Minisoft beauty dish , and this inverter for a one-light field portrait setup. I have tried it on me and it makes ME look beautiful...

Seriously useful for a small price - $ 399.