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Broncolor scores big with this best-in-class studio flash generator.
Though digital cameras large and small seem to grab all the headlines these days, what's been happening in the world of studio lighting in the last few years has, arguably, been just as exciting.
Take the lowly flash generator, for example. Once a hulking brick of a device that looked more like it belonged under the hood of an 18-wheeler than in a fancy photo studio, the typical battery pack has slimmed down while amping up speed, power and features. Back in the April 2009 issue of PDN, we looked at one of the slimmest and fastest flash generators on the market, the Profoto Pro-8a Air, which was so quick on the draw - recycle time of 0.9 seconds at a full 2400 watt-seconds of power - the focusing systems of our digital SLRs had trouble keeping up. Or as my co-tester Jason Groupp put it at the time: "It's almost like shooting in natural light."
And now here's the Broncolor Scoro A4S, another highend power pack that promises as much as the Profoto and just a little bit more. Cost-conscious photographers out there might feel some understandable sticker shock when they see the price tags on these deluxe generators, however. Both the Pro-8a Air and Scoro sell for just a hair under $11,000 which is a major Investment, especially for those of us struggling to make ends meet in this scary recession era.
Having said that - and I seem to say things relating to the faltering economy in this column every month now both the Profoto and, in particular, the new Broncolor pack offer an abundance of control, very easy-to-use interfaces, and the ability to pulse out gorgeous bursts of light that will make your studio work look splendid, especially if you shoot any kind of movement.
So while 11 grand could certainly help pay down your personal and/or business debt, there are other options out there that'll help you get your hands on these packs including either renting a Pro-8a Air or Scoro, or trying a lease-to-own deal.
But enough of the financials; let's take a look at the Scoro, one of the more daring flash generators out there right now.
KEEPING SCORO