Warning priolite marketing claims

mikeSF · 01-30-2017, 11:06 AM - **2 Likes**

I finally got to use the light in practice with some 1/3200th and 1/4000th sec shutter speeds on the 645Z. These are processed and cropped, but in practice, I did not notice any issues. Vignetting added in post, btw.

Water Droplet

Raindrops Keep Falling

**clackers** · 01-30-2017, 12:37 PM

Originally posted by UncleVanya

Might be easier to see on a uniform white wall shot.

With no ambient.

**UncleVanya** · 01-30-2017, 01:08 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by mikeSF

I finally got to use the light in practice with some 1/3200th and 1/4000th sec shutter speeds on the 645Z. These are processed and cropped, but in practice, I did not notice any issues. Vignetting added in post, btw.

Water Droplet

Raindrops Keep Falling

The second shot is lovely.

dfp771 · 01-30-2017, 11:03 PM

I just saw this thread and would like to add my observations. I use a Pentax K-1 with two Cactus V6ii triggers triggering an Elinchrom ELB400 unit with a HS flash head. I can use this flash in HSS mode or "Powersync" /Hi-sync mode. I initially tested the Cactus triggers and you can see my first results in this older thread :
Short flash duration vs high speed shutter/HSS flash - PentaxForums.com
After some helpful advice from ClassA, I found I could gain about 2/3 stop by using Powersync vs NORMAL HSS. With this flash using a 7" reflector as a modifier from 6 ft the power I measure with my flash meter is F25 @ ISO 100, 1/200th second. So I should be able to shoot in broad daylight, overpower the sun, and get the appearance that my subject is in the shade/dark by shooting @ F8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 100! The light from the 7" reflector will be harsh and dramatic but this should work. I'll have to try this to confirm.

dfp771 · 01-31-2017, 05:06 PM

OK, I completed my testing from above. With the Elinchrom ELB400 and a Quadra HS flash head, I can shoot portraits (1-2 people) @ F8, 1/4000 sec, ISO 100. So, even with a light modifier I can shoot in almost any outdoor condition-even broad sun at the beach- and turn the background dark in order to focus on the subject. As has been shown by Elinchrom on Youtube, the ELB400 can freeze a skier in broad daylight in snow or a skateboarder at a skateboard park at noontime. Since my focus is portraits, for location work the general rule of thumb is to manually set your camera so the exposure with out flash is under-exposed by about 1 stop. Then you add flash to bring your subject out of the background. Sometimes, if the background is bright and uniform- like a lake or the sky- you can deliberately over expose the background by up to 1 stop, use flash to illuminate your subject normally. This will give the photo a bright, dreamy, hazy quality which can be nice for portraits of women. So having one flash for location work can be very helpful.

mikeSF · 02-01-2017, 12:41 AM

ok, good to know, thanks. I think from what i've read the Elinchrom ELB400 should be able to work w/Pentax due to the long flash duration at high power. I would be curious however if there is any good news when using the Elinchrom on the 645D or Z, since that larger mechanical shutter seems to be where the Priolite is at its performance limit. Any thoughts?

Pentax31 · 03-27-2017, 08:47 AM

I have sponsored two units of the PRIOLITE 500 ULTRA´s in the summer of 2016 thru the KICKSTARTER project. I don´t know where my money went. To the PRIOLITE US company or to the manufacturing company in Germany ?? Or it went to Kickstarter ? I really don`t know. I only know that I have not received anything up to date.... (2017...)
This PRIOLITE experience is very frustrating since it was a lot of money for me.....

Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

**mattb123** · 03-27-2017, 09:17 AM

Originally posted by Pentax31

I have sponsored two units of the PRIOLITE 500 ULTRA´s in the summer of 2016 thru the KICKSTARTER project. I don´t know where my money went. To the PRIOLITE US company or to the manufacturing company in Germany ?? Or it went to Kickstarter ? I really don`t know. I only know that I have not received anything up to date.... (2017...)
This PRIOLITE experience is very frustrating since it was a lot of money for me.....

Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

Have they emailed you with any estimates or updates?

mikeSF · 03-27-2017, 11:39 AM

Originally posted by Pentax31

I have sponsored two units of the PRIOLITE 500 ULTRA´s in the summer of 2016 thru the KICKSTARTER project. I don´t know where my money went. To the PRIOLITE US company or to the manufacturing company in Germany ?? Or it went to Kickstarter ? I really don`t know. I only know that I have not received anything up to date.... (2017...)
This PRIOLITE experience is very frustrating since it was a lot of money for me.....

Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

what are they telling you?
The last bit of comments I saw on the kickstarter page were from the end of December and there was a guy still waiting, Samten Norbu. Is this you?

PRIOLITE ULTRA, 1/8000th Flash Sync Compact Li-Ion Monolight by PRIOLITE ? Kickstarter

I would be rattling that cage every day if i were you.

Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

Pentax31 · 03-27-2017, 11:09 PM

I have written Kickstarter but there was no answer. I hope to get a positive answer from the "info" mail address that was given by Kickstarter since it is the person or company that offered to sponsor this project. It`s the same address as on their webpage. Not sure if they are in NY or California? I am still hoping for a refund.

mikeSF · 03-28-2017, 03:01 AM

Originally posted by Pentax31

I have written Kickstarter but there was no answer. I hope to get a positive answer from the "info" mail address that was given by Kickstarter since it is the person or company that offered to sponsor this project. It`s the same address as on their webpage. Not sure if they are in NY or California? I am still hoping for a refund.

oh, the kickstarter orders were fulfilled by a group in the USA?
I dealt with a German distributor (not part of the kickstarter), and it took just over 1 month to receive my kit, FWIW.
Good luck and you should challenge the credit card charge at the very least.

Bob L · 03-31-2017, 01:36 AM

There's a guy called Kevin at "info@priolite.us" and he was always responsive and helped with a couple of small issues that I had. I believe that all the Kickstarter pledges should have been fullfilled about 3 months ago.

FWIW, I have three of the lights and they're performing as advertised/predicted.....excellent bits of kit.

Bob

Pentax31 · 04-07-2017, 11:14 AM

Thanks Bob L, thanks MikeSF for trying to help!

The last mail (of many, since 2016) was from Feb 2nd 2017 telling me that I would get a refund if I did not get the ULTRA`s by mail.

I am still hoping to get my money back.... I will let you know how this ends up.

Pentax31 · 07-03-2017, 06:48 PM

I gave up waiting.

Class A · 07-04-2017, 04:43 AM

Originally posted by Pentax31

Unfortunately this scam is continuing.

I don't think it is fair to speak of a "scam", at least as far as PrioLite is concerned. I don't know any details, but at least the German company appears to be very reputable. From what I have witnessed, it seems that the former US distributor (now replaced?!?) appears to have dropped the ball at least in some cases, but that's not the same a PrioLite being an accomplice in a "scam".

Originally posted by Pentax31

Joachim Renschke from Germany has emailed me about the "huge success" that this Priolite ULTRA Kickstarter promotion has been.

Joachim Renschke was formerly the director of Hensel. He then founded PrioLite. He seems to be a person of integrity and I find it very hard to believe that PrioLite did not deliver on products or service. One cannot expect them to pick up the pieces that someone else (the former US distributor) caused.

Originally posted by Pentax31

Mr. Renschke even took my money directly from me when I purchased a trigger (for Pentax) from the german factory for the use of the two ULTRA`s that I had purchased on this project.

Did he deliver the trigger? If so, why wouldn't he take your money?

Originally posted by Pentax31

The problem is that when you encounter this type of internet scam, if more than one country (worldwide) is involved, it is very, very hard to get your money back.

Again, you make it look like there was concerted effort to scam people. From the outside, it does not look like that, though.

I hope you can still somehow resolve the matter with the responsible party.

02-01-2017, 12:41 AM	#51
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,622	ok, good to know, thanks. I think from what i've read the Elinchrom ELB400 should be able to work w/Pentax due to the long flash duration at high power. I would be curious however if there is any good news when using the Elinchrom on the 645D or Z, since that larger mechanical shutter seems to be where the Priolite is at its performance limit. Any thoughts? Last edited by mikeSF; 02-01-2017 at 12:57 AM.

03-27-2017, 11:39 AM	#54
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,622	Originally posted by Pentax31 I have sponsored two units of the PRIOLITE 500 ULTRA´s in the summer of 2016 thru the KICKSTARTER project. I don´t know where my money went. To the PRIOLITE US company or to the manufacturing company in Germany ?? Or it went to Kickstarter ? I really don`t know. I only know that I have not received anything up to date.... (2017...) This PRIOLITE experience is very frustrating since it was a lot of money for me..... Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com what are they telling you? The last bit of comments I saw on the kickstarter page were from the end of December and there was a guy still waiting, Samten Norbu. Is this you? PRIOLITE ULTRA, 1/8000th Flash Sync Compact Li-Ion Monolight by PRIOLITE ? Kickstarter I would be rattling that cage every day if i were you. Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com Last edited by mikeSF; 04-01-2017 at 05:54 AM.

07-03-2017, 06:48 PM	#59
Pentax31 New Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 9	I gave up waiting. Last edited by Pentax31; 07-06-2017 at 12:54 AM.

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01-30-2017, 11:06 AM - 2 Likes	#46
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,622	I finally got to use the light in practice with some 1/3200th and 1/4000th sec shutter speeds on the 645Z. These are processed and cropped, but in practice, I did not notice any issues. Vignetting added in post, btw. Water Droplet Raindrops Keep Falling

01-30-2017, 12:37 PM	#47
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by UncleVanya Might be easier to see on a uniform white wall shot. With no ambient.

01-30-2017, 01:08 PM - 1 Like	#48
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,454	Originally posted by mikeSF I finally got to use the light in practice with some 1/3200th and 1/4000th sec shutter speeds on the 645Z. These are processed and cropped, but in practice, I did not notice any issues. Vignetting added in post, btw. Water Droplet Raindrops Keep Falling The second shot is lovely.

01-30-2017, 11:03 PM	#49
dfp771 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Monterey County, California Photos: Albums Posts: 97	I just saw this thread and would like to add my observations. I use a Pentax K-1 with two Cactus V6ii triggers triggering an Elinchrom ELB400 unit with a HS flash head. I can use this flash in HSS mode or "Powersync" /Hi-sync mode. I initially tested the Cactus triggers and you can see my first results in this older thread : Short flash duration vs high speed shutter/HSS flash - PentaxForums.com After some helpful advice from ClassA, I found I could gain about 2/3 stop by using Powersync vs NORMAL HSS. With this flash using a 7" reflector as a modifier from 6 ft the power I measure with my flash meter is F25 @ ISO 100, 1/200th second. So I should be able to shoot in broad daylight, overpower the sun, and get the appearance that my subject is in the shade/dark by shooting @ F8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 100! The light from the 7" reflector will be harsh and dramatic but this should work. I'll have to try this to confirm.

01-31-2017, 05:06 PM	#50
dfp771 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Monterey County, California Photos: Albums Posts: 97	OK, I completed my testing from above. With the Elinchrom ELB400 and a Quadra HS flash head, I can shoot portraits (1-2 people) @ F8, 1/4000 sec, ISO 100. So, even with a light modifier I can shoot in almost any outdoor condition-even broad sun at the beach- and turn the background dark in order to focus on the subject. As has been shown by Elinchrom on Youtube, the ELB400 can freeze a skier in broad daylight in snow or a skateboarder at a skateboard park at noontime. Since my focus is portraits, for location work the general rule of thumb is to manually set your camera so the exposure with out flash is under-exposed by about 1 stop. Then you add flash to bring your subject out of the background. Sometimes, if the background is bright and uniform- like a lake or the sky- you can deliberately over expose the background by up to 1 stop, use flash to illuminate your subject normally. This will give the photo a bright, dreamy, hazy quality which can be nice for portraits of women. So having one flash for location work can be very helpful.

03-27-2017, 08:47 AM	#52
Pentax31 New Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 9	I have sponsored two units of the PRIOLITE 500 ULTRA´s in the summer of 2016 thru the KICKSTARTER project. I don´t know where my money went. To the PRIOLITE US company or to the manufacturing company in Germany ?? Or it went to Kickstarter ? I really don`t know. I only know that I have not received anything up to date.... (2017...) This PRIOLITE experience is very frustrating since it was a lot of money for me..... Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

03-27-2017, 09:17 AM	#53
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,873	Originally posted by Pentax31 I have sponsored two units of the PRIOLITE 500 ULTRA´s in the summer of 2016 thru the KICKSTARTER project. I don´t know where my money went. To the PRIOLITE US company or to the manufacturing company in Germany ?? Or it went to Kickstarter ? I really don`t know. I only know that I have not received anything up to date.... (2017...) This PRIOLITE experience is very frustrating since it was a lot of money for me..... Read more at: LIGHTNING : new PRIOLITE MBX500HS ULTRA in sight - kick-starter interesting prices ! - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com Have they emailed you with any estimates or updates?

03-27-2017, 11:09 PM	#55
Pentax31 New Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 9	I have written Kickstarter but there was no answer. I hope to get a positive answer from the "info" mail address that was given by Kickstarter since it is the person or company that offered to sponsor this project. It`s the same address as on their webpage. Not sure if they are in NY or California? I am still hoping for a refund.

03-28-2017, 03:01 AM	#56
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,622	Originally posted by Pentax31 I have written Kickstarter but there was no answer. I hope to get a positive answer from the "info" mail address that was given by Kickstarter since it is the person or company that offered to sponsor this project. It`s the same address as on their webpage. Not sure if they are in NY or California? I am still hoping for a refund. oh, the kickstarter orders were fulfilled by a group in the USA? I dealt with a German distributor (not part of the kickstarter), and it took just over 1 month to receive my kit, FWIW. Good luck and you should challenge the credit card charge at the very least.

03-31-2017, 01:36 AM	#57
Bob L Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: La Vienne (86), France Posts: 223	There's a guy called Kevin at "info@priolite.us" and he was always responsive and helped with a couple of small issues that I had. I believe that all the Kickstarter pledges should have been fullfilled about 3 months ago. FWIW, I have three of the lights and they're performing as advertised/predicted.....excellent bits of kit. Bob

04-07-2017, 11:14 AM	#58
Pentax31 New Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 9	Thanks Bob L, thanks MikeSF for trying to help! The last mail (of many, since 2016) was from Feb 2nd 2017 telling me that I would get a refund if I did not get the ULTRA`s by mail. I am still hoping to get my money back.... I will let you know how this ends up.

07-04-2017, 04:43 AM	#60
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by Pentax31 Unfortunately this scam is continuing. I don't think it is fair to speak of a "scam", at least as far as PrioLite is concerned. I don't know any details, but at least the German company appears to be very reputable. From what I have witnessed, it seems that the former US distributor (now replaced?!?) appears to have dropped the ball at least in some cases, but that's not the same a PrioLite being an accomplice in a "scam". Originally posted by Pentax31 Joachim Renschke from Germany has emailed me about the "huge success" that this Priolite ULTRA Kickstarter promotion has been. Joachim Renschke was formerly the director of Hensel. He then founded PrioLite. He seems to be a person of integrity and I find it very hard to believe that PrioLite did not deliver on products or service. One cannot expect them to pick up the pieces that someone else (the former US distributor) caused. Originally posted by Pentax31 Mr. Renschke even took my money directly from me when I purchased a trigger (for Pentax) from the german factory for the use of the two ULTRA`s that I had purchased on this project. Did he deliver the trigger? If so, why wouldn't he take your money? Originally posted by Pentax31 The problem is that when you encounter this type of internet scam, if more than one country (worldwide) is involved, it is very, very hard to get your money back. Again, you make it look like there was concerted effort to scam people. From the outside, it does not look like that, though. I hope you can still somehow resolve the matter with the responsible party.