New Einstein Strobes (Unpacking and First Impressions)

Paul Buff’s new Einsteins “2.0” are finally in the house!

Dave and I quickly opened them — noting that they were well packed and had arrived unharmed 🙂

We then went through a quick comparison with the first version of the Einsteins. There was little physical difference between the two. The face plate looked a little nicer (it sported a polished finished this time, instead original’s matte surface) and the new accessory clamps looked a bit more robust. We haven’t had a chance to put it completely through its paces but we’ll give an update in a few months.

We also compared the Einstein to our Elinchrom 600Rx and our Broncolor C40. Even though the Einsteins are of a less imposing “stature”, they do pack a LOT of power in the small form factor.

The real change for the strobes, however, is beneath the “hood” so to speak. The original Einsteins were troubled by spotty pocket wizard performance (a deal breaker for us) and heating issues with the modeling lamp.

As soon as we could, we tested the new Einstein units with our pocket wizards. A happy surprise, they worked! We fired off a hundred shots all around the studio and had zero issues.

The modeling lamp seemed fine but we will check it out with extended use. Our original Einsteins will be traded in to Paul Buff (a class act in that regard) and we will have 4 of the new unit to put through their paces. We’ll give the updated review in 2-3 months of extended use. We’ll really get into our likes and peeves with the system.