Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Directional reflectors like the PLM and HOBD, Retro Laser and 11RLT focus the fan noise just like the light.

As my ealier posts said in this thread. Still love them. No problems. And I did get the money and bought 5 more

Wow, looks like this one was dug out of the archives.....I'll echo what others have said and love my Einsteins. For the cost/feature ratio, there's really nothing better out there. They seem to be a little on the fragile which concerns me when I will be traveling with them in a Pelican case on an airplane handled by baggage destroyers and the TSA. I think I will need to pack some extra foam in there or just make it heavy enough so they can't throw the case :). Or just remove the flash tubes and fuses prior to flying.

But really, you can pay a lot more for flashes and get a marginal gain in performance in relation to a significant bump in price. The really important things to me were the consistent 5600k color temp throughout the power range....and from one pop of the flash to the next. The 9 stop range was a big selling point to me. Then there's flash duration, which was another biggie for me. The fact that I can easily integrate the MC2's with my PW FlexTT5's and Mini is another huge bonus. The compact and lightweight size of the flash is important - I've had an Einstein along with 3 SB-900's and my camera, lenses, lightstand, VML w/ extra battery, 64" PLM, etc. all in (and on) a Think Tank Airport Security walking through Boston and on the train. I also lugged an Einstein on a stand w/ PLM attached as well as the VML all around the TD Garden in Boston during a shoot, and it was great. Plenty of power in a small, lightweight package.

I haven't had issues with modifiers falling off as others have stated, and I've had my 47" Octa on a boom arm hanging straight down for a long time.....no slippage. Seriously, for the price, you really can't beat the Einsteins. I have four, and will probably buy two more at some point....along with a Zeus or two later on down the road when I need to create an artificial sun lol

Ditto I have 3 and couldn't like without them use them in studio and on location they work great. I use them with PW's Mini and MC2. PCB ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have six Einsteins; five in daily use, one as a spare. Are they perfect? No; few things are. But, they come darn close.

Einsteins are, above all else, a superb value. Measured using a bang-for-the-buck yardstick, they vastly outshine (pun intended) the competition. Great exposures, consistent color, and ultra-short exposures when needed. The ability to control all aspects of their operation from the palm of one's hand is, itself, an enormous value and contributes greatly to efficient photography. The softboxes, PLMs, grids, and other accessories are also a uniformly excellent value.

My one negative comment relates to the accessory mount, a topic about which volumes have already been written. The four spring-loaded fingers instill little confidence in me, especially when used with the large 40x60-inch softboxes. I completely understand the choice of a Balcar-compatible mount -- for backward compatibility with previous Buff products. Perhaps this system was selected years ago because licensing fees were low or non-existent. I can't address that aspect. Nevertheless, despite this deficiency, I see no reason to ever get rid of my Einsteins.

I will conclude on this note: The customer service provided by the fine people of Paul C. Buff Inc. is without equal. Anywhere. Anytime. That alone is invaluable to anyone who relies on this equipment to make a living. Just try and get a similar level of service from Canon or Nikon -- companies at which you spent many times the money you did at Buff. It ain't gonna happen.