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 Calumet's Travelite monolights have a reputation as solidly built, well-priced strobes, and, though designed for location use (they mate with Calumet's Travel-Pak portable batteries), we've seen them double as resident studio-lighting systems, too. If you're a studio start-up, the Travelite 1875-watt-second (Ws) kit for $1,700 is worth considering.
The kit (at right) is ideal for portrait or product work. You get three monolights (one 375 Ws, two 750 Ws), light stands, a pair of umbrellas, reflectors, and carrying cases. Other accessories include a 24x32-inch softbox, snoot, and sync cord.
Housed in tough plastic, the heads offer top-mounted slave triggers, 250-watt standard halogen modeling lamps, user-replaceable flashtubes, and convenient carrying handles. The four-section light stands use rugged, plastic screw locks with rounded, finger-friendly locking knobs.
Can these strobes shine? You bet! I set up a typical product shot against a white seamless, unpacked the Travelites, and was admiring professional results on my laptop screen within 15 minutes. I especially liked the heads' continuously adjustable power (full to 1/32nd power), which was well-suited to holding highlight detail when shooting digital.
Calumet rates the flashtube's color temperature at 5600K ± 300K. I measured 6200K at full power, 5800K at half power, and 5600K at 1/32nd power. Recycle times for the 750 Ws heads were between three and 0.9 sec. Par for the course.
Gripes? There's no ready beep. The modeling light dims during recycle, which some photographers find annoying. Also, a second softbox would've been nice in a three-head “portrait” kit. But, at $1,700, you're still getting a lot for your buck.
For info: www.calumetphoto.com; 800-225-8638.
What's Hot
Plenty of power.
Adjust down to 1/32nd.
Portable power options.
What's Not
No ready beep.
Stands don't go lower than 34 inches.
Test button not labeled.
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