Interfit Stellar X Monolight - 600 Watt/Seconds (120VAC)

Comments about Interfit Stellar X Monolight - 600 Watt/Seconds (120VAC):

Don't get me wrong this is a great unit. However there are no real instructions with the unit. So if someone has never worked with a studio flash like this said consumer might get a tad frustrated trying to figure out to use the unit.

I did contact Interfit and explain I am writing a brief user guide and then giving Interfit the guide for free.

Again I love the flash, it's just I have not worked in a commercial studio since 1980 and so it took me a while to figure out what to do.

Here's part of the basic primer:

Before plugging the flash head into an electrical outlet make certain that the switch is turned off which is the letter "O".

TEST: The red TEST button is no different than the test fire button on shoe mount flash units and just as the name implies, if you press the red TEST button the flash will fire.

SOUND: The SOUND button causes your studio flash to emit a loud "beep" to let you know that the flash has been fired and when the flash is ready for another exposure.

MODEL: This button activates the modeling lamp. It is best to use the modeling lamp for as short a period of time as possible. The modeling lamp gets hot and by using the modeling lamp only when needed you improve the life of the modeling lamp.

SENSOR: The SENSOR switch activates the "built in slave". This means that if you have depressed the SENSOR button, then the built in flash or shoe mount flash on your film or digital camera will trigger the Interfit flash. I prefer using the SENSOR / Built In Slave function as I do not like moving about with a cable between my camera and the studio flash.

POWER CONTROL KNOB: Have you ever used a dimmer control knob for a light in your home. Well the knob on your Interfit flash that reads from 1/16 to FULL is basically a dimmer switch that controls the power output of your Interfit unit. 1/16 is the least power output. FULL needless to say produces the highest output from the flash.

Comments about Interfit Stellar X Monolight - 600 Watt/Seconds (120VAC):

When the monolight arrived I noticed that the nameplate on each side of the unit was coming loose at the top and bottom of the strips. I tried to push them down but they keep coming loose.[...]The bonding cement on the name strips was apparently faulty.

Comments about Interfit Stellar X Monolight - 600 Watt/Seconds (120VAC):

I am a photography student and I bought this light along with a 300w/s, and they've been almost perfect. I've used them to shoot action photos of dancers, portfolio photos of other artwork, and traditional portraiture.

Pros:
It's very powerful, and can be dialed down if you need.
The recycle time is very quick, so no waiting.
The optical flash sensor is very sensitive.
It's very rugged and doesn't seem fragile at all.
it's very quick to set up and pack up.
The audible recycle beep lets you shoot worry free of missed recycles.
The mount is great, the ability to shift the light so it's well balanced gives you great peace of mind.
Very easy to understand controls.

Cons:
Its definitely not lightweight.
The optical sensor doesn't seem to sync with my Canons pop-up flash, so I had to use an external one to catch the light from it.
The power cords could be a few feet longer.
No in depth instruction manual, this left me having to figure a few things out myself.

Still a great overall buy. Very reliable so far.

Comments about Interfit Stellar X Monolight - 600 Watt/Seconds (120VAC):

Needed to add another light to my kit and chose this light over the Alienbees for it's cost and durability. I purchased the Stellar X Monolight with beauty dish and honeycomb grid. Everything works like it's suppose to. The audible beep (which can be turned on/off) helps to know when the light has recycled. Not too crazy about the 3 second recycle time, but it is worth the wait to me for the cost.

Comments about Interfit Stellar X Monolight - 600 Watt/Seconds (120VAC):

This light is very big. I was surprised at the size when I opened the box up. It's also heavy, of course this is compared to an Alien Bee 1600. The dials and buttons are great and the light is very powerful. It's worth mentioning that the "S" type mount is the same as the Bowens mount. I would buy this product again.