Speedotron 1205CX 2 CC Head Air Travel Kit - Includes: 1205CX - 1200 S Power Pack, 2-202VF Color Corrected Flash Heads, Umbrellas, Sync Cord, Stands, 3-Section Air Case

The 1205 CX is the right size and the right power for me. From a medium soft box with both baffles in, at normal portrait working distances 800 WS gives me f:16 + so I turn the power down. Even in a larger soft box or with a multi light tree I usually need to power down to about 600 WS to achieve the larger aperture I want. If you use one of the giant 7 foot + beauty boxes / umbrellas with a diffuser or bounce light into foam core you still do not need more than 800 WS. For overpowering the sun, right around 800-1000 WS on the key light is enough to make a sunlit background or bright sky go 2 stops darker than the subject. Dialing power up & down is a breeze. For the way I work it is clearly optimal to have at least two packs - rather than one large pack - so I can move lights around - each pack closer to a stand or boom. 2 1205's are more useful than one 2400, and so forth. Speedotron is still the most durable, most reliable, high quality of light flash I have seen. When you buy a pack you buy into the whole system. When you work for a while with variety of booms, stands, reflectors, diffusers & light modifiers and getting into regular rigging, packing and testing you begin to appreciate the Speedotron system and the way it is strong enough, versatile enough and configurable enough to do anything you want. All of my Chimera, Photek and Elinchrom (including the Elinchrom indirects with adapters) modifiers work with Speedotron heads. The light out of a 1205 with 102 & 202 heads is consistent shot to shot - all day long. Speedotron flash duration has a longer spec up over 1200 WS (which I do not exceed out of choice) than some other brands - but it is more than adequate for stopping human movement or catching flying hair. If you are trying for the frozen water droplet thing you already know what equipment is best for that purpose. You can get a Speedotron bi-tube head for that if it is what you want. On rapid recycle the 1205 is very fast. On slow recycle it is still fairy quick and as practical matter I hardly ever notice the difference. Slow recycle helps if you are at a location with low amperage like an older building or are drawing from an inverter / battery pack. Speedotron does not currently use a digital display or controls on their studio packsI am not sure why. It may be that it would affect their legendary reliability or that there is simply no need. While the 1205 CX is small and relatively light it could be even smaller & lighter. I have been using Speedotrons for 30 years. I have never had any issues with their equipment other than a set screw coming loose on a knob that was fixed in 20 seconds without shipping the pack. Speedotron service used to have a reputation for being quick and inexpensive from anywhere in the country. The company has recently been absorbed by Promark. My understanding is that Speedotron is still acting as an independent division with its own service, but I have never had to ship anything back to them.

Use mostly for product and portrait photography. I like the power distribution and the four light unit outlets. The 1205CX are admittedly heavy, but very reliable and rugged. So please build more Speedotron stuff for european voltage.