ELB 500 TTL
Get the perfect shot, on the spot
Go create with the most powerful portable TTL light ever
Master your workflow and enjoy total freedom with the ELB 500 TTL.
Designed for adventurous portrait photographers on location or in studio, it sets the light you need for the perfect shot right from the start. Portable and incredibly powerful with a 500 Ws robust battery pack, and complete with TTL, HSS, Active Charging and Full Asymmetry with built-in Skyport receiver.
Following your creative instinct has never been so easy.
Keep it simple
Be ready in seconds with beautiful light in any challenging situation. Simply set the light you want with TTL or switch to manual and explore your full potential.
Follow your instinct
Give maximum expression to your creative ideas on the move. Lightweight and ultracompact, the ELB 500 TTL delivers 400 full power bursts on a single charge.
Master your workflow
Streamline your processes thanks to the seamless HSS feature. The ELB 500 TTL works like a fast and efficient assistant for a super smooth creative journey end-to-end.
Stretch your imagination
Explore the infinite fun of flash photography in and out of the studio. Use two asymmetrical flash heads with your portable ELB 500 TTL for thrilling results.
Effortless handling
for high-end results
Simple. Fast. Powerful.
Create without compromise
© Ab Sesay
Let your creative instinct fly
Take your ideas beyond the limits of any given location with the ELB 500 TTL. With 500 Ws and HSS at your disposal, it’s easy to overpower the sun and create dreamy backgrounds to suit your style in any conditions.
Combine it with the ELB 500 range of accessories to generate perfect light distribution, unmatched color quality and exceptional consistency with countless setups wherever you shoot.
© Ab Sesay
Power with HSS
Freeze motion in Action Mode or use High Speed Sync.
Darken or outshine the ambient light or use a wider aperture: the Elinchrom Transmitter Pro gives you access to HSS to seamlessly synchronize at speeds up to 1/8000s.
Easy set-up
The world’s most powerful portable strobe is the simplest to use too. Just plug into the mains using Active Charge for a studio shoot and rely on the battery for location work.
With 400 full power flashes on a single charge and a 2-second recycling time, it delivers no matter what.
Get set for your next adventure.
ELB 500 TTL – Kits
ELB 500 TTL - Off-Camera Flash Kit
EL10309.1
ELB 500 TTL - Dual Off-Camera Flash Kit
EL10310.1
ELB 500 TTL One Light Portrait Kit
EL10300.1
What's included?
ELB 500 TTL – Off-Camera Flash Kit
EL10309.1
1x ELB 500 Snappy – EL19254
1x ELB 500 Charger – EL19277
1x ELB 500 Battery – EL19297
1x ELB 500 TTL (without battery) – EL10232.1
1x ELB 500 Head – EL20190
1x Q-Reflector Grid 18cm (7″) – EL26056
1x ProTec Location Bag – EL33195
What's included?
ELB 500 TTL – Dual Off-Camera Flash Kit
EL10310.1
1x ELB 500 Snappy – EL19254
1x ELB 500 Charger – EL19277
1x ELB 500 Battery – EL19297
1x ELB 500 TTL (without battery) – EL10232.1
2x ELB 500 Head – EL20190
1x Q-Wide Reflector Grid 13.5cm (5.3″) – EL26145
1x Q-Reflector Grid 18cm (7″) – EL26056
1x ProTec Location Bag – EL33195
What's included?
ELB 500 TTL – One Light Portrait Kit
EL10300.1
1x ELB 500 TTL – Off-Camera Flash Kit – EL10309.1
1x Transmitter Plus – EL19368
1x Rotalux Deep Octa 100 cm (39”) – EL26648
1x Rotalux Indirect Octa Speedring – EL26329
1x Quadra Reflector Adapter MK-II – EL26342
1x EL-Boom Arm 63-156cm (24-61’) – EL31049
ELB 500 TTL – Single Units
ELB 500 TTL Head
EL20190 - One head for all needs to make photographer choices easier than ever. The ELB 500 Head is smaller than speedlites yet delivers 10 times more power. Supplied with a 2.5 m flash cable and a protective cap.
ELB 500 TTL Unit (without battery)
EL10232.1 - Combining 500Ws of power with a feature set including TTL, HSS, Active Charging, Full Asymmetry with built-in Skyport protocol.
Recommended Accessories
Q-Reflector Adapter MK-II
EL26342 - Enables photographers to use any accessory of the Elinchrom range such as Rotalux softoxes or any other EL accessory on the Quadra flash heads.
Q-Reflector Grid 18cm (7")
EL26056 - This reflector combines a high output with a good spread of light while the internal recess accepts 18 cm grids. Offers one extra stop of light.
Q-Wide Reflector 13.5cm (5.3")
EL26145 - This reflector, part of single heads and sets, offers a wide angle light distribution as a stand alone or umbrella reflector.
Q-Portalite Square Softbox 40cm (15.7")
EL26151 - Very transportable by its compactness, this small size softbox has been designed for portraits and product photography.
Consumables
ELB 500 Battery
EL19297 - With 400 flashes on a single charge. This removable Li-Ion battery for the ELB 500 TTL unit allows you to charge the battery while actively shooting, making the pack easy to use in studio and on-location.
ELB 500 Snappy
EL19254 - The ELB 500 Snappy offers carrying comfort and protection to the ELB 500 TTL system.
Q-Protective Cap
EL25101 - A durable protective cap that keeps the flashtube and the LED pilot light safe as well as making Quadra heads even more portable.
ELB 500 Charger
EL19277 - Rely on the battery for on location work or plug it in the mains while shooting in studio with the Active Charge feature.
Q-Extension Cable 5m (16.4')
EL11003 - This 5m extension cable fits to all Quadra, ELB 400 and ELB 500 flash heads.
Elinchrom Flashtube 500 J
EL24092 - Replacement plug-in flashtube for ELB 500 heads.
Overview
Flash output
500 Ws
Flash modes
Standard, HSS, TTL
Number of flashes
400 at full power
Weight
2.34 kg
ELB 500 TTL |
|
| Energy | 500 Ws/J |
| F-Stop 1m, 100 ISO, reflector 48° |
64.8 |
| Power range F-Stop | 7 |
| Power increments in F-Stop |
1/10th |
| Power range display F-Stop equivalent |
0.1 – 6.3 |
| Power range | 7 to 500 Ws |
| Power distribution | Full asymmetry |
| Flash duration t0.5 min. power – 7.1 Ws/J |
1/20000 (Action mode) |
| Flash duration t0.5 max. power – 500 Ws/J |
1/250 (Action mode) |
| Sync socket | 3.5 mm Jack |
| Power stability | +/- 0.5 % |
| Recycling Fast mode |
2 s |
| Recycling Eco mode |
3.5 s |
| Sync voltage | 5 V |
| Battery life | 28000 (min power) / 400 (full power) |
| Battery recharge time | 1.4 h |
| Auto power dumping | Automatic, real-time |
| Length | 16.3 cm |
| Width | 9 cm |
| Height | 18.1 cm |
| Weight with battery |
2.48 kg |
| Weight without battery |
1.74 kg |
| Battery type | Li-Ion 14.4V / 5Ah / 72 Wh |
| Battery level indicator | On unit and battery |
| Colour temperature at max. power |
5500 K |
| Color stability | +/- 200 K over 7 F-Stops |
| LED CRI | 90 |
| LED lamp options | On/off, free, prop., VFC, Timer 1 – 60 s. |
| LED modelling lamp Watt / Lumens |
14 |
| Dimmable modelling lamp | 40 steps |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Primary color | Dark grey |
| Skyport type | Built-in Skyport 20 channels, 4 groups / Phottix Odin Z |
| Skyport distance range | Up to 200 m |
| HSS / TTL | Yes, with Transmitter Pro |
Downloads
ELB 500 TTL – Quick Start Guide
ELB 500 TTL – Quick Start Guide
ELB 500 TTL – Unit – User Manual
ELB 500 TTL – Flash Head – User Manual
ELB 500 TTL – Battery – User Manual
ELB 500 TTL – Charger – User Manual
ELB 500 TTL – TTL Introduction
Battery Airplane Transportation Regulations
Lithium battery airplane transportation regulations.
Quadra / ELB 400 / ELB 500 / 1200 Li-Ion Battery.
This Li-Ion battery is rated with 59 Wh (14.4 V / 4.1 Ah).
Please read below the IATA regulations for travelling by Air with batteries up to 100 Wh.
FAQ
ELB 500 TTL
Battery life tips
The following actions will help preserve battery life:
- Verify that usage temperature of the battery averages an ambient temperature of –10°C to 45°C (14°F to 113°F). In lower or higher temperatures, the battery may not work properly and can sustain damage.
- The optimal storage temperature is between 15° C and 25° C (59°F and 77°F).
- Avoid sudden temperature changes as this may cause condensation and malfunction.
- Do not leave your battery uncharged for more than one week.
- Recharge your battery completely before putting it in storage, remove the battery from the unit and the fuse, which will deactivate the battery.
- Recharge at least once every 3 months any stored battery.
Download the battery guide.
What accessory is compatible with the Quadra head?
You can use almost any Elinchrom accessory with the Quadra Reflector Adapter MK-II:
Read more about light shapers for the ELB 400 / 500
Transmitter Pro and unit compatibility
A list of compatible cameras and flash units with the Transmitter Pro is available here.
www.elinchrom.com/support/compatibility/
Battery airplane transportation regulations
Look for regulation PDF documents in the Download Center.
How to setup Hi-Sync/HSS ?
Hi-Sync or HSS mode is detected automatically.
Enabling the Hi-Sync/HSS feature is very simple but different for each camera.
However, some cameras need a specific setup to be able to engage Hi-Sync or HSS.
How to setup hi-sync / hss mode.
Why TTL on Elinchrom products?
We are in a world where we need to work faster with an efficient workflow.
This is why we introduced TTL within our portfolio of products.
Why HSS on Elinchrom products?
Previously, we only introduced products with Hi-Sync as HSS had a substantial disadvantage of power.
With the ELB 500 TTL, we have been able to optimize HSS to the point that it is not dissimilar in power to Hi-Sync, thus making Elinchrom’s HSS the most powerful HSS from comparable powered units on the market to date.
Switch from TTL to manual
TTL is only here to help you if needed.
If you don’t want TTL, you can just as easily use it in Manual mode.
You can start in TTL, lock exposure, and then switch to manual, we call this Manual Lock.
ELB 500, ELB 400, Quadra / accessories compatibility
Only the heads and the batteries are not compatible.
All Q-Mount accessories; light shapers, protective caps, and cables are compatible with the ELB 500 TTL.
ELB 500 head compared to Quadra heads
Other than the flashtube and electronics, the cable of the ELB 500 head is fixed and offers a more powerful and higher CRI LED.
No plugin cable for the ELB 500 Head
The power cord is attached to the ELB 500 Head permanently and is not removable.
What is Active Charge?
Active Charge is a feature that enables you to charge while using the unit without damaging its battery.
What is Action Mode?
On Elinchrom TTL units (ELB 500, ELC, ONE, THREE) Action ON means that the focus is on providing the fastest flash duration while trading a bit of colour temperature stability.
Action OFF means that the focus is on providing the best possible color temperature stability while trading flash duration speed.
The ELB 500 TTL compared to the ELB 400
The ELB 500 TTL offers 100 Ws more power, an easy-to-use and large interface, TTL, HSS, full asymmetry, and to do so, a completely new internal circuitry.
The ELB 500 TTL also offers only one type of head to shoot all kinds of various photography possible.
ELB 500 TTL minimum power
The minimum power is 0.1 / approx. 7.1 Ws.
At this power level, the flash duration in Action mode is 1/20000s.
Measured with an 18 cm Reflector at 2m distance with 100 ISO and F-stop 2.8 at 9/10th.
Note, where very low powers are required, it is still possible to use the daylight-balanced dimmable modeling lamp.
Elinchrom TTL units in a classic Elinchrom setup
Yes, you can use Elinchrom TTL units together with older Elinchrom flash units, but only in Manual mode, of course.
ELB 500 TTL remote options
The ELB 500 TTL integrates 2 remote options:
- Elinchrom Skyport: Compatible with the Elinchrom Transmitter Plus and Transmitter Pro and all Elinchrom units with built-in Skyport or Elinchrom Receiver Plus attached can be triggered together.
- Phottix Odin II: Compatible with Phottix Odin II transmitters and Phottix products with built-in Odin II or Phottix Odin II receivers.
ELB 500 TTL firmware update
Proceed as follows:
- Download the EL-Updater and install the software:
- Connect the USB cable to the computer, and the ELB 500 TTL unit will switch automatically in update mode.
- Start the updater on your computer and follow the instructions displayed.
If you work with Mac, the software may not install. Please go to system preferences and allow to install this application.
Using the ELB units on mains
The life span of the battery is not affected while using the battery packs on mains.
You can leave the charger connected, but if you shot with high flash power in short cycles, the battery will discharge even with the charger connected.
You can leave the charger connected, but if you shot with high flash power in short cycles, the battery will discharge even with the charger connected.
If you do not use full power flashes, the unit can take a breath after a series of flashes, and the unit will not overheat. Don’t place the unit in the sun or close to heating systems, and take care that there is air circulation, not using the unit in a bag or similar.
Read more
