In the latter half of 2016, rumors emerged of the new light being released — not just a new model or brand, a new kind of light. It seemed promising, but at the time we weren’t quite sure what to make of it. In a short while since its release mid-2017, it has become clear: a single eVOLV obliterates the speedlight category of lights in output, while packing in a similar weight and volume.
Doubled up, with the addition of a twin head adapter, you have a powerful single light that functions as a monolight with a respectable 400ws output, complete with the bonus addition of a decent LED modeling light; and with a second bracket you can play the two eVOLVs off each other separately for key and fill lighting, fantastic for location headshots and portraiture.
The packing size, integrated wireless receiver, ease of use, small-yet-powerful battery all make for a fun package, returning photography to a more liberating creative rhythm, rather than an exercise in frustration. The eVOLV’s approach has kicked off a new wave of portable strobe lighting, the form factor is so wildly appealing it has even forced premium brands into the fray, looking to get their cut. This article series is my introduction to the first, and for now best of the world’s smallest studio strobes.
In this three part series I’ll be giving you the lowdown on the original “pocket studio” flash, and show you how I use it to deliver high end studio results on location.
eVOLV Overview
The eVOLV is a 200 watt-second light, but disconnected from context this number can be deceptive. Speedlight manufacturers have long taken advantage of the fresnel bulb design to inflate output numbers of their products, which usually hover in the 70-90 watt-seconds. The fresnel creates a concentrated output that, when metered at the center, creates the impression of a light that seems to punch well above its weight.
However, in practice, when coverage is factored in, placing a speedlight inside a proper modifier and dispersing the fresnel output across a useful area, the anemic quality of a its output becomes apparent. For years it has been common strategy to gang up two or three speedlights in a specialized-yet-awkward bracket, add a high speed recycler, and call the whole mess “portable”. In short time, the weight advantages that drew some of us to work with speedlights shrinks considerably (to say nothing of cost). Never mind the setup times or finicky nature of the brackets and modifiers required to get the job done, given the right strategy and patience, we’ve been coaxing great results from this gear.
The eVOLV, in a single, streamlined move, acts as a corrective to all of these headaches:
The eVOLV seeks to be the ideal compact location light in two ways: it puts more power behind each discharge of the light, at a factor of 2-3x relative to a speedlight (modifier depending), at a recycle speed which ranges from an acceptable 2.1 seconds at full power, to downright amazing at powers ¼ and below; it also offers the option of an included bare bulb head. The short of the bare bulb is that, when employed properly, it can move from very high efficiency (using this reflector), to broad coverage (entirely bare), filling space at your location or a large modifier like this 7ft umbrella and its diffuser with the kind of flattering, consistent light we hope to work with using a soft source. At just over two pounds, and almost the same size of a typical speedlight, packing, traveling and working with the eVOLV opens up new creative possibilities.
Keep an eye out for Part 2 of this series, where I will go deeper on the eVOLV’s capabilities, and expand the information about the Twin Head Adapter. Part 3 will demonstrate using the eVOLV in three distinctly different lighting scenarios.
