Broncolor Scoro A4SBroncolor scores big with this best-in-class studio flash generator.July 2, 2009 By Dan Havlik 
WHAT'S ON THE MENU? Regulating this independent control is also extremely easy with the Scoro A4S thanks to its highly usable interface. Where the Pro-8a had a pretty clear set-up in its own right with LED screens over each channel to tell you how many watts-seconds (or amount of light in f/stops) the heads were set to, the Scoro A4S takes it one step further. Employing individual LED screens for each channel and a general LCD screen with a surprisingly deep menu that lets you adjust a variety of settings on each head including color temperature (adjustable in +/-200K stops up to 800K), the Scoro A4S reminded us, pleasantly, of using a digital SLR with plenty of room for specific tweaking. The dimmable LCD display is backlit with an attractive blue tint that matches the blue of the pack's handle. The silicon keypad also lights up and the Scoro A4S is easy to adjust both in a dark studio or outdoors in the sunlight. We loved being able to dig into the pack's menu and adjust stuff—mostly just because we could—including flash duration and levels for our modeling lights which have eight different settings. There are also eight different savable user modes which is a great feature if you do a lot of the same types of lighting set-ups and want to lock in your levels for future shoots. We also liked that we could see the power each lamp outlet was set to in relative f/stop intervals on the LED screens—from ten down to one—and the corresponding watt-seconds (joules) on the LCD display. Have we mentioned yet that control freaks will probably love this pack? Overall, although we were impressed with the design of the Profoto Pro-8a when we reviewed it, the Broncolor Scoro A4S does that pack one better with its user-friendly and fully controllable interface. SPEED RACER The Scoro also trumps the Pro-8a when it comes to speed, though the difference between the two packs is negligible. To put it plainly, both of these generators are incredibly fast and have more horsepower than most photographers will likely ever need in the studio. (Unless you intend to photograph speeding racecars and we don't recommend that indoors.) Seriously though, if you're someone who photographs dancers or athletes in the studio or does extensive splashes and pours—or photographs dancers or athletes getting splashed or poured on—either one of these generators is going to make you very happy. And even if you're shooting traditional models, being able to have them move spontaneously in the studio while you photograph them and know that your strobes will keep up, is bound to make you smile too. Flash duration on the Scoro A4S is blistering with a maximum speed of 1/12,000th of a second, which matches the Pro-8a. Even more importantly, in our book, is the recycle time for the Scoro A4S which, at full power, is 0.8-second. In contrast, the Pro-8a clocks in at still very speedy 0.9-second but that's at 2400 w/s, not 3200 w/s as on the Scoro. In "Speed Mode" with the power dropped to 1200 w/s, the Scoro A4S really takes off, recycling in just 0.4-second. You can also create stroboscopic image sequences with the pack—such as stop motion movements of an athlete—with the A4S capable of firing 50 frames per second. THE REAL WORLD In real world testing, you might not necessarily harness all this speed all the time but as I said earlier, it's there when you need it. And the wonderful thing about creativity is that when the sky's the limit, doors open. If you get a chance to try either one of these generators, you may discover photo applications you hadn't ever thought of before. In our testing of the Scoro, we brought the pack down to the loading dock of Jason's studio and photographed models in a variety of set-ups. At one point, we even had them stand on a hand truck and wheeled them around the dock as we fired away. The dim and dusty light in the dock combined with the bright, harsh light filtering in from outside created some unique challenges. We paired one of the lamp heads with a giant Broncolor Umbrella Para 220 FB ($6,500; yes, it's not cheap either) which gave us very soft, very natural light on our models' faces. Though the light was terrible in the dock, the Scoro/Para set-up made our models' faces look like they were being lapped with the soft light of the setting sun. And because we could fire off images so quickly, their expressions looked natural as well. Like the Pro-8a, the Scoro A4S produced great color consistency from shot to shot. In this category, I'd call it pretty much a draw between the two generators though the Scoro definitely gets points for allowing precise color temperature adjustments in all three heads via the LCD display. To achieve consistent color, the A4S uses something called ECTC (Enhanced Color Temperature Control) and while we didn't get to fully explore the potential of this technology—our loan of the pack and lighting kit was only a few days—having repetitive precision in color, recycle time, and flash duration and output, is about as much as a studio photographer could ask for. THE BOTTOM LINE If you have the money to invest in a serious lighting set-up that offers speed, precision and power, you really can't go wrong with either the Broncolor Scoro A4S or the Profoto Pro-8a Air. In the categories of quality of light and overall speed, it was pretty much a dead heat between the two packs. The Scoro A4S really shined through when it came to control. First off, with a maximum output of at 3200 w/s in all three heads, you're getting a more powerful and more versatile pack than the Profoto at about the same price. Secondly, the amount of tweaking you can do at that power whether it's with the asymmetrical control in all three channels; the independent color temperature adjustment; and the deep and user-friendly interface and helpful LCD screen, pushes the Scoro A4S to the front of the pack for studio generators.
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