The Elinchrom D-Lite RX 4/4 To Go is a mains-powered studio flash kit with two 400Ws heads, two softboxes, two stands, a hotshoe radio transmitter and two carrying bags. Digital Camera World named it the best softbox lighting kit overall, finding power adjustments very accurate, output consistent and recycling the fastest in its guide, and PhotoPlus magazine picked it as the winner of its group test for photographers with mains power. Photographer Rich Maciver, after ten months of use, praised its light weight and control but found the softboxes awkward to pack away. It suits portrait and studio photographers who want a dependable two-light flash setup; anyone working outdoors without mains power, or needing very low flash output, should look elsewhere.
Full review
Accurate, consistent flash with fast recycling
Each head is rated at 400Ws, the most powerful in the D-Lite RX series, with a five-stop range adjusted in tenth-of-a-stop steps. Digital Camera World, which meters every head across its full power range, found power adjustments very accurate, consistency of output excellent and recycle speeds the fastest of the kits in its guide. PhotoPlus magazine called the D-Lite range easy to use with superb performance and named this kit the best for stills where mains power is available. Rich Maciver, in a YouTube review after ten months of use, said 400Ws is plenty for portraiture and could find little to complain about in consistency. The trade-off Digital Camera World notes is at the bottom of the range: the minimum setting is still quite strong.
Wireless control and a full kit in two bags
The heads have built-in radio receivers, and the kit includes an EL-Skyport Transmitter Plus for the camera hotshoe, which Digital Camera World says can trigger the heads and adjust settings from up to 200 metres away. An intelligent slave mode lets a flashgun fire them while ignoring pre-flashes. The kit adds 56cm and 66cm softboxes, a translucent deflector, stands and cables, split across two bags, and Digital Camera World describes the whole set as having a premium look and feel. Rich Maciver valued the 1.5kg heads and how small the kit packs, but pointed out that the basic transmitter has no screen, so you have to remember which head is set to which power.
Mains-only, with fiddly softboxes and a proprietary mount
This is a mains-powered kit, which Rich Maciver notes rules out shooting away from a power socket. He found the supplied softboxes the major disadvantage because they do not fold down and the poles have to be removed to pack them, and he kept them set up in the studio as a result. The roughly 100W modelling lamps are meant as a focusing aid: he reported they can get warm and cut out for 10 to 15 minutes to cool if used as a constant light. Digital Camera World also points out that Elinchrom uses its own reflector mount rather than the common Bowens S-type fitting, and a non-standard 7mm brolly socket, though a second socket in the stand clamp accepts standard 8mm brollies.
Strengths
- +Two 400Ws heads adjust in 1/10-stop steps from simple push-button controls
- +Accurate, consistent output and the fastest recycling in Digital Camera World's guide
- +Built-in radio receivers and a hotshoe transmitter allow remote power changes
- +Complete kit with two softboxes, stands, cables and two carrying bags
- +Light 1.5kg heads that pack down small
Watch-outs
- −Minimum power is still fairly strong, with a five-stop range
- −Mains power only, so no use away from a socket
- −Supplied softboxes don't fold down; the poles have to be taken out
How it compares
Like the Godox SK400II 2-Light Studio Flash Kit, the D-Lite RX 4/4 pairs two 400Ws mains-powered flash heads, but Digital Camera World notes the Elinchrom includes a hotshoe radio trigger that is sold separately for the Godox, while the Godox offers a six-stop power range against the Elinchrom's five. As a flash kit it also differs from continuous-light options such as the Godox SL60IIBi Bi-Color LED Kit, which suits video as well as stills.
Rating sources
Our 4.4 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
