EF-X500 Overview by Max De Martino

As a portrait and wedding photographer, to use artificial light means to recreate "my" light in all weather conditions regardless of the time that I shoot.
Since my full introduction to the X System three years ago, this approach to lighting only had one flaw: the lack of a “serious professional flash". The cameras are great with excellent colors and a fabulous complexion and the lenses are of top production quality.
Concerning the flash, as soon as I switched to the X System and became one of the first X-Photographers in Italy, I began to tap into my contacts in Japan. I needed a powerful flash with a good guide number, a short recycling time, and especially manageable in High-Speed Sync/FP so as to take over the "traditional" 1/250 sync flash time for the X-Pro2.
When, in January 2016, I was invited to Japan with two other Italian X-Photographer colleagues to celebrate five years of the X Series, I was happy to see that finally the coveted professional flash was presented. The construction was solid and the product was beautiful. So there was only a high standard to be expected. A few weeks ago, the wait was over with a package that contained three EF-X500s to be tested and in addition to this first presentation there would be four other articles to come in the coming months.
The first thing that strikes you is the construction of the EF-X500: a sense of great sturdiness and materials that they call the cover of the X Series cameras. Therefore, high-quality plastics and a rubberized material in a leather design such as on the X-T and the X- Pro Series. Another point I want to highlight is what signals the EF-X500 as weather resistant – that is resistant to rain and dust – making it the perfect companion for the new X-T2 and X-Pro2, and also for X-T1. The flash is designed to have a low center of gravity. The four AA batteries are at the bottom so you can make sure that there are no imbalances with very light cameras such as a X Series mirrorless cameras.

From a technical standpoint, the features are these:

• Maximum guide number of approx. 50 (ISO100･m) / 164 (ISO100·ft)*
• Zooming the illumination angle for the focal lengths of 24mm – 105mm**, and covering the illumination angle of around 20mm** when the wide panel is used
• Flash head that can be tilted up by 90 degrees, down by 10 degrees, to the left by 135 degrees and to the right by 180 degrees for bouncing light
• Equipped with LED video light that can also be used as AF assist light and catchlight
• Registers up to ten combinations of various settings. Advance registration of specific shooting conditions makes it easy to activate the setting quickly when required.

Another thing I expected, working mostly with off-camera flashes, was the ability to control the power of the remote flash, both in TTL when I have no time to think and in manual when instead I am searching for perfection in fully controllable situations.

Speaking of recycling time, the EF-X500 responds quickly, aligning itself with the best products of other manufacturers, with a time of 2.5 seconds at full power. And can also connect an external battery pack that uses 8 AA batteries (EF-BP1) that should further shorten the recycling time – I have not got to try it yet.

At the front of the flash, it has a frame that can be removed to mount the wide-angle diffuser or an IR filter (Not scheduled for product planning) that lets you shoot while controlling other flashes even with very close subjects without the light of the master flash being seen. In this way, the flash dimensions remain unchanged.

A very interesting aspect of the new flash is the presence of a large powered LED despite the size. This allows you to work with the flash using the autofocus even in total darkness or to have an idea of the effect that the flash will have like a "modeling light" or given the video features of X-Pro2 and X-T2 the LED can be used as an excellent light both on and off camera because you can choose to leave it switched on.

I used EF-X500s (some pre-production models) for a few weeks with a firmware in testing and you will find the results in some future articles. For now I leave you with the first test shots. See you soon!

Special Thanks to:
-Armando and Erika, of the B&B Fior of Vigo di Fassa, for being my models for a few hours
-My wife Federica: she -and Brando in the belly- are the models behind the frosted glass
-Arianna Drago, wonderful model and creator of her beautiful costumes
-The colleague and great X-Photographer Pierluigi Orler and his beautiful wife Giovanna, that agreed to have a romantic shot in front of their beloved mountains in Val di Fassa
-Junio and Alessandra @Intermodo Studio.

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