Two years since the introduction of the Elinchrom Ranger Quadra and some 18 months since the first units arrived in the UK, mine has seen a lot of use. Let's see how it's working out between us.
The Quadra offers 400 W/S of power, delivered asymmetrically to two outputs and I bought the two head kit version, complete with Skyport transmitter and spare battery. The power is split in a 2:1 ratio between the outputs with the lower powered outlet providing a shorter flash duration.
Starting with the heads themselves. They're small and light enough to comfortably fit into a camera bag or pack if necessary and although they look fragile, mine have survived many falls onto hard surfaces without damaging the flash tube. Something which would have almost certainly meant a replacement tube in my previous system. Because the heads are small they require a slightly tricky adapter to fit regular sized Elinchrom softboxes and reflectors. My advice would be to fit the adapter to the softbox and then attach the head before mounting everything on a stand. Elinchrom state that the maximum size of softbox that can be used is the 1 metre sizes but I use a 1.3 metre Octa with no problems. Any larger and I suspect it would become difficult to tighten the adapter sufficiently to prevent the sotbox from creeping.
Attaching the leads to the pack can be a bit of a fiddle, not least because that area of the pack is congested with the strap attachment points and the outlet covers flapping around on their rubber ties. The latter resolves itself fairly quickly as the strap's D rings chew away at the rubber until the ties break free. Once the first one had broken, I cut the second away with a scalpel. So far, I still have both covers. Offering the plug to the socket in the correct position is easier said than done as both are black and there are no external notches or markings to help. In a hurry, it's tempting to try turning the plug in the hope that it will slip into place in the socket but this will eventually bend the pins and as the leads themselves are an expensive item I painted a white spot on the plugs to help align them.
The batteries are quite heavy but I would advise carrying the spare at all times as the pack will go into its slower recycling mode to preserve battery life long before the end of the charge is reached. The best field strategy would seem to be to swap the battery once it slows and place it on charge. With luck, it will be recharged by the time it is needed back in service on the pack. The battery attachment points on the pack are again a slightly fiddly design and one of mine has already snapped. I've spoken to Elinchrom about this and they tell me they've not noticed any unusual call for spares. I'm not the only photographer I know who's broken one though and it's hard to see how any special care could be used to attach the battery. So it's something to watch for. A turn of gaffer tape around the pack should be enough to hold the battery in place in an emergency.
The Skyport transmitter can be used not only to sync the flash, but also to adjust the power and turn the modeling light on and off. The reliability of the radio system is good, although not quite on a par with Pocket Wizard Plus units. I've encountered situations where the Skyport wouldn't fire the flash more often than I have with Pocket Wizard's which in my experience have only ever been thwarted once, on the roof of a police station in the middle of the radio masts. The Skyport does occasionally seem to freeze, requiring the removal and reinsertion of the battery, so this is always something to try when problems occur.
Design issues notwithstanding, the Quadra has generally exceeded my expectations of it, particularly in terms of durability and unless you really need the extra stop and a half of it's bigger brother, and particularly if you have to carry your own equipment, I'd recommend it.
