Elinchrom THREE portable flash review

We put the Elinchrom Three to the test, exploring its power, versatility and how it stands up against real-word challenges

Hot-shoe flash units offer portable, controllable convenience, but can’t really cut it if you need out-and-out power, versatility, or both. This is where units such as the Elinchrom THREE step in. Offering plenty of power and the ability to attach studio-style modifiers, yet still without a cable in sight, they’re ideal for those serious about getting creative away from mains power.

What is the Elinchrom Three?

The THREE on test here is the third portable flash from Elinchrom, sandwiching itself neatly between its stablemates; the FIVE and the ONE. The FIVE looks more like a conventional studio monobloc and provides the most power of the trio – a healthy 522 Watt seconds (Ws).

The ONE is a more compact unit with a 131Ws output while the THREE is a slightly larger version of the ONE, but offers double its power with 261Ws on tap.

Like many modern portable units, it’s very simple to get good results from the THREE. The back of the unit features a well-sized touchscreen LCD. In normal use, this allows you to increase/decrease flash output by swiping right and left, plus you can also tap the sun icon to turn the modelling lamp on and off. Swiping down from the top of the LCD then allows you to control both modelling lamp and power simultaneously with a swipe.

If you prefer not to swipe, you can also change settings with the control dial. Pressing the Menu button allows you to delve deeper into functionality, but most of these features will only be accessed occasionally.

To test the power credentials of the unit, I gave it more of a challenge than a simple outdoor portrait. Instead, I used it to light an old greenhouse at the bottom of my garden on a bright day. I wanted to overpower the daylight by underexposing the ambient light and using the flash to light it inside and out.

The result you see below is a combination of three exposures – two with the light inside the greenhouse, the other with it outside, illuminating the front. In each case, the undiffused bare head was used.

I tried a number of different angles and had the flash firing at full power, but the THREE handled itself with aplomb. It recycled quickly, triggered flawlessly and illuminated perfectly all with plenty of battery life to spare. The batteries can’t be switched, but any USB-C charger can be used to replenish the cell and you can even keep shooting while it’s plugged in thanks to the unit’s Active Charge feature.

Elinchrom Three specs

Price: From £979 (single head kit)
Flash output: 261Ws
Power range: Six stops in 0.1 or 0.3 stop increments
Flash duration: 1/8500 – 1/255sec
Flash modes: Manual, TTL, HSS (with Transmitter Pro)
Battery: Built-in Lithium-ion
Battery capacity: Up to 11,250 flashes with LED lamp off
Charging time: 135 minutes (Fast charge on)
Charging: Via USB-C
Radio trigger: Built in Skyport with up to 200m range (outdoors using Transmitter Pro in manual mode)
Dimensions: 25x3x16.5×10.5cm with diffusion dome and tilt head
Weight: 1.65kg with tilt head
Contact: elinchrom.co.uk