I picked up a set of Elinchrom BxRi 250ws lights a year or so ago. I was happy playing around with small flashes but found them a little limiting. I looked at a lot studio flashes in my quest for a pair of larger lights, and decided on the Elinchrom BxRi offerings.
Why the Elinchrom BxRi? I went with the BxRi series since you get a nice range of lighting features and remote power control. With the integrated Skyport I’m able to adjust the power level of up to four different light groups from the controller on my Sony A900. The Skyports are integrated into the flashes, so I never worry about charging batteries, i just turn them on and shoot. The remote power control is sweet when you don’t have a assistant (like me) to run around and change the power levels on the lights. I have a universal Skyport to trigger my non-Elinchrom flashes (like a Sunpak, Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc.) and it’s easy to create a setup with multiple lights. I often use a three-light setup with my BxRi strobes in softboxes and a Sunpak 383 with my Kacey beauty dish. More info in my article on Swiss Strobsit:
