One thing I see Lee overlooked that I personally REALLY REALLY love with the new Godox Pro II light is that little Red light on the side. This light gives you a quick visual reference of what channel/group the flash is set to so you can mount a light high up on a stand and immediately know it's group B or D or whatever based on the color. That is one of the smartest features I've seen in a strobe in the last few years and think that shouldn't be overlooked when comparing user interfaces or ease of use. -Patrick
The Broncolor has the color group lights as well. They call their groups Lamp - so you can add several lights to a lamp channel and they all flash on the same studio channel. Each lamp group will get a color assigned and display on the edge of the lights. The Broncolor lights are like 15 years old now and definitely starting to show their age. Pretty impressive how well they have held up for that long.
@@jaredwolfe8438 wow, it’s wild the oldest lights in this test already had this featured but no one else ever added it until the Pro II that just came out. I love that feature! -P
Do you have Elinchrom in the US? Their one, three & five series are pretty close contenders with Profoto. Would be nice to include them in this comparison. - But I guess you don't have them. =)
And a good news is, The GODOX AD400pro has a 'switch to Profoto mount' head, you can replace the original mount with it then you get a Profoto-mount-Godox-body strobe ;-).
Yeah I was just going to comment on the same thing. I shot Elinchrom for years, but switched to Profoto because I got sick of lugging around Rangers (awesome lights just not very portable unless you have assistants 🙃).
After watching this and the speedlight comparison, you can see why these guys have a million subscribers. Clear, no nonsense, well presented, and fun. Love the variety of vids these guys churn out as well. Keep up the good work guys.
I haven’t read through the comments yet but one thing you missed about the Godox X3 was that the dial SHOULD HAVE been on the left side instead of the right. Reason being is bcuz your right hand will be holding the grip of the camera and your left hand usually is the more freely usable hand which will help you change settings. Just be so nice to have that dial on the left instead of the right
One thing that I particularly like about the Godox / Flashpoint AD600 Pro is the optional extension head. This makes the AD600 Pro significantly lighter on the top, making it much easier to mount and move and safer to mount on a boom. The body can also function as a counterweight. In addition, it and its accessories are very affordable.
So crazy! I literally planned on making a purchase this morning. I have several AD100 Pros and love them. But it's senior portrait season and was looking for more light. This video was perfect!
I am a Italian fashion photographer and I own many Broncolor products... I often use Profoto and sometimes Godox. In my over twenty years of experience, I can say that Broncolor probably doesn't have the best design (like Profoto) and the best price (like Godox) but they are tireless flashes and rarely break (in 20 years it happened to me only once). I love the design of Profoto products, but in one photo shoot out of five in which I used them I had at least one problem with them breaking or malfunctioning (especially the battery-powered ones, because they were placed on the side) and all the rental services do not recommend them to me. I've tried Godox on a professional level but it's better to leave it alone. Great video anyway 🖖
@@simonenervi I would really like to know more about the problems you had with Godox. Misfires? Units breaking up? Something else? I'm eyeing the Godox AD600 Pro II at the moment but I have absolutely nothing from Godox at the moment and no experience with the system.
@@YogueDaddy I'm a professional photographer, I take thousands of shots a day and each shot must be the same as the other in terms of lighting, the colors must always be the same, I don't have to wait long for the flash to charge, and nothing should break . Whether it is an ADV campaign or a simple e-commerce, strobes must not be a problem for me. Godox products are excellent and relatively cheap, but if put under stress you inevitably notice the difference from other more expensive products. So probably for you it could be a great option if you do not have the same needs as me.
I'm curious, if you are shooting studio catalog work every few days, is there a reason you wouldn't want an even more powerful strobe that is AC powered with a pack? I'm the first to acknowledge how great all of these battery strobes are, but if my bread and butter was studio work day in and day out, I might buy a Move or B8 pack. Obviously the price is the pain point but you'd probably never rebuy that system again. -P
@@FStoppers I agree with this. Shooting in the studio multiple times per week, I can attest to the nuisance battery powered mono's can be . . . I use the Flashpoint (Godox manufactured) 1200 EXPLOR Pro II pack system, shooting on AC mains, and it's as reliable as Profoto or Speedotron (remember those?) packs. It's also a 10th of the price of Profoto packs, same features - and even more color-accurate. One other thing: the 400/600ws Godox/Flashpoint mono's have inexpensive options AC adapter packs that mount where the batteries mount, so you now have dual-power flashes for long sessions, studio days, or remote locations.
Correction. Even at the lowest power in freeze mode at 1/512 power, the Xplor 600 PRO II has the fastest flash duration at the lowest at 1/20400 at 1/512 and 1/2570 at 1/1 full power. I just did a full video on it as well
Is the westcott remote an e-ink display? If so that could be a SUPER battery efficient feature. The weird screen refresh is what makes me think it's e-ink
Lee, for the remotes; most of these work over Bluetooth and can be used on your phone or a tablet. Personally i use Godox and often have 4 to 8 strobes or leds. Easy to configure on my ipad; AND some have save functions, saving the flash settings on the phone or tablet.
Your reviews have no peer. Thank you. PS, I also favor Profoto personally and have some of their lights, but purchasing them is painful because of the seemingly excessive pricing.
Same, I have Godox and Profoto and prefer to use Profoto every time. They are so much easier to use, and I can actually see the screen with my bad eyes.
Touch screens are not always the way to go. You need bare fingers (and no rain) to properly control a touch screen. I think keeping the buttons is better for a wider variety of photographers.
Totally appreciate t his Fstoppers, please dont stop what youre doing. I've been here since I was an amateur 12 years ago, and im still here learning still from you guys.
This made my day. We will chip in for your yearly colonscopy/prostate exam, as you are getting to that age. It is not the flash I would recommend, but what "the science" recommends.
I think if you would have read the Broncolor manual and used the app on your phone or tablet with the Bluetooth function, your overall user experience would have been much better for the siros. That being said Profoto does make some of the best hard light modifiers on the market. Thanks for the test.
One thing I’ll throw in that I absolutely love about my Profoto’s is the mobile app. It’s so useful and just works! I use it all the time since I shoot manual power most of the time
Did Godox ever fix their batteries bricking themselves? On the AD600's, if they sat in a case for a couple months, they would discharge down below the point where they could be charged again. The only fix was to take them apart and try to jump start them, not a safe and easy solution.
Don't forget that the Westcott trigger can be used with most camera brands without having to buy a extra trigger. There is an adapter for Sony for $20 unless you want the Sony only trigger.
Excellant comparison test! Certain specs are definitely more important to different photographers. With that said, I love my Profoto B10x Plus flashes. VERY clean, polished and well designed. Kind of an "after the fact" thing here, packing and traveling with these various flashes. Again, the Profoto lights easily pack in a camera backpack. The size of the others and their bulk could make it more troubling to pack into your backpack. It's great we consumers have so many options available though.
Ok. So then I question. Why would you not just put the modefier down and mount the flash to it and not the other way around. Why lift the big modefier when you can lift the small flash. Regarding the bowens mount modefiers that is
shouldve included the FJ200 if you were going to include the Q model from godox.. the feature you loved on profoto with the push button is also on FJ200
always choose your light based on what you shoot and where. the biggest light wont fit everywhere. because most of the time you don't need high power strobes. you need mobility. im a godox user and i shoot portraits and weddings. i have ad200, 300 & 400. for me the ad300 & 400 is absolutely fine in every situation because most of the time when you shoot outside the weight & size of your equipment's got headache when you using them. so for me, the size and the weight is more important than the power
I use Westcott FJ400 for 360 e-commerce photos and my usage matches your testing. I end with a few hundred sequences non-stop. The screen nav is annoying but what I truly can't stand is that it's on one side of the unit instead of the rear. I shoot tethered and rarely touch the remote but it always feels like it's going to break. I have had noticeable differences where the light is mounted. My under table and bg lights are sensitive to the radio power changes. Rotating the camera orientation has effects also. I've had more challenges indoors than out with flash. My only surprise was about the Broncolor Pulso bayonet. It's no different the a lens mount.
The bayonet on Bron works a bit differently from the one on a lens. It has more of a safety purpose than a locking one. When engaged, the bayonet part thickness is the only thing that stops you from rotating the accessory a full 360 degrees. It's very practical specifically for boxes, of all shapes.
Thank you very much, this was very helpful. Many years ago I went with Profoto monolights, my fear is that I shoot with Pentax, and with film cameras. I have wondered how the compatibility would work. I know at one time you had to shoot with Canon, Nikon, or Sony, but never did.
This is the kind of video/article that I appreciate the most, being a flash/strobe nerd. I would've loved to see the Elinchrom Five and Buff Celestial in that test.
I did a review on the Celestial flash a year ago and honestly that trigger system is so archaic, I can't imagine anyone investing in that system. The build quality of the strobe it self didn't seem on par with the competition either. PC Buff was one of the main flash systems I started out with when I bought studio strobes for my weddings but unfortunately that new system leaves a lot to be desired IMO. -P
@@FStoppersI agree that the trigger is maybe the worst thing ever made. I don't use the Buff system and never did but I still think that unit, on paper at least, has some advantages that nobody else have : - Able to use PocketWizard dongle made for Einstein - 12 stops of range - Supposed incredible color stability over the enitre range (according to Buff, at least) But, I heard the built quality is less than stellar, the trigger is atrocious and the Balcar mount... 😅 It makes me a bit sad cuz I think that if Buff stopped trying to make transmitters and instead adopted internal PocketWizard system, drop the Balcar mount and go to Bowens mount... and upped the build quality and esthetic design, it could be a real contender.
I Invested in the Godox ad300pro with an X3S trigger for my Sony A7RV. I was using the Sony HVL-60RM2 with a Sony trigger for off camera before the Godox, wow what a difference! I am definitely buying into the Godox ecosystem now!
Curious which system you are leaning towards after this review especially if you aren't already invested in one of their ecosystems yet? As for the rotolight, they don't make a strobe right? I don't see any reason to buy LED lights for photography work if you have a strobe with a good modeling lamp. If video is your only discipline then maybe you can get a bunch for quick setups but modifying them with softboxes and stuff seems like a nightmare to me. -Patrick
Really good review, your audio is one of, if not the best on YT. One thing about the Profoto, you were rating them by if you would need the manual to figure out how to use it. While the 'pushing the knob in to do something different' is super cool, there's no way you'd figure that out unless it was by mistake or reading the manual. I've never used Profoto, and if someone had handed me a light prior to this vid I wouldn't have even thought to consider trying that. Nice work, Lee!
The biggest down side with Godox lights is when you don't use the light for a few months, the battery turnd off internally, you have to open battery using knife and press reset button on the circuit board, can you imagine do something like this these days ?
I’ve asked this before because this has happened to me. I never found a button but instead had to use a paper clip to short out two connections. Is this still a thing!?!? I have some AD400s and the battery constantly goes dead and won’t charge if I don’t use it once every 3-6 months. -P
@@FStoppers Same here. no button, i use a tweezer to touch the two contact points after opening the battery.... the first time it happened I thought i had bought a faulty battery.
@@FStoppers this is not talked enough, but when the battery goes in sleep mode you can reset it by pressing the battery check option on the battery itself without opening it and short the circuit. I am not sure why, but no one on the internet is saying it..
@@LucaZanatta-xq9ym hmmm, I’ll have to try that next time I notice the battery isn’t charging. I swear I hit every button and had to research the fix online. I thought it was a really rare issue but it’s been brought up no less than 5 times in these comments. -P
80 full power strobe pops is more than I have ever done. It's rare that I shoot a strobe at full power at anytime, and when you using those Godox with less power, they run and run and run.
I'm just starting to reach a point where I can charge for my photography (not much yet, but its a start!). So although I'd love to be using profoto, my budget only allows for godox right now. But the 600pro II is on my purchase list. If I ever start making decent money, I will consider switching to profoto then though. Great video though, thanks so much. Really interesting to see all those tests and the results!
when you take the price into consideration, Broncolor is shit, and Godox overall the BEST. Chinese manufacturers are pushing inovation at decent prices
I'm not really sure I can say China is pushing innovation as much as they are implementing other designs into their products. I say this because I've personally been in the research and development facilities of many known flash brands (US and overseas operations) and I've also dealt with China factories for things we have built ourselves. China is incredibly good at reverse engineering things that already exist and copying them into products that often have more features for the money (which is good) but they are absolutely dismal when it comes to designing something from scratch. -P
To get the best out of the Broncolor you really need to know how to use the system properly. Ideally, you will want to use the Broncontrol app (worth watching a video on about the app) and not the back of the flash to control everything (It really screws it up if you use both). When you do know how to use the system properly it is extremely effective. Saying all that though, it is not perfect. I am not much of a fan of the mount. The ergonomics are not great and it is a pain in the arse to learn.
@@ChaitanyaShukla2503 From what I was told by a Broncolor rep, the case is made by Godox but the electronics inside is made by Broncolor. Can't confirm that it's true, but apparently Broncolor does all of the electronic parts in Switzerland at their factory.
It's the only trigger with a hotshoe built in which is pretty weird to me considering Broncolor doesn't make a speed light. I do like those pass through triggers for wedding work because it lets you put a speedlight on your camera for bounce flash and also trigger wireless remotes. BUT, most of the speedlights now allow you to control their own speedlights remotely with the flash in commander mode so that's less of an issue. I do see Broncolor makes an RFS 2.1 trigger which maybe is what Lee should have compared for this test, but it looks super archaic as well and probably wouldn't have altered his overall impression of the Scoro system much if at all. -P
@@FStoppers Broncolor designed the Siros to work with the Broncontrol app, which you can download onto a tablet or onto your phone, This gives a huge amount of control to the system. That is the best way to change all the settings. The Broncolor trigger is really only for triggering the lights and nothing more.
Flashpoint R2 aka Godox looks exactly like the Broncolor with the hot shoe however there is no delay in transmitting to the light, everything is instant. I have used mine so much I can’t believe it still works . My backup transmitter is the Godox X2T with hot shoe and has updated physical buttons. I’ve never needed it.
@@FStoppers The RFS2.1 has been discontinued a long time ago. Why keep on hammering Siros for lack of knowledge on the product? Why no review on the Siros 400ws?
Likely the shape of the Neewer flash is likely due to it being cheaper to build to a single board loadout, or at most a single low voltage and a single high voltage board. For example, if you look at newer budget oscilloscopes, they are more commonly moving to single board construction, with at most a separate power supply module stuck outside of the RF shield. For exposed flash tubes, for larger modifiers, if you take a picture of one with an ND filter on, or a low output power, you will notice that an exposed tube more evenly lights them, especially when you want to go with lower powered flashes for larger modifiers, such as the Godox AD200.
I agree fully with you on the strobes, but I think you’re too picky on the triggers. Regardless of the system one uses it’s very quick and easy to get used to. I’m a GODOX strobe user using their X2T and XPro triggers. It doesn’t bother me that the ABCDE buttons are not perfectly lined up with the ABCDE interface. But hey, we’re all different people with different likes and dislikes.
Don't mind me, I'm just here waiting for the "It's ackchyually a Jinbei/Godox strobe 🤓" comment to appear. There's always someone who has to post this in every strobe comparison review video ever.
In the end, all that matters in photography is who delivers the best light. Lee demonstrates that the ten year old Broncolor's cheap reflector that comes with the Siros is at the top in 2024!
I believe you touched on it in the stress test, but would have liked hearing about the number of flashes that can be , or occur before the battery needs recharging( at full power , and half power. Your charts indicated around 343 full power flashes, on average. I would not want to assume doubling that number if turned down to half power .And if the unit can be plugged in to a wall outlet, and continue to work, and to recharge at the same time. I will also try to research these answers on the godox website, if this information is not available, or possible to read here. Otherwise, great review, as always.
The possibility to expose the flash tube is essential for beauty dish use. If you use a reflector on the flash in a beauty dish, the light output will be different.
People say this and maybe with all these lights we can find a way to test it (we only have the collapsible beauty dishes here in Puerto Rico, not the solid ones). I did do a test about this concept using the Profoto Dome glass and to my eyes, it make almost no difference at all. Once you add retouching, color grading, and other pixel altering tools that goes into commercial and most professional work, the differences has to be negligible. I'd love to do a blind test with a fashion or beauty photographer and see how often they can tell the difference without knowing which one was which. Here is my test video: ruclips.net/video/K249jEa7zA4/видео.html -P
I just saw the Strobepro video where they are explaining pretty much everything about the Godox AD600 Pro II. One thing that I was wondering was how they were able to get that Freeze mode faster than 1/2000sec at 1/1. My guess was that it had less output in Freeze mode. Strobepro video confirmed that for that unit, in Freeze mode, you will get approximatively 3 stops less light than in Color or Normal mode. That explains a lot. Considering this : - I think the Godox AD600 Pro II in Freeze mode at 1/1 should be compared to other strobes with similar output at 1/8 since, technically, that's about what you'll get in terms of exposition. - Somethings else that becomes interesting is that, if you put the unit in Freeze mode at 1/512, you effectively get 3 stops less than the normal minimum power setting. That could be useful.
@@YogueDaddy I still have this light but those are not the results we found. We recorded almost the same power setting in all 3 modes with a light meter. We only tested each light at full power though. I can redo that test real quick though.
@@FStoppers Strobepro video measured f/22 at 1/1 in Normal mode VS f/8 at 1/1 in Freeze mode. Could you retest it, these results differ a lot from yours.
I have certain reservations about Profoto. I perceive that their prices tend to be higher, attributing this difference to their premium brand status, although sometimes I don't see it as justified. Your video, from my perspective, seemed to be more of a criticism towards competitor brands that are not Profoto. If your intention was to enhance Profoto at the expense of other brands, I would say you achieved it.
Just an observation on your White Balance spreadsheet, both the Godox AD600Pro and AD400Pro don't have a 'freeze' mode. They have a 'standard' mode and 'colour' mode and by default the colour mode is slower flash duration.
Yeah we did the tests in both modes. We may have labeled them the same as other brands but the faster flash duration is the “freeze mode” which always has less accurate color. -P
Great Video. If I win the lottery, then I’ll buy Profoto equipment. 🤷🏻♂️ I feel you guys should make a video on how to protect strobes from damaging when they accidentally tip over due to wind from the softboxes. The only one that know that has some type of protection is the AD200 flash. Other than that, I don’t see any other flashes that have some type of protective mechanism. Thank you
So I know the Godox AD200 pro doesn't really fit a Speedlight test as it doesn't mount to a camera. but it also didn't make the cut for this test as its not in line with the rest of these much larger more powerful lights I am curious of peoples thoughts if they had speed lights powered with batteries, they wanted a off camera flash, they wanted something light and easy to pack up. SEEMS to me like the AD200 pro still strikes that balance beautifully. the kicker for that AD 600pro II is its weight and size. I just did a photoshoot on a beach last weekend and I can tell you the person I had helping with a off camera flash would have been pretty upset if I asked them to swap in a light that is 7.7 lbs. Not to mention I believe the AD 200pro will fit in my normal speedlight spot in my camera bag so it means I wouldnt even need another bag to bring it. outside of all that as well the ad200 pro has extra batteries that are only 78 (CAD) where as the the AD 600 pro batter is a whopping 240 (CAD) - maybe the argument is though that with the AD600 sized battery you would likely never run out in a normal length photo shoot. All that said though what are peoples thoughts on the AD200 pro in 2024. is it still a contender?
Fantastic video, guys! Rob Hall used to be my go-to for strobe and flash reviews, but since he transitioned to video, I've been looking for new sources. You've done an excellent job with all the detailed data. One suggestion regarding the Power Output test, which many people are particularly interested in: it would be really helpful if you could share your methodology. If the test was conducted using just the stock reflector aimed directly at the light meter, some might argue that it doesn’t reflect real-world usage, especially since different modifiers can significantly alter the results. For instance, using inverted modifiers like the Elinchrom Litemotiv Indirect or a zoomable parabolic softbox with a diffusion layer would likely yield results more aligned with the actual W.s rating by distributing the light more evenly. Personally, I rely on direct flash/strobe quite a bit, but it would be really helpful to see how they perform within a softbox setup as well. That said, I think you've surpassed even Rob Hall’s reviews from back in the day, especially with your coverage of system triggers, wireless range, and the stress test; I've never seen a review that covers all of these aspects. Excellent work!
@@FStoppers sounded like you used an umbrella (with a diffusion I assume), which is fine as well. Though you might find the output would be different when you leave all the protruded bulb bare instead of the reflector dish. The Godox reflector is well known to be extremely inefficient. Anyway, thank you Lee for the test! That flash duration table alone helped a lot.
It was a soft box with double baffles. The bulbs were all contained inside the Profoto speed ring so the light was all firing forward. We also did other tests too to try to balance out any inefficiency in one test over the other. You are right, using native reflector dishes did have a slightly larger gap in power settings but from weakest to lowest it was like an additional .5 stop max. That said, I’m going to make a new view about the exposed flash tube theory and see if it actually makes a difference or not. -P
One metric I do not believe was mentioned is recycle times at full power? One thing that was fairly consistent in the past is the more expensive lights had more consistent recycling times as well as color temp when shooting quickly. Is it still the same? Or have things changed? I'm really surprised by the color consistency of Godox.
The reason why I didn’t do it is because the lights fire at different powers so a recycle test wouldn’t really be fair to the more powerful lights. I was surprised how fast they all were and I was also surprised that their recycle time didn’t really seem to slow as their batteries died.
Nice, thoughtful and balanced review. Since you opted for popular strobes, it shows how far in popularity Elinchrom has fallen since neither the Elinchrom Five nor the Elinchrom Three made the cut. It also looks like Neewer is swooping in as the low cost leader Godox once occupied. I’ll be curious to see if Jinbei (Westcotf) upgrades its offering with the color screens.
Hi, at about 10:35, the light shape part, I think you are wrong to use modeling light to check the light shape? The right way is to check the light which produced by flash tube.
Curious why Elinchrom is not part of this review? Especially as they have 3 ranges of battery powered lights. I feel this review is obviously biased towards Profoto
So I have the Q4 and the controller. I had the same problem where I couldn't get it to flash. What I had to do was set it ID to something other than stock, and it worked.
Is the ID different than the channel and group? I watched Lee go through so many channels and groups but I never dug around for some other ID myself. -P
@@FStoppers Yup! By default the ID is set to off. So after some digging I was reading that other devices can interfere with the signal. So I just set it, and the controller to ID 1, then it worked.
Luck of the draw. We asked for the top selling flashes from BH and then filled in with a few fan favorites. Elinchrom just happen to not make the test. Paul C Buff didn’t either. It’s just how it happened. -P
@@YogueDaddy to be perfectly honest, I reviewed them a year or two ago on our channel and their remote was so bad I couldn’t see adding them to this review. The Bees and Einstein were great in the early 2010s but they feel dated now even with the update. -P
Three battery powered offers, all deploying the latest technologies, able to be configured by an app, great t0.1 values at 7ws, USB chargeable, etc. If only Elinchrom was better at marketing their products.
I can tell you that I have had to swap out my Godox AD400 for the third time in less than a year as the battery seems to stop taking a charge after 3-4 times. I am beyond annoyed.
It’s not that the battery needs to be changed out, it’s that once it sits for a while there is an issue where it stops charging and you have to jump two of the terminals with a wire. It’s crazy this is an issue to begin with and it’s been brought up about 10 times in the comments. -P
@@FStoppers jump the terminals? That is the first time I have heard that. And I agree is a stupid issue. I have others from flashpoint and have never been an issue. Thanks for the reply and the videos.. Have a good one.
Really appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this. I currently use Elinchrom ELB500’s they’ve been great and I like the fact that the flash duration is shown on the pack as you change power levels. The locking system for soft box attachment is useless and really annoys me but the soft boxes are well made. I’ve been looking at the Profoto for the size/portability and ease of use but the range of the trigger is worrying. Godox looks good especially with the new trigger but I didn’t like the look of that light pattern (not sure this makes a difference to the finished image?) … decisions
This reminds me of another test I want to do; are the advertised flash durations and those shown on some lcd screens accurate? In my limited testing, the numbers we were getting from the flash meter were not the same as the advertised specs. In the case of Westcott in particular, our readers were even faster than what was advertised but I bet in other cases they might be worse. -P
Great test as always! If you want top do a follow up, it would be nice to see how fast the remote triggers are when using an A9III or a leaf shutter camera. The Godox X3 seems to add a bit too much delay when shooting at 1/2000 on my Leica Q3 and the flash doesn't even show up in the photos when using a speed light and barely when using a strobe. I've heard that ProFoto have a "fast mode" with reduced lag.
Patrick here, while I haven't done a test on trigger latency, I just released a few A9iii videos and I haven't noticed any issue with wireless flash. You will need to manually test all your power settings and shutter speed settings (each combination) to find the perfect Flash Sync Timing in the Sony A9iii menu, but that should account for any delay the wireless trigger has. I know Tony Northrup mentioned using a wired connection to help reduce latency in one of his videos but I have not experienced the need to do that. As for "fast mode", the only setting like that which I've seen is Freeze mode and Lee mentions that in this video. It doesn't help with sync timing from the trigger but it makes the flash duration shorter which helps when freezing motion with flash and sometimes might help with fast shutters speeds on the A9iii but not always. -P
@@betterthanathousand9686 Elinchrom transmitters have that "Speed mode" for people using leaf shutter systems. I have no idea if it works well, though.
@@FStoppers Hi Patrick! Have already watched your video! 👍 The problem is, that only the A9III lets you change the timing. When using a cable, it works just fine on a leaf shutter camera. You'll see some loss of light but that's exactly what you've described in your video. At faster shutter speeds the flash duration is longer than the actual shutter speed, so a certain loss is to be expected. What also works is using a speed light to trigger the strobe or another off camera flash. This also get's rid of the delay caused by the radio trigger.
@@betterthanathousand9686 oooh so the issue is with non global shutter cameras (leaf shutters) or future global shutter cameras that may not have that timing feature? Unfortunately it seems like syncing to a global shutter opens up a whole other can of worms. -P
![I Replaced ALL my ADOBE APPS with these [free or cheaper] Alternatives!](/img/1.gif)
After years of being a devoted Profoto user I switched to Godox, and I never looked back!
Me too, but honestly the quality of Godox is the worst of every other flashes I ever used.
One thing I see Lee overlooked that I personally REALLY REALLY love with the new Godox Pro II light is that little Red light on the side. This light gives you a quick visual reference of what channel/group the flash is set to so you can mount a light high up on a stand and immediately know it's group B or D or whatever based on the color. That is one of the smartest features I've seen in a strobe in the last few years and think that shouldn't be overlooked when comparing user interfaces or ease of use. -Patrick
The Broncolor has the color group lights as well. They call their groups Lamp - so you can add several lights to a lamp channel and they all flash on the same studio channel. Each lamp group will get a color assigned and display on the edge of the lights. The Broncolor lights are like 15 years old now and definitely starting to show their age. Pretty impressive how well they have held up for that long.
@@jaredwolfe8438 wow, it’s wild the oldest lights in this test already had this featured but no one else ever added it until the Pro II that just came out. I love that feature! -P
Do you have Elinchrom in the US? Their one, three & five series are pretty close contenders with Profoto. Would be nice to include them in this comparison. - But I guess you don't have them. =)
Elinchrom has had the color coding feature for group for a couple of years : since the release of the ELC 500/125.
This should be on the Broncolor as well.
This is the kind of "Taking one for the team" that I appreciate from channels like yours
Haha, ya this one was miserable. The color and flash duration specs took soooo long.
And a good news is, The GODOX AD400pro has a 'switch to Profoto mount' head, you can replace the original mount with it then you get a Profoto-mount-Godox-body strobe ;-).
I wish you'd included the Elinchrom ONE, THREE and FIVE as they are big product here in Europe and other parts of the world.
Yeah I was just going to comment on the same thing. I shot Elinchrom for years, but switched to Profoto because I got sick of lugging around Rangers (awesome lights just not very portable unless you have assistants 🙃).
After watching this and the speedlight comparison, you can see why these guys have a million subscribers. Clear, no nonsense, well presented, and fun.
Love the variety of vids these guys churn out as well. Keep up the good work guys.
I haven’t read through the comments yet but one thing you missed about the Godox X3 was that the dial SHOULD HAVE been on the left side instead of the right. Reason being is bcuz your right hand will be holding the grip of the camera and your left hand usually is the more freely usable hand which will help you change settings. Just be so nice to have that dial on the left instead of the right
One thing that I particularly like about the Godox / Flashpoint AD600 Pro is the optional extension head. This makes the AD600 Pro significantly lighter on the top, making it much easier to mount and move and safer to mount on a boom. The body can also function as a counterweight. In addition, it and its accessories are very affordable.
So crazy! I literally planned on making a purchase this morning. I have several AD100 Pros and love them. But it's senior portrait season and was looking for more light. This video was perfect!
I am still using Godox AD600BM since 2017, works great. Faster recycle time and brighter LED of AD600 pro II looks sweet.
I didn't see any tests on the recycling times of the strobes.
I am a Italian fashion photographer and I own many Broncolor products... I often use Profoto and sometimes Godox.
In my over twenty years of experience, I can say that Broncolor probably doesn't have the best design (like Profoto) and the best price (like Godox) but they are tireless flashes and rarely break (in 20 years it happened to me only once).
I love the design of Profoto products, but in one photo shoot out of five in which I used them I had at least one problem with them breaking or malfunctioning (especially the battery-powered ones, because they were placed on the side) and all the rental services do not recommend them to me.
I've tried Godox on a professional level but it's better to leave it alone.
Great video anyway 🖖
@@simonenervi I would really like to know more about the problems you had with Godox. Misfires? Units breaking up? Something else? I'm eyeing the Godox AD600 Pro II at the moment but I have absolutely nothing from Godox at the moment and no experience with the system.
@@YogueDaddy I'm a professional photographer, I take thousands of shots a day and each shot must be the same as the other in terms of lighting, the colors must always be the same, I don't have to wait long for the flash to charge, and nothing should break . Whether it is an ADV campaign or a simple e-commerce, strobes must not be a problem for me. Godox products are excellent and relatively cheap, but if put under stress you inevitably notice the difference from other more expensive products. So probably for you it could be a great option if you do not have the same needs as me.
I'm curious, if you are shooting studio catalog work every few days, is there a reason you wouldn't want an even more powerful strobe that is AC powered with a pack? I'm the first to acknowledge how great all of these battery strobes are, but if my bread and butter was studio work day in and day out, I might buy a Move or B8 pack. Obviously the price is the pain point but you'd probably never rebuy that system again. -P
that said, have you rented the Profoto D1/D2 lights? I definitely us my B10s 95% of the time now but those AC D2 lights are super reliable. -P
@@FStoppers I agree with this. Shooting in the studio multiple times per week, I can attest to the nuisance battery powered mono's can be . . . I use the Flashpoint (Godox manufactured) 1200 EXPLOR Pro II pack system, shooting on AC mains, and it's as reliable as Profoto or Speedotron (remember those?) packs. It's also a 10th of the price of Profoto packs, same features - and even more color-accurate. One other thing: the 400/600ws Godox/Flashpoint mono's have inexpensive options AC adapter packs that mount where the batteries mount, so you now have dual-power flashes for long sessions, studio days, or remote locations.
Correction. Even at the lowest power in freeze mode at 1/512 power, the Xplor 600 PRO II has the fastest flash duration at the lowest at 1/20400 at 1/512 and 1/2570 at 1/1 full power. I just did a full video on it as well
Is the westcott remote an e-ink display? If so that could be a SUPER battery efficient feature.
The weird screen refresh is what makes me think it's e-ink
Lee, for the remotes; most of these work over Bluetooth and can be used on your phone or a tablet. Personally i use Godox and often have 4 to 8 strobes or leds. Easy to configure on my ipad; AND some have save functions, saving the flash settings on the phone or tablet.
Your reviews have no peer. Thank you.
PS, I also favor Profoto personally and have some of their lights, but purchasing them is painful because of the seemingly excessive pricing.
Glad you like them!
Same, I have Godox and Profoto and prefer to use Profoto every time. They are so much easier to use, and I can actually see the screen with my bad eyes.
Touch screens are not always the way to go. You need bare fingers (and no rain) to properly control a touch screen. I think keeping the buttons is better for a wider variety of photographers.
have a Wheel for this
@@cpabreaker Anything really that's physical. I'm not a big fan of too many buttons myself, but I'd rather take buttons than pure touch controls.
Good point on no rain. Especially when some have “outdoor” as a part of the description.
Totally appreciate t his Fstoppers, please dont stop what youre doing. I've been here since I was an amateur 12 years ago, and im still here learning still from you guys.
Awesome! Hope you are a seasoned pro now! -P
This made my day.
We will chip in for your yearly colonscopy/prostate exam, as you are getting to that age. It is not the flash I would recommend, but what "the science" recommends.
I think if you would have read the Broncolor manual and used the app on your phone or tablet with the Bluetooth function, your overall user experience would have been much better for the siros. That being said Profoto does make some of the best hard light modifiers on the market. Thanks for the test.
thank you boss, im diving deep into the neewer system.❤
One thing I’ll throw in that I absolutely love about my Profoto’s is the mobile app. It’s so useful and just works! I use it all the time since I shoot manual power most of the time
Nice , u deserve a beer 🍺 for all that work
Excellent video Lee. Really wonderful comparison of these lights. Thank you!
Thanks! Would be very interesting to also see a future 100 and 200 Watt flash comparison.
Thank you for making these in detail reviews
Glad you like them!
Did Godox ever fix their batteries bricking themselves? On the AD600's, if they sat in a case for a couple months, they would discharge down below the point where they could be charged again. The only fix was to take them apart and try to jump start them, not a safe and easy solution.
Don't forget that the Westcott trigger can be used with most camera brands without having to buy a extra trigger. There is an adapter for Sony for $20 unless you want the Sony only trigger.
This is a good point. I wish more 3rd party flashes worked on more flash brands but that also opens up the ability to switch brands easier. -P
I love my older Profoto that I had some I had for 20 years. All still working with a lot of use.
Great Video!!!
Excellant comparison test! Certain specs are definitely more important to different photographers. With that said, I love my Profoto B10x Plus flashes. VERY clean, polished and well designed. Kind of an "after the fact" thing here, packing and traveling with these various flashes. Again, the Profoto lights easily pack in a camera backpack. The size of the others and their bulk could make it more troubling to pack into your backpack. It's great we consumers have so many options available though.
Totally agree!
Ok. So then I question. Why would you not just put the modefier down and mount the flash to it and not the other way around. Why lift the big modefier when you can lift the small flash. Regarding the bowens mount modefiers that is
For the freeze mode of the Godox AD600 Pro II, please check if the values of the flash duration you have in your chart are t0.5, not the t0.1
Awesome content and video. Thank you!
Agree - we need the Godox X3 in an XL version 🤞
weird. i love that it's so small. I can normally keep it mounted with no issues.
Firing the triggers through your body is the beginning of a B-level superhero origin story.
shouldve included the FJ200 if you were going to include the Q model from godox.. the feature you loved on profoto with the push button is also on FJ200
One of the most detailed review.....Thank you !!!
I got the Neewer Q4. I really like it so far.
always choose your light based on what you shoot and where. the biggest light wont fit everywhere. because most of the time you don't need high power strobes. you need mobility. im a godox user and i shoot portraits and weddings. i have ad200, 300 & 400. for me the ad300 & 400 is absolutely fine in every situation because most of the time when you shoot outside the weight & size of your equipment's got headache when you using them. so for me, the size and the weight is more important than the power
Thank you for this In-depth review of these lights I learned a lot watching your video.
I use Westcott FJ400 for 360 e-commerce photos and my usage matches your testing. I end with a few hundred sequences non-stop. The screen nav is annoying but what I truly can't stand is that it's on one side of the unit instead of the rear. I shoot tethered and rarely touch the remote but it always feels like it's going to break.
I have had noticeable differences where the light is mounted. My under table and bg lights are sensitive to the radio power changes. Rotating the camera orientation has effects also. I've had more challenges indoors than out with flash.
My only surprise was about the Broncolor Pulso bayonet. It's no different the a lens mount.
The bayonet on Bron works a bit differently from the one on a lens. It has more of a safety purpose than a locking one. When engaged, the bayonet part thickness is the only thing that stops you from rotating the accessory a full 360 degrees. It's very practical specifically for boxes, of all shapes.
Godox was my first, and only, wireless system. They are continually improving their range.
Flashpoint dropped an updated a manual XPLOR 600 SE that is incredible as well. I prefer it over the more expensive pro
Thank you very much, this was very helpful. Many years ago I went with Profoto monolights, my fear is that I shoot with Pentax, and with film cameras. I have wondered how the compatibility would work. I know at one time you had to shoot with Canon, Nikon, or Sony, but never did.
This is the kind of video/article that I appreciate the most, being a flash/strobe nerd. I would've loved to see the Elinchrom Five and Buff Celestial in that test.
I did a review on the Celestial flash a year ago and honestly that trigger system is so archaic, I can't imagine anyone investing in that system. The build quality of the strobe it self didn't seem on par with the competition either. PC Buff was one of the main flash systems I started out with when I bought studio strobes for my weddings but unfortunately that new system leaves a lot to be desired IMO. -P
@@FStoppersI agree that the trigger is maybe the worst thing ever made. I don't use the Buff system and never did but I still think that unit, on paper at least, has some advantages that nobody else have :
- Able to use PocketWizard dongle made for Einstein
- 12 stops of range
- Supposed incredible color stability over the enitre range (according to Buff, at least)
But, I heard the built quality is less than stellar, the trigger is atrocious and the Balcar mount... 😅
It makes me a bit sad cuz I think that if Buff stopped trying to make transmitters and instead adopted internal PocketWizard system, drop the Balcar mount and go to Bowens mount... and upped the build quality and esthetic design, it could be a real contender.
I Invested in the Godox ad300pro with an X3S trigger for my Sony A7RV. I was using the Sony HVL-60RM2 with a Sony trigger for off camera before the Godox, wow what a difference! I am definitely buying into the Godox ecosystem now!
What did you like more about the godox and dislike about the Sony? -P
Great video! Love the content. But is it me or does the overall RUclips video look choppy? What’s your shutter speed on this?
THANK YOU so much. I am on the market for 1 or 2, and you made my day. What do you think about the Rotolight?
Curious which system you are leaning towards after this review especially if you aren't already invested in one of their ecosystems yet? As for the rotolight, they don't make a strobe right? I don't see any reason to buy LED lights for photography work if you have a strobe with a good modeling lamp. If video is your only discipline then maybe you can get a bunch for quick setups but modifying them with softboxes and stuff seems like a nightmare to me. -Patrick
Really good review, your audio is one of, if not the best on YT. One thing about the Profoto, you were rating them by if you would need the manual to figure out how to use it. While the 'pushing the knob in to do something different' is super cool, there's no way you'd figure that out unless it was by mistake or reading the manual. I've never used Profoto, and if someone had handed me a light prior to this vid I wouldn't have even thought to consider trying that. Nice work, Lee!
The biggest down side with Godox lights is when you don't use the light for a few months, the battery turnd off internally, you have to open battery using knife and press reset button on the circuit board, can you imagine do something like this these days ?
I’ve asked this before because this has happened to me. I never found a button but instead had to use a paper clip to short out two connections. Is this still a thing!?!? I have some AD400s and the battery constantly goes dead and won’t charge if I don’t use it once every 3-6 months. -P
@@FStoppers Same here. no button, i use a tweezer to touch the two contact points after opening the battery.... the first time it happened I thought i had bought a faulty battery.
@@FStoppers I did the same, connected by a wire but I heard some models has a button.
@@FStoppers this is not talked enough, but when the battery goes in sleep mode you can reset it by pressing the battery check option on the battery itself without opening it and short the circuit. I am not sure why, but no one on the internet is saying it..
@@LucaZanatta-xq9ym hmmm, I’ll have to try that next time I notice the battery isn’t charging. I swear I hit every button and had to research the fix online. I thought it was a really rare issue but it’s been brought up no less than 5 times in these comments. -P
80 full power strobe pops is more than I have ever done. It's rare that I shoot a strobe at full power at anytime, and when you using those Godox with less power, they run and run and run.
I'm just starting to reach a point where I can charge for my photography (not much yet, but its a start!). So although I'd love to be using profoto, my budget only allows for godox right now. But the 600pro II is on my purchase list. If I ever start making decent money, I will consider switching to profoto then though.
Great video though, thanks so much. Really interesting to see all those tests and the results!
when you take the price into consideration, Broncolor is shit, and Godox overall the BEST. Chinese manufacturers are pushing inovation at decent prices
I'm not really sure I can say China is pushing innovation as much as they are implementing other designs into their products. I say this because I've personally been in the research and development facilities of many known flash brands (US and overseas operations) and I've also dealt with China factories for things we have built ourselves. China is incredibly good at reverse engineering things that already exist and copying them into products that often have more features for the money (which is good) but they are absolutely dismal when it comes to designing something from scratch. -P
To get the best out of the Broncolor you really need to know how to use the system properly. Ideally, you will want to use the Broncontrol app (worth watching a video on about the app) and not the back of the flash to control everything (It really screws it up if you use both). When you do know how to use the system properly it is extremely effective.
Saying all that though, it is not perfect. I am not much of a fan of the mount. The ergonomics are not great and it is a pain in the arse to learn.
@@FStopperswell wait until China get hold of on these strobs for affordable much better gadget for every pocket!
@@FStoppersDo you know that the Westcott flash is a tweaked Jinbei design and is produced by Jinbei?
I can literally imagine the Chinese engineers at Godox reading your comment and LOL at you thinking we copied everything we could from Broncolor.
That Broncolor remote looks like the X1 trigger from Godox, its possible Godox is the OEM for their triggers atleast.
@@ChaitanyaShukla2503 From what I was told by a Broncolor rep, the case is made by Godox but the electronics inside is made by Broncolor. Can't confirm that it's true, but apparently Broncolor does all of the electronic parts in Switzerland at their factory.
It's the only trigger with a hotshoe built in which is pretty weird to me considering Broncolor doesn't make a speed light. I do like those pass through triggers for wedding work because it lets you put a speedlight on your camera for bounce flash and also trigger wireless remotes. BUT, most of the speedlights now allow you to control their own speedlights remotely with the flash in commander mode so that's less of an issue.
I do see Broncolor makes an RFS 2.1 trigger which maybe is what Lee should have compared for this test, but it looks super archaic as well and probably wouldn't have altered his overall impression of the Scoro system much if at all. -P
@@FStoppers Broncolor designed the Siros to work with the Broncontrol app, which you can download onto a tablet or onto your phone, This gives a huge amount of control to the system. That is the best way to change all the settings. The Broncolor trigger is really only for triggering the lights and nothing more.
Flashpoint R2 aka Godox looks exactly like the Broncolor with the hot shoe however there is no delay in transmitting to the light, everything is instant. I have used mine so much I can’t believe it still works . My backup transmitter is the Godox X2T with hot shoe and has updated physical buttons. I’ve never needed it.
@@FStoppers The RFS2.1 has been discontinued a long time ago. Why keep on hammering Siros for lack of knowledge on the product? Why no review on the Siros 400ws?
Using Godox AD-300 and AD-100 (2 of each). Perfect for my needs.
Use the digital crown on the Godox X trigger to change flash power, it's awesome.
Likely the shape of the Neewer flash is likely due to it being cheaper to build to a single board loadout, or at most a single low voltage and a single high voltage board. For example, if you look at newer budget oscilloscopes, they are more commonly moving to single board construction, with at most a separate power supply module stuck outside of the RF shield.
For exposed flash tubes, for larger modifiers, if you take a picture of one with an ND filter on, or a low output power, you will notice that an exposed tube more evenly lights them, especially when you want to go with lower powered flashes for larger modifiers, such as the Godox AD200.
I agree fully with you on the strobes, but I think you’re too picky on the triggers. Regardless of the system one uses it’s very quick and easy to get used to. I’m a GODOX strobe user using their X2T and XPro triggers. It doesn’t bother me that the ABCDE buttons are not perfectly lined up with the ABCDE interface. But hey, we’re all different people with different likes and dislikes.
Don't mind me, I'm just here waiting for the "It's ackchyually a Jinbei/Godox strobe 🤓" comment to appear. There's always someone who has to post this in every strobe comparison review video ever.
In the end, all that matters in photography is who delivers the best light. Lee demonstrates that the ten year old Broncolor's cheap reflector that comes with the Siros is at the top in 2024!
I believe you touched on it in the stress test, but would have liked hearing about the number of flashes that can be , or occur before the battery needs recharging( at full power , and half power. Your charts indicated around 343 full power flashes, on average. I would not want to assume doubling that number if turned down to half power .And if the unit can be plugged in to a wall outlet, and continue to work, and to recharge at the same time. I will also try to research these answers on the godox website, if this information is not available, or possible to read here. Otherwise, great review, as always.
Which is the budgeted Strobe flash for Portrait and product photography to learn first of all Lighting techniques? Pls guide
Which should I buy Godox SK400 or Godox AD 200 pro ? Please suggest and what's the difference in both ?
The possibility to expose the flash tube is essential for beauty dish use. If you use a reflector on the flash in a beauty dish, the light output will be different.
People say this and maybe with all these lights we can find a way to test it (we only have the collapsible beauty dishes here in Puerto Rico, not the solid ones). I did do a test about this concept using the Profoto Dome glass and to my eyes, it make almost no difference at all. Once you add retouching, color grading, and other pixel altering tools that goes into commercial and most professional work, the differences has to be negligible. I'd love to do a blind test with a fashion or beauty photographer and see how often they can tell the difference without knowing which one was which.
Here is my test video: ruclips.net/video/K249jEa7zA4/видео.html -P
I just saw the Strobepro video where they are explaining pretty much everything about the Godox AD600 Pro II.
One thing that I was wondering was how they were able to get that Freeze mode faster than 1/2000sec at 1/1. My guess was that it had less output in Freeze mode. Strobepro video confirmed that for that unit, in Freeze mode, you will get approximatively 3 stops less light than in Color or Normal mode. That explains a lot.
Considering this :
- I think the Godox AD600 Pro II in Freeze mode at 1/1 should be compared to other strobes with similar output at 1/8 since, technically, that's about what you'll get in terms of exposition.
- Somethings else that becomes interesting is that, if you put the unit in Freeze mode at 1/512, you effectively get 3 stops less than the normal minimum power setting. That could be useful.
@@YogueDaddy I still have this light but those are not the results we found. We recorded almost the same power setting in all 3 modes with a light meter. We only tested each light at full power though. I can redo that test real quick though.
@@FStoppers Strobepro video measured f/22 at 1/1 in Normal mode VS f/8 at 1/1 in Freeze mode. Could you retest it, these results differ a lot from yours.
I have certain reservations about Profoto. I perceive that their prices tend to be higher, attributing this difference to their premium brand status, although sometimes I don't see it as justified. Your video, from my perspective, seemed to be more of a criticism towards competitor brands that are not Profoto. If your intention was to enhance Profoto at the expense of other brands, I would say you achieved it.
Great stuff! Would love to see a follow up with Rotolight and Elinchrom lights too if possible!
Rotolight doesn't make strobes, though. It wouldn't really be any kind of fair comparison.
and Elinchrom? i have the ELB 500 and it is amazing the one must be amazing
Just an observation on your White Balance spreadsheet, both the Godox AD600Pro and AD400Pro don't have a 'freeze' mode. They have a 'standard' mode and 'colour' mode and by default the colour mode is slower flash duration.
Ya it's just another name for the same thing. "color mode off" means freeze mode is on.
Yeah we did the tests in both modes. We may have labeled them the same as other brands but the faster flash duration is the “freeze mode” which always has less accurate color. -P
Hi
Good video but I would like to see a comparison on:
Flash action with liquids-freezing motion.
The only one online is very old.
Thanks
What exactly do you want to know? The flash duration t1 times will tell you the answer to that. -P
Great Video. If I win the lottery, then I’ll buy Profoto equipment. 🤷🏻♂️
I feel you guys should make a video on how to protect strobes from damaging when they accidentally tip over due to wind from the softboxes. The only one that know that has some type of protection is the AD200 flash. Other than that, I don’t see any other flashes that have some type of protective mechanism. Thank you
A video on adding sandbags to your stands? 😂 In all seriousness, what is the mechanism on the AD200 that protects it from falls? -P
@@FStoppers Both the AD200 and 300 have rubber sleeves that help protect them from falls. Easier to make for smaller strobes like those.
Phenomenal video, super informative
So I know the Godox AD200 pro doesn't really fit a Speedlight test as it doesn't mount to a camera.
but it also didn't make the cut for this test as its not in line with the rest of these much larger more powerful lights
I am curious of peoples thoughts if they had speed lights powered with batteries, they wanted a off camera flash, they wanted something light and easy to pack up. SEEMS to me like the AD200 pro still strikes that balance beautifully.
the kicker for that AD 600pro II is its weight and size. I just did a photoshoot on a beach last weekend and I can tell you the person I had helping with a off camera flash would have been pretty upset if I asked them to swap in a light that is 7.7 lbs. Not to mention I believe the AD 200pro will fit in my normal speedlight spot in my camera bag so it means I wouldnt even need another bag to bring it.
outside of all that as well the ad200 pro has extra batteries that are only 78 (CAD) where as the the AD 600 pro batter is a whopping 240 (CAD)
- maybe the argument is though that with the AD600 sized battery you would likely never run out in a normal length photo shoot.
All that said though what are peoples thoughts on the AD200 pro in 2024. is it still a contender?
Fantastic video, guys! Rob Hall used to be my go-to for strobe and flash reviews, but since he transitioned to video, I've been looking for new sources. You've done an excellent job with all the detailed data.
One suggestion regarding the Power Output test, which many people are particularly interested in: it would be really helpful if you could share your methodology. If the test was conducted using just the stock reflector aimed directly at the light meter, some might argue that it doesn’t reflect real-world usage, especially since different modifiers can significantly alter the results. For instance, using inverted modifiers like the Elinchrom Litemotiv Indirect or a zoomable parabolic softbox with a diffusion layer would likely yield results more aligned with the actual W.s rating by distributing the light more evenly.
Personally, I rely on direct flash/strobe quite a bit, but it would be really helpful to see how they perform within a softbox setup as well. That said, I think you've surpassed even Rob Hall’s reviews from back in the day, especially with your coverage of system triggers, wireless range, and the stress test; I've never seen a review that covers all of these aspects. Excellent work!
Good point. For this test all flashes were put in the same soft box with their reflector dishes on.
@@FStoppers sounded like you used an umbrella (with a diffusion I assume), which is fine as well. Though you might find the output would be different when you leave all the protruded bulb bare instead of the reflector dish. The Godox reflector is well known to be extremely inefficient. Anyway, thank you Lee for the test! That flash duration table alone helped a lot.
It was a soft box with double baffles. The bulbs were all contained inside the Profoto speed ring so the light was all firing forward. We also did other tests too to try to balance out any inefficiency in one test over the other. You are right, using native reflector dishes did have a slightly larger gap in power settings but from weakest to lowest it was like an additional .5 stop max.
That said, I’m going to make a new view about the exposed flash tube theory and see if it actually makes a difference or not. -P
@@FStoppers will you also do a Global Shutter test with these strobes? Thank you.
praying that ad200 II has the same flash mode at the new 600
One metric I do not believe was mentioned is recycle times at full power?
One thing that was fairly consistent in the past is the more expensive lights had more consistent recycling times as well as color temp when shooting quickly.
Is it still the same? Or have things changed?
I'm really surprised by the color consistency of Godox.
The reason why I didn’t do it is because the lights fire at different powers so a recycle test wouldn’t really be fair to the more powerful lights. I was surprised how fast they all were and I was also surprised that their recycle time didn’t really seem to slow as their batteries died.
"mouting options"? :) But seriously.. this was crazy helpful for me. thank you.
11:33 my guy.. on the AD400.. just attach the Bowens mount and toss the non-Bowens into the box and forget about it.
Nice, thoughtful and balanced review. Since you opted for popular strobes, it shows how far in popularity Elinchrom has fallen since neither the Elinchrom Five nor the Elinchrom Three made the cut. It also looks like Neewer is swooping in as the low cost leader Godox once occupied. I’ll be curious to see if Jinbei (Westcotf) upgrades its offering with the color screens.
Neewer might be the new low cost leader, but my guess is that their stuff is all made by Godox. So it's Godox by proxy, I'm pretty sure.
EPIC
Hi, at about 10:35, the light shape part, I think you are wrong to use modeling light to check the light shape? The right way is to check the light which produced by flash tube.
Those are the flash exposures. -P
the broncolor trigger is probably produced by godox, its in the same housing as the X1r receiver housing
Did you do some search? no.
Cool video dude. Although am almost sure the Ad600 Pro II's Flash Duration (freeze mode) is 1/20400
Source?
@@FStoppers On the "Essential Photo" website
www.essentialphoto.co.uk/products/godox-ad600proii-battery-flash
Someone already did this test a while ago. Maybe miss a couple of these flashes.
Excellent Review. Just one request: use the metric system. I don't know how far 60ft is. The whole world uses the metric system, it is the standard.
Curious why Elinchrom is not part of this review? Especially as they have 3 ranges of battery powered lights. I feel this review is obviously biased towards Profoto
Profoto didn’t even win half the tests; why do you think it’s biased towards them? -P
The best one if price is not the subject ? Profoto B1x... not in the list !
So I have the Q4 and the controller. I had the same problem where I couldn't get it to flash. What I had to do was set it ID to something other than stock, and it worked.
Oh really??
Is the ID different than the channel and group? I watched Lee go through so many channels and groups but I never dug around for some other ID myself. -P
@@FStoppers Yup! By default the ID is set to off. So after some digging I was reading that other devices can interfere with the signal. So I just set it, and the controller to ID 1, then it worked.
Do you have problems with the Godox Nano range or battery life? I don't.
great vid!
Can you tell me a really salty reason why you didn’t look at the elinchrom 1? Disclaimer… I’m not a fan of elinchrom.
ad400 pro has color mode
Why weren't the Elinchrom lights included in the review?
Luck of the draw. We asked for the top selling flashes from BH and then filled in with a few fan favorites. Elinchrom just happen to not make the test. Paul C Buff didn’t either. It’s just how it happened. -P
@@FStoppers LOL. I have to say, I'm not really surprised that Buff gear wasn't on B&H list of best selling strobes 😁
@@YogueDaddy to be perfectly honest, I reviewed them a year or two ago on our channel and their remote was so bad I couldn’t see adding them to this review. The Bees and Einstein were great in the early 2010s but they feel dated now even with the update. -P
@@FStoppers I was just kidding, meaning that B&H doesn't sell them so they couldn't be on their best seller list.
Dang no Geekoto strobe?
AD200 Pro would be a good choice aswell :(
No Elinchrom.
Three battery powered offers, all deploying the latest technologies, able to be configured by an app, great t0.1 values at 7ws, USB chargeable, etc. If only Elinchrom was better at marketing their products.
I can tell you that I have had to swap out my Godox AD400 for the third time in less than a year as the battery seems to stop taking a charge after 3-4 times. I am beyond annoyed.
It’s not that the battery needs to be changed out, it’s that once it sits for a while there is an issue where it stops charging and you have to jump two of the terminals with a wire. It’s crazy this is an issue to begin with and it’s been brought up about 10 times in the comments. -P
@@FStoppers jump the terminals? That is the first time I have heard that. And I agree is a stupid issue. I have others from flashpoint and have never been an issue. Thanks for the reply and the videos.. Have a good one.
Really appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this. I currently use Elinchrom ELB500’s they’ve been great and I like the fact that the flash duration is shown on the pack as you change power levels. The locking system for soft box attachment is useless and really annoys me but the soft boxes are well made. I’ve been looking at the Profoto for the size/portability and ease of use but the range of the trigger is worrying. Godox looks good especially with the new trigger but I didn’t like the look of that light pattern (not sure this makes a difference to the finished image?) … decisions
@@ChrisBoultonPhotography you shoot direct strobe using the stock reflector frequently? If not, the light pattern in this test is not an issue.
@@hiepvophan Thanks
This reminds me of another test I want to do; are the advertised flash durations and those shown on some lcd screens accurate? In my limited testing, the numbers we were getting from the flash meter were not the same as the advertised specs. In the case of Westcott in particular, our readers were even faster than what was advertised but I bet in other cases they might be worse. -P
Great test as always! If you want top do a follow up, it would be nice to see how fast the remote triggers are when using an A9III or a leaf shutter camera. The Godox X3 seems to add a bit too much delay when shooting at 1/2000 on my Leica Q3 and the flash doesn't even show up in the photos when using a speed light and barely when using a strobe. I've heard that ProFoto have a "fast mode" with reduced lag.
Patrick here, while I haven't done a test on trigger latency, I just released a few A9iii videos and I haven't noticed any issue with wireless flash. You will need to manually test all your power settings and shutter speed settings (each combination) to find the perfect Flash Sync Timing in the Sony A9iii menu, but that should account for any delay the wireless trigger has. I know Tony Northrup mentioned using a wired connection to help reduce latency in one of his videos but I have not experienced the need to do that.
As for "fast mode", the only setting like that which I've seen is Freeze mode and Lee mentions that in this video. It doesn't help with sync timing from the trigger but it makes the flash duration shorter which helps when freezing motion with flash and sometimes might help with fast shutters speeds on the A9iii but not always. -P
@@betterthanathousand9686 Elinchrom transmitters have that "Speed mode" for people using leaf shutter systems. I have no idea if it works well, though.
@@FStoppers Hi Patrick! Have already watched your video! 👍 The problem is, that only the A9III lets you change the timing. When using a cable, it works just fine on a leaf shutter camera. You'll see some loss of light but that's exactly what you've described in your video. At faster shutter speeds the flash duration is longer than the actual shutter speed, so a certain loss is to be expected. What also works is using a speed light to trigger the strobe or another off camera flash. This also get's rid of the delay caused by the radio trigger.
@@betterthanathousand9686 oooh so the issue is with non global shutter cameras (leaf shutters) or future global shutter cameras that may not have that timing feature? Unfortunately it seems like syncing to a global shutter opens up a whole other can of worms. -P