Over the years, Fstoppers has produced some solid content. With Rob Hall no longer doing technical strobe reviews, Fstoppers recent strobe videos have really stepped up to fill the gap. From covering the Global Shutter effect to comparing flashguns, and now diving into a major strobe comparison, they’ve more than made up for the loss, IMO. This is the second part of their extensive strobe comparison, and some of you might find it particularly interesting.
rscheffler wrote:
Is there a write up I could read/skim at my own pace, rather than sitting through another video to tease out the points that most interest me?
The first comparison round was indexed so you can skip to the section you want. But I do not believe they made any written article on this.
ronchau wrote:
Nice to see them being less biased with mfrs. Vs their past.
For me, choosing which brand to buy is about the ecosystem and the variety of products to fit my needs.
I think most would consider the whole strobe line-up to decide, though not everyone would need as many options as Godox can provide. I think the triggers' ranges and the user interface are something most reviewers do not go over.
hiepphotog wrote:
I think most would consider the whole strobe line-up to decide, though not everyone would need as many options as Godox can provide. I think the triggers' ranges and the user interface are something most reviewers do not go over.
You are right for people with some experience. I first started with just a speedlight and quickly caught the lighting bug. Now shooting studio, on location and events, I am glad I went Godox.
No one needs all the options they offer, but it is very nice they have models to suit specific needs and continually come out with new products. I probably sound like a big fanboy, but I just look at them as tools. Godox as a brand does not have the prestige, owner pride, "professionals brand" like Profoto. I have experienced the attitude and stigma of Godox being an low level amateur brand from other photographers.
FWIW the “prestige of ownership” thing is really an internet issue. In real life it doesn’t come up much if at all, and when it does it’s just other photographers talking amongst themselves, not really a concern of clients. You know how many brands of lighting have been rolled out and brought to set in the past 7-10 years that hadn’t existed before? A bunch of new names and models. Nanlite. Nanlux. Godox. Aputure. Even CRLS, its clones and things like Quasar Scientific. Nobody cares or notices provided the work is good. Clients basically say in effect “can you deliver this quality at this rate?” And if the answer is yes with Godox, they don’t care that it’s not Profoto.
jlafferty wrote:
FWIW the “prestige of ownership” thing is really an internet issue. In real life it doesn’t come up much if at all, and when it does it’s just other photographers talking amongst themselves, not really a concern of clients. You know how many brands of lighting have been rolled out and brought to set in the past 7-10 years that hadn’t existed before? A bunch of new names and models. Nanlite. Nanlux. Godox. Aputure. Even CRLS, its clones and things like Quasar Scientific. Nobody cares or notices provided the work is good. Clients basically say in effect “can you deliver this quality at this rate?” And if the answer is yes with Godox, they don’t care that it’s not Profoto....Show more →
Completely agree. Early on, I cared out of insecurity, because I thought clients might not take me seriously if I didn't have expensive sounding brand names on my gear, but I can't think of a client that has actually cared in the last 10 years. Money is better spent on workshops, education, and personal projects.
Not sure what you mean by this question. The bottom line: every major battery driven strobe included in this review will expedite great lighting & photos. When I first got into the Godox ecosystem, doing so felt like a cheat code - we had had cheap lights; we had had great lights; we had had lights with flexible/broad modifier ecosystems; but not until Godox did we have a system that presented it all in one place. Godox’s success was initially met with skepticism and condescension (“can’t believe you’d shoot with those ‘cheap Chinese lights’)… but now nearly every brand is forced to reply to Godox in some way. I have always said and still do, that even if Godox were more expensive than Profoto I’d prefer them because their bulb design and trigger is better. Some people will make a case that - for their use case, Profoto is better (typically because they want rental market integration.) But many/most YT reviewers claiming Profoto is “the best” “what every photographer wishes they had” etc. etc. is likely either sponsored with free Profoto gear, or carrying the torch for something they heard and believed 10 years ago.
Ask anyone who cares about quality of light and they will tell you the move by Profoto to a flat faced monolight was a big step backward. Add this to their continued pursuit of the amateur/leisure/retail market and the Apple-ification of their UI and light design, and plenty of people gave up on them a while ago 🤷🏻♂️
shanalanphotographers wrote:
What do most reviewers go on about then? Genuinely curious..
In the current economic climate, if a lower priced tool does the job as good as a higher priced one, then it is a prudent business decision to go that way. Quite frankly, I don't see the advantage of Profoto due to lack of rental houses in my region so I am better off to buy Godox and lots of them for less money. Additionally, when the technical aspects are compared such as WB stability, flash duration, wireless controller options and performance, there is no advantage.
My only gripe with Godox is, they need to come out with a full line of professional metal reflectors in a variety of sizes with grid options. Other brands offer a few options but Godox should fill that gap.
JBPhotog wrote:
My only gripe with Godox is, they need to come out with a full line of professional metal reflectors in a variety of sizes with grid options. Other brands offer a few options but Godox should fill that gap.
Huh. What is it you need? I’m unsure offhand if the Glow Magnum can come with a grid - it has the lip for it. There’s scores of 7” Bowens reflectors w grid sets out there. Godox has, last I checked, maybe 5 reflectors in their pro line (all around 7” but with different finishes and shapes). For a beauty dish I’ve gone with the Speedotron, which has a grid, and replaced the mount in about 5 minutes with a low profile Bowens. It’s fantastic.
jlafferty wrote:
Not sure what you mean by this question. The bottom line: every major battery driven strobe included in this review will expedite great lighting & photos. When I first got into the Godox ecosystem, doing so felt like a cheat code - we had had cheap lights; we had had great lights; we had had lights with flexible/broad modifier ecosystems; but not until Godox did we have a system that presented it all in one place. Godox’s success was initially met with skepticism and condescension (“can’t believe you’d shoot with those ‘cheap Chinese lights’)… but now nearly every brand is forced to reply to Godox in some way. I have always said and still do, that even if Godox were more expensive than Profoto I’d prefer them because their bulb design and trigger is better. Some people will make a case that - for their use case, Profoto is better (typically because they want rental market integration.) But many/most YT reviewers claiming Profoto is “the best” “what every photographer wishes they had” etc. etc. is likely either sponsored with free Profoto gear, or carrying the torch for something they heard and believed 10 years ago.
Ask anyone who cares about quality of light and they will tell you the move by Profoto to a flat faced monolight was a big step backward. Add this to their continued pursuit of the amateur/leisure/retail market and the Apple-ification of their UI and light design, and plenty of people gave up on them a while ago 🤷🏻♂️
I have a feeling that once my B10s start to need new bulbs I'll be looking elsewhere, being that you can't user replace the bulbs which you can do with even the tiny mighty AD200. And I agree, the new godox triggers seem a lot better, and have a better display than Profoto. I get tired of how fast the Profoto air ttl triggers run out of batteries. The new Connect profoto trigger doesn't work really any better than the older ones.
jlafferty wrote:
Huh. What is it you need? I’m unsure offhand if the Glow Magnum can come with a grid - it has the lip for it. There’s scores of 7” Bowens reflectors w grid sets out there. Godox has, last I checked, maybe 5 reflectors in their pro line (all around 7” but with different finishes and shapes). For a beauty dish I’ve gone with the Speedotron, which has a grid, and replaced the mount in about 5 minutes with a low profile Bowens. It’s fantastic.
Well now that we are talking about Speedotron, . I too added a Bowens mount to my Speedo BD to use with the grid and sock.
But if one looks back a bit at the offerings of Speedotron one could buy:
- 7" umbrella reflecto
- 7" 45° grid reflector
- 11.5" 50° grid reflector
- 20" 50° grid reflector
- 16" 30° sports reflector
etc.
With Speedo's 102 style flash tubes, coiled around a central point, you could get even distribution. The horseshoe shape of Godox/Westcott etc. flash tubes the projected light pattern can be uneven depending on the finish of the metal reflector. If Godox did some R&D regarding this issue they could probably solve it with different surface finishes and or clocking the mount position. One is taking a gamble with third party brands and some YT searching discovers there is very little info on which ones better address this.
I really haven't noticed any issues with the horseshoe bulb. I get that there's a gap, and I know people have had issues with certain projection spots, but I haven't come across it in my work.
which you can do with even the tiny mighty AD200. And I agree, the new godox triggers seem a lot better, and have a better display than Profoto. I get tired of how fast the Profoto air ttl triggers run out of batteries. The new Connect profoto trigger doesn't work really any better than the older ones.
. I too added a Bowens mount to my Speedo BD to use with the grid and sock.