Re: Profoto D1s better than Godox for long sessions
Arka wrote: sungphoto wrote: stevesanacore wrote:
The best strobes IMO.
After trying almost every other brand of strobes over the past twenty years, Profoto is the only one I settled on. I still have a bunch of others, (Broncolor, Elinchrom, Bowens, Dynalite to name a few), but most no long work. The Profoto's just keep working. The latest B1Air and D2 Air systems are even more amazing with the TTL remote.
I didn't understand the big deal until I picked up a some B1s, which I then had to do some out of warranty service on myself due to a pretty bad drop that cracked/bent the silver reflector ring. The drop actually didn't break the bulb so it was more of a cosmetic repair. The way they are laid out internally, compartmentalizing components around the thick casing gives the internals a lot more protection than the really just cosmetic casing on the AD600 and AD200 (I've taken apart both my AD600 and AD200 as well). Also the internal connectors are high quality spade type - designed to be connected/disconnected without putting too much stress on circuit boards and such. These strobes are clearly designed to be used for a very long time - whereas the godox strobes are essentially throwaways if they start to go wonky. Case in point, when my AD200 started to go haywire and stopped recognizing the strobe head, the vendor on Amazon that I purchased it through just sent a replacement. They didn't even bother to try and repair it even though it was only a couple months old.
I'm not getting rid of my Godox strobes anytime soon, as they are still great - but I won't be replacing them as they inevitably start to fail.
Have you used Profoto equipment over really long timeframes (e.g, over 10 years?). I've been using Profoto kit since 2004 and still have a few examples. It's good stuff but far from bulletproof, and very expensive to maintain and service. My B600s, Compacts, and Acutes have been serviced more than a few times for a variety of expected and unexpected issues - new pack power buttons and faceplates for $350; flash tubes at $250 apiece; batteries running anywhere from $200-600 depending; replacement heads for anywhere between $800-$1000. An entire Godox AD200 costs about the same as a Profoto flash tube, so I don't see why you'd not replace that but happily service a Profoto unit.
Profoto price premiums used to make a lot of sense, but I don't think they make much sense now. Profits are easier to use than the cheaper alternatives, but not by much. They are marginally more durable but the service costs approach the replacement costs for a lot of Godox equipment. They are heavier and less portable. B2s and A1s are really expensive given the power and capabilities they're offering.
Profotos rental infrastructure is and color accuracy is better, but barely worth it to me anymore. I only take my Profotos out of the house when I need more than 200W/s.
The newest Godox AD600 Pro is actually better for colour accuracy than the Profoto B1X.
Jun 08, 2018 at 05:42 PM
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