Quick note on the Godox flashes. Although the flashes themselves don't have a distance setting (Godox should fix that), their triggers have a distance setting for close proximity work. By default it's set to 1-100m, but there's a close option of 0-30m. I used to have the same issue working at close distances and this setting fixes it.
@@taylorhickman84 lol, no that's a completely different thing. Zooming in a flash moves the flash tube further back in the housing to narrow the beam pattern and give a further throw. You'll hear some motor noise when you do this.
THANKYOU!!!!! FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE THIS COMMENT !!!!!!!!!!!! I have a suggestion about Nikon cameras that gets this response from nikon users.....
And the close setting indded works very close - I sometimes with the camera on tripod simply rest one AD-100 right on top of my X2T trigger to bounce it off the ceiling and it still fires that close.
Thanks for your speedlight tests. I have made my own in depth tests using the SONY A9III in non HSS mode using 3 SONY HVL-F60RM2, Godox V1, and Broncolor Satos 3200 with two heads. The goal was to test the limits of speedlights against the most powerful flash in single shot and very high frame rate situations. The SONY and Godox were triggered via wireless using another flash as a commander, whereas the Broncolor was triggered via a sync cable. The SONY and Godox were tested in manual and TTL mode, whereas the Broncolor was only tested in manual mode. In single frame mode, they all work up to 1/80000, f/1.8 and ISO 250 without any problem at a distance of about 3m. At 1/256, the Godox was slightly darker than the SONY at 1/16000 and up. The Godox was a bit more complex to adjust the proper timing at high shutter speed. There is no need to adjust the timing on the SONY. Using the in camera menu makes it very easy the adjust multiple SONY flashes in multiple groups and multiple power levels. I never use the on flash display. Using the TTL mode, the WB and exposure was perfect with the SONY. It needs some tuning with the Godox V1. I don't really know, why it didn't work with you on the A7IV. In manual mode, the WB on the SONY and Broncolor is also fine, but needed some tuning on the Godox. Where things are interesting, is shooting at very high frame rate and high shutter speed up to 1/80000. The Broncolor can shoot up to 80fps with no power degradation. The Godox and SONY manage up to about 30fps @ 1/256 power for sufficient light at about 3m distance from the object. The SONY is clearly brighter than the Godox. Up at 1/1 power you can still get about 15fps @ 1/80000 on the SONY. Using a reflector such as the Godox RFT-19, you can gain about 1 stop of light. Using a GS, it doesn't matter, if only a slice of the total flash burst is recorded with a shutter speed that is faster than the t0.1. It's the brightness that counts. The tests prove, that it is now possible to shoot at very high frame rates and shutter speeds at a fraction of the cost using cameras with GS . The same is also true, if you try to overpower the sun in many outdoor shootings. It does work best, using SONY flash, but you can use Godox or other speedlights if you are prepared to adjust the the timing parameters that match the shutter speeds.
I am new to flash. So can I use this Sony flash to overpower the sun? Can I use this Sony flash off camera with soft umbrella or soft box? It might do ok indoors but will it be usable for off camera flash for outdoors portraits?
Been use 3 unit Godox V1c + Xpro C from year 2019-2021. Low price , but not durable, unstable manual output , yellowish flash temperature and worst ETTL flash perfomance. 3 unit 600EXRT + STE3 just serve me well without single issue from year 2012 until current day. On this March, i bought an EL5 and this speedlite just great along with natural flash temperature !!! Steady, stable , easy control.
Great to see someone like you do this! Your honesty is appreciated, particularly the admission that rectangular heads are fine and on the brightness and other factors. My experience with built in LED lights on my 3 YN968n flashes is that they only work independently. They can't be used as modelling lights and fire the flash. Do the LED lights on the units tested stay on when the flash is fired, and if on TTL, does the camera meter correctly when using them? One other strange thing I'll throw in is that if I use a YN968n as master with a compatible YN slave trigger on a basic MANUAL 600ws studio light, the studio light triggers fine at any shutter speed right up to 1/8000, even at distances of 150 - 200 feet. (Never tried further). To me that shouldn't work but does, so I mention it here in case you or any of your viewers can explain that to me. I'm still on Nikon D7200 and D800 because moving up would necessitate changing too much gear and for all I do, what I have is fine. :) Love your vids. Stay invincible!
Same here, two SB-910's brought over from D750's, now to Z6II & Z6III. But for some reason, the hotshoe looses connection when turning the flash head, almost like the hotshoe of the SB-910 is too thin for the Z's hotshoe holder. Or is worn out. Went with a great price on a used SB-5000 (which is smaller, suprisingly) and it sits more solid. First tried a Godox V860II & III, but for some reason they always underexpose heavily when bouncing with fast glass wide open. It's irritating Godox never fixed this. I do have a couple of Godox heavy studio flashes (600 & 800watt) plus a set of excellent AD-200's - which can also be combined to give me about 400w. Excellent flashes and great system. Never needed anything else.
the V-1 is now available in a new version the V-1 Pro its priced at 329.00 and for sony brand comes with a metal hot shoe and not plastic and the battery it comes with is usb-c charging.. it has better heat sinking I think to about 60 with out it cutting out I think the V-1 is good to about 30 also Adorama sells it as Flashpoint and everyone else sells it as Godox but its the same Flash and they are all cross compatible if you buy the Fashpoint version from Adorama they have better warrenty system setup and if something goes wrong you can deal directly with Adaroma if you buy the godox version from BnH or Amazon and somthing goes wrong you have to deal with godox ( I think ) I have used these for years ( V-1 ) with our Sony and Nikons and and they work great really great, the only problem the hot shoe which connects the cameras breaks BUT you can buy the replacement piece for i think 20.00 and its very very easy to fix
Godox equipment is very hard to beat when it comes to what you get for the money. I've been using their strobes and LEDs for some time now and I'm VERY happy with their performance.
Great video! Night club / event photographer here. On the A7iii & A7RV. AF assist beam in the V1 will only come on in single shot AF or Auto AF. It will not work in continuous AF.
I'm playing with the AF light right now and it seems to work really well. I've read some commenters saying that Mirrorless cameras don't play well with AF illumining grids but this one seems to lock quickly. Any thoughts on that? -P
Also with the westcott you can buy an adapter and use other brands flashes with your westcott flash, so you do not need to switch full systems. Some of the other brands is all-in or nothing. Im sure the next generation of profoto will be much be much better as they are a bit older, and the technology has advanced so fast.
@@FStoppers If you use the Godox X1T transmitter and X1 Receivers you can mix and match brands. I use my Sony Flash with my Nikon Z9 this way Godox X1TN and X1S and works perfect!
I don’t care what any test says😂 but I respect . My Profoto A1’s have been unmatched in my experience once I switched to Canon. The colors were a little weird when I shot Nikon. I get taps on my shoulders at events all the time asking “wow, what flash is that?”. When I show them pictures that were taken in very little ambient lighting.
Thanks for your significant effort in producing this comparison. I’ve just purchased the V2, and your video has left me without post-purchase dissonance-a relief. It was a toss-up between the V2 and the Sony, but in the end, AA batteries seemed so 20th century. I’m glad to find that they weren’t the only compromises. Again, well done, mate!
Fantastic review. I use Godox (sometimes under Adorama's "Flashpoint" branding) exclusively when I'm doing multiple off-camera flash work. The fact that you can use one trigger for everything from speedlights to their biggest studio lights makes Godox a full fleshed out system.
My initial investment in Flashpoint/Godox almost a decade is really bearing fruit. I started with the AD360 to use off and on-camera at weddings and have added the AD200, 2x AD400s and now a V1 which has been very handy and useful for several shoots. The V1 has become the hair light for some portrait sessions as well as a fill or highlight with modifiers when shooting products in a small studio. Primary uses are real estate and product photography but also on-location portraits lately.
I use the Sony Flash with Godox X1 receiver and Godox Flashes works just like a Godox flash! And I prefer the Sony Flash when shooting on camera flash because the flash can turn into the correct position for shooting verticals without any kind of Bracket or Bounce Diffuser! The sound of the click stops does not bother me!
Thank you. Really been looking for this type of comparison. Currently, on my mirrorless systems I’ve used Godox V1 on Sony and Canon and even had them for a Nikon Z9 and another model for Fuji. For Canon I’m still using Canon flashes bought for my DSLR versions. Have considered switching to Wescott on the advice of several Pros I’ve been talking with in various forums because they have had better reliability they claim. I will need more than just Speedlites though since for Godox also own V1 and AD400, AD360 bare bulb, and AD200 bare bulb/fresnel head so the other larger members of the family are equally important. Take care.
Hey Lee! Great video. The Godox have a distance setting in the menu where you can change it to shoot very close from the trigger or far from the trigger.
Just bought a V1 for my Fuji camera. I paid 209 euro for it. I also have a A10 for my Nikon. For the price of 1 A10 I can buy 5 V1's. My A10's head is quite lose; the Godox is much more firm. Good is getting better and better...
Very timely. I just ordered the Newer Z2 yesterday. Initially wanted the Godox V1, but price is a huge factor. Was gonna go for the Z1, but love that huge interface of the Z2.
Well done and thanks for taking the time to read all the manuals 😁. I’ve been using Godox for a while now and I was pleasantly surprised by the performance, especially given the lower price compared to other brands.
IMHO, you should have tested the Godox V1 Pro, a huge difference over the V1, with greatly increased thermal performance to equal the Profoto . How did you miss this huge update from Godox. You need to redo this, sorry. Cheers
@@FStoppers the V1Pro has substantially increased thermal performance, will do 100 full power consecutive flashes without going into thermal protection mode, three to four times better than the V1. Huge difference.
I started with the Westcot when I couldn't find the Canon EL-1s anywhere a year ago. I had nothing but problems with it. Kept loosing connection to my R5 and missed on a lot of shots. Tried the V1 and haven't looked for another flash since. It just works. I was using this mostly for club photography.
About the Westcott, all strobes do the same, when you get to 0.1 (1/256 or 1/128) it stops and the same when you get to 9.0 (1/1) they all stop, but when you go to the modelling lamps they cycle on and off or if they have different power settings they cycle through the different powers an when you reach wither end it keeps cycling About the Sony flash, all on camera flashes (except the manual only ones) can be controlled via the cameras menu. Even the cheap Yongnuo's can be controlled by the camera menu, at least with Canon (old models too, I had a T5i and it controlled the flashes via camera menu) Guess Lee is a newbie LO just kidding, love you guys, Lee and Patrick and sometimes Pye when he visits and challenges Lee hahaha
The close range test is a special case. I prefer to use a trigger unit when shooting multi-flash, and Godox triggers (X2, XPro, X3) have a short distance setting with reduced transmitter power that will pass your close range test.
Agree that Godox has the biggest bang for the buck. I use it on both Sony and Fuji bodies. Hard to find a significant flaw. It just works all the time.
Thank you for all the testing. There's a Godox V1 Pro and it will be interesting to put it in such a comparison. The menu should be pretty much the same as the V1, so no manual reading required.
You can buy 4 Godox flashes for thd price of 1 Profoto, for little difference in quality of device and light output. It is why they have dominated the sales market for last 8 years. Godox were also the first to link an ecosystem from speedlight to Studio pack system. I loved my old Nikon SB-800, they were great. But the Godox TT685 has done just as great a job, at a quarter of the price. 🤷♂️🤷♂️
Profoto reminds me of AG1 ( Athletic Greens ) low quality, insane high price. we should expect Profoto's price to go down on their current models since being exposed. thanks for the testing. i have a Godox v1 and I plan to use it more since this review. the pro photography industry always puts Godox down, and now Godox is secretly moving past Profoto. and affordably!
Enhorabuena por la comparativa, siempre tengo Canon con flashes de su zapata, pero he incluido Fuji al equipo y creo que el Westcott por poder usarse en distintas monturas me ahorraría tener mas marcas y poder usar solo una montura de flash por se polivalente su zapata
Nice and detailed review. In most cases. Focus assist light from a flash unit can only be achieved when the camera is on “single servo” AF mode. Keep up the good work!
As someone who works with Profoto and Broncolor gear regularly, I personally own Flashpoint/Godox heads. Better color, exposed bulb, better remote, all at a fraction of the price.
Profoto is the LaCie of lights. They've made a name for themselves and so everyone just assumes it's the better choice. But if you know, you know. The single advantage profoto has is that you can fly into any city and be able to rent a replacement, and that has a great deal of value when you're a traveling pro that relies heavily on rental houses so you're not schlepping a bunch of gear everywhere.
@@MojoPapiFPV Agreed, I'm in the same situation. Usually rent Profoto for bigger commercial jobs but I own Godox mono lights and Elinchrom packs for smaller quicker jobs. Never had an issue with the Godox light quality or how the operate. The robustness of a B1X is hard to beat but I don't notice the difference in light quality. Also - THE REMOTE. I can see the power settings on my Godox or Skyport remotes. Profoto I have to keep checking where I'm at on the light itself
I'm now using a lot of Neewer gear. They have really upped their game. It's worth noting that there is a near-range wireless mode in the flash trigger's menus, and this may not have been turned on if it was struggling to shoot close to the camera.
Superb comparison. Thank you!!! Ps: Godox triggers have a range setting. Perhaps the flash does as well. Pps: Godox is called Flashpoint at Adorama. They were the original importer.
I’m a Sony flash user and agree that the Sony flash is as powerful when used with the external battery pack. They don’t last due to flash bulb failure. I’m constantly buying used Sony speed lights to replace burnout lights.
One test missing, overheat test, Godox V1 Pro is better then the V1 which is better then the Neewer slightly, based on personal experience. Never tried an EL-1 but apparently its significantly better then the rest as it has a fan exhaust.
For ETTL on the Godox - you need to look at ETTL compensation on your camera body. Make sure that is zero’d out (if not it will overwrite the setting on the flash) and it should work perfectly! So long as you’ve made sure it is mounted and secure in the hot shoe. Hope this is useful.
ive ditched the nikon system a couple years ago and went with Godox and I love it. I have 2 V860ii, 1 v860iii, V1 Pro, and AD200Pro and they just work great. I will agree with the sentiment of the TTL...Godox needs to work on it but otherwise they are a great unit for the price. Having the modelling lamp on the V1 is super handy for dark venues. I find it's brighter than the AD200 pro and its adjustable where the AD200pro modelling lamp is not. The main issue that I have with Godox however is that it has a lot of misfiring which is really frustrating. I don't know how the AD300 or 400 are but the stock of lights that I have, they tend to misfire more than I'd like
Thanks for this video. Very interesting results. There are two test that I always miss in this kind of reviews though. In this video comparing different flashes would make it impossible to sum up, but can be an idea for future videos. First is the consistency of output power. When you set a power value, how consistent is the image. I have some problem, for instance, when taking stop motion of blooming flowers. The final video always shows some flickering, since the flash delivers unconsistent light (obviously I wait enough for the recicling time). The other test is how precise is the output when selecting low power lightning. In some of my flashes (none of those in the video), when you reach values lower than 1/64, even when you have the option of selecting thirds of stop, the response is poor or none in terms of acuracy. This is bad for my macro photo stacking attemps.
Wow! That must have been soooo much work! I think godox and neewer are the same company under different names ... my z1 is exactly the same as the v1 only the node that holds the battery in place is different.
Nice job. Given that you are a Profoto user I was pleased to see no discernible bias. I use Godox myself and have been quite happy, especially given the prices. As others have pointed out, one of the major drawbacks you pointed out with Godox, the close radio triggering failure, is not an issue with the Godox remote trigger (which has a setting for close work), and I would argue that if you are that close to an off-camera light you would be using the remote. The other major issue with Godox, the TTL, is odd. I have not noticed it myself on my Nikon cameras.
It's funny, people always say we are biased esp after we released "the Truth" video comparing the B10 to other studio strobes, but in that video we really came to that conclusion unbiased as well. This speedlight video turned out differently though. -P
Those are different things. High Speed Sync is the opposite of freeze. It uses a longer flash duration so you can shoot at faster shutter speeds. The flash essentially turns into a short lived constant light. Freeze is the opposite. It tries to dump the flash as fast as possible so the peak of flash occurs in a very very quick moment of time. The result is sharper flash images but usually worse color balance (the flash appears more blue). -P
I bought the godox v1 pro because at the time, i could not afford the profoto, i thought i would regret my decision, but boy, was i wrong!! The godox paired with the x1 remote flash is my new favorite piece of kit in photography!
Power, WB, and simplicity are my go-to’s, and I’m so glad that Godox essentially won for what matters most. However, I listed simplicity last on purpose!
I was kinda hoping you would give more information on the "feeze" setting. This is an impressive video. Now to the flash units. If any of these cost more than $25 to make, I would be surprised. Research and development on something like this should be pro-rated over five years, not a week. I hate to say it, but in my opinion they are all junk. If one of these were given to me for free, I wouldn't even give it away. Instead, I would bury it in the backyard so I wouldn't be contributing to giving away junk. Have you noticed that companies are no longer protecting their branding? It used to be that buying a brand would mean quality. I cannot see how anyone working at these companies can be proud of what they turn out. A long time ago, I stopped buying Sony, whether it was pro gear or consumer gear. They have given me enough bad attitude that I specifically sold anything with a sony brand. Again great video. I'm surprised you didn't try firing these flashes from the International Space Station. Be safe.
What more do you want to know about freeze? They push more of the flash out in a shorter time but sacrifice the warmer temperature of the flash which is often added to the flash pulse towards the end of the exposure. This is why your flash appears more blue. -P
@@FStoppers Maybe you missed, it but you had mis-spelled Freeze on the slide. That's something I do all the time. Just a bit of humor. I was really impressed with the level you went into and also the expense. Again, thank you for a great video. Be safe.
For OEM Nikon I've used the SB700 and SB910 both great flashes, but now have settled on the Godox, partially because they are cheaper (so if one breaks it's not a huge loss just a minor headache), but more so that their system is pretty much a more complete system than some of the others that may require different triggers for different lights (or you can't use an older triger to trigger newer lights, and vice-versa) but for Godox this generally is not a concern for the most part as even the old triggers will trigger the newer lights (although it may just be in manual mode only, but since I only shoot manual mode for flash this works out fine for me). I can upgrade my lights without having to buy new triggers necessarily, and vice-versa. Plus then there's the overall value. For one Nikon SB5000 for example, I can buy two hotshoe flashes, and two triggers and still have money left over for a small softbox or something. So I can build a basic 2 or 3 light kit for the same cost as a single SB5000 Nikon flash. The NIkon flash might be more durable but at $110 for the godox flashes it's hard to beat, since mine do endure some abuse on location.
this is the most useful tuto i have seen about flash comparison ! I have lot of comments to do. for my a74 and a7r5 i am using godox V1S with plastic shoe (two flashes broken just in portrait mode), V1S with metal shoe (still alibve), V1S pro with sub-flash, transmitter xpro, xpro2 and x3. and some ad200pro, ad100pro, ad300pro and ad400pro. All my V1S, ad200pro have magmod magsphere2, magbounce2, maggrid2, ...So, I am fan, except with all V1S in ttl on-camera flash. I become crazy missing most of my shoots. I do trials at home on products, portraits, vegetables,... and they are burnt, underexposed,... with camera in M mode F/2.8...F8, 1/125s, iso 100...800. worse with sub flash at fix level like 1/4 or 1/2. Finally i set it to 1/32 ! Reading so many times that sony flash really communicate with camera, i decided to buy a HVL-F60RM2. Compared to you, i plugged on a7rv, ttl by default, did same 20 trials with direct flash, flash to the ceiling with white card raised,... all perfect. I have the feeling that it really uses the setups of camera for focus mode, light metering,... I am not sure and would be interested by a new tuto about that. the orientation of the flash in portrait mode is amazing. I found the interface prehistoric but easy for on-camera : ttl or manual, tune expo compensation, zoom,... my complains : they removed the led modeling light for low light situations, HVL is not compatible with magmod V2 stronger magnet. in fact HVL has an internal magnet to detect the tupperare diffuser and as soon as you approach a magsphere2, you hear the zoom moving :-( Really, I would like to improve my skills in ttl on-camera with V1S pro (as you see tutos on godox global youtube channel with subflash...) but how ? manual mode is perfect. About HVL, I have shooted a wedding with a small rogue flashbender V3 to replace the small HVL white card and it is pretty good, better than a magsphere illuminating in all directions !
Wow you are saying Sony has handicapped their flash so you can't use 3rd party light modifiers?!? Why would they do that? Surely it's just an engineering overlook that causes the zoom to do that. What a shame. -P
I don't say it was intended. I just say that sony implemented a magnet inside hvl head to detect their plastic diffuser and automatically switch the zoom. Genius, even i prefer to do that myself, but magnet on magmod magdphere 2 is so string as well as maggrid2 that it makes magmod insertion a little hard ( rotates) and changes zoom when approached. Magmod v1 magnet being less strong is easier to put in place but you still hear the zoom motor of hvl changing.
im not sure if this has been answered but, in order for the AF assist to work on the flash, you need to change the setting on your camera to single shot focus and not continuous autofocus
@25:11 fyi the Neewer will Flash when the transmitter is near or actually touching the flash. You just have to go into settings of the transmitter (xproii) and set distance to 0 to 30 m. As opposed to 1 to 100 m.
Owning Godox V1 and 2 Profoto A1. Can‘t get my head around the more complicated menu of the V1 although I think Godox has more experience and expertise in on-camera-flashes than Profoto. Profoto A1 is just overpriced, but the handling is easier for me. Except two things (you didn‘t mention and I don‘t know, if the A10 still has these flaws?): The cover of the USB port for updating the firmware is a pain to get off. And the little switch on the left side of the flash to switch from TTL to MAN is so far away from the other controls on the backside that I found myself searching the menu to find how to set it the other way. Some results for Profoto is embarassing for this company, also one of their latest triggers failed to upgrade firmware and remained stuck. I have no problem paying good money for great quality, but Profoto is not first on that list.
Many people buy a round head thinking it makes their flash photos better. While in reality, it only adds an advantage if you shoot it straight at your subject without any modifier on it, him or her standing against a wall, showing the nice fall off. Or when you want to use magnetic modifiers. Otherwise, there is no advantage. It even has the disadvantage, besides some lower power compared the same flashes with square head (V1 is the same as a V860III) , it also has a limited zoom range compared to normal square flash heads. I do magic with bounce flash, I need that tele end of the zoom on my flash. If you know your light and your gear, you can make people look lit up by a side placed softbox. That being said, it's amazing not a single brand has come up with a recplacement for the AF asist light on flashes. It has been the only reliable way to focus in near pitch dark for decades. I get the newer AF sensors are not working with infrared. But surely they are alternatives? Even just a beam of thin green lines or a grid, might just help. I never understood that makers of mirrorless cameras just decided one monday morning: "No, you won't be alble to do that anymore. That ship has sailed.". I shoot hundreds of events in low to very low light with my SB-910 & D750. The thin red grid of lines was very unobtrusive and on a dancefloor, nobody noticed it. I could nail people dancing and having fun, without them being aware of me. And of course, use soft bounce light to make the scene brighter, without killing he ambiance. Of course, it only engages in AF-S mode, so you'd be tapping that AF-ON button like crazy to keep the camera focussed untill you hit the shutter. But it worked. Now with mirrorless, suddenly you need to "trust the AI autofocus", but in reality you need to overshoot a lot, because 30-40% won't be in focus properly. Or won't be able to focus at all. I know people changed their style to cope with this and shoot at F8, drag the shutter, do zone focus and just blast away straight on. I don't want to be that kind of photographer. It also reminds me of how we took photos 10-15 years aog. And today it results in people posing. And I paid for my F1.2 and F1.8 lenses, I'm not going to shoot at F8 unless I want to.
Wescott is either a rebadged Jinbei HD2 series (HD2 Pro and a newer version Max) or a variation of Jinbei flash. There are some differences in the interface and the Wescott uses screw-in type accessories while Jinbei uses magnet. The trigger though looks exactly the same as Jinbei’s TR-Q7II. I use Jinbei HD2 Max on my Canon R6 and I find it very useable. It can even group flash with 600EX-RT using the TR-Q7II trigger, a feature that Godox nor Neewer lack.
You missed including a Yongnuo flash, is another "affordable" option that many enthusiasts choose, but nice selection overall, I didn't know the Westcott
Profoto may be using a low transmit power for increased battery life and functioning very close to the flash. If you want more range then you need a good antenna, as well as good receiver sensitivity. The only issue is that if the signal clips, then the data will be corrupted, thus the flash will not fire. Godox experiences this issue more more than others, because they use a higher transmit power (check out the FCC ID on their products), though while not well documented, they often offer a short range mode on their flash triggers which significantly drops the transmit power to a point where they can be touching without issue, though the range drops to around 30-40ft line of sight (they started adding it with the X1T trigger).
As a Godox user I’m not surprised one bit it came out on top. For what it’s worth, the V1 now has a Pro version which is SICK! ProFoto users also say Leicas are the best 😅
I have the V1s square brother Godox V860IIIS. I notice that TTL, even on-camera on my A7IV is about 0.7 stops below. Of course, there is an adjustment to the TTL that can be easily adjusted on-flash to achieve the optimal result. I usually add 0.3 stops, to make sure I do not blow out the highlights. The same works when using TTL via trigger.
That’s my experience too with Godox TTL for Nikon. Tends to underexpose. If I really want consistent TTL behavior for an event ( one on camera flash ) I’ll use one of my old SB700s on my Z8. Flawless. But shooting Realestate where I need a system and flash settings are manual, Godox is it and hard to beat for value.
Hmm great video! But you didn’t mention that the Neweer z2 has a front facing modelling light! Along with the price.. this was my deciding factor for buying the z2 over the Godox
I have a AD400, AD200, V860ii (x3), V1 (x3), V860iii (x3) and obviously love the Godox lights (even more now that metal shoes are a thing). I bought the z2 a couple of weeks ago just to try it out. Honestly can't go wrong with any of them. The v860iii centre button has fallen off 2 of my flashes and I had to mail them back to China for repair which was a pain. That's my only pain point for the v860iii. The z2 has a much nicer scroll wheel but it has no other function. It's 2024, AA batteries shouldn't be a thing.
I have to chime in about the optical “slave” thing on the Neewer flash. There HAS to be line of sight for the remote flash to see the on-camera flash. It’s commonplace that the swivel head feature is used to point the flash head in one direction and the sensor pointed toward the on-camera or source light. For many flashes, such as Neewer and Godox, that sensor is in the red panel on the front, but some others place a separate sensor elsewhere, like Nikon. The fact that the Neewer didn’t trigger when you are firing a flash behind it isn’t that much of a surprise. I’d rather see a test where you turn the Neewer so the sensor looks back, and then fire another flash from increasing distances behind, to determine the sensitivity of the Neewer optical sensor. P.S. As I experiment with some of my speedlights, I do find that some are more sensitive to others and will trigger indoors when the sensor is not pointed at the source flash. Admittedly, the Neewer TT560 seems to have to have that line of sight happening, but that Neewer is a Godox product, so now I am just confused! 😂
After I was not able to figure out what I set wrong on godox strobes during a session with a client for the third time - too small letters I could not really see, too much information, too many buttons, I added several profoto lights. Never had issues again. It just works and does it right [almost] every single time. It glitches once in a while. My flashpoints glitch too, but maybe because flashpoint never provided firmware upgrades when godox had a few over the years.
For Godox, I know some of their triggers have a close proximity mode. So maybe the Godox light as the commander cannot fire close but you should be able to use a trigger, like that new Nano, and fire close. I don't remember who, but someone made a comparison table of the Godox triggers and it's a mess.
From what I have read the auto focus assist only works in AF-S (Single-shot AF) on the sony, but i wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't play well with third party flashes. so godox TTL has always sucked.
That could well be. I am in AF-S 99.9% of the time and that AFassist IR grid of the Godox X2T-S does work and is actually visible in the EVF of the Sony A7R-IV, if and only if AF assist in the camera is on, too. The latter being a shame and the reason I do not use it, because I do not ever want the visible AF assist light of the camera to ever go on.
23:20 the light not flashing when the trigger is right next to it could be due to the physical size of the wifi 2.4 wave lenght, which is about 2.5 inches. I've noticed the same behavior on Godox V1 + XPro. If i placed them them at least 2-3 inches apart, the flash would trigger
Thank Fstoppers for this COMPREHENSIVE video by comparing Godox, Neewer, Profoto, Sony, and Westscott on-camerra flashes. I can't believe that Sony and Profoto A10 are the worst. Wow! What a great job!
It depends. Using the A9III, the SONY flash is by far the best when it comes to image quality. And that is what counts. Also the in camera flash menu is the most efficient, when you are using multiple speedlights.
Update: I made some errors in this video and correct them here: th-cam.com/video/w4SgMCDz8kY/w-d-xo.html
Quick note on the Godox flashes. Although the flashes themselves don't have a distance setting (Godox should fix that), their triggers have a distance setting for close proximity work. By default it's set to 1-100m, but there's a close option of 0-30m. I used to have the same issue working at close distances and this setting fixes it.
Great spot. I always interact with the trigger so I've never noticed it with the flash itself.
I thought that's what the "zoom" setting was for?
@@taylorhickman84 lol, no that's a completely different thing. Zooming in a flash moves the flash tube further back in the housing to narrow the beam pattern and give a further throw. You'll hear some motor noise when you do this.
THANKYOU!!!!! FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE THIS COMMENT !!!!!!!!!!!! I have a suggestion about Nikon cameras that gets this response from nikon users.....
And the close setting indded works very close - I sometimes with the camera on tripod simply rest one AD-100 right on top of my X2T trigger to bounce it off the ceiling and it still fires that close.
Thanks for your speedlight tests. I have made my own in depth tests using the SONY A9III in non HSS mode using 3 SONY HVL-F60RM2, Godox V1, and Broncolor Satos 3200 with two heads. The goal was to test the limits of speedlights against the most powerful flash in single shot and very high frame rate situations. The SONY and Godox were triggered via wireless using another flash as a commander, whereas the Broncolor was triggered via a sync cable. The SONY and Godox were tested in manual and TTL mode, whereas the Broncolor was only tested in manual mode. In single frame mode, they all work up to 1/80000, f/1.8 and ISO 250 without any problem at a distance of about 3m. At 1/256, the Godox was slightly darker than the SONY at 1/16000 and up. The Godox was a bit more complex to adjust the proper timing at high shutter speed. There is no need to adjust the timing on the SONY. Using the in camera menu makes it very easy the adjust multiple SONY flashes in multiple groups and multiple power levels. I never use the on flash display. Using the TTL mode, the WB and exposure was perfect with the SONY. It needs some tuning with the Godox V1. I don't really know, why it didn't work with you on the A7IV. In manual mode, the WB on the SONY and Broncolor is also fine, but needed some tuning on the Godox. Where things are interesting, is shooting at very high frame rate and high shutter speed up to 1/80000.
The Broncolor can shoot up to 80fps with no power degradation. The Godox and SONY manage up to about 30fps @ 1/256 power for sufficient light at about 3m distance from the object. The SONY is clearly brighter than the Godox. Up at 1/1 power you can still get about 15fps @ 1/80000 on the SONY. Using a reflector such as the Godox RFT-19, you can gain about 1 stop of light. Using a GS, it doesn't matter, if only a slice of the total flash burst is recorded with a shutter speed that is faster than the t0.1. It's the brightness that counts. The tests prove, that it is now possible to shoot at very high frame rates and shutter speeds at a fraction of the cost using cameras with GS . The same is also true, if you try to overpower the sun in many outdoor shootings. It does work best, using SONY flash, but you can use Godox or other speedlights if you are prepared to adjust the the timing parameters that match the shutter speeds.
Very informative, thanks
I am new to flash.
So can I use this Sony flash to overpower the sun?
Can I use this Sony flash off camera with soft umbrella or soft box?
It might do ok indoors but will it be usable for off camera flash for outdoors portraits?
Been use 3 unit Godox V1c + Xpro C from year 2019-2021. Low price , but not durable, unstable manual output , yellowish flash temperature and worst ETTL flash perfomance. 3 unit 600EXRT + STE3 just serve me well without single issue from year 2012 until current day. On this March, i bought an EL5 and this speedlite just great along with natural flash temperature !!! Steady, stable , easy control.
man!!! You read my brain because I was thinking of buying one. These videos are very helpful for photographers.
I use Westcott lighting and flashes. I love them! Great video!
Read the full review of all of these flashes here: fstoppers.com/reviews/best-speedlighton-camera-flash-sony-nikon-canon-673225
Great to see someone like you do this! Your honesty is appreciated, particularly the admission that rectangular heads are fine and on the brightness and other factors.
My experience with built in LED lights on my 3 YN968n flashes is that they only work independently. They can't be used as modelling lights and fire the flash. Do the LED lights on the units tested stay on when the flash is fired, and if on TTL, does the camera meter correctly when using them? One other strange thing I'll throw in is that if I use a YN968n as master with a compatible YN slave trigger on a basic MANUAL 600ws studio light, the studio light triggers fine at any shutter speed right up to 1/8000, even at distances of 150 - 200 feet. (Never tried further). To me that shouldn't work but does, so I mention it here in case you or any of your viewers can explain that to me. I'm still on Nikon D7200 and D800 because moving up would necessitate changing too much gear and for all I do, what I have is fine. :) Love your vids. Stay invincible!
I like my SB-900. It's still amazing after all these years.
Same. And I use the optical sensor constantly.
Same here, two SB-910's brought over from D750's, now to Z6II & Z6III. But for some reason, the hotshoe looses connection when turning the flash head, almost like the hotshoe of the SB-910 is too thin for the Z's hotshoe holder. Or is worn out. Went with a great price on a used SB-5000 (which is smaller, suprisingly) and it sits more solid. First tried a Godox V860II & III, but for some reason they always underexpose heavily when bouncing with fast glass wide open. It's irritating Godox never fixed this. I do have a couple of Godox heavy studio flashes (600 & 800watt) plus a set of excellent AD-200's - which can also be combined to give me about 400w. Excellent flashes and great system. Never needed anything else.
I still use a SB-600, when I am not doing studio work.
I have 2 SB 800s and 2 SB 700s and they are great. Also I’m able to control them through wireless with a Godox XPro and X1 N triggers on each flash
I use an SB-910 on camera for event photography, and it works flawlessly.
the V-1 is now available in a new version the V-1 Pro its priced at 329.00 and for sony brand comes with a metal hot shoe and not plastic and the battery it comes with is usb-c charging.. it has better heat sinking I think to about 60 with out it cutting out I think the V-1 is good to about 30 also Adorama sells it as Flashpoint and everyone else sells it as Godox but its the same Flash and they are all cross compatible if you buy the Fashpoint version from Adorama they have better warrenty system setup and if something goes wrong you can deal directly with Adaroma if you buy the godox version from BnH or Amazon and somthing goes wrong you have to deal with godox ( I think ) I have used these for years ( V-1 ) with our Sony and Nikons and and they work great really great, the only problem the hot shoe which connects the cameras breaks BUT you can buy the replacement piece for i think 20.00 and its very very easy to fix
Godox equipment is very hard to beat when it comes to what you get for the money. I've been using their strobes and LEDs for some time now and I'm VERY happy with their performance.
Great video! Night club / event photographer here. On the A7iii & A7RV. AF assist beam in the V1 will only come on in single shot AF or Auto AF. It will not work in continuous AF.
I'm playing with the AF light right now and it seems to work really well. I've read some commenters saying that Mirrorless cameras don't play well with AF illumining grids but this one seems to lock quickly. Any thoughts on that? -P
Also with the westcott you can buy an adapter and use other brands flashes with your westcott flash, so you do not need to switch full systems. Some of the other brands is all-in or nothing. Im sure the next generation of profoto will be much be much better as they are a bit older, and the technology has advanced so fast.
Ah good point, I forgot Westcott had that crazy remote.
@@FStoppers If you use the Godox X1T transmitter and X1 Receivers you can mix and match brands. I use my Sony Flash with my Nikon Z9 this way Godox X1TN and X1S and works perfect!
Appreciate all the effort that went to that test. Thanks. Very informative.
I don’t care what any test says😂 but I respect . My Profoto A1’s have been unmatched in my experience once I switched to Canon. The colors were a little weird when I shot Nikon. I get taps on my shoulders at events all the time asking “wow, what flash is that?”. When I show them pictures that were taken in very little ambient lighting.
This was a really great comparison. I really appreciate the detail you went into. I only wish you had used the Godox V1 Pro as well.
Thanks for the thorough review of the different flashes. Learned a lot.
Thanks for your significant effort in producing this comparison. I’ve just purchased the V2, and your video has left me without post-purchase dissonance-a relief. It was a toss-up between the V2 and the Sony, but in the end, AA batteries seemed so 20th century. I’m glad to find that they weren’t the only compromises. Again, well done, mate!
Godox needs about 20 cm between flashes to work remotely, but it works flawlessly with Xpro remote
If you put a sheet of aluminium foil between flash and transmitter, it works much closer.
Fantastic review. I use Godox (sometimes under Adorama's "Flashpoint" branding) exclusively when I'm doing multiple off-camera flash work. The fact that you can use one trigger for everything from speedlights to their biggest studio lights makes Godox a full fleshed out system.
My initial investment in Flashpoint/Godox almost a decade is really bearing fruit. I started with the AD360 to use off and on-camera at weddings and have added the AD200, 2x AD400s and now a V1 which has been very handy and useful for several shoots. The V1 has become the hair light for some portrait sessions as well as a fill or highlight with modifiers when shooting products in a small studio.
Primary uses are real estate and product photography but also on-location portraits lately.
This is one of the best in-depth videos out there. Great job!
I use the Sony Flash with Godox X1 receiver and Godox Flashes works just like a Godox flash! And I prefer the Sony Flash when shooting on camera flash because the flash can turn into the correct position for shooting verticals without any kind of Bracket or Bounce Diffuser! The sound of the click stops does not bother me!
Thank you! Amazing review! 👍
Gracias por el enorme trabajo! nada mejor que una prueba en paralelo y con mediciones precisas. Un test que derriba algunos mitos... 👏👏👏👏
Thank you. Really been looking for this type of comparison. Currently, on my mirrorless systems I’ve used Godox V1 on Sony and Canon and even had them for a Nikon Z9 and another model for Fuji. For Canon I’m still using Canon flashes bought for my DSLR versions. Have considered switching to Wescott on the advice of several Pros I’ve been talking with in various forums because they have had better reliability they claim. I will need more than just Speedlites though since for Godox also own V1 and AD400, AD360 bare bulb, and AD200 bare bulb/fresnel head so the other larger members of the family are equally important. Take care.
That was a lot of really good info, and hard work I'm sure. Thank you so much for making this video!
Hey Lee! Great video. The Godox have a distance setting in the menu where you can change it to shoot very close from the trigger or far from the trigger.
What's the name of this setting? I don't see it.
@@FStoppers In the Godox trigger, in DIST option menu. You can choose from 0-30mt to 1-100mt (meters).
Ah, we weren't using the trigger but using an on camera flash as the master. The flashes don't have this mode, only the trigger itself. -P
@@FStoppers Yes I noticed you weren't using a trigger and that's why you didn't have that option. Cheers!
I love my Canon EX600-RT's .. in fact I have 3 of them and the Canon wireless trigger for them.
Yeah I recommend buying the actual brand of your cameras flash……tbh why am I even watching this video
Just bought a V1 for my Fuji camera. I paid 209 euro for it. I also have a A10 for my Nikon. For the price of 1 A10 I can buy 5 V1's. My A10's head is quite lose; the Godox is much more firm. Good is getting better and better...
Very timely. I just ordered the Newer Z2 yesterday. Initially wanted the Godox V1, but price is a huge factor. Was gonna go for the Z1, but love that huge interface of the Z2.
Love this in-depth review of many options, with lots of information and direct comparisons. Thank you!
Well done and thanks for taking the time to read all the manuals 😁. I’ve been using Godox for a while now and I was pleasantly surprised by the performance, especially given the lower price compared to other brands.
What a perfectly explained is this hole video !!! Amazing work
your amazing to take your time with all this. Good work sir
IMHO, you should have tested the Godox V1 Pro, a huge difference over the V1, with greatly increased thermal performance to equal the Profoto . How did you miss this huge update from Godox. You need to redo this, sorry. Cheers
I was under the impression it was the same flash with a small module on the front. Not true?
@@FStoppers No it's not!
@FStoppers it's definitely a notable upgrade. Frontal sub-flash option, additional controls, improved cycle times, newer battery with USB C charging.
@@FStoppers the V1Pro has substantially increased thermal performance, will do 100 full power consecutive flashes without going into thermal protection mode, three to four times better than the V1. Huge difference.
I started with the Westcot when I couldn't find the Canon EL-1s anywhere a year ago. I had nothing but problems with it. Kept loosing connection to my R5 and missed on a lot of shots. Tried the V1 and haven't looked for another flash since. It just works. I was using this mostly for club photography.
About the Westcott, all strobes do the same, when you get to 0.1 (1/256 or 1/128) it stops and the same when you get to 9.0 (1/1) they all stop, but when you go to the modelling lamps they cycle on and off or if they have different power settings they cycle through the different powers an when you reach wither end it keeps cycling
About the Sony flash, all on camera flashes (except the manual only ones) can be controlled via the cameras menu. Even the cheap Yongnuo's can be controlled by the camera menu, at least with Canon (old models too, I had a T5i and it controlled the flashes via camera menu)
Guess Lee is a newbie LO just kidding, love you guys, Lee and Patrick and sometimes Pye when he visits and challenges Lee hahaha
The close range test is a special case. I prefer to use a trigger unit when shooting multi-flash, and Godox triggers (X2, XPro, X3) have a short distance setting with reduced transmitter power that will pass your close range test.
thanx! was going crazy looking for the setting in my X1C...now that I know..gotta get the X3
Agree that Godox has the biggest bang for the buck. I use it on both Sony and Fuji bodies. Hard to find a significant flaw. It just works all the time.
Thank you for all the testing. There's a Godox V1 Pro and it will be interesting to put it in such a comparison. The menu should be pretty much the same as the V1, so no manual reading required.
One missed category... Reliability. Excellent video.
I love these test. Thank you for doing this so we will be better informed buyers.
You can buy 4 Godox flashes for thd price of 1 Profoto, for little difference in quality of device and light output. It is why they have dominated the sales market for last 8 years. Godox were also the first to link an ecosystem from speedlight to Studio pack system.
I loved my old Nikon SB-800, they were great. But the Godox TT685 has done just as great a job, at a quarter of the price. 🤷♂️🤷♂️
Thanks for this comparison! I’ve sold Sony’s remote control after I saw the difficulty of their menu !
The Profoto has the diffuser dome to make the fall off smoother. For some of us photographers, we like the harder light quality of the Profoto flash.
Profoto reminds me of AG1 ( Athletic Greens ) low quality, insane high price. we should expect Profoto's price to go down on their current models since being exposed. thanks for the testing. i have a Godox v1 and I plan to use it more since this review. the pro photography industry always puts Godox down, and now Godox is secretly moving past Profoto. and affordably!
Enhorabuena por la comparativa, siempre tengo Canon con flashes de su zapata, pero he incluido Fuji al equipo y creo que el Westcott por poder usarse en distintas monturas me ahorraría tener mas marcas y poder usar solo una montura de flash por se polivalente su zapata
👍Very good test , Haw I use the flash over camera, is remote control is very near of the flash, I modified the antena position and work prefect 😄
Nice and detailed review.
In most cases.
Focus assist light from a flash unit can only be achieved when the camera is on “single servo” AF mode.
Keep up the good work!
As someone who works with Profoto and Broncolor gear regularly, I personally own Flashpoint/Godox heads. Better color, exposed bulb, better remote, all at a fraction of the price.
Profoto is the LaCie of lights. They've made a name for themselves and so everyone just assumes it's the better choice. But if you know, you know. The single advantage profoto has is that you can fly into any city and be able to rent a replacement, and that has a great deal of value when you're a traveling pro that relies heavily on rental houses so you're not schlepping a bunch of gear everywhere.
@@MojoPapiFPV Agreed, I'm in the same situation. Usually rent Profoto for bigger commercial jobs but I own Godox mono lights and Elinchrom packs for smaller quicker jobs. Never had an issue with the Godox light quality or how the operate. The robustness of a B1X is hard to beat but I don't notice the difference in light quality. Also - THE REMOTE. I can see the power settings on my Godox or Skyport remotes. Profoto I have to keep checking where I'm at on the light itself
I'm now using a lot of Neewer gear. They have really upped their game. It's worth noting that there is a near-range wireless mode in the flash trigger's menus, and this may not have been turned on if it was struggling to shoot close to the camera.
Thanks to the algorithm for this one! I was just thinking of getting a flash
Superb comparison. Thank you!!!
Ps: Godox triggers have a range setting. Perhaps the flash does as well.
Pps: Godox is called Flashpoint at Adorama. They were the original importer.
I’m a Sony flash user and agree that the Sony flash is as powerful when used with the external battery pack. They don’t last due to flash bulb failure. I’m constantly buying used Sony speed lights to replace burnout lights.
Good choice. Just bought the Godox V1pro and i think its a not the worst flash for the money.
One test missing, overheat test, Godox V1 Pro is better then the V1 which is better then the Neewer slightly, based on personal experience. Never tried an EL-1 but apparently its significantly better then the rest as it has a fan exhaust.
For ETTL on the Godox - you need to look at ETTL compensation on your camera body. Make sure that is zero’d out (if not it will overwrite the setting on the flash) and it should work perfectly! So long as you’ve made sure it is mounted and secure in the hot shoe. Hope this is useful.
Before 3 days I was thinking to buy a new flash from Canon EL-1.
This video came from nowhere to give me some good information's.
ive ditched the nikon system a couple years ago and went with Godox and I love it. I have 2 V860ii, 1 v860iii, V1 Pro, and AD200Pro and they just work great. I will agree with the sentiment of the TTL...Godox needs to work on it but otherwise they are a great unit for the price. Having the modelling lamp on the V1 is super handy for dark venues. I find it's brighter than the AD200 pro and its adjustable where the AD200pro modelling lamp is not. The main issue that I have with Godox however is that it has a lot of misfiring which is really frustrating. I don't know how the AD300 or 400 are but the stock of lights that I have, they tend to misfire more than I'd like
Thanks for this video. Very interesting results. There are two test that I always miss in this kind of reviews though. In this video comparing different flashes would make it impossible to sum up, but can be an idea for future videos. First is the consistency of output power. When you set a power value, how consistent is the image. I have some problem, for instance, when taking stop motion of blooming flowers. The final video always shows some flickering, since the flash delivers unconsistent light (obviously I wait enough for the recicling time). The other test is how precise is the output when selecting low power lightning. In some of my flashes (none of those in the video), when you reach values lower than 1/64, even when you have the option of selecting thirds of stop, the response is poor or none in terms of acuracy. This is bad for my macro photo stacking attemps.
Wow! That must have been soooo much work!
I think godox and neewer are the same company under different names ...
my z1 is exactly the same as the v1 only the node that holds the battery in place is different.
Nice job. Given that you are a Profoto user I was pleased to see no discernible bias. I use Godox myself and have been quite happy, especially given the prices. As others have pointed out, one of the major drawbacks you pointed out with Godox, the close radio triggering failure, is not an issue with the Godox remote trigger (which has a setting for close work), and I would argue that if you are that close to an off-camera light you would be using the remote. The other major issue with Godox, the TTL, is odd. I have not noticed it myself on my Nikon cameras.
It's funny, people always say we are biased esp after we released "the Truth" video comparing the B10 to other studio strobes, but in that video we really came to that conclusion unbiased as well. This speedlight video turned out differently though. -P
One thing, I believe that the profoto A10 does have a Freeze mode tho. It may be called High Speed Sync
Those are different things. High Speed Sync is the opposite of freeze. It uses a longer flash duration so you can shoot at faster shutter speeds. The flash essentially turns into a short lived constant light. Freeze is the opposite. It tries to dump the flash as fast as possible so the peak of flash occurs in a very very quick moment of time. The result is sharper flash images but usually worse color balance (the flash appears more blue). -P
I bought the godox v1 pro because at the time, i could not afford the profoto, i thought i would regret my decision, but boy, was i wrong!!
The godox paired with the x1 remote flash is my new favorite piece of kit in photography!
Power, WB, and simplicity are my go-to’s, and I’m so glad that Godox essentially won for what matters most. However,
I listed simplicity last on purpose!
I was kinda hoping you would give more information on the "feeze" setting. This is an impressive video. Now to the flash units. If any of these cost more than $25 to make, I would be surprised. Research and development on something like this should be pro-rated over five years, not a week. I hate to say it, but in my opinion they are all junk. If one of these were given to me for free, I wouldn't even give it away. Instead, I would bury it in the backyard so I wouldn't be contributing to giving away junk. Have you noticed that companies are no longer protecting their branding? It used to be that buying a brand would mean quality. I cannot see how anyone working at these companies can be proud of what they turn out. A long time ago, I stopped buying Sony, whether it was pro gear or consumer gear. They have given me enough bad attitude that I specifically sold anything with a sony brand. Again great video. I'm surprised you didn't try firing these flashes from the International Space Station. Be safe.
What more do you want to know about freeze? They push more of the flash out in a shorter time but sacrifice the warmer temperature of the flash which is often added to the flash pulse towards the end of the exposure. This is why your flash appears more blue. -P
@@FStoppers Maybe you missed, it but you had mis-spelled Freeze on the slide. That's something I do all the time. Just a bit of humor. I was really impressed with the level you went into and also the expense. Again, thank you for a great video. Be safe.
Loves the A10... it's expensive but it works.I do wish it had a color screen.
For OEM Nikon I've used the SB700 and SB910 both great flashes, but now have settled on the Godox, partially because they are cheaper (so if one breaks it's not a huge loss just a minor headache), but more so that their system is pretty much a more complete system than some of the others that may require different triggers for different lights (or you can't use an older triger to trigger newer lights, and vice-versa) but for Godox this generally is not a concern for the most part as even the old triggers will trigger the newer lights (although it may just be in manual mode only, but since I only shoot manual mode for flash this works out fine for me). I can upgrade my lights without having to buy new triggers necessarily, and vice-versa.
Plus then there's the overall value. For one Nikon SB5000 for example, I can buy two hotshoe flashes, and two triggers and still have money left over for a small softbox or something. So I can build a basic 2 or 3 light kit for the same cost as a single SB5000 Nikon flash. The NIkon flash might be more durable but at $110 for the godox flashes it's hard to beat, since mine do endure some abuse on location.
Just ordered z2 for my Sony camera for $139 there was a good deal I’m getting it today.
this is one amazing review! all reviews should be like this! Great effort!
Really appreciate the work and testing gone into this. Your perseverance is admirable ;)
this is the most useful tuto i have seen about flash comparison ! I have lot of comments to do. for my a74 and a7r5 i am using godox V1S with plastic shoe (two flashes broken just in portrait mode), V1S with metal shoe (still alibve), V1S pro with sub-flash, transmitter xpro, xpro2 and x3. and some ad200pro, ad100pro, ad300pro and ad400pro. All my V1S, ad200pro have magmod magsphere2, magbounce2, maggrid2, ...So, I am fan, except with all V1S in ttl on-camera flash. I become crazy missing most of my shoots. I do trials at home on products, portraits, vegetables,... and they are burnt, underexposed,... with camera in M mode F/2.8...F8, 1/125s, iso 100...800. worse with sub flash at fix level like 1/4 or 1/2. Finally i set it to 1/32 ! Reading so many times that sony flash really communicate with camera, i decided to buy a HVL-F60RM2. Compared to you, i plugged on a7rv, ttl by default, did same 20 trials with direct flash, flash to the ceiling with white card raised,... all perfect. I have the feeling that it really uses the setups of camera for focus mode, light metering,... I am not sure and would be interested by a new tuto about that. the orientation of the flash in portrait mode is amazing. I found the interface prehistoric but easy for on-camera : ttl or manual, tune expo compensation, zoom,... my complains : they removed the led modeling light for low light situations, HVL is not compatible with magmod V2 stronger magnet. in fact HVL has an internal magnet to detect the tupperare diffuser and as soon as you approach a magsphere2, you hear the zoom moving :-( Really, I would like to improve my skills in ttl on-camera with V1S pro (as you see tutos on godox global youtube channel with subflash...) but how ? manual mode is perfect. About HVL, I have shooted a wedding with a small rogue flashbender V3 to replace the small HVL white card and it is pretty good, better than a magsphere illuminating in all directions !
Wow you are saying Sony has handicapped their flash so you can't use 3rd party light modifiers?!? Why would they do that? Surely it's just an engineering overlook that causes the zoom to do that. What a shame. -P
I don't say it was intended. I just say that sony implemented a magnet inside hvl head to detect their plastic diffuser and automatically switch the zoom. Genius, even i prefer to do that myself, but magnet on magmod magdphere 2 is so string as well as maggrid2 that it makes magmod insertion a little hard ( rotates) and changes zoom when approached. Magmod v1 magnet being less strong is easier to put in place but you still hear the zoom motor of hvl changing.
Interesting review. The next time I buy a flash, I’ve got a lot more info to make the decision.
im not sure if this has been answered but, in order for the AF assist to work on the flash, you need to change the setting on your camera to single shot focus and not continuous autofocus
@25:11 fyi the Neewer will Flash when the transmitter is near or actually touching the flash.
You just have to go into settings of the transmitter (xproii) and set distance to 0 to 30 m. As opposed to 1 to 100 m.
Owning Godox V1 and 2 Profoto A1. Can‘t get my head around the more complicated menu of the V1 although I think Godox has more experience and expertise in on-camera-flashes than Profoto. Profoto A1 is just overpriced, but the handling is easier for me. Except two things (you didn‘t mention and I don‘t know, if the A10 still has these flaws?): The cover of the USB port for updating the firmware is a pain to get off. And the little switch on the left side of the flash to switch from TTL to MAN is so far away from the other controls on the backside that I found myself searching the menu to find how to set it the other way. Some results for Profoto is embarassing for this company, also one of their latest triggers failed to upgrade firmware and remained stuck. I have no problem paying good money for great quality, but Profoto is not first on that list.
Many people buy a round head thinking it makes their flash photos better. While in reality, it only adds an advantage if you shoot it straight at your subject without any modifier on it, him or her standing against a wall, showing the nice fall off. Or when you want to use magnetic modifiers. Otherwise, there is no advantage. It even has the disadvantage, besides some lower power compared the same flashes with square head (V1 is the same as a V860III) , it also has a limited zoom range compared to normal square flash heads. I do magic with bounce flash, I need that tele end of the zoom on my flash. If you know your light and your gear, you can make people look lit up by a side placed softbox.
That being said, it's amazing not a single brand has come up with a recplacement for the AF asist light on flashes. It has been the only reliable way to focus in near pitch dark for decades. I get the newer AF sensors are not working with infrared. But surely they are alternatives? Even just a beam of thin green lines or a grid, might just help. I never understood that makers of mirrorless cameras just decided one monday morning: "No, you won't be alble to do that anymore. That ship has sailed.". I shoot hundreds of events in low to very low light with my SB-910 & D750. The thin red grid of lines was very unobtrusive and on a dancefloor, nobody noticed it. I could nail people dancing and having fun, without them being aware of me. And of course, use soft bounce light to make the scene brighter, without killing he ambiance. Of course, it only engages in AF-S mode, so you'd be tapping that AF-ON button like crazy to keep the camera focussed untill you hit the shutter. But it worked. Now with mirrorless, suddenly you need to "trust the AI autofocus", but in reality you need to overshoot a lot, because 30-40% won't be in focus properly. Or won't be able to focus at all. I know people changed their style to cope with this and shoot at F8, drag the shutter, do zone focus and just blast away straight on. I don't want to be that kind of photographer. It also reminds me of how we took photos 10-15 years aog. And today it results in people posing. And I paid for my F1.2 and F1.8 lenses, I'm not going to shoot at F8 unless I want to.
Great video.
Wescott is either a rebadged Jinbei HD2 series (HD2 Pro and a newer version Max) or a variation of Jinbei flash.
There are some differences in the interface and the Wescott uses screw-in type accessories while Jinbei uses magnet. The trigger though looks exactly the same as Jinbei’s TR-Q7II. I use Jinbei HD2 Max on my Canon R6 and I find it very useable. It can even group flash with 600EX-RT using the TR-Q7II trigger, a feature that Godox nor Neewer lack.
Brilliant. Thank you.
You missed including a Yongnuo flash, is another "affordable" option that many enthusiasts choose, but nice selection overall, I didn't know the Westcott
Profoto may be using a low transmit power for increased battery life and functioning very close to the flash. If you want more range then you need a good antenna, as well as good receiver sensitivity. The only issue is that if the signal clips, then the data will be corrupted, thus the flash will not fire. Godox experiences this issue more more than others, because they use a higher transmit power (check out the FCC ID on their products), though while not well documented, they often offer a short range mode on their flash triggers which significantly drops the transmit power to a point where they can be touching without issue, though the range drops to around 30-40ft line of sight (they started adding it with the X1T trigger).
Incredible work!! THANK YOU!!
As a Godox user I’m not surprised one bit it came out on top. For what it’s worth, the V1 now has a Pro version which is SICK!
ProFoto users also say Leicas are the best 😅
I have the V1s square brother Godox V860IIIS. I notice that TTL, even on-camera on my A7IV is about 0.7 stops below. Of course, there is an adjustment to the TTL that can be easily adjusted on-flash to achieve the optimal result. I usually add 0.3 stops, to make sure I do not blow out the highlights. The same works when using TTL via trigger.
That’s my experience too with Godox TTL for Nikon. Tends to underexpose. If I really want consistent TTL behavior for an event ( one on camera flash ) I’ll use one of my old SB700s on my Z8. Flawless. But shooting Realestate where I need a system and flash settings are manual, Godox is it and hard to beat for value.
Hmm great video! But you didn’t mention that the Neweer z2 has a front facing modelling light!
Along with the price.. this was my deciding factor for buying the z2 over the Godox
I have a AD400, AD200, V860ii (x3), V1 (x3), V860iii (x3) and obviously love the Godox lights (even more now that metal shoes are a thing). I bought the z2 a couple of weeks ago just to try it out. Honestly can't go wrong with any of them. The v860iii centre button has fallen off 2 of my flashes and I had to mail them back to China for repair which was a pain. That's my only pain point for the v860iii. The z2 has a much nicer scroll wheel but it has no other function.
It's 2024, AA batteries shouldn't be a thing.
I have to chime in about the optical “slave” thing on the Neewer flash. There HAS to be line of sight for the remote flash to see the on-camera flash. It’s commonplace that the swivel head feature is used to point the flash head in one direction and the sensor pointed toward the on-camera or source light. For many flashes, such as Neewer and Godox, that sensor is in the red panel on the front, but some others place a separate sensor elsewhere, like Nikon. The fact that the Neewer didn’t trigger when you are firing a flash behind it isn’t that much of a surprise. I’d rather see a test where you turn the Neewer so the sensor looks back, and then fire another flash from increasing distances behind, to determine the sensitivity of the Neewer optical sensor.
P.S. As I experiment with some of my speedlights, I do find that some are more sensitive to others and will trigger indoors when the sensor is not pointed at the source flash. Admittedly, the Neewer TT560 seems to have to have that line of sight happening, but that Neewer is a Godox product, so now I am just confused! 😂
Hopefully, this comparison video will convince Godox to modernize its UIs in terms of readability and ease of use. 🤞
After I was not able to figure out what I set wrong on godox strobes during a session with a client for the third time - too small letters I could not really see, too much information, too many buttons, I added several profoto lights. Never had issues again. It just works and does it right [almost] every single time. It glitches once in a while. My flashpoints glitch too, but maybe because flashpoint never provided firmware upgrades when godox had a few over the years.
Lee, it's a great video! Thank you!
profoto connect pro trigger is supposed to have a better range than the old one you used.
For Godox, I know some of their triggers have a close proximity mode. So maybe the Godox light as the commander cannot fire close but you should be able to use a trigger, like that new Nano, and fire close.
I don't remember who, but someone made a comparison table of the Godox triggers and it's a mess.
Interesting, I've not heard of this.
True, it's in the custom settings menu of my Godox xpro trigger.
From what I have read the auto focus assist only works in AF-S (Single-shot AF) on the sony, but i wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't play well with third party flashes. so godox TTL has always sucked.
That could well be. I am in AF-S 99.9% of the time and that AFassist IR grid of the Godox X2T-S does work and is actually visible in the EVF of the Sony A7R-IV, if and only if AF assist in the camera is on, too.
The latter being a shame and the reason I do not use it, because I do not ever want the visible AF assist light of the camera to ever go on.
23:20 the light not flashing when the trigger is right next to it could be due to the physical size of the wifi 2.4 wave lenght, which is about 2.5 inches. I've noticed the same behavior on Godox V1 + XPro. If i placed them them at least 2-3 inches apart, the flash would trigger
Спасибо. Очень приятно посмотреть нормальное честное профессиональное мнение. Удачи!
Thank Fstoppers for this COMPREHENSIVE video by comparing Godox, Neewer, Profoto, Sony, and Westscott on-camerra flashes. I can't believe that Sony and Profoto A10 are the worst. Wow! What a great job!
It depends. Using the A9III, the SONY flash is by far the best when it comes to image quality. And that is what counts. Also the in camera flash menu is the most efficient, when you are using multiple speedlights.
I've had issues with Godox until the firmware was updated. That's something to look at. Otherwise, very good video
you have to use af-s mode in order to get that red af assist
on canon, i know that the AF light only works depending on the focus mode. on AI SERVO doesn't work, but in AI FOCUS or ONE SHOT, it works.
Thank you, that as a great informative video, I was debating between Godox and jf80 now I know I buy Godox 🙏