If you’ve decided to take the next step in your photographic lighting and purchase some studio strobes, then you will need to ask some questions about what kind of images you’ll be creating in the studio and what the best lighting for those particular subjects is.
When Profoto released the cordless, battery-powered B1X monolight in 2017, I was rather skeptical. Why should a company release a new light if it offers mild improvements over the old model? Faster recycling, better battery life, and more modeling lamp output aren’t exactly groundbreaking. Yet the build quality, the ability to freeze motion, and the number of flashes per charge make this light worth every penny.
There have been a lot of interesting light solutions for creatives released in the last few years, but they were either a slight improvement over a previous generation (like the Profoto A1 to A1X) or something to serve a niche corner like the Lumee from Spiffy Gear. Nothing has been really groundbreaking... except perhaps for the StellaPro Reflex from Light and Motion.
There are literally hundreds of different flashes on the market. With brands competing for attention and offering some very unique features, it is often hard to decide which flash to pick. What is more, buying a flash is sometimes like buying a whole lighting system. If someone buys Profoto they are likely to stick with it for a long time because it’s part of a lighting system, not just one flash.
Photography is evolving -- Dramatically! I am talking about advances with smartphones, mirrorless cameras, and AI technology -- this is an exciting time to be a photographer. But there must be a better way than watt-seconds to compare lights.
Elinchrom has announced the Elinchrom One, its new portable off-camera battery-powered monolight that the company says has been requested for a long time. It features an integrated battery, 725 full-power flashes per charge, high-speed sync, and 131 watt-seconds (Ws) of power.
Profoto has just unveiled the latest iteration of the A1 series of round-head speedlights. First came the Profoto A1, then the Profoto A1X, and now the company has unveiled the Profoto A10: basically an A1X with Bluetooth and "AirX" technology built in.
Photographer Patrick Hall over at Fstoppers recently put Profoto's 'AirX' iPhone flash sync technology to the test. Using just an iPhone and a Profoto B10, he set out to find out if professional off-camera flash is the "future" of iPhone photography.
The Godox AD300 Pro (AKA the Flashpoint XPLOR 300 Pro) has finally arrived. After a lot of regional announcements and teasers and other tomfoolery, Flashpoint announced their version of the light—available immediately in the US—earlier today for just $500.
Photographer Ashley Boring has teamed up with lighting company Westcott to create a helpful educational video that explains the difference between rear- and front-curtain flash sync, and shows you how to use this knowledge to create some interesting portraits.
Elinchrom has just released two new mid-range monolights that are both full-featured and surprisingly affordable for what they offer. The new ELC 125 and ELC 500 boast to 131Ws and 522Ws of power, respectively, and offer everything from standard options like TTL and HSS support, on up to more niche features like "Smart Pro-Active Cooling" and light-up logos that indicate flash group.
Westcott just announced an exciting new 400W/s monolight and universal wireless trigger that promise to provide a killer combination of portability, affordability, and compatibility for on-location photographers who have been relying on Godox/Flashpoint for their lighting needs.
‘Flash duration’ isn’t a very glamorous topic, but it’s certainly something that every single photographer that uses flash should be aware of.
The Hong Kong-based camera equipment company Cactus has launched the new RQ250, a 250Ws, Li-ion-powered TTL wireless monolight that is tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
Profoto isn't being shy about their new B1X monolight. They're calling it the "new benchmark for on-location lighting." A significant improvement on the Profoto B1, "This isn’t an update," explains Profoto. "This is a significant replacement with improvements in three important areas: power, power and power."
In late 2015, I stumbled upon a strobe called the Godox TT685: a fully-featured speedlight that has radio master and transmitter capabilities built right in. Being a Nikon user, I had never experienced that type of wireless connectivity, and I bought 3 despite being leery of the price.
Godox is quickly making a name for itself as a go-to lighting brand for photographers looking to save a buck without sacrificing quality or functionality. But the new AD200 is less about saving money than saving space: it's a "pocket flash" with two different heads that is literally the size of a decent candy bar.
Back in December 2015 I saw a rumor report online about a 600w/s Chinese monolight with onboard battery, TTL, and built-in radio. After doing some research I found they had a TTL speedlight that worked within the same system, and I became very excited.
Flash is a complicated beast, let’s put it that way.
Say you’ve spent the last few years of your photography journey perfecting natural light, and you know the exposure triangle by heart. Flash comes in to the picture and ruins that perfect triangle, making it more of an exposure square.
Holy recycle time batman! Photography speed demons get your bibs out, because Profoto just released a new monolight that'll get the salivary glands going strong. It's the Profoto D2, and it's officially "the world's fastest monolight with TTL."
As beginner's guides go, this is one of the best we've stumbled across. In 10 minutes, Joe Edelman does a fantastic job comparing the standard speedlight to the standard monolight or "studio strobe," explaining some of the confusing terminology, and helping break down which is better when and why.
Speed, portability, power... pick two. When it comes to strobes, that's the game you have to play. But maybe not anymore. Priolite's new Ultra monolight promises all three in a single package they believe will "blow your mind."
Profoto may have started the battery-powered monolight trend with the B1, but they're not the only major player in the game anymore. Earlier today, Broncolor officially announced two new 'Siros L' monolights that draw power not from a bulky external unit, but from a lithium ion battery built right into the light itself.
It's been a good few weeks for revolutions in photography. First, Sony broke ground on affordable full-frame mirrorless cameras with the a7 and a7R, and now Profoto has up and changed the lighting game by releasing the B1 Off-Camera Flash: a powerful cordless monolight with TTL metering capabilities.