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.
In November, Nikon entered a lighting partnership with Nissin and Profoto, leading many to believe Nikon was exiting the lighting game. Even if that is eventually the case, Nissin's new Nikon flash shows high prices are here to stay.
Light and Motion made some lofty promises when it announced the Reflex LED lighting system. Designed to be both a still and video light, it can certainly do both, but we wanted to see if it truly could replace standalone classic strobe systems like the Profoto A1X.
Light & Motion has announced the StellaPro Reflex and Reflex S, the world's first hybrid light system that offers both a continuous LED light and a digital strobe that the company claims allows photographers to switch between photo and video seamlessly without a compromise in performance or power.
Sony has launched two new shoe-mount, speedlight-style strobes for the Alpha system: the HVL-F60RM2 and HVL-F46RM. Both are capable of continuous 10 frames per second flashes or have sub-two second recycle times at full power.
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.
Godox has announced the updated V860III Speedlight (AKA the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL). The new $229 76Ws Speedlight has all of the features from the existing V860II as well as several new and improved features, including a front-facing modeling light.
Godox, distributed under the Flashpoint brand at Adorama, has announced the new MF12 Macro Flash strobe. Up to six can combine together around the associated adapter ring to create a circle of shadow-free light for macro applications.
I’d argue that nearly all of us owned a speedlight at some point before we owned a studio strobe. When we’re looking to dip our toes into supplemental lighting, strobes seem like a big investment. It just makes sense to pick up a cheap speedlight to play with, right?
If you've ever wanted to learn how to shoot product photos like those seen in Apple advertisements, here's a short 4-minute tutorial by photographer Karl Taylor that you can do at home with just a couple of speedlights and homemade modifiers.
Yongnuo has announced the second-generation YN685 Speedlite for Canon and Nikon cameras that makes minor changes to the flash's performance without straying too far from the original design.
The purpose of a snoot is to take a light source and focus it down into a more defined point, but The Beyond Photography Show host Andrew explains in this 11-minute video that the physics of snoots makes them terrible at their job.
Westcott has announced the new FJ200 wireless studio strobe and FJ 80 speedlight which join the FJ400 as part of the FJ Wireless Flash System. Both feature compatibility with Westcott's wireless trigger system.
Profoto got into the speedlight game in recent years with its $1,100 A10 and $900 A1X flashes, and now it has unveiled the OCF Adapter: $300 light stand and modifier mount for those products. For a company often derided for its high prices, its latest is may be seen as very much on brand.
Yongnuo has announced a new flash that includes a built-in ring of LED lights around the main flash unit that can act as a modeling lamp. Called the YN650EX-RF, it is also an unusual ovular shape.
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.
If you've been wanting to get better at shooting portraits with speedlights but aren't sure where to start, check out this free 2.5-hour tutorial by UK photographer Damien Lovegrove.
While everyone was paying attention to Sony, Fujifilm decided to announce a couple of new products of its own early this morning: the very first radio-controlled Fujifilm speedlight a 'wireless commander' for Fuji X and GFX system cameras.
Portrait photographer Miguel Quiles is tackling one of the most common beginner questions out there: should I invest in speedlights or strobes? In this video, he covers the pros and cons of both, and which you should go with depending on your needs and shooting style.