For more on the actual specs and numbers, head on over to Rob Hall’s video. I might have a ballet dancer, but I don’t have fancy light meters like him. 😉 ua-cam.com/video/kflGbngdy1I/v-deo.html
Looking for a good strobe for a home studio for product photography, would that one be a good option? Or are there better ones now for a slightly higher price?
Depends how much power you need, whether or not you need to freeze motion, etc. Compared to an actual strobe of any kind, this has very little light output.
Hi Wes. Thanks for your great review. Thumbs up! I didn't realize Godox made a hybrid light. Looks interesting, although as you pointed out, less than ideal for action stuff. But if simply using for portraits, then it should be just fine I'd imagine. I also have the Godox SK400 Version 2 in case I need a "real" flash. I noticed your Adorama link now has this on sale for $229 versus $349 normal pricing, so that makes this hybrid flash a bit more appealing despite its limitations and quirkiness. Maybe yes, maybe no? By the way, at 15:30 time line, I was wondering what the hay are you holding for a microphone for her to speak into, then I realized it's the Rode Wireless Go transmitter...duhhh! I use that same Go mic, haha! You should get the Rode Interview Go Handheld Mic Adapter stick to attach the transmitter to for looking like a real "reporter" LOL! I just ordered one of those stick adapters for $29 so I don't have to hold out my hand. The funny thing is that many user reviewers for that mic adapter say it's simply an over priced piece of plastic...oh well!
I just picked up a 150 and 200 to use for video on my small channel, I've been using milwaukee rocket lights and editing out the flicker. I ordered these so I can also take family photos for the holidays. I'm not a professional photographer so I hope it will work well in my situation.
THX for the nice review Wes. I got myself one unit of the godox FV150 after wtahcing your video. I don`t quite understand the part of the recycle time for action photography (maybe it is due to my english skills, I`m german so no native speaker here). I shot 1/1600s F1.8 ISO 125 with my sony A7III bursting 8 shots per second and the FV150 delivered every shot in high speed snyc. with the same amount of light. It was set to 1/2 Power Output. My AD400 pro set to an equivilant output of 1/32 +0,7 missed every second and sometimes third shot. But I had no moving object so I don`t know about the flash duration for action shots. In that scenario the FV150 clearly outperfomed the AD400Pro! Did I miss something? You mentioned blury shots of the dancer was that due to flash duration?
Blurry shots were due to the flash duration, yes. That’s odd about the recycle time, though. At 1/2 power mine takes close to a second to recycle, not even with high speed sync. I’d have to go down much lower to get 8/second. What was your continuous light set to? Maybe I need to set mine lower to get faster recycle? (I had it most of the way up).
Well it doesn`t matter whether my modelling lamp has 100% output or 10%. I receive the same positive results. The modelling lamp turns off during the flash burst. It takes longer for the modelling lamp to come back on than for the flash to be ready to shoot again. So if I shoot bursts the lieve view gets dark in my sony. Would be cool if the modelling lamp would stay on all time. Sad to hear flash duration seems to be too long? Continious Lighting propably will be the best option for action.
@@stringgunner69 , this model has a modeling lamp FUNCTION, not a separate lamp. The CL mode is turned off, the LED flashes one or more times with a 4x PEAK power, it is turned off to cool down, finely the CL mode is turned on (somewhat gradually) to function as a modeling light. Since it is not an auxiliary lamp, the CL power can be set to the maximum level that the FV150 can produce. It is much better to keep the CL level lower to make the LED less hot between the flashes. CL means continuous light. Also, I don't believe the 50k hours lifetime if the FV150 is used frequently in high power modes. Currently, there is no standard how such estimates are calculated.
@@michaels3003 THX for that information. In the meantime I tested some action shots with moving objects and got the same results as Wes. The flash duration defintly is too long to freeze action. Very missleading advertising from Godox in this case. But as a continous light source it still is a keeper.
@@stringgunner69 , there is a "refreshed" model coming that looks different at the bottom and has the new "dimpled" reflector. I assume it will be more quiet. I still think it is interesting, because if very short light duration is not needed, it can increase exposure by two stops for something like stop motion photography. The illumination should be exactly the same in CL mode and in the simulated flash mode. It should be what you see is what you get. Real flash is too short to see the illumination of the subject, so a lot of photos must be taken to get exact results. I just wish the price differential was lower.
Good review. we've been testing the FV150 and enjoying it, and we primarily got it for video. Great value on that side. multi-functional devices are always appreciated. The flash functionality was icing on the cake.
@@WesPerry one thing I was surprised about but believe after the testing (since flash is new for me), is that the FVs don't support TTL. I posted a question on BH for the FV150, and that was the answer that came back. I was a bit surprised. is that what you saw as well?
Paul Stephenson III I never use and thus never think to test TTL. Not terribly surprising, though. I assume it’s lacking the internal sensors and a fast enough pop to instantly meter the light.
It's too bad they couldn't make the flash more powerful. It would be great to get this for outdoor photography and video. Would moving up to the FV200 be enough to address that, or is that flash still not powerful enough for outdoors?
It’s only an increase of about 33%. Which, in the grand scheme of light output power, which is essentially measured logarithmically, isn’t very much at all. Still not as much as a basic speed light.
I feel like throwing a little flash tube in front of or right beside the LED panel would be the easiest way of doing this. Sounds janky, but it sure would work, and I’m sure they could figure out a way of streamlining it.
I'm a completely amateur photographer and videographer, but I'm trying to be less amateur! Since no one has ever paid a red cent for any of my photos before, I'm trying not to sink too much money into my hobby. And I am pretty space-constrained as well. So an all-in-one video light and outdoor strobe would be super useful.
@@WesPerry Ok thats hilarious that you said that, I was watching it with my partner Claire and I laughed pretty hard when you transitioned in....exact words "then there he is, fucking love it". I think you have to be old like me to enjoy the subtle genius there hahaha
Craig Gagnon glad Someone gets it. My wife also doesn’t approve. “Why would you Do that? It was so nice!” “Because it’s kinda funny?” “Is it, though?” Hahaha
Hey, thanks for the solid review. I have ordered a FV150, delivery takes ages, I guess as it's just being distributed. I am a videographer but opted for it as it gives me the opportunity to take shots on set for marketing purposes and is a lot cheaper than Aputure. I think it will work great for my purpose, gotta wait and see i guess :D
There isn’t any way of changing it The remote makes it seem possible, but that’s just because it’s a generic Godox remote that is also designed for other products, some of which do have a adjustable colour balance.
Thanks for this accurate review. Just ordered it as first light for still life product photography so it should be fine. I'm now wondering which stand would be ideal to support it tho (considering an extra weight for modifiers too) as I'm super scared to get a cheap one and see everything falling on the floor a few minutes later. Do you have any suggestions?
@@WesPerry Thank you! Is that specific one compatible with this light then? It says that is applicable to most photographic equipment but I'm not sure where to find more specific informations about compatibility on specific lights and it feels quite overwhelming for someone who's totally clueless about these technical stuff.
Thorough review Wes looks like Godox wants to own the led light market now too. It has a few rough edges to iron out so l would wait till V2 if l were a buyer.
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there’s any way to update the firmware on the light itself, unlike pretty much everything else they make. But a big overhaul of the XPro firmware could still make a big difference.
I’ve just got the Godox AD400 which I am planning to use for dance shoots. I do a lot of the latter but not with lights. I couldn’t get it to work for several days, had to get a new trigger as although my Nikon speed light and generic trigger work on both Nikon D850 and Sony A9 the Godox needed its own trigger and that only works with Sony and not Nikon 😭 It would be really great if you run through the basics including the camera settings as most videos expect a level of knowledge or experience and don’t cover the lot. And on this and your filter review when you look right there is a spot/flare on the edge of the fridge, very odd couldn’t stop looking at it!
Is the main difference between this light and say LED panels just the ability to add modifiers? And maybe power output? Just trying to think of the best bang for buck.
I've just watched April review of Godox VL150 by Camera Cravings. The new VL150 comes with a remote control that changes the light level while the button is pressed. It is a nice device, but it costs a little bit more. The new VL200 is not available yet. If they could make FV150 II based on the VL150 that would be interesting, but it would probably be too expensive for a 150W light.
The remote control is not responding slowly. It is simply waiting for the human to stop pressing the button. It then sends ONE command to the unit (the new light level) instead of a few per second. If you make a small adjustment at a time, this not a problem; for large adjustments, it is. Ideally, it would have a few custom presets than can be quickly selected.
nice review but still confused. with respect to a ad200pro+magmod diffusers/magbox for still life photography (+food...) and newborn (i just saw a video on godox youtube) is FV150 better ? doesn't a FV150 makes flashes with newborns and just lightens the scene enough to be at F/1.8 1/125sec with a 120cm softbox. is one FV150 enough ? i mean that in the past i purchased lastolite 3 continuous lights (not led, bulbs) very expensive to make still life photography in studio. i have seen some led panels in godox. is FV150 more powerful ?
thank you but on godox newborn tuto with 120cm softbox the photographer seemed to work at 1/200 F/1.8 without disturbing the baby, meaning we would have enough light for studio and family portraits while sculpting the light easily ?
Great video. Any tips for mixing a continuous light with a flash? I have a godox ML60 which i love for video but i mix it with a flash for product photography (using the ML60 as a bit of fill) i find the colour balance of the lights quite different though!
Great video! Have you tried testing how high you can push the shutter speed in video before you start seeing flickering issues? I’m on the fence for one of these since I do a lot of 120 and 240 FPS while occasionally doing some flash photography, was wondering if I would have any issues. Additionally, could you please measure the size of the fan... for scientific purposes? Thanks :)
The slow mo segments were shot at 120fps, 1/250s shutter speed. I don’t expect to see flicker at any speed, though. I shot stills at all shutter speeds and saw no signs of banding. I’ll have a look at the fan size in the morning if i remember ;)
I bought an FV150 and was initially a little disappointed as I was expecting much more from the flash/strobe element even so this light offers amazing colour quality from the COB LED as a continuous light, especially at this price. I've used it for several portrait sessions already and been extremely happy with the results. If you are in the market for a continuous light of this form factor I think this is one to definitely consider, even if you ignore the flash capability this offers great value as a continuous light.
Hello I'm trying to figure out the flash power of the strobe in this light, is it it 600 watt on flash mode? And 150 watts in Led constant light mode? Thanks
@@WesPerry most strobes are classed as 200,400,600 watt etc, where as this one just mentioned fv150, so I understand the continuous light is 150 watts but Im trying to figure out in strobe flash mode what does that equate too? Is it 400 or 600 watts? I need it to stop motion like food droplets and water etc. But I saw another review and they said it's not that good at stopping motion.
Ah, so you’re looking to compared based on Watt-seconds (which is how strobes are classified, not Watts. Units are tricky but important!) On that scale, the flash on the FV150 is only around 10-20 probably. Yeah, it’s THAT low.
I do now, yes (but not in this video, as I had to show it on camera). A couple of my previous videos were filmed using it, and it’ll be used going forward as well, due to its increased skin tone colour accuracy over the GE LED2000.
You’d want a normal flash, and with lots of power. Generally speaking, the lower you have the power level of a particular flash set, the faster the flash. So something like the AD400 or AD600 / Pro flashes will give you the best action freezing.
FV200 wouldn’t help you any. Pretty much any flash would be much better for high speed photography. The AD200 Pro isn’t especially good for this. Something like the AD400 Pro or AD600 Pro has a faster flash time.
Maybe you could let us know how it is for regular portraits ? For example what FSTOP were you getting at full power in a regularly lit environment say at 100 ISO? Thank you .
I don’t have any fancy light meters, but rob hall measured it at f/5.6 at 100% output. Since he already went pretty in depth there, I didn’t see it as necessary: ua-cam.com/video/kflGbngdy1I/v-deo.html
Hey lovely people. Quick two questions. My remote control for Godox FV150 support only on and off function and switching a channels, all other functions as controlling a brightness of the lamp are not supported (as my Amazon seller told me , this is normal). Also when my lamp is powered and I turn it off with remote control, my cooling system (Fan) never going off. It can go for hours until I unplug it from the power source. Any of this is normal? This my first lamp and I'm a beginner so please advice. Sorry for my English
The remote should be able to control the brightness level. And yes, this light has an odd thing where the fan will keep running for no reason until unplugged.
Very good review. You were generous with your marks though, given the later discussion of its limitations. I think we will see more of this kind of hybrid once the engineers work on it further. Many products are introduced before the design has matured. I didn’t say perfected… . On the Strobepro site, in their blog section, they now have a chart of Godox lights with measured output values arranged so they can be compared. Speedlights come off really well. If they keep this current, it will be a great help. And, your insightful reviews will augment the other available info. Thanks for your thoughtful reviews.
It’s essentially identical in output, but with the flash capability added, and an internal power supply. Functionally, as a video light, it’s the same thing.
It’s probably the way of the future, but there’s still a long way to go before it’s really super practical (neo isn’t bright enough for most situations and Aeos is pretty huge and difficult to further diffuse. Still really cool products, though!)
Three possibilities: 1) get a high temperature gel from a good manufacturer to put over the LED (I'd be Really careful about this one, as many aren't as temperature resistant as they claim) 2) get a soft box with an integrated gel holder, like the Aputure Light Dome line 3) Use a stock reflector gel. They're a pretty standard size to cover the front end of a regular reflector.
It’s pretty difficult. It took me a long time to track one down. That’s the short version. We were only in there for an hour and a half. The long version is I did a bunch of work for the ballet and the fellow who owns the warehouse(s) also works with the ballet so we made the connection that way.
it's $200 now in 2022. Given that LED 150W cobs are $20, a heatsink is $20 and a power supply is $50 not sure why it is even $200. The flash function is kind of a joke. it's got the output of a speedlight at 1/4 power if that.
I prefer they make a combo light that is more powerful in flash segment and less power in led segment. So maybe flash power equal to ad200. And led power equal to 60w led. Because for video we can get away with 1/50 shutter and relative high iso. But for photo we need freeze the motion, so we need faster shutter, and get best image we need use lower ISO.
I’m not quite sure what you mean. It’s a continuous light, so you can do whatever you like with it. The “modeling light” (continuous light) will stay on at 100% for as long as you like,
Thanks for detailed informative video, I am looking for very long time godox continuous lights for food and product photography with my other speedlight because I usually work in daylight and color temperature is significat for me as you know sometimes cloudy weather, so this light ,Does it offer values similar to the best results for this price range, thanks for the answer, sorry for english grammer..:))
The colour temperature doesn’t Exactly match up with that of a speed light. Although it’s very good, it’s still not right up there with a real flash just yet. But it is still just about the best quality of continuous light you’ll get in this price range.
Its continuous light is about half as powerful, so it wouldn’t put it in the same class. Also lacks the all in one design, requiring a large external power supply (which, admittedly, some prefer, but I’m not a big fan of). It also has a real flash on it, not LED based. Closer to an AD400/600, just with brighter modeling lamp and dimmer flash, placing it in between the AD400 and FV150 for outputs one both sides (one up, one down).
Nice review love the intro Wes. I keep debating whether to upgrade my yn900 panels which have done me well so far. Have you had any experience with those at all? Re the remote I wonder if there is a model coming with variable wb? That would be useful for mixing into ambient without power sapping gels
Thanks, Greg! I haven’t seen anything even close to this price range with variable WB yet, so that’s would be interesting. It would be incredibly difficult to accomplish with the COB LED design this form factor uses, though. I don’t have any experience with the YN panels, no. Just some of the round ones (as seen on this channel). There are ups and downs to both. Sometimes you don’t have space to slap a huge diffuser on a light and a panel is much more appropriate. But it’ll never give you the same quality of light as one of these with a soft box.
I didn’t even think that was possible yet. Haha. I still can’t decide which I’d rather have. I think probably just the 150 is fine for me. What are your thoughts?
Sending back my fv200 immediately. Totally unusable for audio, interviews, film, etc. Bummer. Can hear the fan over 15 feet away, even at 20 feet. Terrible.
In first, I DO understand this primarily a flash/strobe use group. I do about 50/50 After being on the waiting list for the Godox FV200 COB (chip on board) led hybrid light, I just got it today, and am returning it immediately. The fan noise is waaaaaaaaaaay too loud for audio. 15 feet away I can hear it. In practical use, it would have been 3 or 4 feet away in an interview situation, but is completely unusable that close, or even 10 feet away. I hoped for more. A valiant first attempt but a failure as well. A for effort, D- for execution.
I’m liking these hybrids. I wish Godox would take mobile photography a little more seriously. We need them to give us the ability to use these lights. Innovatronix has figured it out with the CPFlash 550. I would be all over it if Godox did. I would also love something in the ML60 form factor as well. Those have a huge portability advantage. Please Godox!🙏
For more on the actual specs and numbers, head on over to Rob Hall’s video. I might have a ballet dancer, but I don’t have fancy light meters like him. 😉 ua-cam.com/video/kflGbngdy1I/v-deo.html
We have thousands of photographers shooting with no lights at all. Two of these in a studio and you are in business. Never give up !
I started with hot lights, we have so much more now !
Looking for a good strobe for a home studio for product photography, would that one be a good option? Or are there better ones now for a slightly higher price?
Depends how much power you need, whether or not you need to freeze motion, etc. Compared to an actual strobe of any kind, this has very little light output.
Thanks for this. I just got the FV200. have you tried it out?
I haven’t. I can’t imagine there would be any surprises though. Just a tiny bit bigger and a tiny bit more powerful ;)
@@WesPerry I just purchased the FV200, can't wait to try it out.
its 50% more in cost for 25% more light, not a very good value IMHO.
Hi Wes. Thanks for your great review. Thumbs up! I didn't realize Godox made a hybrid light. Looks interesting, although as you pointed out, less than ideal for action stuff. But if simply using for portraits, then it should be just fine I'd imagine. I also have the Godox SK400 Version 2 in case I need a "real" flash. I noticed your Adorama link now has this on sale for $229 versus $349 normal pricing, so that makes this hybrid flash a bit more appealing despite its limitations and quirkiness. Maybe yes, maybe no? By the way, at 15:30 time line, I was wondering what the hay are you holding for a microphone for her to speak into, then I realized it's the Rode Wireless Go transmitter...duhhh! I use that same Go mic, haha! You should get the Rode Interview Go Handheld Mic Adapter stick to attach the transmitter to for looking like a real "reporter" LOL! I just ordered one of those stick adapters for $29 so I don't have to hold out my hand. The funny thing is that many user reviewers for that mic adapter say it's simply an over priced piece of plastic...oh well!
Yeah, I think clipping it to the end of an actual stick might be a more economical option 😂
@@WesPerry Will make ya look like a legit reporter haha!
I just picked up a 150 and 200 to use for video on my small channel, I've been using milwaukee rocket lights and editing out the flicker. I ordered these so I can also take family photos for the holidays. I'm not a professional photographer so I hope it will work well in my situation.
THX for the nice review Wes. I got myself one unit of the godox FV150 after wtahcing your video. I don`t quite understand the part of the recycle time for action photography (maybe it is due to my english skills, I`m german so no native speaker here). I shot 1/1600s F1.8 ISO 125 with my sony A7III bursting 8 shots per second and the FV150 delivered every shot in high speed snyc. with the same amount of light. It was set to 1/2 Power Output. My AD400 pro set to an equivilant output of 1/32 +0,7 missed every second and sometimes third shot. But I had no moving object so I don`t know about the flash duration for action shots. In that scenario the FV150 clearly outperfomed the AD400Pro! Did I miss something? You mentioned blury shots of the dancer was that due to flash duration?
Blurry shots were due to the flash duration, yes.
That’s odd about the recycle time, though. At 1/2 power mine takes close to a second to recycle, not even with high speed sync. I’d have to go down much lower to get 8/second.
What was your continuous light set to? Maybe I need to set mine lower to get faster recycle? (I had it most of the way up).
Well it doesn`t matter whether my modelling lamp has 100% output or 10%. I receive the same positive results. The modelling lamp turns off during the flash burst. It takes longer for the modelling lamp to come back on than for the flash to be ready to shoot again. So if I shoot bursts the lieve view gets dark in my sony. Would be cool if the modelling lamp would stay on all time. Sad to hear flash duration seems to be too long? Continious Lighting propably will be the best option for action.
@@stringgunner69 , this model has a modeling lamp FUNCTION, not a separate lamp. The CL mode is turned off, the LED flashes one or more times with a 4x PEAK power, it is turned off to cool down, finely the CL mode is turned on (somewhat gradually) to function as a modeling light. Since it is not an auxiliary lamp, the CL power can be set to the maximum level that the FV150 can produce. It is much better to keep the CL level lower to make the LED less hot between the flashes. CL means continuous light. Also, I don't believe the 50k hours lifetime if the FV150 is used frequently in high power modes. Currently, there is no standard how such estimates are calculated.
@@michaels3003 THX for that information. In the meantime I tested some action shots with moving objects and got the same results as Wes. The flash duration defintly is too long to freeze action. Very missleading advertising from Godox in this case. But as a continous light source it still is a keeper.
@@stringgunner69 , there is a "refreshed" model coming that looks different at the bottom and has the new "dimpled" reflector. I assume it will be more quiet. I still think it is interesting, because if very short light duration is not needed, it can increase exposure by two stops for something like stop motion photography. The illumination should be exactly the same in CL mode and in the simulated flash mode. It should be what you see is what you get. Real flash is too short to see the illumination of the subject, so a lot of photos must be taken to get exact results. I just wish the price differential was lower.
Good review. we've been testing the FV150 and enjoying it, and we primarily got it for video. Great value on that side. multi-functional devices are always appreciated. The flash functionality was icing on the cake.
Agreed.
@@WesPerry one thing I was surprised about but believe after the testing (since flash is new for me), is that the FVs don't support TTL. I posted a question on BH for the FV150, and that was the answer that came back. I was a bit surprised. is that what you saw as well?
Paul Stephenson III I never use and thus never think to test TTL. Not terribly surprising, though. I assume it’s lacking the internal sensors and a fast enough pop to instantly meter the light.
@@PaulStephenson003 I don't think I'll be ever using this with ttl on such a controlled environment its gonna be placed if I ever owned one lol
It's too bad they couldn't make the flash more powerful. It would be great to get this for outdoor photography and video.
Would moving up to the FV200 be enough to address that, or is that flash still not powerful enough for outdoors?
It’s only an increase of about 33%. Which, in the grand scheme of light output power, which is essentially measured logarithmically, isn’t very much at all. Still not as much as a basic speed light.
I feel like throwing a little flash tube in front of or right beside the LED panel would be the easiest way of doing this. Sounds janky, but it sure would work, and I’m sure they could figure out a way of streamlining it.
I'm a completely amateur photographer and videographer, but I'm trying to be less amateur! Since no one has ever paid a red cent for any of my photos before, I'm trying not to sink too much money into my hobby. And I am pretty space-constrained as well. So an all-in-one video light and outdoor strobe would be super useful.
Which do you need the most? Flash or video light?
@@WesPerry both! Although, I already have an AD600pro, so I'm investigating the FV150 as a main video light and a secondary strobe.
Very helpful video, how loud is the fan when the light is at 100%, would it be a problem if your in a smaller room?
It’s quite quiet, though that’s a bit subjective I suppose. I just measured it at 35dB at 3 feet away.
Geez Wes, so far this opening is next level. Well done my friend!!!!
Craig Gagnon needlessly cinematic followed by a completely mood ruining self-introduction?
That’s me. 😏
@@WesPerry Ok thats hilarious that you said that, I was watching it with my partner Claire and I laughed pretty hard when you transitioned in....exact words "then there he is, fucking love it". I think you have to be old like me to enjoy the subtle genius there hahaha
Craig Gagnon glad Someone gets it. My wife also doesn’t approve.
“Why would you Do that? It was so nice!”
“Because it’s kinda funny?”
“Is it, though?”
Hahaha
Hey, thanks for the solid review. I have ordered a FV150, delivery takes ages, I guess as it's just being distributed. I am a videographer but opted for it as it gives me the opportunity to take shots on set for marketing purposes and is a lot cheaper than Aputure. I think it will work great for my purpose, gotta wait and see i guess :D
Yeah, it’s still pretty fresh on the market. It’s definitely going to replace my main light for videos.
with all the new godox flashes out in 2022 what would be the best choice for my Olympus em5 mark ii
Depends what you shoot and how you shoot it!
How to change the color temp? I don't see any control on the device. The remote doesn't change it either
There isn’t any way of changing it
The remote makes it seem possible, but that’s just because it’s a generic Godox remote that is also designed for other products, some of which do have a adjustable colour balance.
You can use the fx thingies as highlights/filling, with some gels for example in music videoclips.
Thanks for this accurate review. Just ordered it as first light for still life product photography so it should be fine. I'm now wondering which stand would be ideal to support it tho (considering an extra weight for modifiers too) as I'm super scared to get a cheap one and see everything falling on the floor a few minutes later. Do you have any suggestions?
Check out the silver light stand in the “my favourite things” link 👆🏻
@@WesPerry Thank you! Is that specific one compatible with this light then? It says that is applicable to most photographic equipment but I'm not sure where to find more specific informations about compatibility on specific lights and it feels quite overwhelming for someone who's totally clueless about these technical stuff.
Yeah just a standard light stand connection
@@WesPerry Perfect, thanks again!
Thorough review Wes looks like Godox wants to own the led light market now too. It has a few rough edges to iron out so l would wait till V2 if l were a buyer.
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there’s any way to update the firmware on the light itself, unlike pretty much everything else they make. But a big overhaul of the XPro firmware could still make a big difference.
Sir, Is it the flash mode good for just product/food photography with no motion (still image) ?
As long as it’s powerful enough for you :)
Great review....Is it possible to see your lighting set up please. I really like it
Which one? UA-cam studio? Or one of the photoshoots?
@@WesPerry UA-cam studio
I'll be doing a studio video tour next week!
@@WesPerry Thanks dude
I’ve just got the Godox AD400 which I am planning to use for dance shoots. I do a lot of the latter but not with lights. I couldn’t get it to work for several days, had to get a new trigger as although my Nikon speed light and generic trigger work on both Nikon D850 and Sony A9 the Godox needed its own trigger and that only works with Sony and not Nikon 😭 It would be really great if you run through the basics including the camera settings as most videos expect a level of knowledge or experience and don’t cover the lot. And on this and your filter review when you look right there is a spot/flare on the edge of the fridge, very odd couldn’t stop looking at it!
Is the main difference between this light and say LED panels just the ability to add modifiers? And maybe power output? Just trying to think of the best bang for buck.
Yeah, in some ways this is more versatile, but I suppose in others it isn’t.
I've just watched April review of Godox VL150 by Camera Cravings. The new VL150 comes with a remote control that changes the light level while the button is pressed. It is a nice device, but it costs a little bit more. The new VL200 is not available yet. If they could make FV150 II based on the VL150 that would be interesting, but it would probably be too expensive for a 150W light.
I think I have a VL150 on its way now. Interested to see how they compare.
The remote control is not responding slowly. It is simply waiting for the human to stop pressing the button. It then sends ONE command to the unit (the new light level) instead of a few per second. If you make a small adjustment at a time, this not a problem; for large adjustments, it is. Ideally, it would have a few custom presets than can be quickly selected.
I’m aware that that’s how it works. Unfortunately it scrolls so slowly it’s usually faster to get up and go turn the knob on the light yourself.
nice review but still confused. with respect to a ad200pro+magmod diffusers/magbox for still life photography (+food...) and newborn (i just saw a video on godox youtube) is FV150 better ? doesn't a FV150 makes flashes with newborns and just lightens the scene enough to be at F/1.8 1/125sec with a 120cm softbox. is one FV150 enough ? i mean that in the past i purchased lastolite 3 continuous lights (not led, bulbs) very expensive to make still life photography in studio. i have seen some led panels in godox. is FV150 more powerful ?
I have no idea how bright your three lastolites are to compare.
But the FV150 is less than 1/10th as powerful as an AD200.
thank you but on godox newborn tuto with 120cm softbox the photographer seemed to work at 1/200 F/1.8 without disturbing the baby, meaning we would have enough light for studio and family portraits while sculpting the light easily ?
Great video. Any tips for mixing a continuous light with a flash? I have a godox ML60 which i love for video but i mix it with a flash for product photography (using the ML60 as a bit of fill) i find the colour balance of the lights quite different though!
loved it. Thanks for sharing
Great video! Have you tried testing how high you can push the shutter speed in video before you start seeing flickering issues? I’m on the fence for one of these since I do a lot of 120 and 240 FPS while occasionally doing some flash photography, was wondering if I would have any issues. Additionally, could you please measure the size of the fan... for scientific purposes? Thanks :)
The slow mo segments were shot at 120fps, 1/250s shutter speed. I don’t expect to see flicker at any speed, though. I shot stills at all shutter speeds and saw no signs of banding. I’ll have a look at the fan size in the morning if i remember ;)
Wes Perry awesome, thanks for the update!
I bought an FV150 and was initially a little disappointed as I was expecting much more from the flash/strobe element even so this light offers amazing colour quality from the COB LED as a continuous light, especially at this price. I've used it for several portrait sessions already and been extremely happy with the results. If you are in the market for a continuous light of this form factor I think this is one to definitely consider, even if you ignore the flash capability this offers great value as a continuous light.
Agreed.
@@WesPerry is there any flickering while filming slo-mo like sl models? Does it overheat?
No flickering at all. No overheating (but it runs a reasonably quiet (but not perfectly silent) fan all the time, so it won’t)
@@WesPerry is it quite compared to sl150 ,sl200?
Shouvik Bandyopadhyay I’m afraid that I don’t have those to compare, but someone told me it was just a little quieter.
Hello I'm trying to figure out the flash power of the strobe in this light, is it it 600 watt on flash mode? And 150 watts in Led constant light mode? Thanks
Are you trying to compare it to the Watt-seconds of an actual strobe, or continuous watts of light output?
@@WesPerry most strobes are classed as 200,400,600 watt etc, where as this one just mentioned fv150, so I understand the continuous light is 150 watts but Im trying to figure out in strobe flash mode what does that equate too? Is it 400 or 600 watts? I need it to stop motion like food droplets and water etc. But I saw another review and they said it's not that good at stopping motion.
Ah, so you’re looking to compared based on Watt-seconds (which is how strobes are classified, not Watts. Units are tricky but important!)
On that scale, the flash on the FV150 is only around 10-20 probably.
Yeah, it’s THAT low.
Pretty much useless for stopping motion.
@@WesPerry OK thank you very much for this information I think I will buy a proper strobe with a proper flash tube ring etc as opposed to Led 👍👍
In flash mode can it function as a slave flash or is it mandatory to use the X-Pro remote control?
Did you use the fv150 for your vlogging light in this video?
If you’re talking about the scene with Irina, it was behind and to the right. You can see it in the shot.
@@WesPerry I was referring to the kitchen studio light setup
I do now, yes (but not in this video, as I had to show it on camera). A couple of my previous videos were filmed using it, and it’ll be used going forward as well, due to its increased skin tone colour accuracy over the GE LED2000.
Wow... so good!! How much Kelvin and brightness do you use for your lighting? Your lighting looks so cool and warm.
Are you talking about Kelvin on the lights themselves? As those are fixed at 5600K.
@@WesPerry with the brightness 100%?
Most of the time, yes
approve in use Godox x1
Does Freeze light is nice ?
If you’re asking if it freezes motion, no, it doesn’t.
@@WesPerry The best types of freezing lighting in Godox? And Price ?
You’d want a normal flash, and with lots of power. Generally speaking, the lower you have the power level of a particular flash set, the faster the flash. So something like the AD400 or AD600 / Pro flashes will give you the best action freezing.
Wanted to ask you if you think ad 200 pro would be better or fv200 for high speed photography
FV200 wouldn’t help you any. Pretty much any flash would be much better for high speed photography. The AD200 Pro isn’t especially good for this. Something like the AD400 Pro or AD600 Pro has a faster flash time.
@@WesPerry should I try to use two ad200pro for high speed photography.
Maybe you could let us know how it is for regular portraits ? For example what FSTOP were you getting at full power in a regularly lit environment say at 100 ISO? Thank you .
I don’t have any fancy light meters, but rob hall measured it at f/5.6 at 100% output. Since he already went pretty in depth there, I didn’t see it as necessary:
ua-cam.com/video/kflGbngdy1I/v-deo.html
Are they good enough for a video interview?
Oh for sure. Use it for that all the time.
Hey lovely people. Quick two questions. My remote control for Godox FV150 support only on and off function and switching a channels, all other functions as controlling a brightness of the lamp are not supported (as my Amazon seller told me , this is normal). Also when my lamp is powered and I turn it off with remote control, my cooling system (Fan) never going off. It can go for hours until I unplug it from the power source. Any of this is normal? This my first lamp and I'm a beginner so please advice. Sorry for my English
The remote should be able to control the brightness level.
And yes, this light has an odd thing where the fan will keep running for no reason until unplugged.
dose it have a modeling light ?
Umm, well, it IS a modelling light.
What is HHS, and can I use it with an A7c?
Do you mean HSS? High speed sync? That’s when you use a flash above your camera’s shutter sync speed (1/250s for yours I believe).
So this is just an LED that makes short bursts to simulate a flash head?
In a manner of speaking yeah.
Hi Wes, Great review. I wish to know the video readings you were using iso aperture shutter speed? thnx
I started out at f/1.6 1/160s ISO100, big that wasn’t freezing the motion with the flash, so I ended up bumping to 1/500s ISO 640-1000.
Generally speaking, though, I’ve found that for ballet you need to be around 1/500 to 1/640 as a minimum.
Very good review. You were generous with your marks though, given the later discussion of its limitations. I think we will see more of this kind of hybrid once the engineers work on it further. Many products are introduced before the design has matured. I didn’t say perfected… . On the Strobepro site, in their blog section, they now have a chart of Godox lights with measured output values arranged so they can be compared. Speedlights come off really well. If they keep this current, it will be a great help. And, your insightful reviews will augment the other available info. Thanks for your thoughtful reviews.
This light has since been moved over to photobooth duty, where it’s actually quite useful!
@@WesPerry yep ok for a simpler task like that, but an alien bee would also work and be cheaper and the alient bee hasa decent led cob as well.
is this better then the Godox VL150?
It’s essentially identical in output, but with the flash capability added, and an internal power supply. Functionally, as a video light, it’s the same thing.
Can you do a review on the Godox FV200 model?
I feel like that would be a bit redundant at this point. It’s exactly the same but 33% brighter.
Yea, I always thought it was silly to put SFX on lights that aren't RGB. Great video!
very interesting development .. I have the original Led flash the rotolight Neo & used the Aeos & love what they do ..
It’s probably the way of the future, but there’s still a long way to go before it’s really super practical (neo isn’t bright enough for most situations and Aeos is pretty huge and difficult to further diffuse. Still really cool products, though!)
@@WesPerry mirrorless cameras & continuous light is most defiently the future
Silly questions but how would you gel or color on these?
Three possibilities:
1) get a high temperature gel from a good manufacturer to put over the LED (I'd be Really careful about this one, as many aren't as temperature resistant as they claim)
2) get a soft box with an integrated gel holder, like the Aputure Light Dome line
3) Use a stock reflector gel. They're a pretty standard size to cover the front end of a regular reflector.
Another question: How to do you find warehouse space to use for a day or two?
It’s pretty difficult. It took me a long time to track one down. That’s the short version. We were only in there for an hour and a half.
The long version is I did a bunch of work for the ballet and the fellow who owns the warehouse(s) also works with the ballet so we made the connection that way.
it's $200 now in 2022. Given that LED 150W cobs are $20, a heatsink is $20 and a power supply is $50 not sure why it is even $200. The flash function is kind of a joke. it's got the output of a speedlight at 1/4 power if that.
I just checked and it’s $534 where I live 😂
Oh I think it’s even well below 1/4 power of a speedlite 😑
I have, however, been using it for a photobooth. It’s pretty ideal for that purpose.
where do you live that its $500+??? that's a joke right?
I prefer they make a combo light that is more powerful in flash segment and less power in led segment. So maybe flash power equal to ad200. And led power equal to 60w led.
Because for video we can get away with 1/50 shutter and relative high iso. But for photo we need freeze the motion, so we need faster shutter, and get best image we need use lower ISO.
Hi everyone! Does anybody tested it with xPro(Sony v.) trigger in TTL mode? The manual mode works fine, but TTL does not...
Pretty sure it doesn’t even have TTL.
@@WesPerry Thank you, it seems that I mixed up something...
nice review, can you shoot photos and video the same time?
I’m not quite sure what you mean. It’s a continuous light, so you can do whatever you like with it. The “modeling light” (continuous light) will stay on at 100% for as long as you like,
I guess you could use them in a haunted house or movie set for special Fx thing I'm assuming. Add color diffusers or something, I can see it.
I almost bought 3 units and canceled as soon as I learned that it has no real flash tube.
Thanks for detailed informative video, I am looking for very long time godox continuous lights for food and product photography with my other speedlight because I usually work in daylight and color temperature is significat for me as you know sometimes cloudy weather, so this light ,Does it offer values similar to the best results for this price range, thanks for the answer, sorry for english grammer..:))
The colour temperature doesn’t Exactly match up with that of a speed light. Although it’s very good, it’s still not right up there with a real flash just yet. But it is still just about the best quality of continuous light you’ll get in this price range.
Isn't the ALienbee Digibee similar?
Its continuous light is about half as powerful, so it wouldn’t put it in the same class. Also lacks the all in one design, requiring a large external power supply (which, admittedly, some prefer, but I’m not a big fan of). It also has a real flash on it, not LED based. Closer to an AD400/600, just with brighter modeling lamp and dimmer flash, placing it in between the AD400 and FV150 for outputs one both sides (one up, one down).
Nice review love the intro Wes.
I keep debating whether to upgrade my yn900 panels which have done me well so far.
Have you had any experience with those at all?
Re the remote I wonder if there is a model coming with variable wb? That would be useful for mixing into ambient without power sapping gels
Thanks, Greg!
I haven’t seen anything even close to this price range with variable WB yet, so that’s would be interesting. It would be incredibly difficult to accomplish with the COB LED design this form factor uses, though.
I don’t have any experience with the YN panels, no. Just some of the round ones (as seen on this channel). There are ups and downs to both. Sometimes you don’t have space to slap a huge diffuser on a light and a panel is much more appropriate. But it’ll never give you the same quality of light as one of these with a soft box.
Great review thanks a lot man. We need a video on how you shoot crispy sharp video like yours :)
No secrets. Just 1080 60p. Looks crispier because of the higher frame rate 👌🏻
Which camera? :)
Sony a9 and a7iii. (It’s in the description)
Wes Perry The perfect set for all circumstances 👍🏻. Are you using h.264 or Apple ProRes 422 when exporting your videos to UA-cam?
You can send prores to youtube??
I export h.264 direct from Final Cut Pro to youtube.
2:10 4:23 FYI: He says “twelve-hundred” (1,200) but it is “twelve thousand” (12,000) LUX.
There’s a note on the screen at that moment correcting it to 12,000. Earlier in the video I said it correctly.
I got two FV200's yesterday.
I didn’t even think that was possible yet. Haha. I still can’t decide which I’d rather have. I think probably just the 150 is fine for me. What are your thoughts?
Sending back my fv200 immediately. Totally unusable for audio, interviews, film, etc. Bummer. Can hear the fan over 15 feet away, even at 20 feet. Terrible.
In first, I DO understand this primarily a flash/strobe use group. I do about 50/50 After being on the waiting list for the Godox FV200 COB (chip on board) led hybrid light, I just got it today, and am returning it immediately. The fan noise is waaaaaaaaaaay too loud for audio. 15 feet away I can hear it. In practical use, it would have been 3 or 4 feet away in an interview situation, but is completely unusable that close, or even 10 feet away. I hoped for more. A valiant first attempt but a failure as well. A for effort, D- for execution.
Interesting. I wonder if the 200 is louder than the 150, or if your ears are just way more sensitive than mine...probably both.
I’m liking these hybrids. I wish Godox would take mobile photography a little more seriously.
We need them to give us the ability to use these lights. Innovatronix has figured it out with the CPFlash 550. I would be all over it if Godox did. I would also love something in the ML60 form factor as well. Those have a huge portability advantage. Please Godox!🙏
SWEET VIDEO!!!
Nice.
2nd
Tatang Onyok congratulations
First
Another words, this flash sucks... thanks brother
As a flash? Yeah, kinda.
As a continuous light? It’s actually pretty great light at a decent price.