Since I've used a lot of Godox for a couple years now, I'll add a couple more observations. When I shoot pure white high key (lastolite highlighter background), I will see the lights output slightly different color temps than each other after calibrating from a colorchecker passport card. I say it's close enough for government work but a purist may not like this variance. The other things is the batteries can "brick" themsleves if not used for extended periods of time. In this instance, the godox chargers can NOT trigger the bms inside the battery to start charging again. When this happens to you the first time, you'll think the battery is toast. It's not, the voltage just dropped below their safety point and the bms shuts it off. To enable charging again you need to "jump it" with a higher voltage or take off the cover and short out two pins. Godox needs to have a feature on their chargers to jump start the batteries again.
That’s common to most lithium ion batteries /chargers. Fortunately when you do jump them it doesn’t take much, just a couple seconds on a 12v battery has done it for me (drill batteries, never bricked my Godox). I think they don’t program a jump feature for safety if you really do have a bad battery and not a low voltage one. Definitely don’t want to let it get there, it damages the batteries. Ideally leave them half charged or more when storing for extended periods.
@@rumporridge1 Here's a PDF to help you out. I do wish the Godox charger could detect a bricked battery. drive.google.com/file/d/1NoCJOr5YgdQqBeR_GP-VtEehcoy95FZM/view
I have been using the Flashpoint/ Godox AD600 Pro since 2018. At first, I was ambivalent to change flash system since we did mostly volume portrait photography where color and exposure consistency are required among several studio set-ups and several shooting days. But the AD600 Pro proved to be a very reliably consistent in both color and exposure. Of course, we always shoot in manual color mode, metered with a Sekonic L-478DR. The Flashpoint/ Godox flash system is very cost effective and I really like that it works across portable flash, strobes and transmitters.
Great video James. With the Godox Pro trigger I find two settings really help to reduce the misfires. 1. Setting your Flashes and the trigger to an ID # in the Menu. and 2. Using the channel Scan function as part of every shoot on the Pro remote (MENU). With Profoto I find that you set the channel once and rarely need to change. With Godox I find that you need to scan each new environment to get the most reliable Trigger to Flash communication.
Awesome comparison James! I shoot very similarly to you, but with high school clients. I've been using Godox for years because I couldn't afford Profoto and I wondered how they compared to Profoto. This is so great to see! The only thing I've run into, on a consistent basis, is that if I push the Godox, they overheat and shut down or act really wonky. I have to take the battery off and put it back on again, and then they'll work for a while. But there definitely is a tipping point with them. I have a number of 400s and 600s and they all behave the same way. Other than that, they are really amazing lights - especially for the price. Again, THANK YOU for the time it took to put this comparison together. I found this video extremely enlightening!
This comparison for me is the best. I personally real world comparisons and explanations is far more helpful than any deep technical results. You showed this to me in a way that matters to me and how I would rate a piece of equipment. Using real examples wins every time. Thank you!
I like Godox, but when all three sets didn't fire the reason the profoto didn't fire is because it didn't see a flash from the godox flashes as they were set to that mode.
Really interesting comparison. When I moved on from Einsteins for on-location, I was between the Godox, Westcott FJs, and Profoto. Ended up with the FJs based on Matt Hernandez's feedback. They're not perfect, but they absolutely get the job done. And, I can afford to break them (knock on wood).
Kind of seals the deal for me, I have been looking at the AD400 for some time ( I need the 3) and debating on if I needed the power of an AD600, so 400 it is! I Always like your honesty and easy manner, makes your video's a pleasure to watch.
It's worth mentioning that the Godox strobes can be powered by mains electricity via a $100 adapter which replaces the battery. I've no doubt this would mitigate the unreliability issues as the battery runs down. I daresay the Profoto also has an available mains adapter but I don't know for certain.
Thanks, That is great news, and No, Profoto does not that I am aware of which would be easy, but they want you to buy a whole other set of lights if you want that which is a joke.
Thanks, James. Great run-down. If you use the AC adapter on the AD600 it recycles even faster. Your initial mis-shot *may* be caused by your transmitter (weather its set for individual or multiple photographers) In multimode its looking for the most updated settings from other transmitters before it fires.
Thanks for the info. I have a small studio and just did a shoot of my son with 3 Godox A200 , 2 of them in the softbox with pro light mods and 1 in protect umbrella as a filler. Key light was a Ad 600. I Used your guidance on the light power and double on the ad200 and loved the shoots. Will post soon. Great product on the pro light moods! Thanks James keep up the good work.
I know this is more "rambling" than usual so I made sure to put in chapters also I guess the one thing I couldn't speak to is the durability over time. If anyone has experience using these lights(and batteries!) for a long period of time feel free to share your experience!
Good video I have no experience with the Pro model but they seem great.. I bought my AD600 TTL Flashpoint lights for $479, I think because the new ones were coming out or covid. Got 3. I use them outdoors at a motocross track, very dusty condition. Hold up well do blow them out with compressed air, would not let them get wet though, heard people losing lights. I did have rain and I put a plastic zip loc bag over them with the bottom open and they did not get damage and the fans could still breath. Overall very happy with them. The pro versions are now down to $659 on sale, maybe pick up one if they come down any more. I got the AD-H1200 that lets you connect 2 AD600s together for 1200 watts. Overcomes the sun pretty very well if you need the extra power.
Am I the only one (didn't read all the comments) who noticed that James is using the words "50%" talking about Profoto setting of 5 (out of 10)? Profoto power is one f-stop per one stop in the 10-range. Full power is 10. Half power is 9, quarter is 8, and so on. Setting 5 is five stops below the full power, it's not 50% of power, it's merely 3.125% of full power (100-50-25-12.5-6.25-3.125). Don't know how power is indicated on Godox.
Thanks for sharing this useful comparaison! I've been using AD600 TTL (2) and BM (3) for 5 years now doing a lot of outdoor work (the PRO version didn't exist at the time) and never looked back. AD600BM is even cheaper than the AD400Pro (not sure about the size/weight factor) with the benefits of having more power if needed and more flashes per batterie (even at full power...). I found it totally suited my needs. For charger, batterie and flash tube compatibility consideration I'm sticking to this kind for now ;) So far, I've only broken a couple of flash tubes that came lose during transport and fell of as I was unpacking them... (a +-$100 mishap) I'm careful now. For those working outdoor, I would strongly suggest getting some extension heads! Your ADxxx can stay on the floor and be safe if any gust of wind arise or if a ball or player run into your softbox ;)
You could easily fit 6 B10 plus’s in those cases. Maybe even 9-10 B10’s 😂 I shoot the B10 plus and get 4 in that case with camera and lenses. Great stuff my man. Recently found your channel. Looking forward to more content.
@@QuantzPhoto So true! 🤣🤣🤣 Would it be ok if I sent you an email through the one on your website? I’m doing my first media day with the local minor league baseball team and I’d love to bounce a few things off ya if ok?
The ad400 reflector is pretty short. it's mostly just used as the travel cap for me. the godox mount on it works just fine with the bowens mount adapter attached. the one time i do use the reflector is if i am bouncing the light off a wall or into an umbrella, in those situations, the reflector works perfectly.
The diff in perceived light output comes down to the diff bulb design. Having profoto on optical slave you would never allow you to get a frame where the profoto would be willing/capable of going off while the Godox wouldn’t.
Jim, A good comparison and I experienced similar results. I gave up with my Einsteins and Alienbees and went to Godox/Flashpoint 3 years ago. At first I first bought a Godox X2Tc transmitter, because it has a pass thru hot shoe on top, allowing me to use my old transmitter and old lights while using the new Godox lights. I now have 3 Godox Pro transmitters. Going Godox was a game changer for me. For budget reasons I wanted to keep the transition slow, but I had completely switched my studio lights as well as my field kit to Godox/Flashpoint in less than 6 months. In 3 years I have not had a single flash equipment failure. Operator failure, yes (usually wrong channel or group), but not due to the equipment. The Godox X2T transmitter is limited to 5 groups, but has TTL capability. The Godox X Pro transmitters can be set for 16 groups or 5 groups, but you loose TTL capability when switching to 16 groups.
I went from Godox to Profoto. My biggest issue with the AD600 pro was the heat protection kicked in all too often if I was pushing them hard. Modelling lamp would turn off pretty quickly and then it would start to misfire often. I wasn't running it as high fps as in your test here. I haven't run into these issues since moving to Profoto, although I am using mains powered profoto stobes. But you can't really take issue with the quality and price point of the Godox gear. It would have been fine if I wasn't so trigger happy in my shooting.
Thanks, I hated when Profoto did the recessed flashtube bc it made the Beauty dish basically useless. Would have been nice to know the flash duration and battery life comparison between them... Thanks
The AD400 Reflectors are not an actual throw away by any means. I use them for traveling purposes to protect the bulb 🙂 If you use the Bowens mount all you have to do is separate the reflector from it's bottom half, they do separate, after you separate them the top halve fits in the inner Godox mount and you can use the included protection Cap to further protect the lens from getting banged
Awesome comparison! Get your Godox/Flashpoint lights on the Black Friday sales from Adorama and you'll save a ton off the regular pricing. I have 4 of the 600's that I bought sometime between Black Friday and Christmas, and they were so inexpensive that I almost felt like Adorama made a mistake on the pricing and that I robbed them of the lights! Lol
I loved the tests. Your results nearly mirrored my own. I found that between 1/8 and 1/4 on my Godox lights were the limit for high speed. On my 200s I was about 1/16 so if I had a pair it was close to the 400. Oh and on the godox trigger, use Duracell or Rayovac high energy batteries and not rechargeable batteries.
James , great video , I did the move in the other direction…. I have question about your strobe setting at about 24’19”. You said that you are setting your unit at 50% , Right? On the Profoto , 50% is 9 , not 5 . Each time you change the unit by 1 , you divide or multiply by 2 your power , so if you set the Profoto at 5 , your strobe is at 1/16 which is consistent with your GODOX setup. Please confirm. I ran test with my sekonic light meter with all my strobes ( B22 , A10, Godox 200 and 600 pro)
I use the 600, 300 and 200's on location. Love the price point and the weight. (having had to replace some due to untimely demises on location). As for studio I stick with my Elinchrom 1000's SLC's, color consistency is much better than the Godox/ flashpoint.
I started with godox and hated every time I would shoot. Missed fires almost every time. I made the switch to all Profoto D2s and love it. I made a 6 light kit 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 and all godox went in the trash. Trust quality over quantity. 😊😊
My Godox friends always give me crap about Profoto. I definitely don't have a problem with Godox and if I was starting from scratch I probably wouldn't hesitate to got that route. When you've been in the Profoto system forever it's hard to think about changing over all of your modifiers and lights. I have the B1Xs and B10s. I also still have AcuteB2 packs and heads that aren't worth anything but are still great little lights. Were you using the 600Pro or the regular?
💥 The bowens mount is not proprietary to a specific brand like the other lights are which is what I like about the Godox lineup. There are so many affordable companies making modifiers for that mount and I’m glad that I went that route.
Just found your channel and thought this was a great review of the Godox and Profoto product. I just started using the AD600’s and AD400 and very happy with the results, especially at the price point. I was wondering if you could post a link to the protective bulb covers shown in the video. Those look very handy as I don’t use the stock reflectors and only keep them around as bulb protectors. I’ve been looking for the same exact ones and cannot seem to find them online. Look forward to watching and learning more from your videos.
Thank you for a very satisfying test for a recent purchaser of two Godox AD400s but are you sure the nominal power increments on the Profoto aren't doubling its output each time? It's less logical than 1 to 10 representing tenths of full power but I've come across this several times in applications unrelated to photography. If so, 50% of 10 would be 9, which might explain why the 500w Profoto strobe needed to be at between 6 and 7 to visually match the 400w Godox at 1/16. What I don't get is how the 600w and 400w Godox strobes were both at 1/16 and yet looked the same.
I was so in to this video, I have a lot of Godox. The price on the profoto was so hight. I am happy with mine. Thanks fir your unbiased opinion from my professional photographer means so much to a fellow photographer God bless very enjoyable video
This was extremely helpful James. I’m building out a Godox kit personally. I’ve got the Ad400 and 600, both of them do a good job for my indoor shoots. I will probably add more down the road. I wish they would make a more affordable profoto kit.
I wish Godox had standardized the batteries, like power tool companies do, so their batteries would work across their whole platform. Then you could use a "5.0" on the AD400 or a "9.0" on the AD600 and interchange them according to the runtime needed. They could have even designed it so the batteries could piggyback on the back of one another so two smaller AD400 batteries could power the AD600. If someone already owns AD600's, there is no incentive to stay with Godox for 400's as nothing remains compatible.
Thank you very much for the wonderful review... Really awesome stuff... For profoto, when the battery goes below 50%, does the recycle time for the flash increase???
James, while I can't speak to the durability of those specific Godox lights, I use the smaller speedlights, the ones I use the most are the TT600s, I've had these units going on 3 years now and I rarely if ever have misfires and they have given me consistent quality of light every time I shoot and use them with the R2 Pro II trigger. I am looking to upgrade to bigger and more powerful lights soon, but I absolutely love the Godo Ecosystem, I even picked up a couple of their little litemons rgb lights. These little guys are really bright and work pretty well for me. I've had these little guys for about a year now and no complaints so far. Great Comparison and new Sub! Look forward to more content.
Wow. Love those Pelican cases you showed. I am getting my 4th and 5th Westcott FJ400’s next week (along with Westcott 3x4 softboxes to be used with your ProLightMods)… Normally I carry the FJ400s I have in their included backpacks. But the 1615 Air case looks like it would be perfect to carry all 5 FJ400s in one case. Would make perfect sense. Sheesh - getting all these ideas from you is costing a lot of money this week! 😱🤣
Loving your videos! Great content and knowledge you are sharing. Thank you! I have a question about the Godox trigger. When I put mine on, it slows my camera FPS rate from 8 to about 3 (using the Flashpoint R2 Pro and Ad300). Everything is in manual mode. No TTL. When I put a single pin adapter on the camera and then the trigger, it does not change the FPS rate and I get 8fps. Did you have to do some thing to the trigger to maintain your fps without using a single pin adaptor? (Same thing happens for me when I put a speedlight on the camera). Camera is Eos R. Thanks for any info!
Quick question, James (and thanks for the video). Finally, picked up my first strobe (Godox AD 600 Pro) because the price finally dropped to a point that was realistic for me (amateur photographer). I contemplated the AD 200 Pros, but have thoughts of what I want to do in my mind - i.e. freeze outdoor and indoor action - with the use of strobe. (New global shutter cameras won't make sense for me until the technology becomes more affordable). Question is, if you were starting out today, other than just getting out and shooting, what one or more resources would you recommend to read/watch as a starting point? Thanks for the video and the time!
James, thanks for the detailed description. I'm old-school still using Profoto packs and of course am heavily invested in Profoto accessories. Question: when you have that, what you called, "throw-away" reflector on the Godox, does it also serve as a cylindrical "mount" for the Profoto clamp-on speed rings and other Profoto accessories like beauty dishes, magnum reflector, etc? it looks to be about the right diameter to accept those accessories.
Question regarding blank frames. How was the Profoto synced? Optical slaved when the others fired? If so, did the Goxox misfire possibly just not allow the Profoto the chance to even fire? Would using the Profoto remote and slaving the other two have the same outcome?
Does Godox make an adaptor to use plugged in while in the studio? I hate that Profoto does not and make you either buy battery version or the plugged in version.
for cost purposes (less money spent ) Godox. for professional situations: Profoto i only use my godox set (still use it) when i feel like struggling and don't feel like risking my Profoto set (B1X , B1 (x2), A1X (x3). in falling or getting damaged. my analysis is that godox is really awful. I've tried all the"solutions" and on different cameras. and some are better than the others but still doesn't hold a candle to the profoto reliability.
i was wanting to know if the flash deration ok for outside action on the ad 400 i am also looking at the Einstein for the action freezing too. i am looking at rodeo sports. do you think the Einstein are better or the ad400 /600 better ate freezing action. I liked your video as I am looking at freezing action and was looking at getting more lights i have the ad400 now but keep looking at the Einstein as people say it got and has a fast t1. but i have not seen many tests or videos on it. any help on with would be a good light to get for fast sports would help as i was exited to see you used the Einstein and may have a good advice on them. thanks for your time and all the information you give out.
Hey Mark, you should be able to find the flash duration info for all these lights online. From there it would come down to how much power you would need based on your subject since flash duration fluctuates based off of that.
Have you tried the B10x Plus? Any thoughts about them? We’re looking to upgrade from Godox AD600 Pros to Profotos B10x Plus… seems like the Godox is inconsistent in temperature output,
You would know if the B10x Plus is 100% what you NEED, you wouldn't have to come online and ask for peoples opinion so as to convince u if its the one to buy.
Being using Godox for quite a few years, as for price vs quality they are unbeatable, compared to Profoto and Broncolor you can almost consider them disposable and actually they are quite sturdy after all. The reason why you get one more stop of light on the Godox even with 100 w/s less is the bare bulb, and that’s the reason that I never liked Profoto in the first place, what’s the point to sacrifice light output and have also have inferior performance with modifiers as well as hotspots. I am using the original AD600M’s, don’t need ttl, for ttl I am using the AD200pro. A watch out with the triggers is that sometimes they misfire if they are too close to the strobe. A point in favour of the Profoto is that it’s a little more accurate in colour consistency.
@@QuantzPhoto definitely a good time when it comes to gear availability and quality, I still remember the painful days of analog & Polaroid’s, as well as the “widow makers strobes”
The back comes off of the reflector that comes with the light. then it will fit the Bowens mount. I keep them on for protection in the case.
Yes it does! Ha, thanks for sharing!
One of the best Godox vs Profoto comparisons that I've seen. I like your real use comparison and honest feedback.
Glad you liked it!
Since I've used a lot of Godox for a couple years now, I'll add a couple more observations. When I shoot pure white high key (lastolite highlighter background), I will see the lights output slightly different color temps than each other after calibrating from a colorchecker passport card. I say it's close enough for government work but a purist may not like this variance. The other things is the batteries can "brick" themsleves if not used for extended periods of time. In this instance, the godox chargers can NOT trigger the bms inside the battery to start charging again. When this happens to you the first time, you'll think the battery is toast. It's not, the voltage just dropped below their safety point and the bms shuts it off. To enable charging again you need to "jump it" with a higher voltage or take off the cover and short out two pins. Godox needs to have a feature on their chargers to jump start the batteries again.
Agree on all your points and all the battery warnings made me nervous.
That’s common to most lithium ion batteries /chargers. Fortunately when you do jump them it doesn’t take much, just a couple seconds on a 12v battery has done it for me (drill batteries, never bricked my Godox). I think they don’t program a jump feature for safety if you really do have a bad battery and not a low voltage one. Definitely don’t want to let it get there, it damages the batteries. Ideally leave them half charged or more when storing for extended periods.
Just read this and sure enough my 600 battery is bricked.
@@rumporridge1 Here's a PDF to help you out. I do wish the Godox charger could detect a bricked battery. drive.google.com/file/d/1NoCJOr5YgdQqBeR_GP-VtEehcoy95FZM/view
@@aussie2uGA outstanding my friend. On the site as I’m typing. Thanks 🙏🏾 a million.
I have been using the Flashpoint/ Godox AD600 Pro since 2018. At first, I was ambivalent to change flash system since we did mostly volume portrait photography where color and exposure consistency are required among several studio set-ups and several shooting days. But the AD600 Pro proved to be a very reliably consistent in both color and exposure. Of course, we always shoot in manual color mode, metered with a Sekonic L-478DR. The Flashpoint/ Godox flash system is very cost effective and I really like that it works across portable flash, strobes and transmitters.
Great video James. With the Godox Pro trigger I find two settings really help to reduce the misfires. 1. Setting your Flashes and the trigger to an ID # in the Menu. and 2. Using the channel Scan function as part of every shoot on the Pro remote (MENU). With Profoto I find that you set the channel once and rarely need to change. With Godox I find that you need to scan each new environment to get the most reliable Trigger to Flash communication.
Thanks Stephen, I'll try to put that to use before my next shoot with these!
Also set the distance to 0-30 instead of 1-100.
Awesome comparison James! I shoot very similarly to you, but with high school clients. I've been using Godox for years because I couldn't afford Profoto and I wondered how they compared to Profoto. This is so great to see! The only thing I've run into, on a consistent basis, is that if I push the Godox, they overheat and shut down or act really wonky. I have to take the battery off and put it back on again, and then they'll work for a while. But there definitely is a tipping point with them. I have a number of 400s and 600s and they all behave the same way. Other than that, they are really amazing lights - especially for the price.
Again, THANK YOU for the time it took to put this comparison together. I found this video extremely enlightening!
Good video, but 5.0 is not 50%. Those numbers are not percentages.
One of the best reviews 👌 I've seen
I have 4 ad 200 2 400 and a 600
I've not had any problems with them
Keep up the great work 👍
Thanks! 👍
@@QuantzPhoto
I'm definitely a follower now
Note: Ad400/600 reflector sleeve must be removed to attached with Bowens mount attached. ... there is a gap that works very well.
amazing comparison, thanks for taking the time James
My pleasure!
If someone's only shooting indoors, the Godox QTiii series are incredible value and outperform any of the ADpro's by a long mile.
This comparison for me is the best. I personally real world comparisons and explanations is far more helpful than any deep technical results. You showed this to me in a way that matters to me and how I would rate a piece of equipment. Using real examples wins every time. Thank you!
I like Godox, but when all three sets didn't fire the reason the profoto didn't fire is because it didn't see a flash from the godox flashes as they were set to that mode.
Good point. Plus, the Profotos had the additional challenge of firing in response to the Godoxs, rather than from a direct trigger.
An honest comparison and useful context for the world of photography. Detailed information for individual products. Very good 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Really interesting comparison. When I moved on from Einsteins for on-location, I was between the Godox, Westcott FJs, and Profoto. Ended up with the FJs based on Matt Hernandez's feedback. They're not perfect, but they absolutely get the job done. And, I can afford to break them (knock on wood).
Thanks for sharing David! I just got some FJ's that I'm hoping to test soon!
Kind of seals the deal for me, I have been looking at the AD400 for some time ( I need the 3) and debating on if I needed the power of an AD600, so 400 it is! I Always like your honesty and easy manner, makes your video's a pleasure to watch.
Glad I could help! I really like the smaller form factor, as well.
My head is spinning. Love your stuff!
Sorry about that! 🤣
It's worth mentioning that the Godox strobes can be powered by mains electricity via a $100 adapter which replaces the battery. I've no doubt this would mitigate the unreliability issues as the battery runs down. I daresay the Profoto also has an available mains adapter but I don't know for certain.
Thanks, That is great news, and No, Profoto does not that I am aware of which would be easy, but they want you to buy a whole other set of lights if you want that which is a joke.
Exactly what I needed James! I have the 400pro and have been curious about this too. Thank you so much for showing us this!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks, James. Great run-down. If you use the AC adapter on the AD600 it recycles even faster. Your initial mis-shot *may* be caused by your transmitter (weather its set for individual or multiple photographers) In multimode its looking for the most updated settings from other transmitters before it fires.
Thanks for the info Ron! Like I mentioned I'm no expert on those lights!
Brilliant, detailed and informative. Thanks for taking the time to produce such a high quality comparison.
Much appreciated, Barrie!
Your videos and the information you share are absolutely amazing!! Thanks for all you do for the community!
Thanks Walter!
Thanks, just ordered the 1615 divider set. Didn't know I was waking up and spending money today!
Glad I could help! 🤣
Thanks for the info. I have a small studio and just did a shoot of my son with 3 Godox A200 , 2 of them in the softbox with pro light mods and 1 in protect umbrella as a filler. Key light was a Ad 600. I Used your guidance on the light power and double on the ad200 and loved the shoots. Will post soon. Great product on the pro light moods! Thanks James keep up the good work.
Thanks for sharing Manuel!!
I know this is more "rambling" than usual so I made sure to put in chapters also I guess the one thing I couldn't speak to is the durability over time. If anyone has experience using these lights(and batteries!) for a long period of time feel free to share your experience!
As usual great video man, thanks for taking the time 🙏
Thanks Randall!
Good video I have no experience with the Pro model but they seem great.. I bought my AD600 TTL Flashpoint lights for $479, I think because the new ones were coming out or covid. Got 3. I use them outdoors at a motocross track, very dusty condition. Hold up well do blow them out with compressed air, would not let them get wet though, heard people losing lights. I did have rain and I put a plastic zip loc bag over them with the bottom open and they did not get damage and the fans could still breath.
Overall very happy with them. The pro versions are now down to $659 on sale, maybe pick up one if they come down any more. I got the AD-H1200 that lets you connect 2 AD600s together for 1200 watts. Overcomes the sun pretty very well if you need the extra power.
Am I the only one (didn't read all the comments) who noticed that James is using the words "50%" talking about Profoto setting of 5 (out of 10)? Profoto power is one f-stop per one stop in the 10-range. Full power is 10. Half power is 9, quarter is 8, and so on. Setting 5 is five stops below the full power, it's not 50% of power, it's merely 3.125% of full power (100-50-25-12.5-6.25-3.125). Don't know how power is indicated on Godox.
Yes I misspoke.
Fantastic information James! Thanks again.
Thanks James!
Thanks for sharing this useful comparaison! I've been using AD600 TTL (2) and BM (3) for 5 years now doing a lot of outdoor work (the PRO version didn't exist at the time) and never looked back. AD600BM is even cheaper than the AD400Pro (not sure about the size/weight factor) with the benefits of having more power if needed and more flashes per batterie (even at full power...). I found it totally suited my needs. For charger, batterie and flash tube compatibility consideration I'm sticking to this kind for now ;) So far, I've only broken a couple of flash tubes that came lose during transport and fell of as I was unpacking them... (a +-$100 mishap) I'm careful now. For those working outdoor, I would strongly suggest getting some extension heads! Your ADxxx can stay on the floor and be safe if any gust of wind arise or if a ball or player run into your softbox ;)
Thanks for sharing Thierry!
I am an advocate of the Flashpoint 600 (non pro). It came with the protective cap and Bowens mount. No installation needed ... Interesting
fantastic work. Thank you
You could easily fit 6 B10 plus’s in those cases. Maybe even 9-10 B10’s 😂 I shoot the B10 plus and get 4 in that case with camera and lenses. Great stuff my man. Recently found your channel. Looking forward to more content.
The problem is you’d have to buy them first!! 🤣🤣
@@QuantzPhoto So true! 🤣🤣🤣 Would it be ok if I sent you an email through the one on your website? I’m doing my first media day with the local minor league baseball team and I’d love to bounce a few things off ya if ok?
The ad400 reflector is pretty short. it's mostly just used as the travel cap for me. the godox mount on it works just fine with the bowens mount adapter attached. the one time i do use the reflector is if i am bouncing the light off a wall or into an umbrella, in those situations, the reflector works perfectly.
The diff in perceived light output comes down to the diff bulb design. Having profoto on optical slave you would never allow you to get a frame where the profoto would be willing/capable of going off while the Godox wouldn’t.
Jim,
A good comparison and I experienced similar results.
I gave up with my Einsteins and Alienbees and went to Godox/Flashpoint 3 years ago. At first I first bought a Godox X2Tc transmitter, because it has a pass thru hot shoe on top, allowing me to use my old transmitter and old lights while using the new Godox lights. I now have 3 Godox Pro transmitters. Going Godox was a game changer for me. For budget reasons I wanted to keep the transition slow, but I had completely switched my studio lights as well as my field kit to Godox/Flashpoint in less than 6 months. In 3 years I have not had a single flash equipment failure. Operator failure, yes (usually wrong channel or group), but not due to the equipment.
The Godox X2T transmitter is limited to 5 groups, but has TTL capability. The Godox X Pro transmitters can be set for 16 groups or 5 groups, but you loose TTL capability when switching to 16 groups.
Thanks for the info Charley!
Half power on Profoto is always 9.
Hey Dani, yes I should've worded it differently and I adjusted my presentation for my latest video.
I went from Godox to Profoto. My biggest issue with the AD600 pro was the heat protection kicked in all too often if I was pushing them hard. Modelling lamp would turn off pretty quickly and then it would start to misfire often. I wasn't running it as high fps as in your test here. I haven't run into these issues since moving to Profoto, although I am using mains powered profoto stobes. But you can't really take issue with the quality and price point of the Godox gear. It would have been fine if I wasn't so trigger happy in my shooting.
Thanks for sharing Ewan! I rarely use modeling lamps, fwiw.
To fix the misfire issue just change your channel from 1 to something higher (that worked for me)
I haven't has a misfire since 2019 on a Godox unless the power is way down. Same with Profoto. Low battery affects both.
Thanks, I hated when Profoto did the recessed flashtube bc it made the Beauty dish basically useless. Would have been nice to know the flash duration and battery life comparison between them... Thanks
I love the AD400 Pro, as well as others but overall the 400 is my favorite. The Godox system is very good imo. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for watching!
Very informative video. Thank you sir
Most welcome
The AD400 Reflectors are not an actual throw away by any means. I use them for traveling purposes to protect the bulb 🙂 If you use the Bowens mount all you have to do is separate the reflector from it's bottom half, they do separate, after you separate them the top halve fits in the inner Godox mount and you can use the included protection Cap to further protect the lens from getting banged
Awesome comparison! Get your Godox/Flashpoint lights on the Black Friday sales from Adorama and you'll save a ton off the regular pricing. I have 4 of the 600's that I bought sometime between Black Friday and Christmas, and they were so inexpensive that I almost felt like Adorama made a mistake on the pricing and that I robbed them of the lights! Lol
Same here. Scored (3) AD600pros for a crazy cheap price.
@@brianb8698 how much did you get them for? if you don't mind me asking ?
Your math was wrong on the power scale. 5 on Profoto would be 1/32 power on Godox. 6 on Profoto would 1/16th on Godox
Great video. Your Profotos are just set a stop under the Godox. 10=full 9=1/2 8=1/4 7=1/8, etc.
Great video. thank you!
You are welcome!
Great video, thanks
I loved the tests. Your results nearly mirrored my own. I found that between 1/8 and 1/4 on my Godox lights were the limit for high speed. On my 200s I was about 1/16 so if I had a pair it was close to the 400. Oh and on the godox trigger, use Duracell or Rayovac high energy batteries and not rechargeable batteries.
Great video James! I use the FlashPoint (Godox) 600s and agree about the ease of use. Wish I had your money, I'd buy the Profotos :)
Well I think I showed the Godox stacked up pretty well at the price point!
James , great video , I did the move in the other direction…. I have question about your strobe setting at about 24’19”. You said that you are setting your unit at 50% , Right? On the Profoto , 50% is 9 , not 5 . Each time you change the unit by 1 , you divide or multiply by 2 your power , so if you set the Profoto at 5 , your strobe is at 1/16 which is consistent with your GODOX setup. Please confirm. I ran test with my sekonic light meter with all my strobes ( B22 , A10, Godox 200 and 600 pro)
I came here to say the same thing about the Profoto power settings. Marcel is correct. I’ve had three B1’s since 2016.
If you do not need TTL you can buy AD600BD for $549 at B&H
Check out the Paul C Buff Celestial... Beats them all now.
I use the 600, 300 and 200's on location. Love the price point and the weight. (having had to replace some due to untimely demises on location). As for studio I stick with my Elinchrom 1000's SLC's, color consistency is much better than the Godox/ flashpoint.
Thanks for sharing!
The reflector will still mount with the bowens mount adapter. Just take the bottom half off
Yep I've learned that since!
I started with godox and hated every time I would shoot. Missed fires almost every time. I made the switch to all Profoto D2s and love it. I made a 6 light kit 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 and all godox went in the trash. Trust quality over quantity. 😊😊
Thanks for sharing Ever!!
Were you using rechargeable batteries on the trigger?
yes godox lot Missed fires
Great review!!! I wish i would of saved the money and went with the godox eco system 🤦♂️
Profoto's are nice though!
💥💥 There hasn’t been a single video of yours that hasn’t gotten a 👍🏼 from me. Rock on, Jim
Appreciate that!!
My Godox friends always give me crap about Profoto. I definitely don't have a problem with Godox and if I was starting from scratch I probably wouldn't hesitate to got that route. When you've been in the Profoto system forever it's hard to think about changing over all of your modifiers and lights. I have the B1Xs and B10s. I also still have AcuteB2 packs and heads that aren't worth anything but are still great little lights. Were you using the 600Pro or the regular?
💥 The bowens mount is not proprietary to a specific brand like the other lights are which is what I like about the Godox lineup. There are so many affordable companies making modifiers for that mount and I’m glad that I went that route.
The Godox is brighter because 5 is not the middle power on profoto, their lowest power is 2 not 1.
Recessed flash tubes on the Profotos versus the protruding tubes on the Godox
Gimmick and you actually loose spread of light with the Profoto's and makes the beauty dish useless.
Just found your channel and thought this was a great review of the Godox and Profoto product. I just started using the AD600’s and AD400 and very happy with the results, especially at the price point.
I was wondering if you could post a link to the protective bulb covers shown in the video. Those look very handy as I don’t use the stock reflectors and only keep them around as bulb protectors. I’ve been looking for the same exact ones and cannot seem to find them online.
Look forward to watching and learning more from your videos.
Didn’t need a video to know the answer
Thank you for a very satisfying test for a recent purchaser of two Godox AD400s but are you sure the nominal power increments on the Profoto aren't doubling its output each time? It's less logical than 1 to 10 representing tenths of full power but I've come across this several times in applications unrelated to photography. If so, 50% of 10 would be 9, which might explain why the 500w Profoto strobe needed to be at between 6 and 7 to visually match the 400w Godox at 1/16. What I don't get is how the 600w and 400w Godox strobes were both at 1/16 and yet looked the same.
Thank you for your video! What adapters are needed to adapt your Profoto modifiers to the Godox strobes?
You just need Bowens mount speedrings!
I was so in to this video, I have a lot of Godox. The price on the profoto was so hight. I am happy with mine. Thanks fir your unbiased opinion from my professional photographer means so much to a fellow photographer God bless very enjoyable video
Glad it was helpful!
This was extremely helpful James. I’m building out a Godox kit personally. I’ve got the Ad400 and 600, both of them do a good job for my indoor shoots. I will probably add more down the road. I wish they would make a more affordable profoto kit.
I wish Godox had standardized the batteries, like power tool companies do, so their batteries would work across their whole platform. Then you could use a "5.0" on the AD400 or a "9.0" on the AD600 and interchange them according to the runtime needed. They could have even designed it so the batteries could piggyback on the back of one another so two smaller AD400 batteries could power the AD600. If someone already owns AD600's, there is no incentive to stay with Godox for 400's as nothing remains compatible.
Exactly why I realized I needed to go with all of one and not a mix....
That attachment lever on the Godox is much easier to use and stronger than the Profoto.
The Godox cover for AD400 looks interesting. Do you have a link?
Is there any solution to how to most effectively use the ad400pro with an umbrella, since the included reflector is extremely ineffective?
Thank you very much for the wonderful review... Really awesome stuff...
For profoto, when the battery goes below 50%, does the recycle time for the flash increase???
Broncolor ❤
James, while I can't speak to the durability of those specific Godox lights, I use the smaller speedlights, the ones I use the most are the TT600s, I've had these units going on 3 years now and I rarely if ever have misfires and they have given me consistent quality of light every time I shoot and use them with the R2 Pro II trigger. I am looking to upgrade to bigger and more powerful lights soon, but I absolutely love the Godo Ecosystem, I even picked up a couple of their little litemons rgb lights. These little guys are really bright and work pretty well for me. I've had these little guys for about a year now and no complaints so far. Great Comparison and new Sub! Look forward to more content.
Thanks Ray!
Wow. Love those Pelican cases you showed. I am getting my 4th and 5th Westcott FJ400’s next week (along with Westcott 3x4 softboxes to be used with your ProLightMods)… Normally I carry the FJ400s I have in their included backpacks. But the 1615 Air case looks like it would be perfect to carry all 5 FJ400s in one case. Would make perfect sense. Sheesh - getting all these ideas from you is costing a lot of money this week! 😱🤣
Sorry! 🤣
Great info. using them for the pro mods is one thing, but would you use then to freeze motion as your key lights?
In terms of freezing motion they are almost the same
Loving your videos! Great content and knowledge you are sharing. Thank you! I have a question about the Godox trigger. When I put mine on, it slows my camera FPS rate from 8 to about 3 (using the Flashpoint R2 Pro and Ad300). Everything is in manual mode. No TTL. When I put a single pin adapter on the camera and then the trigger, it does not change the FPS rate and I get 8fps. Did you have to do some thing to the trigger to maintain your fps without using a single pin adaptor? (Same thing happens for me when I put a speedlight on the camera). Camera is Eos R. Thanks for any info!
This is my struggle! Which to invest in.
I hope this helped!
Nice test but I am all profoto very hard to downgrade but price wise Godox make more sense but for the long run I stick to profoto
Quick question, James (and thanks for the video). Finally, picked up my first strobe (Godox AD 600 Pro) because the price finally dropped to a point that was realistic for me (amateur photographer). I contemplated the AD 200 Pros, but have thoughts of what I want to do in my mind - i.e. freeze outdoor and indoor action - with the use of strobe. (New global shutter cameras won't make sense for me until the technology becomes more affordable). Question is, if you were starting out today, other than just getting out and shooting, what one or more resources would you recommend to read/watch as a starting point? Thanks for the video and the time!
It’s hard to beat watching UA-cam videos these days but the best thing is to get out and practice what you watch.
what a great video!!! have you tried the same exercise with the profoto D2 instead the b1x?
No I was only testing battery powered strobes.
James, thanks for the detailed description. I'm old-school still using Profoto packs and of course am heavily invested in Profoto accessories. Question: when you have that, what you called, "throw-away" reflector on the Godox, does it also serve as a cylindrical "mount" for the Profoto clamp-on speed rings and other Profoto accessories like beauty dishes, magnum reflector, etc? it looks to be about the right diameter to accept those accessories.
Hey Scott, I just checked and they're about the same width as the exterior of the Profoto modifier rings so it won't work. Would've been nice though!
@@QuantzPhoto Thanks, I did a little digging and there appear to be adapters. Cheers
Question regarding blank frames. How was the Profoto synced? Optical slaved when the others fired? If so, did the Goxox misfire possibly just not allow the Profoto the chance to even fire? Would using the Profoto remote and slaving the other two have the same outcome?
Does Godox make an adaptor to use plugged in while in the studio? I hate that Profoto does not and make you either buy battery version or the plugged in version.
I believe they make an adapter you can buy.
for cost purposes (less money spent ) Godox.
for professional situations: Profoto
i only use my godox set (still use it) when i feel like struggling and don't feel like risking my Profoto set (B1X , B1 (x2), A1X (x3). in falling or getting damaged.
my analysis is that godox is really awful. I've tried all the"solutions" and on different cameras. and some are better than the others but still doesn't hold a candle to the profoto reliability.
u r supposed to use a pack for fashion 10fps
James, Curious to know, are the t.1 times for the Godox strobes as fast or comparable to the Einsteins?
Hey Ivan, the Einsteins were ahead of their time when they came out but now all these strobes are pretty much in the same ballpark.
i was wanting to know if the flash deration ok for outside action on the ad 400 i am also looking at the Einstein for the action freezing too. i am looking at rodeo sports. do you think the Einstein are better or the ad400 /600 better ate freezing action. I liked your video as I am looking at freezing action and was looking at getting more lights i have the ad400 now but keep looking at the Einstein as people say it got and has a fast t1. but i have not seen many tests or videos on it. any help on with would be a good light to get for fast sports would help as i was exited to see you used the Einstein and may have a good advice on them. thanks for your time and all the information you give out.
Hey Mark, you should be able to find the flash duration info for all these lights online. From there it would come down to how much power you would need based on your subject since flash duration fluctuates based off of that.
@@QuantzPhoto Yes, but basically how do they compare with out getting too tech.. Are they at least similar to profoto comparable model?
Have you tried the B10x Plus? Any thoughts about them? We’re looking to upgrade from Godox AD600 Pros to Profotos B10x Plus… seems like the Godox is inconsistent in temperature output,
You would know if the B10x Plus is 100% what you NEED, you wouldn't have to come online and ask for peoples opinion so as to convince u if its the one to buy.
Hey Charles, I haven’t. If Profoto wants to send them I’ll try them but I’m not sure the price is worth what you’re getting.
Being using Godox for quite a few years, as for price vs quality they are unbeatable, compared to Profoto and Broncolor you can almost consider them disposable and actually they are quite sturdy after all.
The reason why you get one more stop of light on the Godox even with 100 w/s less is the bare bulb, and that’s the reason that I never liked Profoto in the first place, what’s the point to sacrifice light output and have also have inferior performance with modifiers as well as hotspots.
I am using the original AD600M’s, don’t need ttl, for ttl I am using the AD200pro.
A watch out with the triggers is that sometimes they misfire if they are too close to the strobe.
A point in favour of the Profoto is that it’s a little more accurate in colour consistency.
Thanks for sharing Nilo! It’s a good time to be a photographer.
@@QuantzPhoto definitely a good time when it comes to gear availability and quality, I still remember the painful days of analog & Polaroid’s, as well as the “widow makers strobes”
9 is half power on the profoto, not 5(That would be 1/32)
Just switched from Profoto to Godox 👍👍 flying with the pelican cases do you have to take them in the cabin because of the batteries?
Yeah I normally pack them into my roll-on bag just to be safe.
They are both over price not for a beginner photographer at all.
Both of them are rich mas toys.
Profoto mas richer!