The best bang for your buck flash on the high end side of things may indeed be the Flashpoint Streaklight. After offering only the manual version for a while, the TTL versions for Canon and Nikon are now available for pre-order at Adorama. Flashpoint for years has been a house brand; and though I don’t usually vouch for house brands theirs is the only one I genuinely make exceptions for.
So what are these? They’re 180 and 360 watt second lights in the form of a hot shoe flash. However, they use a barebulb and a diffusion dome with umbrella reflector. To power the flashes, you hook them up to a battery pack–similar to how Quantum flashes work. These are also far more powerful than anything Canon or Nikon make; though they’re not as powerful as Phottix’s dedicated monolights.
Speaking of which, these flashes feature a built-in radio receiver, so they be triggered off camera with ease from up to 300 feet away.
If you’re looking for a new flash, this may be it. But check out our review of the original Streaklight first.