Review: The Rogue Flashbenders V3 (Pushing the Light Forward)

The Rogue Flashbenders V3 are the latest update to the event photographer’s essential accessory.

I got excited when I heard about the update to the Rogue Flashbenders. For years, I used to rely on these for event shooting. They were incredibly useful, and they were arguably a game-changer when they were introduced. To this day, I still see them used at events if photographers are going for a specific look and aren’t using the built-in diffuser. But now, the company has updated their Rogue Flashbenders once again. What’s new is the construction and the way they mount onto a flash. Further, there are improvements to the way the optional diffusion panels work. The Rogue Flashbenders do a great job if you can get the metering just right.

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Review: Nissin MG80 Pro (A Solid, Well Built Flash for the Money)

The Nissin MG80 Pro is a flash we initially weren’t sure of, but it grew on us and now we like it.

This past year I’ve been looking at small flashes again, and the Nissin MG80 Pro has seriously caught my attention. Years ago, I reviewed the Nissin MG8000, one of the company’s first flashes to use a Quartz bulb. I liked the results, but the interface was a tad odd. Fast forward about seven years, and I’ve got the Nissin MG80 Pro in my hands after a previous announcement. This flash still uses a Quartz bulb and has enhancements that I really like. To be in line with the needs of the modern photographer, it has a modeling lamp that can be used as a small constant light. The zoom head’s quality can be confusing until you realize it’s removable. And one will also be very impressed with the battery life. But, if you want to use it off-camera, then be sure to pair it with the Air 10s transmitter correctly. If you do, you’re going to get one of the best flashes you can buy for the Canon system.

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Lighting Review: Fositan FL-1×2 Rollable LED Panel

Fositan’s FL-1×2 Rollable LED Panel is an affordable yet flawed alternative to Westcott’s premium Flex series of LED Panels.

A huge variety of LED lighting has been making its way onto the market in recent years. A lot of photographers have begun utilizing LED lighting as a part of their constant lighting kit thanks to LEDs having power efficiency, increased light output, and generating little to no heat compared to legacy constant lighting options like incandescent or CFL bulbs. Westcott was arguably the first to introduce flexible LED panels to the photography market and, shortly after the Flex series of LED panels were released, a number of knockoffs began flooding the market at lower price points promising similar performance. Fositan’s FL-1×2 Rollable LED panel is one of them.

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First Impressions: Light and Motion Stella Pro CLx8 Continuous LED Light

The newest Stella Pro CLx8 continuous LED light is specifically designed with photographers in mind.

Constant LED lighting has been gaining popularity amongst photographers for the last few years. It’s becoming particularly popular with photographers who have yet to master professional strobes but are aiming to take their images to the next level by utilizing lighting. While continuous LED lights are useful tools for lighting, their biggest weakness is a relatively low power output when compared to traditional strobes. The folks at Light & Motion aim to address this common shortcoming with their newest Stella Pro CLx8 Continuous LED Light, which features a maximum light output of 8,000 lumens. We spent some time shooting with this new light from Light & Motion this past week while we in Oregon for Sony’s Kando 3.0 Trip, head on after the jump for our first impressions of the Stella Pro CLx8.

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Review: Profoto B10 (The Best Light I’ve Ever Used)

The Profoto B10 is the perfect tool for a working photojournalist and location photographer.

When I first used the Profoto B10, I knew fully that this was the perfect light for me for many reasons. It’s the size of a 70-200mm lens, capable of HSS, has 250 watt seconds of power, offers cross compatibility across many different types of TTL systems, can function as both a stills and cinema unit with an LED lamp that changes color, has an app that allows even further tuning and control via Bluetooth on your phone, and is simply reliable. I know that the previous sentence is long winded and offers a ton of features, but for a very long time I was searching for a more or less self-contained lighting option that does all this. An all-in-one light such as the Profoto B10 is perfect for a journalist.

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Review: Godox Thinklite TT350F Mini Flash (Fujifilm)

Godox TT350F

The Godox TT350F is an affordable flash for Fujifilm Shooters, but you get what you pay for.

Godox are synonymous with producing good quality lighting at prices that make the accessories affordable to the masses. Their flashes are well built, and they have one of the most robust, user friendly wireless trigger systems around with their R2 triggers. The Godox TT350F is a small, affordable flash that has been designed to work with Fujifilm’s smaller Mirrorless camera bodies, but can it live up to their reputation of producing quality products that are affordable?

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Review: Interfit Honey Badger Unleashed (How Can You Go Wrong?)

The Interfit Honey Badger Unleashed is this generation’s version of the Paul C Buff White Lightnings; but they’re a million times better.

I admittedly took my time with testing the Interfit Honey Badger Unleashed because of just so much stuff that we’ve had to test since Photokina and with not being motivated when it came to portraiture. But in my experiences with it, the Interfit Honey Badger Unleashed has proven to me that if you’re in the market for an introductory TTL/Manual/HSS monolight when your flashes just aren’t cutting it, this is the only option that really exists. While Godox, Adorama Flashpoint and B&H Impact make usable products I think that the Interfit Honey Badger Unleashed does a whole lot for the dollar. With TTL capabilities and a pretty solid build quality, the Interfit Honey Badger Unleashed also boasts a pretty simple to use interface and reliability in a number of situations. And if all you really need is the power, then this is one of the best options on the market.

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Review: Flashpoint XPLOR 400 Pro TTL Rechargeable Monolight (Fujifilm)

off camera flash

The Flashpoint XPLOR 400 Pro TTL may be the only monolight most photographers will ever need.

A few years ago, Flashpoint released the original XPLOR 600 TTL rechargeable monolight, and it quickly became a firm favorite with many photographers thanks to its incredible power, great battery life, and its relatively low price. Recently, Flashpoint released the XPLOR 600 Pro TTL, which updated the older model and promised to offer better build quality, more features, and better overall performance. In addition, they also added the XPLOR 400 Pro TTL to their line-up as well. The XPLOR 400 Pro TTL is a smaller rechargeable monolight that promises big things from a smaller, less expensive package than the XPLOR 600. Let’s Find out if that’s the case.

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Review: Flashpoint eVOLV 200 TTL Pocket Flash (Godox AD200)

The Flashpoint eVOLV 200 TTL Pocket Flash is a lot of Flash in a Compact Package

For photographers that need to shoot on location, lugging around heavy monolights with massive battery packs can be quite a hassle–especially if you’re working with a skeleton crew or running solo. This is where the Flashpoint eVOLV 200 TTL Pocket Flash comes in, delivering 200 watt-seconds of light output in a compact package barely larger than a conventional speedlight. While you won’t be overpowering direct sunlight with the Flashpoint eVOLV 200 anytime soon, it is a great strobe for any photographer that is looking for a versatile, portable flash. For those that may not be aware, Flashpoint is actually one of Adorama’s in house brands, with Chinese lighting equipment manufacturer Godox being the OEM. The Flashpoint eVOLV 200 TTL Pocket Flash is also sold under the Godox brand as the Godox AD200.

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Review: Flashpoint XPLOR 600 Pro TTL Battery Powered Monolight (Sony TTL)

The Flashpoint XPLOR 600 Pro TTL is a professional grade monolight with a competitive price tag.

The Flashpoint XPLOR 600 Pro TTL Battery Powered Monolight is an improved version of the already excellent Flashpoint XPLOR 600. While Flashpoint may be a relatively new player in pro grade camera lighting equipment market compared to established European brands like Broncolor, Elinchrom, and Profoto, they have been developing and releasing new products at a rapid pace–putting the old guard on notice with competitively priced products as well as offering support to camera systems that didn’t necessarily get the same level of love from the European brands. For those not aware, Flashpoint is actually one of Adorama’s in house brands, with Chinese lighting equipment manufacturer Godox being the OEM, and the Flashpoint XPLOR 600 Pro can also be found under the Godox brand as the Godox WITSTRO AD600 Pro.

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Review: Godox XProF Wireless Flash Transmitter (Fujifilm)

The Godox XProF Wireless Flash Transmitter is proof of Godox’s drive to change the market.

When the Godox XProF Wireless Flash Transmitter was announced and finally on the market, I strongly believe that serious Fujifilm camera users must have jumped for joy everywhere. Finally, you could use flashes for other camera systems with your camera and still be able to get full TTL and other parameters. In this case, you can do it all with Godox’s own system. If you’ve got flashes for Sony, you can control them with this transmitter. I’ve tested this with Nikon before, and when I did I wasn’t able to get TTL due to firmware updates being only compatible with PCs. But now that I own a PC (and a Mac) and I purchased the Godox XProF Wireless Flash Transmitter for Fujifilm, I was able to use the same flash with two different system seamlessly.

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First Impressions Review: Profoto B10 (Canon and Sony)

The Profoto B10 is the one light that I’ve been wanting for many years.

As you can already tell, I’m a fan of the newly announced Profoto B10 light. For years I’ve been looking for something more powerful than a small hot shoe flash. I wanted something that stays small and it didn’t need to be as powerful as the B1, B1x, or the Einstein E640 that I used to call my bread and butter light. With the sea of products that Godox releases and that B&H Photo and Adorama rebrand, you’d think that there are lots of great lights out there. And there are, but they’ve got problems.

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Review: ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 TTL Monolight with On Board Power (Sony)

The ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 TTL Monolight gives you a whole lot in an affordable package.

Adorama’s ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 TTL Monolight is quite a powerful package. With 600 watt seconds of power, it’s going to give you more than enough light output to light a wedding hall and for most portraiture gigs. Attach a very big umbrella to it and it will obviously deliver enough power. But then consider how simple it is to use. Adorama has been refining this over the years with their Flashpoint brand and while it is more or less a variation of a GODOX light, the difference is that you can get quicker service often from Adorama right here in the US. While you’re not getting the Profoto name or build quality, I can almost guarantee you that photographers who use this light won’t be able to tell the difference between the light output from the ORLIT and a Profoto’s.

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Flash Review: Profoto A1 (Canon Version Using Sony Air TTL Trigger)

The Profoto A1 is what many photographers have wanted for a while. But is it the perfect tool?

When the Profoto A1 was announced, I was very curious. Granted, I love lights that are as small as speedlites, but also thoroughly enjoy the power a full blown monolight provides. I was reminded of that even more so on a recent Sony Press trip. In many ways, and for the wedding photography crowd, the Profoto A1 could be the absolute most perfect light ever made. It offers a lot of color consistency, has a fast recycle time, works best with fast lenses, is small, and can integrate with whatever supported camera system you have when used wirelessly. It isn’t bad for location shoots either. Then, you consider just how fantastic the battery life is and how critical that is to wedding photographers, and you realize you have a perfect product for a working pro.

But at the same time, you’ll need to justify the price. And if you’re a location portrait shooter, you’ll really need to remember to bring your fast lenses with you. In many cases I saw, F2.8 zooms just won’t cut it.

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Review: Godox Xpro-N TTL Wireless Flash Trigger (Nikon DSLRs)

The Godox Xpro-N TTL Wireless Flash Trigger is a fantastic option with one big, glaring problem.

It’s no secret at this point that Godox makes some fantastic products, so when the Godox Xpro-N TTL Wireless Flash Trigger came in for review I was really optimistic. The small China based company has been producing flashes and triggers that have been putting the Japanese to shame at a much more affordable price point. With the new Godox Xpro-N TTL Wireless Flash Trigger, they’re upping their game even more. this trigger is designed for use with Nikon DSLRs and lets you use a flash like the Godox TT685s designed for Sony and get TTL with it. Again, you’re using a Nikon camera and transmitter with a Sony specific flash and getting TTL. Crazy, right? It may seem that way, but it works out very well!

Unfortunately, there’s also one really big problem that isn’t specific to it, but more to the system.

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Review: ANGLER Parasail Parabolic Umbrella

Very few photographic umbrellas have had me confused like the ANGLER Parasail Parabolic umbrella–but after working with this umbrella, its nuances started to become a bit more clear. I mean, look at the thing. It doesn’t look like any sort of umbrella. It’s shaped more like a Roman Centurion’s shield and has the relative rectangular design of a softbox. In a world where light modifiers seem to be changing, innovating and overlapping, the target audience for the ANGLER Parasail Parabolic umbrella seems to be those that sometimes need an umbrella and sometimes need a softbox. With its convertible design to be a very soft silver reflection type or a thick opaque white shoot through configuration, the ANGLER Parasail Parabolic umbrella’s best feature is its versatility due to being suspended on a rod and its easy ability to turn one way or another.

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Review: Profoto B1X (Sony TTL Version)

If you’re a working photographer that uses studio lighting, then chances are that you’ve been considering a light like the Profoto B1X since first hearing about it. Profoto lights are already at the top of the game and all the studios use them, and what makes the Profoto B1X so special is the added versatility over the original Profoto B1 monolights. For example, the modelling light has 50% more power for video users. Then there’s the ability to do high speed sync at up to 1/8,000 and with a flash duration of 1/19,000. That’s pretty insane! And then you have to remember Profoto’s color consistency assurance, their Air Remote TTL system, and the solid build quality. I can go on and on about Profoto and how great their lights are and how little extra post-production work you’ll need to do because of how good they are, but the truth is that some folks still have no problems with extra long post-production that I sometimes find to be unnecessary.

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Review: Fujifilm EF-X500 Flash (Fujifilm X Series)

The Fujifilm EF-X500 flash may be an option for photographers who want and need to use a flash when documenting and doing photojournalistic work; but it absolutely baffles me that a camera company with a fantastic medium format camera system hasn’t started to work with some sort of third party lighting manufacturer like Profoto to get some sort of integration into their system. To be fair, this isn’t Fujifilm alone. Canon’s radio system is crippled. Nikon’s isn’t what it used to be. Sony’s flash system is laughable. Olympus and Panasonic have never had such a great option. Pentax? Don’t even get me started.

But Fujifilm–a company with such a decorated history and an entry in the medium format camera system, doesn’t have a solid flash system. The Fujifilm EF-X500 is the company’s answer and attempt at this market but in many ways the company failed out of the gate. But in other ways, they’re not doing such a terrible job and I’m just being extra critical and venting via my own blog.

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Review: Interfit Honey Badger Monolight (NSFW)

off-camera lighting

Today, Interfit is announcing their new Interfit Honey Badger Monolight that is designed to function as an affordable option for someone that needs both a monolight and a constant light. In fact, we’re talking about a $299 price point with a softbox included. Now, the Interfit Honey Badger doesn’t have a built in battery–which would put it over the top. But if you’re right by a power source it shouldn’t be that difficult to work with. Instead, the Interfit Honey Badger will appeal most to the photographers who work in a given studio location that doesn’t really change vs those who do location work. To add extra value to the Interfit Honey Badger the light can be controlled with their transmitter wirelessly and also act as a constant light. It doesn’t offer TTL output and only has a flash duration of 1/900th; but if you’re shooting in a studio then you’re doing everything you can to control the light output as it is.

So let’s dive into this review.

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Review: FlashQ Q20 Miniature Flash/LED Light

The FlashQ Q20 is a response to the need for small, simple to use flashes that also do double duty as LED lights. For today’s creative content creator, it’s a dream–but the implementation of the FlashQ Q20 is something far more likely to be in the hands of an amateur or photographer getting started than an actual working photog. To be fair, it doesn’t seem like it was designed to take on the likes of Adorama’s Flashpoint, B&H Photo’s Impact, Godox, Yongnuo, etc. Instead, the FlashQ Q20 sort of fills a totally different niche. Though it’s marketed as being versatile and easy to use, my independent analysis believes the opposite to actually be true–to a point.

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Review: Westcott Flex Bi-Color Mat

There has been a growing trend in photography leaning more towards working with constant lighting vs strobe; and the Westcott Flex Bi-Color mat seems to really cater to that thought process. I mean, just look at lots of the photography out there and how much it’s involving the use of neon lighting with a portrait subject these days. There’s sure a look there that isn’t very easy to do with strobe. Though for what it’s worth, the Flex Bi-Color isn’t really designed to deliver “that” look. Instead, think of it as a giant Rogue Flashbender with LED Lights built in, a very solid frame, and a very simple control interface.

Then consider that the light temperature works in the same way that color temperature works with none of the tinting abilities and absolutely no reasonable way to gel the light.

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