Godox Light Recommendations

Godox

During the recent R7 Models Photo Walk I encountered a number of times people were looking for some information on lighting equipment. Over the years I have pretty much had first-hand experience with a wide range of lighting options. From the OEM speedlights to third party studio strobes, constant lighting and my current lighting of choice, Godox.

Godox is a Chinese brand that burst onto the photography scene a few years ago. They have caused quite a stir ever since due to their high performing, feature-rich and well-priced products. They have shown up some of the traditional lighting brands for their over-priced and poorly featured products. Godox does not aim to be the leader in the market. But they are leading their segment of the market. Their gear is not “cheap” per se, but they are significantly cheaper than the equivalently specced products for the competition. For example, the Godox AD600 Pro is approximately a third of the price of a Profoto B1X!!

Brand Agnostic

This means that all of the Godox lights will work off-camera with any brand of camera. With the exception of the speed lights, you do not need to buy a certain light to suit your chosen camera. All you need is the specific trigger to suit your camera. This means you don't have to buy new lights should you change camera brands. Also, multiple people can use the one light. Speed lights are specific to each brand as there is a physical difference with each brand's hot shoe. But you can use them off-camera with another brand of camera (providing you have the correct trigger).

Feature Rich

You name it, Godox lights have it. From TTL and High-Speed Sync (HSS) through to being able to be used across various brands of cameras. All the lights can be controlled and triggered wirelessly. Not only with the various radio triggers, but the speed lights can control and trigger your other lights. They have a full range of battery-powered strobes ranging from 1200ws down to 200ws. And then there is the range of AC powered lights that I am not even going to touch on here.

Godox

Speed Lights

Godox has a range of speed lights that should cover most needs for everyone. They all have TTL as well as an inbuilt radio receiver to be able to use them off your camera in conjunction with their range of radio triggers. Additionally all of these speed lights can be used as a trigger, controlling your other Godox lights. All the general features that apply to the radio triggers, also apply to these.

Even the newest, top of the range V1 speed light is a fraction of the cost of a Canon or Nikon speed light.

V1

The Godox V1 is the newest and top of the range speed light. Although power has not increased over the V860ii/TT685, the user interface is significantly better. The other main feature is the round head. This allows for a more natural light fall off as well as the head is magnetic and can take a range of modifiers like gels, grids and diffusers that magnetically attach to the front. Also uses a Lithium-Ion battery.

V860ii

The Godox V860ii main point of difference from most speed lights is it is powered by a Litium-Ion battery. This battery allows for much faster recycle speeds between activations and a considerably longer lasting battery.

TT685

Same light as the V860ii except the Godox TT685 uses regular AA batteries. Some people prefer the convenience of being able to source AA batteries anywhere. Although from my experience the Lithium-Ion batteries last so long between charges it is really not a problem. Therefore I recommend the V1 or V860ii over the TT685.

V350

The Godox V350 is the little brother of the V860ii. Much the same features except smaller in size, power and battery life. A good choice for beginners or those with smaller cameras and not wanting a huge speed light sitting on the top.

Godox

Radio Triggers

Godox has three radio triggers to choose from. The beauty of the Godox system is the lights themselves are brand agnostic, meaning they will work with all brands of cameras. You just need to purchase the appropriate radio trigger for your camera. So you will see there is always a latter at the end of the trigger name to indicate which brand of camera they will work on. C for Canon. N for Nikon. S for Sony. F for Fujifilm etc (yes, even a P for Pentax for those 2 Pentax shooters out there).

Those who were are the R7 photo walk and used my lights were using either an X1T-N or X1T-C. And as you may have guessed, this is not my preferred trigger to use. I was using the newer X2T-S on my Sony A7iii and this is a much better trigger. You also experienced how we were all able to simultaneously use the same light (to varying degrees of success). You would have also seen how I was able to change the power of the light from the trigger. This makes life so much easier than having to go up to the light each time you want to make a change.

One major benefit with Godox triggers is they are relatively inexpensive, coming in at a bit under A$100. A similarly specced Profoto Air TTL remote costs A$588!

Lastly, I have not shown it here, but you can purchase an X1R. This is a receiver you can use to go on your OEM speed lights. Pairing up with any of these triggers, the X1R allows you to control the power and trigger your lights remotely along with all your other Godox lights. Useful, that’s true. But I would recommend just selling your Nikon/Canon speed light and buying a couple of Godox ones. I did. best decision I ever made!

X2T

Godox X2T is the newest of the radio triggers. It has a similar layout to the X1T but major improvements with button layout and the user interface. The first trigger to include Bluetooth so you can use your phone to set your lights. Also includes a pass-through hot shoe for those who want to use a speed light on top of the trigger (but why would you when you could just use a Godox speedlight?) The improved lock-down mechanism almost makes this the number one reason to buy this trigger.

XPro

The Godox XPro has the same feature set as the X1T (minus hot shoe pass-through) but has a vastly improved user interface. The larger screen and better button layout make this trigger the easiest of the lot to use. Doesn't have some of the advanced features of the X2T, but other than channel quality scan, you won't notice much missing in real-world usage.

X1T

The Godox X1T was the original X series radio trigger. It includes all the features you need, but I am really not a fan of the user interface. And the button layout is terrible. It is quite normal to press the buttons with your forehead whilst shooting and inadvertently change your settings. Considering the X2T and XPro really are not much more expensive there is no reason to purchase this trigger now.

Godox

Battery Powered Strobes

Godox is most well known for its range of battery-operated strobes. These are most helpful for those of us who either not in the position to have our own studio or just not at that level. These strobes offer a far greater range of power and with this the ability to recycle faster so you can take your next shot sooner. If you are outside, in full daylight, trying to use the largest modifier possible to get the softest light, you can replace pure electrical grunt. For years many serious photographers have lugged around the AC powered studio strobes along with a heavy and cumbersome battery power supply. Godox did not invent the battery-powered strobe, but they sure have refined them into the must-have items for serious photographers.

The “Pro” series of lights are the newest and have the greatest feature set including market-leading colour accuracy and consistency plus even faster recycle speeds.

All of these lights can be controlled with any of the radio triggers above or even any one of the speed lights. They all include high-speed sync. Excluding the older AD600BM, they all have TTL.

AD600B

The AD600B is the primary light that I use. It is the first of this series of lights to be released and the one that shook up the market with its features and price.

It comes in a couple of versions. With TTL (AD600B) and without TTL (AD600BM) with the latter being slightly cheaper.

These have 600ws of power which is usually more than enough for most situations.

You can also purchase an extension head that separates the bulb from the body allowing you to keep the weight off of the top of your light stand. Another extension head is available that lets you combine two of these for 1200ws! Also an AC power adapter is available to purchase if you are mostly running these at home/studio.

It might be the oldest of the stable of lights, but still offers very good value for money.

AD200

The AD200 is my second choice of light. I primarily use them as secondary lights to my AD600 or as dance floor lights at weddings.

The unique feature with these lights is the head is interchangeable. It comes with a fresnel head and a bare bulb with the latter perfectly suited for usage in modifiers like softboxes etc. A round head that shares the magnetic attachments with the V1 is also available.

These have more than enough power to be used by themselves in many situations. Not much bigger than a speed light, but have approximately four times the power.

Relatively well priced, these are the perfect stepping stone up from using speed lights.

Also, there is a newer AD200Pro version available that has improved recycle time and better colour accuracy/consistency.

AD600Pro

This was the first of the updated “Pro” line of lights. Taking the features and interface of the AD600B and improving it with better colour accuracy and consistency, faster recycle times and some user interface improvements.

This is the light that has made the big money brands look bad.

Most expensive light I have listed here, but if you need the colour accuracy, then this is well priced at third of an equivalently specced Profoto B1X.

I haven’t used it myself. I have no need for the upgrade over the AD600B that I currently have. But if I was purchasing for the first time I would definately consider it.

AD400Pro

As the name and looks suggest, this is the baby brother of the AD600 Pro.

Everything is the same. Just a reduced power output, smaller in size and a bit cheaper.

AD300Pro

This is the newest light from Godox. And this one starts to bring in some new features to the system.

The main one is it has moved away from an integrated Bowens mount and has a Godox mount that allows for modifiers that are smaller when in a stored state. It can also have different mounts via adapters.

When I said previously the AD200 is the perfect stepping stone from speed lights, I was wrong. This is now, in my opinion, the best choice of light for anyone looking to step up from speed lights. Excellent features, size and value for money.

So where can you buy Godox lights?

Godox isn’t the most well known and stocked brand. When I first bought them you had to buy them from overseas/eBay. But now a few Australian stores are stocking them.

There is, of course, eBay as well. But I have found that a few of the ones listed above sell their Godox gear at very good prices, often as good or better than buying from Hong Kong/eBay. Whilst some certain apply the “Australia Tax” to their prices. There are many overseas stores that stock Godox lights. Most notably is Adorama who relabel their Godox lights as Flashpoint.

I am in no way affiliated with any of these businesses or receiving any compensation. I am however a very happy customer of Arahan Photo and can highly recommend them.

Go to Arahan Photo

Godox

So what now?

This is just a taste of the vast range of Godox products as of June 30, 2020. New products are coming on board all the time. Plus I have totally skipped all of the AC powered strobes and continuous lights that are available. Hopefully, this small guide should provide some information to get you thinking about what products will suit you. If you have any questions or any comments, please either comment down below, or feel free to contact me directly.

One thing to note with Godox is they do not deal with the consumers directly. They are a Chinese company that specialises in making stuff, not selling stuff. For whatever reason, some people seem to think when they have a fault or a problem with their equipment they try to contact Godox directly and then get angry when they do not get a response. Just like every other manufacturer on the planet, service and sales are dealt with by the retail network. It’s just some times that retail network has the same name and you might think they are one and the same. If you have trouble with your new Toyota vehicle you don’t contact Toyota in Japan do you? You deal with the problem with your local dealership. Same with Godox. Contact the place of purchase who will handle any warranty issues. I really don’t know why people seem to get so worked up about this? And it can seem to give the brand a tarnished reputation which is really unfounded.

Lastly, I did take on board that some locals are looking for some help with their photography. If this sounds like you and you are interested in one on one or maybe even a group workshop situation please contact me and we can make some plans.

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