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Posts Tagged ‘Monolight’

Speedlight vs Monolight on Location: See How They Compare [video]

16 Nov

The post Speedlight vs Monolight on Location: See How They Compare appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

In this video from Adorama, Gavin Hoey compares speed light vs monolight on location.

In the test, he does three very common lighting scenarios. He uses the flashes as fill flash, overpowering ambient light, and high-speed-sync flash.

He uses model, Charlotte, for the demonstration.

Gavin uses the following gear for the shoot:

Olympus E-M5 Mk III
Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens.
Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro lens
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.2 Pro lens
Flashpoint Xplor600 Flash
Zoom Li-on Speedlight
Glow Parapop 38″ Softbox
Flashpoint R2 Pro II Transmitter
Seconic L-308X-U

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gavin Hoey (@thegavinhoey) on Nov 7, 2019 at 1:27pm PST

Scenario one: fill flash

First up, in the Speedlight vs Monolight comparison, Gavin uses the monolight.

Before taking any shots, he takes a meter reading of the ambient light. Then to get his flash to match those settings, rather than use trial and error (which you can do), he uses a light meter to take an accurate reading from his model’s chin. He then uses that to set the flash.

Settings: f/3.5 1/250th Sec ISO 200

Next, he uses the speedlight flash. He sets it up using the same light modifier that he uses with the mono light and puts it in the same position.

He takes another light meter reading of his model’s chin, and set’s his speedlight flash.

When comparing the photographs, it is difficult to see the difference between using the monolight and using the speedlight.

Scenario two: overpowering the ambient light

Settings: f/16 1/250th sec ISO 200

In this scenario, Gavin runs the flash at full power to see what sort of aperture he can get out of the flash.

When doing a light meter reading, he gets an aperture of f/22 at the flash’s full-power setting.

Because he doesn’t want to waste the flash battery power and have a longer recycle time, he drops the flash to half power, which gives him an aperture of f/16.

He tests the camera settings without flash first to see how dramatic the sky looks. Then he turns the flash on to get some dramatic shots.

Gavin then swaps the flash over to the Speedlight, again using the same modifier and distance. The meter reading with the speedlight gives f/11, and the speedlight is set to full power.

In the side by side comparison, Gavin prefers the speedlight version over the monolight (what do you think?). But he prefers the flexibility, faster recycle times, power usage etc. of the monolight.

Scenario three: high-speed-sync flash

High-speed-sync flash strobes the light rapidly, meaning you get less power out of the lights. It is used for a shallow depth of field, so Gavin switches to a 25mm f/1.2 lens and shoots at f/1.2.

Firstly, Gavin turns off the flash and dials in f/1.2 and his flash sync speed of 1/250th of a second and then takes a picture of his model, Charlotte, to see what he gets at those settings.

While his model is quite well exposed at those settings, the background is overexposed, so Gavin tries 1/4000th of a second shutter speed, which gives him more detail in the background.

Most light meters won’t work with high-speed sync, so Gavin uses trial and error to set the flash to light Charlotte. He settles with 1/16th power.

Settings: f/1.2, 1/4000th sec, ISO 200.

He then tries the same settings with the speedlight flash with the flash at half-power.

While the flash does well to light the model, it struggles to keep up when shooting a number of shots in quick succession. He managed to get 18 photos in a row before the speedlight stopped working. This was actually the recycle time getting much longer.

Conclusion

If you have lots of high-speed-sync photos to take on location, you are better off with a monolight.

Variables: how far flash is from the subject, amount of ambient light, and softbox.

What are your thoughts on the comparisons? Which do you think wins in the speedlight vs monolight comparison? Share in the comments!

Cactus launches bare bulb wireless monolight on Kickstarter

08 Aug

Lighting manufacturer Cactus has officially launched its RQ250 bare bulb wireless TTL flash unit on the Kickstarter crowd funding website. Plans for the flash were originally announced at the beginning of the year, and now the company says it will be ready for delivery in October.

The head offers a maximum output of 250Ws and a recycle time of 1.1 seconds at full power

The RQ250 is ‘barely larger than a speedlight’ according to the manufacturer but offers the flexibility of a studio head. It can be controlled wirelessly via the Cactus V6 II radio transceiver system and allows TTL metering across the six main camera brands. Those who prefer manual control can adjust it in 0.1EV steps from full power down to 1/512th power, while the 4-cell lithium ion rechargeable battery provides 520 full-power bursts per charge. The head offers a maximum output of 250Ws and a recycle time of 1.1 seconds at full power. An integrated fan is designed to maintain a decent temperature in the head during intensive shoots, and the aluminum reflector helps by dissipating heat away from the body.

A range of modifiers will be available that connect to the head with via a twist lock bayonet system. The bayonet-mount reflector has a magnetic rim which allows further modifiers to be switched very quickly. The range that can be used will include softboxes, umbrellas and a reflector, as well as a set of magnetic gel holders, a snoot, a diffuser dome and barn doors. Initially it was said that the head would have a Bowens S-Mount bayonet, but it seems Cactus has changed this to its own mount but will offer an optional Bowens S-Mount adapter.

An LED in the head can be used as a 20W modeling bulb as well as an AF assist lamp that comes on only as the camera’s shutter release is depressed

The head can be used in two modes – Color or Speed. Color aims to produce consistent color balance as output varies, while Speed is designed for short flash duration to freeze motion in the image. High speed sync is also available.

An LED in the head can be used as a 20W modeling bulb as well as an AF assist lamp that comes on only as the camera’s shutter release is depressed. It can be kept on all the time at full brightness or linked to the selected level of output to give proportional lighting in multi-head set ups. Additional Speedlights can be used in one of four groups with the RQ250, and wireless control can be achieved with 2.4Ghz radio or optical slave settings.

The Cactus RQ250 is designed and assembled in Hong Kong, measures 194mm x 80mm x 80mm and weighs 1235g (2.7 lb) with the battery, reflector and tube loaded. It will cost $ 699 but can be snapped up for an early bird price of around $ 550 / £430 on Kickstarter.

See the Cactus website or the RQ250 Kickstarter page for more information

Press Release

Cactus RQ250 is now on Kickstarter

The Cactus RQ250, a palm-sized, 250Ws, Li-ion battery-powered TTL wireless monolight, is now on Kickstarter!

Cactus, the award-winning manufacturer of the world’s first cross-brand wireless trigger, is proud to present its first project on Kickstarter: The RQ250 Li-ion battery-powered TTL wireless monolight.

With the freedom of going wireless using portable flashes, location shooting is much easier than before. “Over the years, Cactus started to think about making a flash with all the essentials of a studio strobe, powerful yet portable enough like a speedlight, a light that can pair up with various kinds of modifiers to shape the light photographers want. A light photographers can use on location, fast and smart,” says Henry Chan, the head of R&D at Cactus.

The Cactus RQ250 is small, versatile, fits all kinds of light modifiers in just a click, and addresses all location shooting needs.

Small but Powerful

The RQ250 is so compact it can sit on the palm of your hand. Barely larger than a speedlight, it comes with 250Ws of power and a range of 10 stops, from 1/512 to full power.

Uni-body Design

What makes the RQ250 unique is its special flash head design. The 63-degree optical optimized reflector, which is equivalent to speedlight zoom setting of 35mm, not only makes it good to shoot with on its own, but it is also a perfect match with a lighting umbrella.

Inside the flash head sits Cactus TubeOneTM, the proprietary bare bulb that can be put instantly in a softbox. Coupled with the aluminium flash reflector and Cactus bayonet mount, changing instantly from a round head diffusion disc flash to bare-bulb requires only one click.

Magnetic Clip-on Modifier System Kit

With built-in magnets on the RQ250’s reflector head, clip-on light modifiers can be snapped into place and easily stacked to create the desired lighting effect. The optional kit to the RQ250 includes a barn door, a colour gel set, a diffuser dome, a honeycomb, and a snoot.

Instant Recharge and Fast Recycling Time

The RQ250 maximizes the power of its four-cell battery pack using our proprietary UltroEDTM transformer, which recycles in 1.1 seconds and fires a whopping 520 full power flashes on a single charge.

The RQ250 is also the only monolight of its size equipped with an integrated cooling fan and thermal sensors that allow optimal cooling in any environment photographers are working in. Together with the aluminium flash reflector that dissipates heat, the RQ250 can take a beating and still not overheat.

Colour Mode and Speed Mode

With colour mode on, the RQ250 is able to produce consistent colour temperatures across the entire 10-stop power range and over hundreds of shots, saving photographers a tremendous amount of time during post-editing.

In speed mode, lightning fast flash duration at low power outputs allows photographers to freeze the fastest of movements. With power adjustment steps as fine as 0.1EV, the 10-stop power range from 1/512 to 1/1 enables full manipulation of the RQ250 power band.

TTL on Eight (8) Camera Brands

The RQ250 is a wireless TTL monolight for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, and Sony when triggered by a Cactus V6 II or V6 IIs. It supports TTL, high-speed sync (HSS/FP) as well as manual power control and works simultaneously with any portable flashes compatible with the Cactus V6 II or V6 IIs.

Modelling Light and AF-assist

A modelling light has always been an exclusive feature in professional studio lights, but we managed to put one in the small body of the RQ250. The RQ250 not only has one, but it has 20W, making it powerful enough to light any subject and allowing photographers to work freely in any environment. The modelling light can be used as an AF-assist to help photographers achieve accurate and efficient focus.

Kickstarter

The new RQ250 (MSRP: US$ 699.00) and its accessories will be available on Kickstarter for a pre-sale discount beginning August 6, 2018.

About Cactus

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Cactus is a brand under the R&D company Harvest One Limited. The RQ250 is designed, engineered and assembled in Hong Kong.

The manufacturer of the award-winning Cactus wireless flash triggers and flashes, the world’s first and only wireless triggering system that supports TTL/HSS across eight (8) brands of camera and flash systems, Cactus stands firmly behind its products and closely works with photographers to always cater to their needs.

Cactus has distributors and dealers worldwide. Learn more about the RQ250 and Cactus’s other products at www.cactus-image.com.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Monolight Shootout: Profoto B1X vs Godox AD600 Pro vs Broncolor Siros 800 L

27 Mar

The Godox AD600 Pro, Broncolor Siros 800 L, and Profoto B1X all fall into the same category: they’re battery powered monolights that pack studio quality and power into a portable package you can take with you on location. So why would you purchase one over the others? In this video, photographer Robert Hall answers just that, breaking down all of these strobes’ pros and cons in glorious detail.

First things first (even though Hall saved this for last), there is a big difference in price here. By Hall’s calculations, the Godox AD600 Pro will run you $ 968 for one light and one trigger, while the Broncolor Siros 800 L and Profoto B1X cost $ 2,349 and $ 2,514, respectively, for the same thing. So right away, you can spot the one question that most viewers want Hall to answer: can the Godox play with the more expensive name-brand lights?

And the answer, gladly, is absolutely it can. But that’s not to say the Godox is the best choice for everyone. Hall tested a ton of categories in impressive detail—everything from color accuracy and consistency, to battery life, to build quality, modeling lamps, trigger design, bust capability, and more—and no one strobe came out on top (or bottom) in every category.

In the ‘modifier’ category, the Profoto B1X gets Hall’s vote because of its ability to focus modifiers, and Profoto’s convenient OCF gels and grids.

When it comes to modifiers, Profoto’s OCF gels and grids get a nod from Hall; when it comes to sheer power output, the Siros L is the clear winner; when it comes to value, it’s impossible to beat the Godox. In the end, each strobe has its pros and cons, and the best way to make this decision is to look at your own use case, and see how each strobe’s strengths and weaknesses (cost included) factor into what you need.

Which is pretty much what Hall says in his “non-Conclusion.” He gives viewers the classic “it depends” answer, because that’s the only answer that makes sense:

I can’t peg any light as the best since they all win different categories that photographers will place emphasis on depending on their needs. If you value output the most the Siros is the best option. The controller experience or modifier control may have you choose the Profoto B1X. If you are trying to get very capable lighting without spending a ton, the Godox AD600 Pro fits the bill.

Hall’s test results for each of the three strobes. Click to enlarge.

Finally, beyond all of this, Hall is wise to point out that you must consider the system you’re buying into if any of these are your first strobe purchase. In other words: the AD600 Pro sits near the top of Godox’s lineup, while the B1X and Siros L sit close to the bottom of Profoto’s and Broncolor’s. They are very different companies that ultimately server a very different subset of photographers.

Keep all of this in mind as you watch the full review, which you should definitely do if you want to dive deep on each of the categories mentioned above and find out why you might want to buy into one system instead of the other two. And if you like Robert’s lighting breakdown, subscribe to his YouTube channel or head over to his website and education blog to see more of his reviews and work

Photos, video, and test results by Robert Hall and used with permission.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Cactus announces palm-sized RQ250 wireless monolight

28 Feb

Cactus has just announced the RQ250: a ‘palm-sized’ bare-bulb flash head that will feature wireless control and three times the power of a typical GN60m hotshoe unit. The battery-powered RQ250 is designed to offer 250Ws of power to photographers who want to work on-location/in-the-field without carrying around bulky lighting equipment or sacrificing power by shooting with speedlights.

In fact, the RQ250 is so powerful for its form-factor that the company couldn’t find a bulb that suited what it wanted to achieve … so it designed one itself.

The head comes with a reflector dish fitted with frosted glass that Cactus claims produces hotspot-free illumination when combined with the TubeOne flash bulb. With the reflector removed, the flash tube extends into softboxes and umbrellas to produce even distribution of light.

The head will have its own mount, but will also accept Bowens-S mount modifiers via an adapter. Cactus will also offer a snoot kit that includes colored gels that attaches to the reflector, and an umbrella holder that will also mount the head onto a light stand.

The RQ250 has a built-in fan to ensure the head keeps firing even in hot conditions, and an on-axis LED provides a modeling light and can operate as an AF-assist lamp as well. The head will be able to perform high speed sync for use with short shutter speeds, and wireless TTL control will be possible with Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, and Sony cameras.

The unit is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery that Cactus says will be good for over 400 full-power bursts per charge. Designed to be portable, the RQ250 will measure 194x80x80mm.

Price has yet to be released, but Cactus promises to deliver the RQ250 sometime this summer. For more information, visit the Cactus website.

Press Release

Cactus RQ250 Wireless Monolight

Cactus announces the RQ250, a palm-sized, bare-bulb wireless monolight that supports wireless TTL/HSS and gives you the best possible light in a compact body.

Photographers always want a high output portable flash with consistent light quality for location shooting. Cactus set out to create one of its own carrying the motto – if we do it, we will have to do it right. It has to be compact in size, outputs high quality of light, and versatile.

Today Cactus announces the RQ250 Wireless Monolight, a lithium-ion battery-powered wireless monolight with 250 Ws of power, which will be available THIS SUMMER.

Cactus TubeOneTM

“We could not find any off-the-shelf flash tube that meets our requirements for power output and uniform distribution of light in a built-in light modifier, so we designed one from the ground up for the RQ250,” said Henry Chan, head of Research and Development at Cactus.

What makes the RQ250 unique is its special flash head design. When paired with the optical optimized reflector, the TubeOneTM flash tube is able to deliver power with maximum efficiency. Hot spots are kept to a minimum, producing a pleasing and very usable, consistent light straight out of the included reflector.

Engineered for location shooting

When engineering the RQ250, Cactus always had location shooting in mind. Versatility is the key.

The detachable built-in reflector produces the best light possible with minimum hot spots even without an external light modifier. With the frosted glass lens, the RQ250 produces a beautiful and evenly spread of light. Remove the reflector and you will have a bare-bulb flash that excels in even light distribution when paired with soft boxes and studio umbrellas.

Despite its compact size, the RQ250 is fan-cooled which means it can be pushed without being stressed even on a hot, sunny day.

The perfect balance between size and power

Designed from the ground up, Cactus completed various design iterations and many rounds of testing to create the perfect balance between size and power.

Housed in its palm-sized body, the RQ250 is lithium-ion battery-powered, 250 Ws, and can fire 400 full-power flashes on a single charge. The extremely compact design comes with an on-axis LED modelling light, which also functions as an AF- assist.

Builds on cross-brand platform

Like Cactus’s triggering system, RQ250 also builds on a cross-brand platform that works with Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, and Sony cameras.

Wireless TTL and HSS are all supported.

Product highlights

250 Ws produces more than 3 times the power of a typical GN60 portable flash
Special designed reflector with frosted lens produces a powerful yet consistent and beautiful spread of light
Bare-bulb ensures the best possible distribution of light in large modifiers
Uni-body design with detachable reflector means compact and easy storage
Lithium-ion battery powered
400 full-power flashes on a single battery charge
Modelling light and AF-assist powered by on-axis LED modules
Fan-cooled protects flash in harsh shooting environments
Wireless TTL, HSS and manual power control supported on Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma and Sony camera systems*
Built-in wireless receiver works seamlessly with Cactus V6 II and V6 IIs for Sony

Price and Availability

Cactus RQ250 is currently scheduled to be available in SUMMER 2018 and price is to be advised.

* Wireless TTL support for Canon and Nikon will be available Q2 2018. Information is subject to change without notice.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Minimum flash duration of 1/63,000sec makes the Profoto D2 the fastest TTL monolight in the world

17 Sep

Flash manufacturer Profoto has launched what it is describing as the fastest TTL monolight heads in the world. The Profoto D2 studio flash heads have a shortest output duration of 1/63,000sec, can run at a rate of 20 bursts per second and can sync with camera shutter speeds as short as 1/8000sec. The heads come in two output varieties, 500Ws and 1000Ws, with both featuring full TTL control for Nikon and Canon users via the company’s AirTTL 2.4GHz radio system. The heads can also be controlled in manual mode with 10 stops of output in 1/10th stop increments.

The heads are available to order now, retailing for $ 2000/£1554 for the Profoto D2 1000Ws AirTTL Monolight and $ 1500/£1194 for the Profoto D2 500Ws AirTTL Monolight.

For more information see the Profoto website.

Press release

Profoto releases the D2, the world’s fastest monolight with TTL

With the ability to freeze action at up to 1/63,000 of a second, to shoot bursts of 20 images per second and sync with camera shutter speeds as fast as 1/8,000 of a second the D2 is redefining the definition of speed in monolights.

“For a photographer, every new day is a new challenge. So for them, speed isn’t one thing – it’s many. That’s why we created the D2 to be remarkably fast in every way” says Johan Wiberg, Product Manager at Profoto.

A photographer might need to freeze action with absolute sharpness. The D2 brings pin sharp clarity with a flash duration of up to 1/63.000 of a second, which makes it faster than most high end studio packs on the market. Better still, it offers supershort flash duration across the full energy range.

If flash duration is exceptionally fast, recycling time is equal to it. With the D2 you can shoot up to 20 flashes per second . That allows you to catch 20 versions of the same moment, and quite often that’s the difference between capturing a good image and a great image.

Bringing yet another dimension to speed is Profoto’s High-Speed Sync technology (HSS). This allows the D2 to sync with the fastest shutter speeds available. An advantage when you need to catch a deep blue sky or take full control of ambient light.

The D2 can also help to speed up workflow because it’s equipped with patented TTL technology. You can point-andshoot and the D2 will automatically adjust its output for perfect exposure. But manual mode is available at click of a button, so switching between both modes with settings intact just makes everything move faster.

In terms of output, the D2 is available in 500Ws and 1000Ws versions. At full power you’ll easily overpower the sun, or fully illuminate a larger Light Shaping Tool. Both versions come with a super wide 10 f-stop energy range and superior color consistency over the entire range. So leave the ND filters at home and add just a hint of light if needed.

Above all, this is Profoto Light Shaping equipment. So the design is smooth and minimal, it’s intuitive to use, the build quality as you’d expect, is rugged and sturdy, and it can be used with more than 120 different Light Shaping Tools.

“We designed the Profoto D2 to be the world’s fastest monolight,” says Johan Wiberg, Product Manager at Profoto. “But the speed is not a gimmick. We truly believe that more speed allows you to be more creative and consistently take better images regardless of what challenge you face – with the D2, you’re always up to speed.”

For high volume production when you shoot thousands of images per day, like packshot photography, there is an optional Quartz flashtube available.

The D2 is released Sept 15, 2016. Both the 500Ws and 1000Ws versions are available in different kits configurations.

Learn more at profoto.com/d2

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Adorama Flashpoint Budget Studio Monolight Review

06 Jun

Offered in 160W ($ 70) or 300W ($ 100) power intensities, Adorama’s Budget Studio Monolights are geared toward studio photographers who are just starting out and are constrained by modest budgets. At a fraction of the price of professional heads, can the Flashpoint Budget Studio lights do the job? Find out in our review

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Budget lighting: Flashpoint 180 Monolight review

01 Apr

Adorama’s Flashpoint 180 Monolight is a battery-powered 180-watt strobe designed for on-location shooting in the middle of nowhere. The kit comes with everything needed to provide adequate fill light for scenes or soft key-light for portraits, minus the stand, which must be purchased separately. Despite its budget price tag, does the 180 Monolight have what it takes for professional use? Find out in our review

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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360Photography

Posts Tagged ‘Monolight’

Speedlight vs Monolight on Location: See How They Compare [video]

Scenario one: fill flash

Scenario two: overpowering the ambient light

Scenario three: high-speed-sync flash

Conclusion

You may also like:

Cactus launches bare bulb wireless monolight on Kickstarter

Cactus RQ250 is now on Kickstarter

Monolight Shootout: Profoto B1X vs Godox AD600 Pro vs Broncolor Siros 800 L

Cactus announces palm-sized RQ250 wireless monolight

Cactus RQ250 Wireless Monolight

Minimum flash duration of 1/63,000sec makes the Profoto D2 the fastest TTL monolight in the world

Profoto releases the D2, the world’s fastest monolight with TTL

Adorama Flashpoint Budget Studio Monolight Review

Budget lighting: Flashpoint 180 Monolight review

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