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Rob Hall is once again back in the lab, with a highly technical, and terrifically informative face off video, pitting Profoto’s latest B1X, versus the Broncolor Siros 800L, and new kid on the block, Godox and their AD600 Pro; these are some of the best portable strobe options on the market today, compared directly against one another. No rock is left unturned here, impressively Hall deep dives as he compares a litany of features that should be important to any number of stobists out there. Crucial things to consider, Hall has it covered. Items like the overall power output, high-speed sync capabilities, flash durations, recycle time, battery life, color accuracy, build quality, service options, and the available family of accessories to complete the experience.
For me personally, I am continuously impressed with the AD600 Pro. I think it is a force to be reckoned with, and more than competitive in the market, checking off all my needs. And all the while competing at a price that even my high end taste, can not ignore.
I agree, Broketogrophers.com did an extensive video of just that, and it was incredibly disappointing- more so because Profoto prides itself as being a high end company for professional photographers, yet doesn't support the tools that these photographers actually use. I have a 133, and that's the exact reason i haven't switched to Profoto (i keep hoping that they'll come out with an exposed head version, seeing as Godox is severely beating them at their own game.) .
Hi Will, please see williams post below and our discussion. Can you shed some light on this?
William- what proof do you have of Broncolor "subbing" out the manufacture or their lights?
Interesting as Bron already cleared that up with Elv on his site. I can post it here for you but I will let Will have a chance as it is his post. I cant find anything here that says the siros is made in china.
Wait, you just said it was wideley know and discussed on this site then you say I wont find that info here. Makes no sense. To stop this misinformation I will post this link: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1491943
Did you even read the link? Thats a bold statement to make based on anonymous user comments from 2016 on a rumour site... If I was slandering Broncolor I would want to have proof.
You are right, ignorance aint bliss... its just ignorance...
That link is the funniest crap I've read on the net in ages ahaha Almost as funny as believing comments on a rumours blog lolololol
All of the broncolor products referenced in those comments predated any of the Chinese knock-offs by months if not years. The Chinese are legendary for ripping off other companies. Note the protecting glass on the new Godox AD600 Pro even - the same frosted front as Siros L. However, if you hold both protecting glasses in your hands, you can feel the difference in quality.
As the Canadian distributor for broncolor, and someone who has visited the factory, I can attest to the provenance of Siros and all other broncolor products. I've watched them print PCBs, assemble and test the units. All in Alschwil, Switzerland. You can even see the assembly of a Siros for yourself here: http://news.broncolor.swiss/about-products/broncolor-emphasises-swiss-or...
William Howell ... you are also incorrect about country of origin. Both the American distributor and myself must properly declare country of origin whilst importing products. To falsify that information is illegal - at the Federal level. I'm not willing to risk time in a Pen for falsifying or forging that information.
Further, for any electrical products to be used in Canada, they must meet strict safety requirements. I can tell you two things that come out of that: 1. broncolor is CSA approved; 2. PCB products cannot be approved without significant changes and upgrades.
Should you have legitimate proof that any broncolor products are actually made in China, please share so I can discuss with their management as I would need to know this.
He IS a distributor...
the proof was..?
You have only shown that Chinese companies have ripped off broncolor designs. I've directed you to the broncolor blog page showing an actual Siros in assembly.
It's only "ON" when both sides are informed.
Uh...that's not a proof. That is a post on a rumours site with pictures. You should google the definition of proof. Besides Will has addressed that. Did you read his whole response? Hey guess what- the earth is flat. A couple of guys said so on a rumours site. They even had a few comparison photos...
No, all you have won at this point is stupid..
Well, Bron only took a day to get back to me. Wonder what theybtold him...
William Howell Urs Gass at broncolor Switzerland has invited you to visit the factory next time you're in Switzerland. Feel free to contact me for his direct phone number and email address when you are prepared to visit and watch them build their lighting products.
Thanks Will Prentice that is very interesting information!
William - Please stop trolling.
Thanks, Eric Venora ... I've added a few photos to my profile and a couple below from my visit to the factory where they were building Siros and Siros L; testing strobe and HMI; printing their own circuit boards, etc.
I had to wait for clearance from the factory - the gentleman holding the internals is Head of Marketing and Sales at broncolor, the second highest position in the company. broncolor takes great pride in designing and building their products in Alschwil, Switzerland.
And they're Swiss, so they don't need to print "Made in Switzerland" on every single component ;-)
Thanks for posting those photos Will. Pretty cool to see the factory in action!
It's a very cool place. There was some product in development, which turned out to be Litepipe P, that I couldn't share. The testing rooms were amazing - 30 Scoro 3200 S packs, plus a couple dozen Siros and Siros L heads, firing 100 shots each at full power. I didn't get a great video of that, but it's very impressive.
I would love to see that video! I hope you were wearing sunglasses!
It was so nice of william to finally apologise for his slanderous, contradictory and insulting comments when proven wrong and trolly too... oh, wait ;)
And Siros L ... you can clearly see "Siros L" on the strobe the lady is assembling in the image above.
True. North America laws dictates that manufacturing country is clearly indicated. No such law in Europe. Who is to say that all components are made in China and it is assembled in Europe.
Even then, the North America laws stipulate that the country of manufacturing is based on percentage of cost. North America labour cost is way higher than China so, if all components of a strobe cost $300 and assembly here cost $400 then, depending on what the law says about percentage, you can stamp Made in USA/Canada?UK etc.
A bit of a long reply :-)
We do not know how much China invented or innovated but that was also the case of Japan in the 70's and 80's.
The simple fact is, if it wasn't for China, many of the gadgets we own today would have never been conceived or made, or would be affordable enough for most of us.
If you walked into a Wal-Mart you walked into everything made in China. The fact that you can buy furniture, carpets, endless electronic and hundreds of other things without breaking the bank is all thanks to China cheap labour.
If you ever visited China you would see why they became so fast a leading economy and how they advanced in such a rate. It's all about being diligent. Maybe the Japaneses can compete with Chinese dedication and diligence but that's about the only country that can sand a chance.
China's success could have been Mexico's or India but none of them has the work ethics, earnest and studious of the Chinese.
Taking credit for China's success and painting them as only a bunch of thieves (or just "cheap labour") hardly gives 'anti China' advocates, any credibility.
I use Godox and now bought a Huion drawing tablet. When it comes to flashes or strobes there is no real IP but there is tons of innovation. Godox is fast becoming a leader in the field thanks to their forward thinking. They listen and know what photographers want (not something I can say of Nikon for example).
As for tablets (as another example), there are about six Chinese tablet manufacturers. Although Wacom holds many intellectual property patents for graphic tablets, those companies make a lot of their own digitizes and components using either patents license from Wacom or their own development.
Their products are amazing. Artists and photographers can enjoy the world of digital art for a fraction of the Wacom's price.
Another example: I just completed my tiny basement studio and when looking for studio accessories I ended up buying Neewer studio racks and flash wall mounts.
Manfrotto background rack was more than $400 and the wall mounts were almost the same price EACH. The Neewer background rack and two wall mounts cost just over $200 in total (about fifth of the cost)
Many defend this price gauging but I cannot justify it, especially when those Manfrotto accessories are also made in China.
There are many more examples...
You mention government but I am talking companies.
I am not going to go into their government. The US government has a lot to answer for on many things. Let's leave governments aside.
I don't trust any government, mine (Canada) included.
I am speaking of companies and in the case of photography I speak of companies like Godox and such.
You are right on, they keep the others honest and we really really need that. The photography world is known for ridiculous pricing. Look at Leica's latest...
For example, I cannot for the life of me justify $250 for Magpro kit made out of rubber pieces AND IN CHINA :-).
I cannot justify $350 for a softbox, again, made in China.
I cannot justify (although for a while we had no choice) to pay $22 for 2oz of ink.
When a company sells a camera battery grip with two extra batteries and a wireless remote for a fourth of Nikon's grip (comes with nothing else), I say, good for us. I say, we were ripped off long enough.
Flashes, grips, light modifiers, printers ink and the list is long. For me it is becoming a matter of principals.
I am as politically as the next guy (mostly on the right side, eheh) Yes, trade principals are important but well, when I see how Boeing tried to sink Bombardier with bogus accusations and the White House was ready to slap 250% tax, I say, China is not the only one willing to play dirty :-)
Now I am going to sleep off all the food I gobbled over the weekend. If we could only lose weight while sleeping....
This is so true. China will beg borrow and steal (& buy) tech world-wide. It can be small electronic components or a big aviation manufacturing joint venture. Copyrights and patents mean nothing. I lived out there for years.
And what do you think US manufactures did for years in the 19th and early 20's century? It was so bad that England had very tough laws regarding IP taken to the US. People went to jail for a long time for that.
The US had a simple law that only a US citizen can register a patent. So Europeans would come over to the US, show their ideas and try to register but could not. Now, anyone in the US that witnessed the patent/idea could replicate is and register it as their own patent.
North America had the same contempt to Japan and look at them now.
I am shooting high volume, regularly using 20+ strobes in a day. I am a mix of Einstein and Elinchrom D-Lite, but I prefer to use the D-lite for the HS. Godox and Phottix seem to have more of a complete lineup and I would like to have one system. HS seems to be the technology being used moving forward (ELB 500 is hss). Any advice from people who might have had experience with Phottix and Godox, which system would you prefer for primarily outdoor use.
I think Godox has a larger ecosystem with speedlights (both manual and TTL) mini strobes (AD200) and a huge line of strobes. The AD600 is only one of more than a dozen different strobes they make. All can be triggered with the latest X1T and XPro.
If you use older strobes that do not have a built in radio receiver, you can trigger them with the tiny (and so easy to use) XTR16S receivers.