Today, Westcott announced their new FJ400 battery-powered strobe. I've had an early review unit for a few days now, and Westcott seems to have done the impossible: they've overtaken the Godox AD400 Pro in its segment.
Godox has taken over the strobe market in the last few years by creating a range of feature-rich, battery-powered flashes that are incredibly cheap. Their most popular monolight, the AD400 Pro, costs just $649, and it has many of the same features as Profoto's $1,700 B10.
Today, Westcott announced the FJ400, which is obviously a direct competitor to the Godox AD400 Pro. It's not significantly better than the AD400 Pro, but it is cheaper, and that might be enough to sway the market.
Size and Weight
The Westcott FJ400 is slightly larger than the Godox AD400 Pro. Westcott claims that they wanted a higher-capacity battery, so they made the housing a little taller and the battery much bigger. The FJ400 can fire off around 490 full-power flashes, while the Godox can fire 390.
Some photographers will see the extra battery power as a plus, while others will see the extra size and weight as a negative.
Mounts
Both the Westcott and Godox strobes come standard with a Bowens mount, but Godox sells additional mounts separately for Broncolor, Profoto, and Elinchrom. For most, this may not be a big deal, but being that we own Profoto gear already, this is a huge win for the Godox.
Build Quality
This is something that I failed to mention in my video review, but it worth noting. Neither of these lights can compete in build quality with more expensive lights like Profoto's B10, but when you compare the Westcott and Godox, the Godox does feel like it has slightly better build quality. The FJ400 feels a bit more hollow, the plastic feels thinner, and the seams don't line up quite as evenly as they do on the AD400. The buttons on both the Godox light and remote click with a more confident feeling. The FJ400 certainly has the better screen, but the buttons feel a bit more flimsy. I noticed that if I spun the rotator knob on the FJ400 too quickly, it would register the opposite input, and I would have to slow down.
Modeling Lights
The AD400 Pro has a 30-watt LED light that is crippled by a loud fan. It's great as a modeling light, but too loud for video. The FJ400 has a 20-watt LED light that is slightly less bright but still has an audible fan. Even though it's not as loud, the modeling light still isn't very usable for video.
Common Features
Both the FJ400 and AD400 Pro have more similarities than differences. They both produce the same amount of light at full power, they both have nine stops of range, and they both have similar refresh rates, flash durations, and color consistency. Of course, both lights also have the ability to work on battery or AC power, and they have TTL and HSS settings.
Remotes
Westcott has changed the game completely with their FJ-X2m remote. Now, instead of having to buy a different remote to work with each camera brand, Westcott's remote will work with every brand. Simply tell the remote which camera you're using, and you're good to go. If you use Sony, you can easily add a $19 adapter for their proprietary hotshoe. Westcott's remote has almost identical features to the Godox, and the range of the Westcott, Godox, and Profoto remotes were almost identical in our tests.
Warranty
Godox has been able to keep their prices so low by not having an office in the United States. This makes repairs and warranty claims very difficult. Westcott is giving a one-year warranty on the FJ400, plus they have fantastic customer service. If you call them during business hours, a human will immediately pick up.
Price
The Godox AD400 Pro was by far the best value in strobe lighting at just $649. Surprisingly, Westcott is selling the FJ400 for just $569, making it an even better value.
Conclusion
The Westcott FJ400 is not significantly better than the Godox AD400 Pro. The Godox is a little smaller, it has more mounting options, and it has slightly better build quality, but the FJ400 has better battery life, a more advanced remote, and better service and support. Both lights are pretty evenly matched. But when you consider the $80 savings, I feel like the Westcott FJ400 has taken the lead as the best value in strobe lighting. And if you buy a package deal, you can save even more money.
Something else to consider, the FJ400 is nothing more than a re-branded Jinbei unit also sold by Adorama under the 'Orlit' brand. Right now, if one really feels this system is for them, they would be better off buying the Orlit RoveLight RT400(same light) which is currently selling for $399. Further, the Orlit branded trigger(again the same) comes WITH the Sony adapter for $10 less than the Westcott branded version WITHOUT the adapter. Lastly, Orlit provides a two year warranty vs Westcotts one year. That is a $210 savings for double the warranty. But if you really need that Westcott branding...Hey, it's your money.
Does the Wescott trigger work with ORLIT RT 610 TTL? Only visual difference is the branding from the ORLIT TR-Q7 that was released a few months ago..
I've been VERY happy with my ORLIT (Jinbei) lights and chose those before the Godox due to build quality, better modelling light and the display on the rear. My only cons are the tiny hole for the umbrella <7mm and the crappy release button on the battery.
Would be interesting to see the Orlits in comparison when they're in the same price range and output/functions.
Godox is #rubbish. Their batteries (specifically, the AD600 Pro batteries) will stop working after a couple of weeks of use.
This happened to 4 of My Godox batteries!
You may complain all you want - Godox will persistently ignore you.
Buy at your risk.
Don't believe Me? Check this out: 1 star out of 5 (18 reviews) at B&H Photo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1383510-REG/godox_wb26_rechargeab...
I'm yet to encounter a company half as unreliable as Godox. They're basically filthy brazen charlatans.
I’m now starting to wonder about all 4 of my batteries and if they’ve been blessed by the profoto gods because I’ve had the original ones in all of my strobes for over two years... If you chewed through 4 batteries in record time I wouldn’t be so quick to bash a company and assess what I’m doing wrong. Some things aren’t made to be stored in water or inside ovens that are left on to slow cook food.
You know if you order from Adorama you can use their warranty to get replacements?
Seems like another person jumping on the “I don’t know what I’m talking about but I’m gunna write some garbage” bandwagon.
Did you do the slightest bit of googling?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FvhadYNrd8
Art, either YOU did something very wrong to them, or youre a bot. Either way, I don't think its a coincidence that googling you comes up with literally nothing. <3
Sounds good but, in general, particularly against godox, what abou the Phottix as a system-speedlight, medium strobe, and pro strobe.
You can often find the Godox (Flashpoint) one cheaper than the Westcott with Adorama support and all the Godox eco system. Still the better option but good to see Westcott competing with much more realistic pricing now.
Warranty problems? I understand Adorama will "fix" a unit that needs repairs during the initial warranty period but do they really repair it or simply swap out a refurbished unit?
Godox in Canada is distributed and branded by StrobePro and comes with a 2 year warranty. I see a lot of American consumers purchasing from here. I have bought all of my strobes and accessories from here and have not been disappointed yet. The same day I order I get a notice saying it has been shipped and get it within 2 days. Build quality is noticeable ( and I say that in the positive sense). I will keep on buying it. One thing that piques my interest in Westcott is the flash duration and # of flashes per second as I want to get into action photography.