Why I Won't Use Certain Brands for Paid Work

It’s not that I hate Godox or that I am paid by a different lighting brand to hate Godox every month. It is simply that when it comes to producing professional work, their lights are just not fit for the job. Here is why I will not use Godox for professional work.

My Journey

My first-ever light was a Neewer Speedlight, which was a direct copy of the Canon 600EX. That speedlight is still somewhere in my boxes, and I can still turn it on should I need to. I began my flash journey with that speedlight on a film camera. You can go and laugh, but my first-ever time shooting with off-camera lighting was a failure as I did not know that sync speeds are a thing. It is now that I shoot with this technique on purpose, but I digress.

My second light was a Yongnuo 200W light, which was a copy of the famous Godox AD200, loved by many photographers. That light did a decent job, but there were hiccups already then. I wanted a better light, so I went and bought the Godox V1, which was a direct copy of the A1 but worse. I say worse because any copy is worse. There is a reason it took Profoto 4 years to develop the A1, while it took Godox only 1 year after the A1 release to come up with the V1. But I once again digress. This is not an article meant to take a stab at Godox or any other consumer lighting brand. I want to go over why I will be using expensive kit for my work, not only Profoto but expensive kit in general.

It is far from a secret that I am a Profoto user and have been for a while now. I could’ve been a Broncolor user, or perhaps even a Hensel user. It just so happened that I saw good Profoto lights on sale used and went for it. By mere chance, really. As I value light the most when it comes to photo equipment, I spend a considerable amount of time writing about it, as well as working with it. So, let’s dive in.

Rental Availability

The first benefit of using established and expensive gear brands is the availability in rental houses worldwide. According to Profoto’s own statements, there are 300 rental companies worldwide that stock their equipment. This is a statistic worth mentioning, as this allows photographers from all around the world to be at pretty much any location with access to the gear they know they can rely on. Sure, not every rental house will have every light shaper, generator, or unit, but most things that are enough to do most work will be available universally. This is something that comes in handy should you find yourself working outside of your studio. I’ve rented everything from specific modifiers to generators. A lot of rental houses still rent out the older generators and lights such as the Pro-7a and Pro-8. While these units have been discontinued for a decade, in the case of the Pro-7a, they are still excellent products, and I am a lucky owner of a Pro-7a myself. It is surely a nice-to-have rather than a must-have, but it is good to work on the kit that I would rent for the job. The two companies that are available in most rental houses are Profoto and Broncolor. Broncolor is not as popular as Profoto. That said, I am more than familiar with their kit and will happily use it on a job if Profoto is not available. If I were a Godox shooter, I would not be as comfortable renting kit, as I am yet to come across a rental house that stocks that kit. In general, I found that Profoto is best for fashion and portrait photography, while Broncolor kit is most well-suited for product and still-life photographers. That said, there are modifiers such as the hardbox from Profoto or the Sunlite from Broncolor which would make you use the lighting brand that makes each respective modifier. Another brand that is lesser known but nonetheless exciting is Briese. They make light reflectors and generators that are some of the best performing on the market. They are also widely available on the rental market but do cost an arm and a leg to rent, let alone buy.

Reliability

Another important reason I will not be using cheap lighting brands is because of reliability issues. This is something I have become used to, but any time I don’t have my kit with me and need to use whatever light is available, I end up realizing just how damn reliable my lights are. So much so, I don’t think about my flash firing; I know it will. Another thing is the issue of transportation. I have traveled with every single light that I own. So much so, I just recently brought 2 generators and a total of 5 heads from Sweden by train. While I do my best to protect my gear, there is only so much you can do, and I inevitably did bang my bag against the steps a few times. With that in mind, upon arrival, I turned on my generators and they worked as good as new. This is something that I can’t expect of cheaper lights to do, unfortunately. The same goes for modifiers. No matter how much light I blast through my modifiers or how hot they get, they will continue to work. Unfortunately, though, the Clic and OCF range from Profoto can be improved.

Modifiers

When working with light, you need to be able to modify it. Sure, you can do all jobs with a single speedlight and softbox, but there is only so much you can get with such a light. Having a range of modifiers is important to getting more interesting, unique images. As such, I am very familiar with the range of Profoto modifiers and am very keen on having as large a collection as I possibly can. This is not only because I love playing with light but also because I want to have the appropriate tool for the job. As such, I own a variety of Profoto modifiers from hard reflectors to softboxes, and a few other bits and bobs from companies such as Westcott and Chimera. My recent favorite has been the Briese reflector, though. This reflector can be adapted to two brands: Profoto and Broncolor. If I want to use high-end specialist tools that give out incredible light, I must be using high-end lights. There is simply no equivalent on the market to a Briese reflector, Profoto narrowbeam reflector, or Broncolor UV reflector. While softboxes are very common, expensive softboxes are way better when it comes to producing even illumination, consistent color temperature, and so on.

Closing Thoughts

So, there we have it. These are the reasons I will never use cheap lights and modifiers. The global rental availability, reliability, and modifier range have my heart forever. This is not a piece dedicated to praising one lighting brand. My brand loyalty is very low when it comes to any company. It is simply that Profoto lights have consistently been the best for half a century now, and there is unlikely to be a better alternative anytime soon.