For the last week, I have been testing what I believe are the best speedlights on the market, and each one is sold in a variant for Sony, Nikon, and Canon.
Before we begin, it may appear like I'm ignoring flashes made by Nikon and Canon but it’s worth noting that Nikon’s flagship flash hasn’t been updated in over eight years, and Canon’s flagship flash has been sold out for over a year so I don't feel like they are in the running. let’s focus on what I believe are the top five flashes currently on the market.
The Flashes
I’ve lined up the flashes from the cheapest to the most expensive, and I’ll conduct all the tests in this order:
1. Neewer Z2 - $209
2. Godox V1 - $259
3. Westcott FJ80 II - $339
4. Sony HVL-F60RM2 - $548
5. Profoto A10 - $995
Build Quality
Winner: Profoto
Although Profoto has the best materials, movement, and buttons, it's not as big of a difference as I was expecting. I was actually very impressed with the build quality of all of the third-party flashes. Even the cheapest Neewer Z2 felt better than my older Nikon SB-900.
Loser: Sony
The movement of the Sony flashed is jarring and cheap feeling. The menu button on my flash started to stick after only a few days of use.
User Interface
Winner: Westcott and Profoto
Westcott's flash is fitted with a color touchscreen that makes finding and changing settings easy; just click on what you want, and press the up or down arrow to change it. Profoto's flash is also incredibly simple to navigate and it's UI is the most polished.
Loser: Sony
The Sony HVL-F60RM2 is one of the least intuitive photography products I've ever used. The button layout doesn't make any sense, and the layout of information on the LCD screen is jumbled and confusing. To make things worse, Sony's optional remote control has an identical button layout to the flash, but every button is mapped with a different function. The only benefit to using the Sony flash is that it works seamlessly with the camera's menu system, allowing you to change flash settings using the touchscreen on the back of the camera.
Missing Features
• Optical Slave Mode
Winner: Godox
Godox and Neewer are the only flashes to have a built-in optical slave but in my tests, the Neewer could only register flashes fired directly at its front. If an optical slave is important to you, Godox is the only flash of the bunch that has one that works.
• Multi-Flash Mode
Winner: Neewer, Godox, and Sony
This specialized function allows your flash to fire multiple times during a single, long exposure. This feature is not available on the Westcott or Profoto flash.
• LED Lights
Winner: Westcott and Profoto
All except the Sony have built-in LED lights, with Westcott and Profoto offering the brightest and zoomable LEDs.
• Freeze Mode
Winner: Westcott
Unique to Westcott, providing faster flash durations at the cost of color accuracy.
• AF Assist
Winner: Everyone but Sony
For some reason, Sony removed both the LED and AF Illuminator on their updated flash. In my video I mentioned that I couldn't get the AF illuminator to work with any of the flashes but I realized that I had the camera set to AF-C (autofocus continuous) and it needs to be set to AF-S for the AF illuminators to engage. Sony's flash does not have any sort of beam to help with autofocus and this is a massive oversight in my opinion.
Flash Zoom Range
Winner: Sony
Not only does Sony have the ability to change its beam angle the most internally, it also has a flip down, wide angle beam adapter that will help throw the light even wider. Sony clearly beat every other flash in the category.
Quality Of Light
Winner: Undecided
This one is difficult to choose because each flash has a completely different beam shape and fall off.
Loser: Profoto
Although I expected Profoto to win this category, its beam at its widest and tightest setting is not circular, and has slight starbursts coming out of the center of the beam. If you're looking for a "circular light" or "even falloff" the Profoto flash has the least of both.
Flash Power
Winner: Sony
Although Sony's flash is the only one to use standard AA batteries, it was by far the brightest of the speedlights.
Loser: Westcott
Westcott's flash was the weakest of the bunch firing .6-1.2 stops less power than the Sony.
Recycle Time
Winner: Profoto
Although all of the flashes have an almost identical recycle time, the Profoto was the fastest by a fraction of a second.
Loser: Neewer
Although the Neewer was the slowest to recycle, the difference was so close that I would call it insignificant.
Flash Duration
Winner: Neewer, Godox, and Westcott
Although Westcott has the best flash durations in "freeze mode," that mode comes with some pretty significant color shifting. In standard flash modes in the lower power settings, both Neewer and Godox had the fastest flash durations.
Color Consistency
Winner: Godox and Westcott
If you measure the color change from full power flashes to 1/256th power the Godox won with a shift of just 27k, but if you also consider the color at 1/16 power, Westcott actually has the most color consistency.
Loser: Profoto
Surprisingly Profoto had the least consistent color throughout its power range shifting around 600 kelvin.
Wireless Range
Winner: Godox
Godox destroyed the competition in the range test firing at over 1100ft line of site and over 550ft with obstructions.
Loser: Profoto
Profoto had a shockingly bad performance with only 135ft of range with a direct line of site and it wouldn't work at all when placed behind my back.
Wireless Range (Close)
Winner: Westcott, Sony, Profoto
These three flashes continue to work wirelessly even when the transmitter is touching the receiver.
Loser: Neewer and Godox
These two flashes will not work reliably if the transmitter and receiver are touching. I believe this has to do with the wavelength of the signal being physically larger than the distance between the two units. That being said, both of these flashes have an option in their remotes to work over a short distance, but this option does not exist if you plan to use a flash as a controller.
TTL Accuracy On-Camera
Winner: Everyone's a winner
Each of the 5 flashes was able to create a correct exposure in TTL mode when firing directly at a backlit subject from the camera's hotshoe.
Wireless TTL Accuracy
Winner: Neewer and Profoto
Neewer and Profoto were the only two flashes that captured a correct exposure when used wirelessly in TTL mode.
Loser: Godox
The Godox flash consistently underexposed the subject by 2-3 stops using TTL wirelessly. This is apparently a common problem with this flash.
Conclusion
5th Place: Sony HVL-F60RM2
Although Sony's flash had the best zoom range variety and highest flash output, I still can't recommend it. This flash feels the worst to use, and it's UI also makes it the most frustrating to use. Sony also doesn't sell any larger studio strobes so if you ever need to buy larger lights, you're going to have 2 wireless systems that can't work together.
4th Place: Profoto A10
Because it cost $1,000 I expected the Profoto to win at almost every category, but it didn't. Yes, it has the best build quality, UI, and recycle time, but it also had the worst light shape, the worst color accuracy, no optical slave, and a horrendous wireless range. I'm willing to pay a premium for a nicer product, but Profoto needs to at least match the functionality of flashes 1/4 its price.
3rd Place: Westcott FJ80 II
The Westcott flash really impressed me. The touchscreen on the back made it the easiest flash to learn, in fact, it was the only flash of the bunch whose manual I didn't have to read at all. This is also the only flash with a "freeze mode" that will give you even faster flash durations for shooting fast-moving subjects. My biggest complaint about this flash is that it is missing an optical slave.
2nd Place: Neewer Z2
For $209 the Neewer was shockingly good. Although it didn't dominate the flashes in any single category, it remained at the top of the pack for almost every test. My biggest complaint with this flash is that it has a completely worthless optical slave. Other than that, it's one of the best values in photography I've ever tested.
1st Place: Godox V1
The Godox V1 at $259 is an Amazing flash. It's the only flash in this group to have a working optical slave option, it was the most color-accurate, and it had the longest wireless range by far. This flash only has 2 main flaws; the wireless system doesn't work in close proximity (although it will if you buy the remote control), and it seems to have a problem with metering in wireless TTL mode. Godox has been around a while and has a complete range of studio strobes that can work in tandem with their speedlights.
Godox has recently released a "pro" version of this light that includes a direct flash module that allows you to fire flash forward and bounce flash at the same time. This flash has the same performance and features as the flash I tested but it also has better thermal performance for those of you who plan on firing over 60 full-power flashes in quick succession. Finally, its battery, which will work with the standard "V1" flash now comes with a USB C jack directly on the battery so you can charge it without the proprietary charging brick.
Either flash is a solid choice, especially at their shockingly low prices.
Nice review, exactly what I was looking for.
But, you have mistakingly conclude that AF leds were not on due to your settings of AF system... no MILC seems to have any functional way of AF assist... we're waiting laser to be finally put on fronts of flashes. Like Sony have done in the past (2005-ish)...
This is super annoying if this is infact a limitation of mirrorless cameras. The IR focus illuminator is soooo important for helping focus in low light situations but also in allowing you to still capture candid moments without a massive modeling light fire onto your subject. I wish there was a better solution to focusing in the dark.
The a74 has an af assist light built into it and all the non-Sony flashes I tested had working af assist lights.
Need comments on if any of these will interface with a new Canon hot shoe? I purchased the Canon EL-5 because it was able to utilize the new digital hot shoe. (R6 m2)
My flash zoom is connected to hot shoe, and my lens zoom changes the flash zoom auto-magically changes with how i compose the shot. Do any of these flashs adjust the zoom like that?
Yes they all do
I have been using a couple of Godox flashes including the V1. Great value. I have had issues with shooting in TTL. I mostly shoot in manual mode for interior fill. The dome accessory works well. Alas the manual is poorly written. More confusing than clear, but than again, I'm old.
Great written review. Thanks.
This is a FANTASTIC video/article in regard to camera flashes; I was so impressed, and love how informative and in-depth you went (I’m a nerd about details and comparing/contrasting to make the best informed decisions as well)! My old Canon flashes have pretty much been long done for — an old 480EX and a 580EXII (and they use AA batteries, which gets old to recharge and/or buy multiple AA batteries) — for years now, I’ve been using a Yongnuo (sp?) flash I purchased secondhand through a friend and while it works great (minus recycle time with repeated use, such as at wedding receptions), it’s getting on and I know there’s something better out there that finds the sweet spot of price-meets-quality. So, I’ve been pondering purchasing a new flash and wondering which way to go (I do mostly portraits, weddings and event/conference photography), and this video really helped solidify the choice(s) for my next purchase (most likely doing the Godox!!). Over the last several years, I’ve very slowly worked my way up to a Canon 5DMkIII and more recently, a gently pre-used Canon 5DMkIV, and finally now have my 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 IS III… this has been a long, long road to getting better images straight out of the camera (due to both better gear, AND my increasing knowledge over the many years I’ve been doing this!) So, Lee, thank you for this amazing article, cheers!! :)
23 kelvin from 1 - 1/256 in color shift on a budget speedlight is remarkable.
I have the TT685ii powered by AA batteries. Actually on that one you can set range 0-30 feat for wireless trigging. (It also support TCM - converting TTL to manual) I don’t know about the V1, but the new Pro must have that setting to. Anyways a trigger is not expensive, second hand maybe 20 usd.
My AD300 is varming up with 130 kelvin at 1/256. I think that’s pretty good to. (Minolta colormeter)
I suppose different modifiers alter kelvin a lot more then then the power setting.
I wish more flashes would allow the output to go down to values like 1/512 and 1/1024. Regardless of their usefulness, many minimum output restrictions are rather arbitrary and often purely UI limitations.
For example, on the Godox V1, as well as V860 and the TT685 can all output a decent amount below 1/256 (even the tt-685 which is limited to 1/128 in the UI but can get just as dark as the other models).
The way to test this yourself is to put flash in TTL mode, then lower the flash comp in both the camera and flash to their lowest possible value, then take a picture of the flash head, which will force it to use its lowest output. This basically shows that the hardware is clearly capable of lower minimum outputs but are artificially limited in the UI of the manual mode.
Wanted to also mention, is that it is strange that companies aren't moving past GN60 for this size of flash.
Consider the inside of a flash like the Godox AD200, the non-digital side of the flash only takes around 1 inch more space. With newer technologies in getting power management components smaller, It seems crazy that we still have GN60 flashes in this size. They could easily push them from 72 watt seconds, to 200+ watt seconds. In fact, godox makes a 100 watt second flash that is smaller than the GN60 flashes.
As for the close range operation, the issue you are seeing is receiver overload. Since even the most expensive flashes still seem to use a fixed gain RF front end (no VGAs), they experience receiver overload very easily. Godox's solution to this issue is to offer a low transmit power mode on their flash triggers. For example on the Godox X1T you hold the test button down and while holding it, you turn the flash trigger on and wait until the status light blinks twice, then it will be in a low transmit power mode (range drops to around 40ft). At that point the flash trigger can be touching the flash and it will still work.
From the FCC IDs I could check, godox tends to have the highest transmit powers on their devices, thus the really good range, but it also means that they get receiver overload more easily, where even 12 inches away, you will get the occasional missed flash trigger if not in low transmit power mode.
They tend to use transmitters that can do 22dBm output power (around 158mW).
On the Xpro triggers and newer, there should be a "dist" setting that can be adjusted.
While the Westcott FJ80 II puts out great light and has an awesome control panel, it is completely unreliable shot after shot. I mounted it on my Canon 5D MKIV to shoot an assignment, and sometimes it fired, sometimes it didn't. I checked the contacts, the lock, and the camera settings. No help. I eeked through the assignment, sometimes taking several shots to get just one lit, then decided never to use it again in a high-demand situation. It works fine for studio and OCF work, but I'll stick with my Canon 600EX-RT II for run and gun.
Profoto, at this point, is basically marketed towards those with more money than sense.
Really, unless you're married to the Profoto system through years of commitment, what would be the reason to get into the ecosystem from the get-go?
A successful wedding pro colleague of mine shoots with Profoto and a Godox speedlight as backup. While he loves his monolights, he’s deeply disappointed with the Profoto speedlight’s quick-draining, short-lived and expensive batteries. He’d like to go Godox for speedlights, but the monolights keep him locked into Profoto.
Excellent review...just goes to show that more expensive is not always better. A few years ago I bought a Godox TT685 for my Canon cameras brand new for a whopping price of € 99.00...this one was to supplement my Canon 600 EX Speedlite wich was 6 times higher in price in the year 2022...I can honestly tell you there is no difference in quality built and performance between the two.
Perfect review!
You have put in quite some work into this comparison. The map showing the differences in wireless range shows your effort. I wish you had a "behind the scenes" of you testing the range and walking back and forth for this. I hope all this effort turns into lots of views / long term success for this site.
Form an economic perspective it shows how far the Chinese have come not only to imitate but really exceed the quality of Western goods. There were times when people did buy the into the Profoto flash system despite it being four times the price of the Chinese competition. Now it would make sense to buy Godox even if they charged the same - which they don't. Shows that it will be quite a challenge to de-globalise and keep up the living standards. Re-Introducing production of goods even high-tech goods in the US and the West will not be easy.
Regarding "Wireless Range (Close)":
I have used my Flashpoint Zoom Li-on R2 TTL (Godox V860II) on a camera flash bracket, positioned just inches from an X1T or X2T transmitter, with zero issues over the course of thousands of shots in my event work. I expect my V860III and V1 would fare as well, but I can't recall if I've used these in this manner, as these are more recent acquisitions.
Buy 'em new, use them for 10 years, then see how the Profoto ranks. You will know where your money went; it's the only one that will be left standing.
Very unlikely. Some of you are still stuck in the past thinking the current line of less inexpensive brands don't last or are plagued with reliability issues.
Just over the weekend, the studio I shot for bought 3 new Profoto D2's. One of them was misfiring 50%+ of the time. When not on sale, these units are $2300 + $399 for the trigger. And, it's already broke.
...3 new Profoto D2's. ... And, it's already broke."
Yes. Even a brand-new Rolls Royce can break down. It's a sample defect, not a trend.
However, according to you, "it's the only one that will be left standing." In our case, it fell before it even started.
--- "It's a sample defect, not a trend."
Same argument can be made with any brand nowadays.
One would have to be a Profoto ultra-shill to buy one A10 when you could have 4 better performing Godox V1s. And, in case you don't know anything about flashes, you can combine them for higher output. Not to mention multiple lighting setups.
I've been shooting with Godox/Flashpoint since the original V850, owning several copies each of the TT350, V850II, V860II, V850III, V860III, V1, AD200 and MS300 along the way. All have performed really well. The only hiccups have been when the transmitter in the compact TT350 was overwhelmed by 2.4GHz interference in a large hotel (resolved by switching to a V860II with its more powerful transceiver), and a few batteries that swelled after 2-3 years. I store my li-ion batteries outside their devices, so nothing got stuck. FWIW, I still use the TT350s, as radio interference has been an issue only in that one hotel over the past decade.
I know that the Godox has a straight flash tube and I assume the other round head lights do as well. You would think they would use circular tubes in those round head light like those in studio strobes. It would change the light pattern for the better I think. It's something one of them can do to distinguish themselves.
A flash expert buddy of mine has been cheering Godox for a while now, seems this review is confirming that which is nice, I know what to get next time I go flash shopping (always useful to have a spare light or 2...).