Correcting Every Error in my Speedlight Review Video

A couple of weeks ago, I released a detailed video reviewing the top five speed lights currently on the market. I had the opportunity to communicate directly with Neewer, Godox, Westcott, and Profoto about my review, and I've learned a lot. I'd like to correct a few errors I made.

Optical Slave Performance

In my previous video, I noted that both the Neewer and Godox lights featured optical slaves, but Neewer’s optical slave was almost unusable. It required direct light input to the sensor to trigger, making it impractical. Neewer responded, stating they would adjust the sensitivity of their Z2 flash in future productions to match the performance of Godox’s V1. It’s unclear whether this improvement will be through a firmware update or a new version of the flash.

Modeling and Autofocus Assist Lights

In my original tests, I couldn't get the AF assist lamps on any of the flashes to turn on because I was in AF-C mode. After switching to AF-S, all of them (except Sony) had a working AF assist lamp. Neewer pointed out their Z2 flash has two LED lights, which I failed to mention—one near the flash tube and a brighter one on the front.

Recycle Time Update

In my initial review, Profoto had the fastest recycle time by a small margin. Neewer later informed me of a firmware update for the Z2 that improves its recycle time, making it faster than Godox’s V1. 

Color Accuracy Revisited

The president of Westcott raised concerns about my color accuracy test, which measured the Kelvin temperature at full and lowest power. Upon retesting at every power setting, I found that Godox still had the best color accuracy, while Westcott fell to last place. This different result may be because I tested different flashes (I have two of each) or because my color meter isn't totally accurate. What I take away from this second test is that although Godox is the most color-accurate, it's not quite as significant as my first test led me to believe.

Wireless Range Tests

Profoto performed poorly in both long-distance and short-distance wireless range tests. Profoto acknowledged similar results in their tests, confirming the accuracy of my findings. Godox and Neewer had issues with short-range performance when flashes were very close together, but this can be mitigated by setting their remote controls to short-range mode. This mode is only available in the remotes, not the flashes, so my test was accurate.

Conclusion

After re-evaluating and incorporating feedback from the manufacturers, Godox’s V1 remains my favorite speedlight, though I realize now that I made a mistake but not including their newer V1 Pro. The Pro version has a metal hot shoe, better thermal performance, external battery input, and the ability to charge with a USB-C cable. In my opinion, these updates are worth the additional money. 

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