Lighting
Light fantastic Buyers’ guide
Whether you’re an experienced photographer looking to upgrade existing equipment, or a beginner starting a journey with flash and continuous lights, here’s some top kit to improve your pictures, wherever you’re shooting
£379
transcontinenta.co.uk
Godox AD200 Pro Weighing only 590g and measuring 17.2x5.4x7.5cm, the AD200 Pro is a compact and portable flash. At under £400, it’s pretty wallet friendly, too. It has a maximum power of 200Ws, adjustable from full to 1/256 power, and its rechargeable battery pack gives around 500 full-powered shots. Recycle times range from 0.01 to 1.8secs. The AD200’s modular design gives users a choice of a bare bulb head (for use within compatible softboxes) or a fresnel head, where a more focused beam of light can be achieved. On top of that, there’s an accessory mount that lets you fit a wide range of modifiers, including gels and beauty dishes. Easy to
BEGINNER OR EXPERT, the benefits of lighting are the same. In full control of the illumination, you can improve whatever available light you’re faced with – while cooking up creative effects that are only limited by the imagination. What’s more, if the complexities of lighting seem intimidating, remember that a digital camera makes the process relatively straightforward, allowing you to concentrate on the creative benefits, rather than the technical side. When using LEDs, it’s easy to see exactly how the picture will look, through the camera’s viewfinder, while better quality at high ISOs means you can now do a lot more with less light output.
With flash, the instant playback on screen helps you see whether you’re getting the desired visuals, while you can also enjoy the benefits of flash well beyond the traditional limits of the camera’s sync speed in HSSmode. Many modern flash systems also allow automatic exposure control of power through TTLmetering, so there’s no worrying about light meters any more. However, you need the right kit to do it. The latest flash and continuous lighting systems offer great advances in features, price and usability, whether you’re in the studio or on location. And we’ve got everything you need, right here.
use, with clear and simple inputs, its screen helpfully shows the flash duration if you’re trying to freeze movement, while a built-in 2.4GHz receiver makes for easy wireless triggering with suitable options. It offers both HSS and TTL modes, with triggers available for most camera brands.
£1341
£149
manfrotto.co.uk/broncolor
lastolite.com
Broncolor Siros 400 S
Lastolite makes a huge range of lighting accessories, modifiers and adapters, all of which can help you create better images. One of its most adaptable is the Ezybox II softbox range, designed to work with a wide selection of different lights. It fits regular studio heads, portable flashes and even speedlights, so you don’t need a softbox for each model. To do this, it has a wider than normal rear mount, into which a bracket can be used to point speedlights. For regular heads, you just need to attach the corresponding speedring adapter. The Ezybox II Switch also converts from a regular square shape to a rectangular format. For instance, the Large version Lastolite Ezybox II Switch Large
If you’re looking for a mains flash head that combines top quality with outstanding features, then check out the Broncolor Siros 400 S. Winner of the Best Mains Flash category in the Photography News 2020 Awards, it has a power range of 2-400Ws, dialled in via a simple rotary controller. That’s plenty of power, even when working at smaller apertures, but with the output controlled over nine stops in full or 0.1-stop increments, this flash is capable of great subtlety, too. And if it’s flash speed you need, the Siros 400 S has that in abundance, with an action- freezing 1/5500sec at the minimum power, and recycle times from 0.02 to 1.4secs. It can also fire a burst of 50 flashes in a sequence,
all with complete colour consistency that professionals rely on. The Siros 400 S features built-in wireless control and can be set up using Broncolor’s free app. At 32x13x18cm and weighing 3.2kg, it’s built to last. It also benefits from a huge and varied range of light modifiers – the simple bayonet design allows easy fitting and use on any light in the range.
can be switched between 89x89cm to 89x44cm in seconds. It weighs
1650g when set up, and though you have to buy the adapters on top, it comes with inner and outer diffusers and a carry bag.
£199
rotolight.com
Rotolight Neo 2 LED Rotolight’s Neo 2 is a powerful LED light that bridges the gap between flash and continuous lighting. Like all continuous lights, it has the appeal of giving you exactly what you see with your eye, but also has a high-speed sync flash mode, with an output rated at f/8, ISO 200 at 1m. And it can be triggered at up to 200m away, thanks to its integrated 2.4GHz receiver. So, if you’re a portrait photographer – or someone who needs to mix stills and video – it’s well worth a look. The Neo 2 comes
with several modifiers, including two diffusion disks, and two gels that slip easily into the front of the unit for colour effects. But if you just need to match the look of the available lighting, the bicolour LEDs can be set between 3150K and 6300K. It can run off mains power, six AA batteries or a D-Tap cell, while at 354g and 14.5x5cm, it’s also easily transportable, has tripod mounts built in and it can be hotshoe mounted. It is also sold on its own, as well as in kits.
Issue 88 | Photography News 17
photographynews.co.uk
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