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The Godox MS200 is a sub $100 200WS strobe – A review

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With all the LI-ION strobes going around, it is sometimes hard to remember that not so long ago, most strobes had to be connected to a power outlet to actually work. But with the rise of the battery-operated strobe, the AC-powered strobes are now cheaper than even and provide a great opportunity to get started in a studio for almost no money at all. The Godox MS200 (Amazon | B&H) is a prime example of that.

I recently was contacted by Godox to review their new MS200 200ws monolight. Being on the low budget end of the spectrum at $99.00 on Amazon or B&H, I did not expect too much. I was quite surprised by the value of this value monolight.

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Watch as this Flashpoint/Godox battery pack explodes on camera

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Lithium-Ion batteries are not to be trifled with. They can be very dangerous things, as evidenced by massive recalls from companies like Samsung and Apple. You have to be very careful when flying with them, and some devices aren’t even allowed on flights anymore. Manufacturers do everything they can to try to ensure their batteries are safe, there is always a risk that one can go bad.

One went bad for one photographer, though when he says his Flashpoint branded Godox AD360 battery exploded on him. He put his batteries on charge the night before a session, as many of us do, when one of them started to swell. He unplugged it, and rushed outside with it, unprepared for exactly what would happen next. Fortunately, his security camera captured the whole event.

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We’re not saying the Westcott FJ400 and Jinbei HD-400 are the same strobe, but they sure look similar

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I’ve seen a few posts recently about Westcott’s new FJ400 strobe, with a couple of sites labeling it the “best value strobe” on the market. We even covered the announcement here on DIYP and it looks fairly impressive, holding up to competitors like the Godox AD400Pro quite well in many respects.

But is it really Westcott’s new strobe? Or is it Jinbei’s HD400, released over a year ago, just with “Westcott” stamped on it? WE are not saying that it is, but we are saying that there are some striking similarities.

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The Godox R1 and RF1 look a lot like the Profoto C1/C1+ except Godox announced them first

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I missed this while I was away at IBC 2019, and they didn’t have any on the Godox stand, but Godox has announced a couple of new lights aimed at smartphone photographers that look a whole lot like the Profoto C1 & C1+ announced recently. Profoto can’t really accuse Godox of copying this time, though, as the Godox lights were actually announced first.

The news of the Godox R1 and RF1 was overshadowed by the launch of the FV150, VL150 and VL300, but now I’m starting to read up about the R1/RF1, they look pretty cool. They’re designed for use with smartphones, and one is a continuous light only, while the other offers continuous and flash capabilities.

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Godox wants a piece of the LED market, shows an Aputure 120D-like light

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When it comes to lights, we used to have a pretty good distinction. Godox did Strobes, and Aputure did LEDs. Of course, we had the occasional SL 60 or SL 200, but generally, it was quite a split world.

Now Godox are expanding into the LED market with a Bowens type light, and it looks like it is aimed to directly compete with Aputure’s line of 120D and 300D.

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This surgery puts a Godox AD200 on an S-type bracket

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It was a while since I was thinking how to perfectly center the Godox H200J bare bulb head in the S-Type Bracket. The AD200 and the S Bracket just cant be centered. Surfing the net, I came across this post by Ken Tam.

Ken thought of removing the screw to secure the headlights accessories. Perfect, but this does not make it more difficult to mount the reflector disc when we combine the AD200 with the S-Type Bracket.

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TurtleRig bulb extensions say they provide up to a whole stop of extra light with Godox strobes

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One of the big problems with the Godox AD600 and AD600 TTL was the position of the bulb relative to the modifiers. It just sat a little too far back into the head, and many people felt they weren’t getting the power they should. Godox largely solved this problem with the AD600Pro and AD400Pro, but there are still many AD600 owners out there.

TurtleRig has now announced its newest solution to this problem, with their version 3 bulb extensions. Essentially, they’re shims which sit between the strobe head and the bulb, offering extension pins to bring the bulb out further from the modifier. They’re available for the original AD600 models as well as several other Godox strobes.

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Godox finally releases firmware update software for the Mac

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It’s taken a few years, but Godox has finally released firmware update software that works on the Mac. No longer do you need to mess around with virtual machines or borrow a friend’s laptop. Well, sort of. The new Godox G3 software is only compatible with certain products at the moment, but that may change in the future.

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Godox officially announces the X2T trigger – an upgraded X1T with built in Bluetooth

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Godox first teased the X2T trigger back in February at WPPI. A refresh to the X1T, with a few extra buttons, easier adjustments and the new style locking foot. It also now incorporates the functionality of the Godox A1, their Bluetooth trigger for controlling your lights with a smartphone app.

In February, the model shown off was a pre-production prototype. Now, the design is final is complete and the new Godox X2T has been officially announced.

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