Yongnuo - As good as everybody says?

[Scott Davis]

I have a pair of the Godox Witstro AD360s or equivalent - there's a whole lot of these being sold under different names - there was a Calumet Genesis version, and there's the Godox/Flashpoint/Neewer/Bolt/at least one other versions currently on the market (mine are a Calumet Genesis GF400 and a Neewer Witstro 360). They are exactly the same unit - I have a Bolt battery, a Neewer battery with larger capacity, a Bolt wireless transmitter/receiver and yet another wireless receiver/transmitter from some other brand I don't recall at the moment. They're BIG, they don't do TTL (that I recall- there MAY be a module that lets them do TTL for Canon/Nikon), but they have a ton of power, they're very solid and reliable, and with the external batteries they last all day and all night even with heavy shooting. I used one of mine on a shoot where we were in a very dark pool hall, so they were popping at perhaps 1/2 power, over 300 exposures and barely a dent in the battery. With the wireless transmitter/receiver sets, you can adjust power output from the camera position, so they're easy to tweak up and down. They have enough oomph (roughly 400 w/s) to get f/11 at ISO 200 out of a 6' umbrella softbox at 6' .

[lowerf22]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Especially Bob Salomon. Your points definitely highlighted to me how much more I have to learn. I'll certainly have to do a bit more reading up before addressing questions of that level, but thanks for the pointers. So, in terms of a wireless trigger, my friend has a used pocket wizard for sale so I'm covered there. I'm feeling confident about the Yongnuo mark iii from what everybody has said, but the Godox V850 is an option I wasn't previously aware of, so thanks putting me in the know. Has anybody any experience of using these in the field. How do they compare to the Yongnuos? I've just Googled them and they appear pretty substantial (see attached photo). But some first hand feedback would be really helpful. Thanks for all the useful advice so far guys.

Thanks again for your feedback guys. I think i'm definitely going to take a look at the Godox before making a final decision. HMG, I hear what you are saying about the Metz (I've some experience of using them in the past), but I think new strobes is the way I am going to go. Scott Davies: the run down you have given me of your experience with the Godox has definitely got me thinking. Is there a price difference across the brand names do you know? Would it be cheaper to buy the Neewer Witstro 360 than the Godox v850 for example?

[Peter De Smidt]

The v850s are traditional speed lights except for the lithium batteries, the 360s are bare bulb with external battery. The latter is best for use with soft boxes...the v850s are cheaper and more compact. Flash havok has reviews. There probably are ttl versions if needed. If you need hss make sure to investigate carefully. Who you buy from mainly impacts price and who you deal with if their's a problem. Bolt, flashpoint, neewer, cheetahstand, godox...

[lowerf22]

The v850s are traditional speed lights except for the lithium batteries, the 360s are bare bulb with external battery. The latter is best for use with soft boxes...the v850s are cheaper and more compact. Flash havok has reviews. There probably are ttl versions if needed. If you need hss make sure to investigate carefully. Who you buy from mainly impacts price and who you deal with if their's a problem. Bolt, flashpoint, neewer, cheetahstand, godox...

Thanks for the further info Peter. I'll have to get on Google and work out which of all the aforementioned options is going to work best for me. I must say that I am leaning towards the v850's at the moment. I'll keep you posted.