GODOX
Landon Stone
Guys I’m not kidding please do not buy this. It literally went up in flames after 5 minutes of use, and as you can see it was right by my backdrop, I could have set my house on fire. I’m working on a lawsuit for a product recall as I’m typing this but if you read this know this: I know it’s cheap but it’s potentially very dangerous and you might not be so lucky.
Jacob T.
We almost burn our house!!!!!
Shavonna
Bought 11/2022. Was working great for off camera flash. Today was the first time I actually used the additional light bulbs and had it on 100% soft steady lighting and the housing melted in less than 5 minutes!! With? I literally on had it on long enough to set and try out with different modes. Needless to say my refund window has expired however I’ll be contacting the company to let them know they could have burned my house down or hurt someone. I’m very upset!
Monica Rivera
Set up for product was initially pretty smooth with wireless kit, took some test shots which also came out fine. Tried a different set up and right before going to bed my partner smelled smoke. Took off soft box only for it to be filled with smoke and as you can see, the bulb is now fused. Would have been perfect had this not happened the first day of use.
Carlos Felipe Fernández
To me it's perfect... If you need more power it's because you probably need to reach a huge area or a big group of people, but for portraits even general frames it's perfect.
Robert
Very easy setup. Do not use the bulb that comes in the packaging. Use an led bulb that give you pure white. The modeling lamp gets too hot.
Rad Astronaut
Though this is an entry level strobe, it is definitely worth the extra $35 ish (or less) over a speedlight.
I have two godox speedlights and an X2t trigger, and this strobe fit right into the mix. Without even opening the manual it was easy to set the group and channel for wireless triggering, and immediately with no other pairing or effort, I could control its output from my trigger on my camera. So the ease of use is good!
Not only is the output more significant than a speedlight, it really does feel like a nice wash of light. Bright and even. And the refresh rate was immediate. I expected this thing to be tiny, since it was lower priced and has some less features than more expensive strobes. But it’s beefy, it’s made of plastic but doesn’t feel cheap (though it’s not something I’d throw around either). The cable is a decent length, people are giving different quotes as to length it’s about 20 feet long.
Now, TECHNICALLY it doesn’t have high speed sync like an expensive speedlight (that would be similarly priced) or more expensive strobes (double this price), which would be around 1/8000 of a second. However, it DOES shoot up to 1/2000 of a second, which is pretty high speed and at this price more than reasonable.
The only complaints I have (which really aren’t a big deal) are:
- it only gives you from 1/32 to 1/1 output control (though it does do 1/10th adjustments). Even a $65 speedlight will do 1/128 to 1/1 power. This really only is an issue if you need super low power for a hint of light, but you can always just throw more diffusion in front of it until you bring it down to where you need it.
-it didn’t come with a standard 7” reflector dish. I mean this thing on it’s own is $12, which means the company probably makes it for $3. You can’t toss it in the packaging to give customers a starting off point? It came with some colored socks you can put over it, one being a standard white diffuser, but I’d rather have a modifier of some kind.
-I wish the bulbs were recessed just a bit more. Because the modeling lamp bulb is so long, I can’t attach my favorite soft beauty dish octobox to the strobe, unless I don’t use the modeling lamp. I bought this specifically for the modeling lamp feature (as well as higher quality light output). BUT I do recognize this is as much a complaint on the design of said softbox as well. So, not a deal breaker, just an annoyance.
Over all, I went with this instead of the GODOX SK300ii (which was slightly less) or the SK400ii (slightly more for more output), because those strobes only do 1/16 to 1/1 power control, and I’d rather have more control than higher output.
Michael Higgs
My Godoz caught a fire and melted the surrounding plastic. DO NOT BUY. IT IS CHEAPLY MADE.
Dave B.
UPDATE: The monolight is still working perfectly! It works seamlessly with my Godox X2T wireless flash trigger, and I can fully change and control all the functions of the monolight from the wireless trigger. I would definitely purchase this again!
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First of all, 5 stars for this product. It really works nicely, and I can't believe what a bargain it is. The flash is crisp, fast, and unbelievably bright at it's highest setting. The modelling light does a decent job of simulating the "as lit" look from the flash, though its color temperature is a bit different. The unit is very versatile, and I'm just starting to experiment with its many possibilities using a snoot, reflector, and a diffuser.
Now let's get to these pictures. The unit was advertised in "Used: Very Good" condition. I guess it's "very good" that it didn't burn down the house of the person that purchased it previously, because it looks as though it either caught fire, or very nearly did.
The modelling lamp gets HOT!!! If you use it with the included plastic shroud for any significant amount of time, it WILL get hot enough to melt the shroud, and possibly catch it on fire. That's a lesson the previous owner learned for me.
It was listed as, "May contain minor cosmetic imperfections. Item packaging will be damaged." Good news: the packaging looked great!
The "minor cosmetic imperfections" manifested as the shroud being thoroughly melted/burned to the modelling lamp, and also to the flash tube to a lesser degree. That was thoughtful, but hardly made up for the oversight.
I countered, and asked if I could get a partial refund for the item, and try to recondition it. The representative offered to refund half the purchase price, but warned that if I was unable to make the item functional, then I would not be eligible to return it. I took the risk.
Because one of you will probably find yourself in the position that the original purchaser did, HERE IS HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE. Feel free to skip all of this if you don't have a melted shroud.
The difficult part is getting the plastic shroud off if it has melted to the modelling light and/or the flash tube. First, if you cannot see what is happening inside the shroud, you will need to cut a hole in it so you can see. Do this using a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel, or something similar. It is important that you make the hole without significantly moving the shroud or putting strain on it, since this will break the modelling lamp bulb or the flash tube if they are melted to the shroud.
Once you can see the flash tube, you can decide how to proceed. If the shroud is not fused to the flash tube, you can get it off by cutting a ring around the shroud, above the flash tube. Once you have cut all the way around, you should be able to unscrew the modelling bulb (along with the bit of the shroud stuck to it), while the base of the shroud remains locked in the mounting ring. Once the modelling bulb is free, you may go to work freeing bits of melted shroud from it until it is clean. A sharp utility knife and some acetone work well for this. Alternatively, throw away the bulb and buy a replacement at B&H Photo or similar; new bulbs run about $6 plus shipping. Make sure to get the bulb that matches your household voltage: 110-130 volts for the USA.
If the base of the shroud is fused to the flash tube, you're in for some work. Like you did with the modelling lamp, cut a ring around the shroud, this time just below the flash tube. BE CAREFUL not to cut into the flash tube where it "turns" to go down into the mounting receptacle. Once you have cut the ring stuck to the flash tube away from the base, you have two options. You can pull the flash tube and the fused portion of the shroud out of the monolight, or you can work on getting the plastic off of the flash tube while the tube is still in place. I did the latter.
The flash tube does not get as hot as the modelling lamp in normal use, and so it is likely that the shroud is only minimally fused to the flash tube. If you can identify a side where the shroud is not fused, use a Dremel, or carefully use scissors, wire cutters, etc. to cut the shroud ring that you made. Cut it so that you can unroll the plastic ring, and then proceed to do exactly that. Take great care in the areas that the ring is fused to the flash tube, but you should be able to peel the plastic away from the glass if you do not use too much force. Clean any remaining bits of plastic off the flash tube using a sharp utility knife and a rag soaked in acetone.
That should leave only the base, which can easily be unlocked by disengaging the locking switch on the body of the monolight, just behind the silver mounting ring. Once the last of the shroud is gone, reinstall the flash tube and/or modelling bulb, and check them to see if they are still functioning. Spare flash tubes can be bought at B&H Photo for around $20.
Lawyerwebb
This is a great mono light for someone like me who uses it in a non-commercial setting. I’m not sure how long this would hold up during intense commercial daily use.I am happy with them. [2]
Michael E. Comeau
The MS300 is a great studio strobe for portrait, fashion, and food photographers on a budget.
You can't buy a better light for $110. Here's why:
-Excellent wireless control capabilities
-Consistent output
-Bowens mount ensures compatibility with tons of modifiers.
-Compact size and light weight
-PRICE!
Now, the MS300 is not a perfect product.
It recycles pretty slowly, and it doesn't have auto power dump. And it would be nice to have an LED modeling light. Then again, this is a $110 light and you can't expect everything.
Build quality on the monolight is better than I thought it would be, and the power cable is very sturdy.
So overall, it's really hard to beat the Godox MS300. I wholeheartedly recommend it to photographers that need a quality monolight at full price.
Still, I'd love to see Godox put out a $200-$250 light that has faster recycling, auto power dump, and most importantly -- an LED modeling light.
