LED Photography Lights v Studio Flash: Which Is REALLY Better? 

Always enlightening.Thanks for your generosity!

Innovative tutorial sir. Thank you very much for sharing with us.

The best and most helpful explanation I’ve seen. Cheers Karl 🥃

Thank you so much for this, Now I can finally chose between the two!

Sir, you removed the doubts from my mind once and for all regarding Led's v/s Flash. Thank you very much. 🙏

This is great. Just getting into photography and have been using strictly continuous light, focusing on understanding and manipulating it. Thanks for the great content and the attention to detail in your courses and videos.

Wow as a beginner i was wondering just exactly why i was enjoying my flash so much more than trying continous lighting., Thank you

We have been following your lectures on your RU-vid channels. We had wanted to say thank you for all the high level of professionalism, honesty and great effective communication. We are learning and following as we are preparing to start a program. In other words, Knowledge is Power, and that's what you have technically shown. Thank you ever so much for your dedication, passion and compassion to humanity.

Good video as always. I use LED most of the times, due to working out in the field with both stills and video. I don't wanna travel with too much. In studio I often use more flash then LED :) You can't work the same way with LED as you do with flash for photography.

This video helps me clarifying something I already know. Thanks for the informative video.

Your advice is always concise and practical. Thank you!

Started my studio photography with Bowens mono's in the 70s. still have 2 units in the loft they may be old but so am I. Love watching your informative videos as a KTE member, Happy new year to you and the team.

I was taught how to use studio Flash so I am comfortable with that for stills. Thanks to your video, I will consider LEDs with modifiers for video. Thanks

Wonderful and extremely helpful, Karl. I'm a product and composite photographer and use strobes almost exclusively. Once you get the workflow down and the settings sort of dialed into your head, it's almost instinctive.

This is really helpful. The measurement of relative power, along with how blinding the continuous LED is on maximum power was a great example and memorable. I can see how a modern continuous light like yours could be great to enhance indoor, ambient lighting, being able to match color temperature of the ambient light and set a level appropriate for what I was trying to do. If I shot studio portraits, I find all the reasons you presented for flash to be extremely compelling.

Best video out there on this topic! Thanks

I use Leds for indoor portraits because i mix those lamps with ambient light or practical lights, and cause i like to shoot wide open. Things you can't do all the time with flashes. I don't know how Leds can be used in any other way, speaking of portrait photography.

Everything you say sounds so sincere. Great video! Thanks a lot!

Thanks for that. Your videos are nice and concise with out a lot of filler. Keep it up. I use Strobe or Speedlights most of the time but use LED'S sometimes depending on what I am doing.

This video is just incredible! Thank you.

Karl, Happy New Year and the best wishes. Thanks for this enlightening explanation. Totally agree. LED's looks like the best thing on earth until you are using it and then the second thoughts come up. They are useful but first make up your mind what you want to archive with them. Been there, done that hehehehe Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! Great explanation. Finally I bought a decent strobe with a bunch of umbrellas and now shooting has become very rewarding. I'll keep the LEDs for filming and filling.

Very good summary. I often get workshop attendees who are disappointed in the performance of their just purchased LED set. Clearly they were expecting a substitute for monolights. LEDs work great for video and small scale studio work like product photography or very intimate portraits or boudoir. At best in a darkened room. Because of the portability, LEDs are often mistaken for great outdoor kits. However, they’re totally unable to act as more than just a fill-in light at best. Next to our Profoto gear we have some Rotolights for flexibility. The great thing of the Rotolights is their flash capability, though they’re still no match for a 400W/s studio flash. Another thing to remember: LED panels give horrible catchlights. Also for that the round Rotolights despite their limitations are much better but nevertheless, no substitute for a decent monolight flash.

Happy New Year Karl, I hope 2021 is a really good one for you. 🙏

Great explanation, nine stops really is a huge difference. Thanks a lot! 👍

Hello Karl, I am a beginner and I do have the amazon setup lighting. I have realized that my pictures are getting better but I see that its not where I want them to be. I see that I need to understand lighting more and also invest in speedlights. I know that I will get better at this cause I love it.

Is very rare to see so high level of profesionality. Thank you

great topic indeed, happy new year karl

Thanks for taking the time to make this video

Wonderful explanation, thank you!

I personally have one strobe light for hot shoe, and three continuous video lights. after watching this explanation I can imagine what else I can get in studio with both setups. thanks for great educational and entertaining content!

Wonderful Video. Very informative. I tend to use both together for some effects on product photography, but for portrait I prefer Strobes all the way around.

I combine both and it depends on what I do, for example for portraits at f1.4 or 2.8 continuous light is a nice help, for products also...

Underrated and very informative video

This is so helpful! Thank you :)

This video was so enlightening. It explains why my portrait photos with LED lights were not as sharp (slow shutter) and were grainy (high ISO). I automatically assumed the LEDs pumped out the same power as the studio lights. After this, I know why my studio lights will give me better results. Thank you.

The best explanation I have heard. Thank you!

Needed this - thank you - and love your studio.

So good to have you on youtube! Your channel is a true gem filled with actual information and a Demonstration of the topic! Thank you! 👍🏻 I am so fed up with these RU-vid-photo-marketeers-shills who constantly publish „why I Switched from A to B“ or „is this camera company / mount /dslr / photography dead?“ Videos or tell you which camera you have to buy now 🙄 On topic: just like your conclusion in the end I believe it’s good to have both lighting technologies around as the situation requires: a bunch of speedlights (Nikon sb800s) with pocket wizards for events / Studio flash lights (bowens mount) for most studio work and a set of led lights (Bowens mount) for video

Was looking for this info!

Detailed and well researched (as always). I only use LEDs in combination with flash when I want to show motion blur together with an sharp image.

Very useful information. Thank you.

Great job Karl, this is a perfect sum up. I would also add that those who are considering lower power flashes might also suffer from ambient light pollution since they will have to adapt the ISO. A bit off topic, but what the hell...

I love the way you explain.. your techniques are always awesome ❤️👌👌..

It would be interesting to see a comparison with the rotolight LED flash models to see how the power output compares!

Great video Karl. Nice, to the point and amazingly summarized information. Make something on HOW TO SEE LIGHT? please! Best of luck 🌷

Great job explaining!!!

You are the best when it comes to breaking down technical jargon to human language. I would love to hear your opinion on hybrid LED lights like Godox FV200 if you had a chance to check it out. Is the flash power on these good enough ?

Thank you for such informative videos

Thanks again for sharing your experience with us..

Very very useful and thank you mr Karl 😘🙏🏼🍻

Excellent Explanation

You are awesome!! Thank you brother! I need to invest in a good affordable system. Any recommendations?

Your courses (Karl Taylor education) have not only saved me money but expanded my knowledge far beyond any RU-vid or college course. Thank you Sir.

Great video. I have both in my studio. A flash with a beauty box imo is untouched when shooting portraits etc. But the LEDs are great for kids and animals, on a low setting of course. Lots of product brands wants to shoot video of their products at the same time, that’s also when I take out the LEDs. Other than that, flash is king imo. I use macro for my portraits and I need to be like f11 / f13 to get the whole face in focus and that’s like impossible with LEDs I think.

And that was using a parabolic. Using a softbox... 😂. I have been watching your tutorials for some time now on your educational platform and it has transformed my photography immensely. I'll stick with flash for photography, thank you. I haven't tried to use both continuous and flash yet but something I might try in the future. Thank you for the video. It should help a lot of people with their choice.

As always useful, Karl. Thanks a million for the video. I have done some shots with LED lights, didn't like them due to increased ISO. I prefer studio flash even when shooting outside. And next week I have to get my hands on my New year's present (battery studio flash) Later this year I'm planning to get 2 more flashes to make greater photos. Best regards from Mother Russia

Another very informative and well explained video, thanks Karl. One of the advantages of the Profoto B10 studio lights is that the modelling lights are LEDs which have adjustable colour temperature, so they are another interesting innovation in mixing flash and LED.

Great test! Flash ftw!

Great video. While I already knew most of what you explained, I did not realize how much of a difference there is in the full output of the LED lights at this time. I was thinking about purchasing one of the LED lights and test it out, but based on your video I thing I will wait a few years to see if they come out with much more powerful LED lights, but then the cost will probably be too high to be competitive with flash.

Hello Master Karl - As I am sure you have noticed - I have joined your programme. Very well explained. If you are reading this - I would tell you - you are listening to a legend... Probably one of the best that I know when it comes to using a camera with light. What can I say - Happy New Year to us all..... :-)

Wow. This was sure enlightening. I assumed a 150W LED continuous for example would be comparable to a 200W flash. Guess when it comes to LED continuous versus flash tube, watts translate differently regarding actual lumen output. I am up to 5 studio strobes and am aiming for more… Love my modeling lights, love my color accuracy mode, love everything about them. I've invested good money in learning to use them. But apart from straining a subject's eyes, I figured continuous would be about the same outputs in many cases! So this really was valuable to learn from for me!

This video has just saved me some money as I was thinking about buying some LED LIGHTS to simplify my photography “it’s a hobby”. Not my job. I use Bowens lights “might be spelt wrong” 😂. Will stick with what iv got. Thanks 👍

I'm old enough to remember sitting for portraits, and doing portrait work, before strobes were generally available. Your comment that continuous light is stressful is a huge understatement. To get the lights bright enough for 1/60sec at ISO 200 the lights invariably caused squinting and tearing. Not really good if you wanted a to capture a pleasant expression. A fine point, the sensitivity of a digital camera sensor is fixed. Changing the ISO setting has absolutely no effect on the sensitivity of the camera's sensor. The tiny analog electrical signals from the sensor are first amplified then converted into a digital values (i.e. into numbers) using an analog to digital converter (A/D). This numerical data is used by the camera to produce a JPG image or is stored in a JPG or raw data file. Importantly, the lower the amount of light reaching the sensor the smaller the range of numbers coming from the A/D converter, i.e. the lower the dynamic range of light captured and stored in the raw file. At first, as you increase the ISO setting of your camera, the values from the A/D are simply multiplied to make them bigger. At some point the dynamic range of the numbers from the A/D is so small that a viable image can't be produced using this simple multiplication. The dynamic range in the numbers has decreased so much that a viable image can't be produced because the shadow details are too blocked up. When simple multiplication can no longer produce a viable image the amount of amplification of the signals from the sensor is increased so that the analog to digital converter is working with larger signals. You now can produce a larger range of numbers and a viable image but the trade off is that you are stretching out shadow details so they aren't as clean and you have increased noise in the image. This multiplication followed by increased amplification repeats for some cameras as you continue to increase the ISO setting. If you want the best quality portraits with the minimum noise and enough dynamic range that you can adjust the shadows. mid-tones, and highlights (i.e. tone map the image) then you want to work with the base ISO of the camera and use strobes that are bright enough to allow this.

Great topic! :D

amazing content tks

Powerful 📝 notes to note

fantastic to see you put this together thanks so much - Im a big fan of the old hollywood black and white portraits from the 30s 40s and I believe photographers like George Hurrel were using giant fresnel lights to give that custom dramatic look and I assume as you pointed out early on its a case of the model having to really do their best to put up with the bright lights in their face/eyes to get the shots!

So far the most comprehensive description of the true situation regarding flash and constant light sources in studio photography. Manufacturers have been trying for a while to make their constant light appealing to customers with all kinds of videos and attractively priced offers. Carl has created the best video on the subject that I have come across so far, and I like to thank him for that. He 'illuminates' all the parameters that affect studio photography. A small addition perhaps? If a combination of motion blur (eg. Dancer) and freezing is required, pure Constant has no chance, but it may be a supplement (to the modeling lights). But the number of tripods and light shapers will increase significantly.

I found this informative, so thank you. Unless I become a RU-vid creator, I will stick to speed lights and modifiers. I am watching for innovations in both flash and LED lights. Godox did a teaser for an AD100 and that has me wondering just what that might offer. Always some innovation to keep us awake during lockdown. Please stay well.

LEDs are useful in shooting small products like perfume bottles, very close up shots like wristwatch in hand. Also technology is giving more and more powerful LEDs in smaller sizes with great features. Recently I have added two godox ML60 Bi in my collection of flash units. These are very useful for creating unique effects. You are absolutely right that every professional photographer should have at least one LED light. Thank you very much for your great explanation.

Clear explanation

Thanks you Karl i love your videos

Thanks for the video.

Great video, very informative as always. You have a lovely Studio, what would be the ideal height of the ceiling that you would recommend? And ideal studio dimensions🙏🏽(unrelated to this topic although)

it's clear to me! for now i'm using my old compuls 165 and 65 flash. and for very fast flash times my nikon flashes.. For film it's perfect to work with LED.

Thanks Karl, well done mate.

I think it's beneficial for me to use both because I came from sunlight to Flash now I'm shooting video and photography. For some people it just takes a little bit more time to understand and learn how to use Flash But once they are familiar they will not go back

I have problems to combine interesting ambient light and shadows with flash. I've always used flash everywhere and only recently enjoyed the benefits of the newest range of LED with Bowens mounts and modifiers. LED nowadays also come with adjustement of the Kelvin numbers. This overally evens out any situation.

I have been strictly a flash shooter but with the new LEDs and doing more video work I have added LED lighting to my still and video work.

Both all the way with lots of different modifiers. Qty2 Godox SL200ii (stuck at 5600K) but I just use cco or ccb gels. Qty3 Falcon Eye F2 for rim, background lights, Qty1 Godox V1-S, Qty 4 AD200Pro. This has taken care of my lighting so far. The continuous leds are good to have for special effects for video. Ambulance, cops, firetruck, candle flicker, lightning, etc.

I tried studio continuous LED for product photos and for long use sessions, I find it hard on eyes to keep LED lights on while working. I like the stronger power of strobe flash for product photos, and only fires for fraction of second. I think the flash with softbox has a bit more crisper edges than LED in my opinion, but perhaps the softbox type factors into this for crispness.

Great work boss

I often have shoots with photographers and filmmakers on set. Last time we shoot through a window to get the window shadows inside the room ... end of the stroy was the filmmaker used a aputure 1200D with the longest hyper reflector and the photographer used a godox ad200 with the fresnel and it was considerably sharper and brighter than the 1200D

great video,thank you Karl ! i bought an Led light for video work (godox fv150) . I put it in comparison with a simple speedlight (godox tt600) and the results are hilarious ....150w led light in full power gave the same exposure with the speedight on 1/64+0.3 !!! So i am thinking that if i want a powerful led light for video work that will be equally powerful with a speedlight i am looking for a 9600w led light.....if i did any mistake in calculations feel free to correct me, cheers from Greece

I would love to see a comparative between flash and HMI and see the differences in the shoot. I know some great photographers using HMI and I’m very curious to see if are different in the quality of the light.

Im about to get a MS300 Godox studio light, (its a starter cheap/performance light) is there any similiar good performance LED light anyone can suggest? (arround 110us) Thanks

Karl… So… Sorry…. Another great professional video 😳😳😄 Just thought to say an additional benefit with strobe is a single long exposure with multiple strobe flashes with an action figure movement. Looks fantastic with martial arts with a single shots with frozen action movements caught by the strobe flashes to show the flow from a to b… A lot easier with strobe…

Sir one more question how many lights needed for an e - commerce lighting setup where i dont have to bother liting the subject in post production

I've known this for years but explained well.

I use LEDs in my product and still portait studio with a darkened studio which i actually don't mind since our studio is small the Photo LEDs throw enough light around the studio so that we can all work and see what we need to see. I do as most others which is to use studio strobes when looking for fast shutter speeds and stop action work. Having both options is the best solution for photographers under current sensor and other hardware photography technology, but that may change in the future

I've been using flash for more than a month now and I'm really impressed with what kind of things you can get with it, the only downside I have now is that I'm using a Canon 250D, which only has 4 pins in the hotshoe, what means that I can only shoot above 1/250th, so working outside with flash is kinda not working out since the background / ambient light gets too dark, hopefully when I get the 90D in about 4 months I'll be able to use it :) Thank you for the video!

Sir you are the king of photography ❤️... I have seen many tutorials but you are far better than all of them... Please keep on posting sir it will help us alot... Love from India ❤️

Thank you!

Continuos light really needs to be focused to be effective at any distance as a key light. For example, using a fresnel such as Aputure 2x.

Great video. Also a lot of cheap and budget LEDs have spectrum issues. R9 red on CRI scale can be very low and that's pretty bad for skin tones. Usually manufactures show summary CRI without detailing values for each color.

I always feel like I"m on egg shells with the monolights and the flash tubes. So fragile looking and I don't want to drop them. But I do love working with them.

That was very interesting comparison and the perspective of camera sensor evolution which you mentioned in this video. Well, one day studio flash may become an old school and LED could be more popular for studio photography if the camera sensor has significantly improved for noise reductions or inventing completely different way of recording images. LED has better cost of making, colour adjusting, and heating. But interestingly i can't imagine models standing in front of very strong continuance lighting source too. Hmmm it is very interesting how the lighting gear will be changing in the future. But no matter how it will change, I look forward to watching your new comparison and demonstration on KTE:)

Thanks a lot!

Both types in use. Energy saving bulbs for product photography up to F 18 and portraits that feature not more than F 5.6, all with a tripod. Strobes or speedlites for people. Rarely do I use strobes for products if I'm able to get darkness at the location. It's rather a habit. And yes, chronologically I moved from all time continuous light to bulbs and strobes when required.