Why I chose Westcott Lighting over everything else 

My major issue with the wescott lights is they are not wescott lights they are rebranded Jinbei lights which you can buy the Jinbei 400 pro for £424 however the wescott version is £599 that’s quite a markup for product they didn’t create. So I would suggest anyone wanting those lights buy the Jinbei version and the 200 and trigger as they are identical and cross compatible with wescott because they are all the same product but a fraction of the cost of the wescott branding.

Ive been in love with Westcott since the Ice Light 10 yrs ago.

Westcott is universal?! WHAT?! I have no idea, this just impacted my decision BIG time. Thanks Manny!

Manny, brother!! Haven’t seen your channel in a bit everything in clouding your studio looks AWSOME.

Great info! I have to travel and I was considering buying the FJ400 kit with 2 lights. I already have the beauty dish! It's awesome!

Great information Manny I'm just learning about lighting, your tutorials are very helpful thank you, I'm sure I'll have many questions along the way, I'll be watching 👍

I didn't know that Westcott 's stuff is universal between brands.. That's really damn cool. The trigger display looks really good & clear. I have so many Godox units at this point. But Would love to play with a Westcott 400 sometime.

I know this is an older video but I think after shooting photography for close to 20 years of natural light I’m finally ready to jump into a strobe system!! I shoot with a R5 and recently got into a Hasselblad X1Dii for DFM and I’m sold on the FJ400! Mainly that I can use one trigger for both systems. I think this is going to really enhance my creative ability moving forward. I will also say I’m planning on getting the Manny beauty dish!

Basically the gear is from the same oem vendor in China and sold under different namens like Rollei, Godox etc.

I put the Westcott FJ400 on my too get list. I'm not much of a flash user but I have researched Westcott product and it fits my budget. I've seen a lot of your photo using the Westcott at some of my favorite location, that helped out my decision

Westcott is a good product. They were the first system I owned. Now I run Godox. The only reason I switched was because I had more Godox parts and Westcott didn't come out with them yet.

I didn't really know anything about this line of lighting. Thanks for the info

Godox user here, they've been providing great lights and variety for a while now. I even bought my AD-400 Pro for $400 on black friday from Adorama. And then a year later Godox comes out with the AD-300 Pro which i would much rather have.

Mannyy!!! One thing I learned is that the battery goes to 1 bar when the light is hot (also lowers cooldown time)

Would be interesting to see if Wescott get back to you, listen to the concers raised about trigger etc and actually come out with a new trigger and a mark 2 of the flash (with the battery indicator prooblem). Or does it take firmware updates, and if not, thats another suggestion, add a usbc port for firmware updates.

I've used various beauty dishes over the years and I find that the ribs have a way of eventually poking through. How re-enforced is the edge of your beauty dish. Thanks.

Manny, what is the 9 circle light modifier in the background of your video? What’s the brand?

Hi Manny, thanks for the review. Is it possible to trigger the godox ad 400 using the wescott trigger and wescott fj400 as your main light?

OMG!!!!! you’re a life saver. I shoot with the LUMIX G7 and brands like Godox doesn’t have triggers compatible with LUMIX cameras The universal trigger is what grabbed my attention and now I’m able to use high speed sync

Does the size of the softbox change the temperature/white balance of the picture? I use a 60 inch( I think) for most of my sessions and I purchased a smaller one, 32 inch, but this small one makes the picture look "cooler"(blue) than the big one....?

Hie Many, im more interested in the setup that has the combination of a softbox and black board with blue gels, is there a seperate video tutorial for this? 🔥

That beauty dish is on my next shopping list, bought their 24 inch right before this was released.

Hi Manny, thanks for the good content. I was wondering if you could share the name of the boom pole? I didn’t see it on the list. TIA

Hey! I am looking for a new flash system since my godox ad200 and 400 are not supported anymore in hss mode with the sony a1. Are wescott flashhes fully compatoble with the a1?

I was using the Paul C Buff Link system until i experienced an accident with it. I went to the Westscott FJ400 2 weeks ago and i have to say this is way more user friendly than the Link. I am super impressed with it!

You give to Us to hard which are better for many things godox and which one or wes and which one ? Also de beauty dish can I use these soft box with godox flash?

thanks

Thanks but m staying with godox🙏

Does the light come with the soft box or would I have to purchase that separate?

Hey Manny I just bought Sony A7iv coming from fujifilm X-T3. I was wondering if you can do a video of setting up a new camera for portraits.

have a question. sony a1 can shoot 30 fps. Is westcott fj400 or fj200 able to flash 30 fps? Thanks.

Adorama also rebranded them as orlit. They are great in studio but I live in northern Arizona and too hot or too cold and they crap out. After they locked up on me st 32 degrees I went to profoto and never looked back 😢

The Westport FJ400 is just a rebranded Jinbei/Orlitt light which you can get cheaper. Same light, same remote.

ez lock has the perfect beauty dish !

What can you recommend for video light 3 kit system? Mainly interviews

Hola Many! Ahora que hablas de la batería que marca en la screen, estás en lo correcto y yo pensé que las baterías venían defectuosas y si que nos engañan. Ojalá Westcott saque un transmisor sin usar el adaptador en la marca Sony, que si que estorba y se rompe cuando pones el Fj80 sobre la cámara, Ya Que no lo aguanta.

I always want strobes that I don't have to push beyond 50% power as a studio 'tog.... I live at ISO 100, so you can pry my AD600's out of my dead hands unless I've upgraded to the 1200's LOL.... BUT, I love your beauty dish, at least as much as you showed.... it is quick setup or rods?

Really love this video, Manny! So informative! Also did you start using a new videographer? Those clips of your wife in blue and the model in pink are sick!!!!

For next leveling my portfolio and portraits is 1 light and the manny dish a good place to start. I shoot canon

In the past, i had a choice to made, to switch from Bowens (the original one) to modern Flash units, with a built in radio trigger system, which also have the Bowens mount. Godox did win...because of the external flashheads, you can put on the AD400 Pro and the AD600 Pro, as an example. So you don´t have to lift the monoblock flashunit on a lighting stand, or to move the monoblock flashunit on a focus system from a deep parabolic softbox...instead, you will only lift or move the small external flashhead. This weight reduction is a quality of life improvement, the Westcott flash units don´t have. And with the AD1200 Pro generator flash, i have an even more powerful external flashhead...and also the option, to use a ringflash.

Manny, just wondering what you think about Profoto A2 Clic system. It looks super light and legit along with their new trigger. Westcott's price is affordable and when comparing it seems like you'd be crazy to spend $2k for one light, dish, trigger, and a few modifiers..🤔

Hi Manny, can I get that beauty dish in South Africa? I've been checking it out and am really interested.

I’ve just bought a Sony a7iv and Godox ad300pro with Xpro-s transmitter, and when I want to mount the xpro on the hotshoe of my camera It doesn’t fit !!! I don’t know what is the problem😣🥺 please any help there for me

I bought your beauty Dish. I never shoot with light but I am going to give it a shot. Thanks Manny, love your work.

Profoto is king regardless of whatever is there

what camera u used in this video

Are the three preset packs included in the portrait retouching tutorial kit ?

I have a godox ad300 pro. I used a westcott FJ 400 at a recent workshop. I switching to westcott.

I love my Westcott FJ400. I can control it from my Canon transmitter. No need to buy a separate transmitter.

The Manny Ortiz Beauty Dish it's available in Europe/Portugal? 😄

I know I'm breaking the cardinal rule of watch the video first before commenting, but as a Godox user that has played with Westcott when asked I always say, if was starting from scratch I would go Westcott.

I thought you said Godox 8400th but I realized it was Godox AD400, my bad !!!

That trigger is the biggest win for me

If Wescott had the products they do today when I started I would have gone with them. They were a bit late to the market where Godox beat them.

What I'm curious regarding Westcott, is if they'll make battery powered 600 or 800 w/s lights. Wish they had a roadmap or something regarding future updates or releases even if it's firmware related.

Westcott could have more lights. They are just rebranded Jinbei which makes a lot other models.

Off topic but the blue hair look really good on your wife

What’s that softbox with the 9 circles lighting your video ?

The big question is when it comes to Westcott lights, is there a service center that will take care of Warranty repairs or repairs in general?

I purchased a bunch of Westcott gear (FJ400, 200, 80, Sony adapter and the remote control/trigger) and only afterwards realised they don't support TTL and HSS with the Sony A1, I have to use them in Manual mode only, which is fine for many situations, but I would like TTL and HSS especially when outside or with the FJ80 at an event for example. I should have checked the website first, I made the mistake of assuming they would work with Sony's flagship camera that's been out about a year (and there are a few videos online of people using the FJ strobes with the Sony A1 and nobody mentions the lack of TTL/HSS support). In fact it looks like you're using the Westcott strobes with your Sony A1, but you don't mention the non-support of TTL and HSS with that camera, unless you have an un-released newer firmware? Either way I hope they add support for the Sony A1 soon.

Hey I know I'm late the game...and maybe someone already asked this question...but first off...your content is dope...keep smash'n...but I saw those light boxes with your name on the side...please; say more?

the cons of the Westcott stuff you mentioned are total deal-breakers to me #teamgodox

Is the westro ad600BM good

What's that modifer with the 9 panels?

Manny does your dish open like an umbrella without putting them together, which takes forever. If it opens like an Umbrella, I will get it.

I just bought it. Straight from box. Westcott U 60-b will not turn on. It has power. You can see settings on LED window. Dimmer indicator lights all give readings, but no light. I'm guessing it was dropped. It has no bulb.

Metz had touch screen show mount flash

Batteries will recharge slightly after being turned off.

Love my Westcotts, but I tell everyone to get rid of the FJ400 reflector and get a generic 7" Bowens mount reflector. You'll get about another stop of light because the OEM reflector from Westcott is so compact it's performance is compromised.

Where do you buy your shirts?

Can you do some outdoor hhs videos please???

ngl if wescott was also compatible with leica hss like profoto and godox id totally be in.

As commenters point to the cheaper direct source, the question is what kind of warranty and support the extra money will give. The "universal" is attractive. Two generic things to add to the video's story still: in TTL-mode, generally, strobes/speedlights can arrive at significantly shorter flash duration than the lowest manual setting; and, "modeling light" has a long history in professional kit and photography where it was made "proportional" at some point. The "proportional" quality seems lost on kit and users. Now proportional is easy between strobe heads of the same type on a shared studio pack and with different brands or models of independent heads it is more difficult, but in this day and age of IoT, it would be a simple bi-directional communication between heads and trigger-controller, potentially with some calibration involved.

Let’s be honest about it, there is hardly any difference between lighting suppliers.

I shoot natural light so much fun no Time to set up more time and fast but that me 📷🫰🏽

I wanna try westcott but it's lowk too expensive for me rn 🤣

I’d buy it if they had better distribution to Europe. Thousand bucks for the products is fine, but $500 in shipping is a deal breaker. Gonna have to get something else.

Hello my Name Jamarr. I was wondering Could you Do A Photo Shoot and let me See some Clients with ideas of what to shoot with lol photography luv

Still looking for the "10" power setting on my FJ400s. 😆

These products are cool but can you do more photography tips?

Why buy Jinbei rebranded to Westcott when you can buy the BUFF Celestial, designed in the USA, with better specs.

I didn't even know Westcott made lights. Gotta do some research!!

Perhaps I should've bought the Westcott FJ80 instead of the Godox V1 Pro...

Very contradicting. The adapter for the trigger is only for the Sony but how does it get missed placed when you not using it with non Sony camera. It must not be placed in the same place as the camera or something like organization where items all have a place and not just anywhere. The 34 is small for full body shots. There’s a big difference in metering from the top to the bottom. So that Softbox is not a good use for important full body portraits.

Looks like they just made the Joel Grimes beauty dish a little bigger and put your name on it.

hey, my name is Manny too and I'm also a photographer 😅

Come on Manny my man. The reason you are using Wescott is because you made your own softbox collaboration with them. It’s all good but it’s not a wescott light. Rebranded to say wescott

I love westcott it’s the best

💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲

What flash trigger are you using, I have the Sony A7iii and I could do with a decent flash please. Or your thoughts on what could be used please Flash trigger, sorry

Omg you have many things and equipment are u rich ? 👀😂😂 neeed all that thing but first that I need is a studio ☹️😫

"Why i chose Westcott Lighting over everything else" They gave that shit free to me mannnnnnnn. Come on man I love ya but the title is shit. Had the best Strobe company in the world gave you thier stuff we would see the title "Why I Chose BEST LIGHTING EVER over everything else" LOL

That beauty dish IS sexy.

Because they pay you ?

because you are paid by them?

Godox is the best. Westcott just overpriced

Because you haven't tried broncolor 😂😂😂😂

Bro u know what you doin with these thumbnails 😂😭🔥

I choose profoto because more expensive is the gear the most I’m motivated to put my efforts and skills to make better photos. more expensive is the gear more I’m proud to use it. make good photography is hard, is a difficult job, and to enjoy the process I have to see around me well payed beautiful models and expensive gear to feel more easy and satisfying the whole process. if you are a good pianist you can play well a piece on an upright piano. but if you play it on a grancoda, for sure you will play it much much better even if in both case you are unable to put out of the different keyboards the best they could.

When you say "200 Watt" light in the case of a 200 Watt.seconds (W.s = Ws = Joule = J) flash, you are really far off. Watt (W) is a potential power, derived from measuring energy consumption over time: W = W.s/s. So a strobe labeled as 200 W.s or 200 J means that the strobe/speedlight uses (consumes, burns) 200 W.s electrical energy in a full power flash. As W.s is the micro version of kilo.Watt.hour (k.W.h = kWh) ãs there are 1,000 in "kilo" and 3,600 seconds in an hour, there are 3,600,000 Ws in a kWh. What about your flash? How much light it puts out depends on the efficiency of the electrical circuit in the strobe, the reflector and modifier as well as the resulting flash angle. The only comparable number is the "Guide number" (given ISO, flash angle, unit for distance feet or meters). How many Watts are in a flash of 200 Ws? That's simple, as W = Ws/s. If the full power flash has a duration of 1/200 sec, then W = 200/(1/200) = 200/0.005 = 40,000 Watt - and that's where the recycle time comes from.