What do you do when there is a lamp that does not fit the standard set of the catalog?
As it is today, if you visit most photography websites, there are basically three different types of lights. You have the flash category, which basically consists of lights that can be attached to the base of your camera. They are also known as on-camera flashes, which can be confusing as there are on-camera flashes that can be set up and used as off-camera lights, but in terms of category, flash is generally considered is any. There is a hot shoe connection.
Next, we have a strobe or single light. This category includes all other flash models that cannot be connected to a flash-mount camera. And while these lights are sometimes referred to as studio lights, these lights aren’t limited to strictly studio use. There is a subsection of these lights that run on batteries and make great spotlights.
Next, we have constant lighting. And this category includes all lamps that provide a constant light source. This category is a summary of whether lights can be attached to a camera, if they need to be plugged into a wall, if they have batteries, or if they can do both.
So my problem with this current set of catalogs is that it can be a source of a lot of confusion when searching and researching lights. Firstly, the problem is that you have to make sure that the light you are looking at needs to be plugged in or not. There is also the issue of size and mounting. But, suppose we tabulate all the current cons. There is one area where this current category group falls short and that is with the new addition of a hybrid lighting system.
For those unfamiliar, the hybrid light is a continuous light and a strobe style light in a single package. In the past, flash would have a small bulb or LED called a model light. This light is simply used to help the photographer focus or help position the light. But these days, the model lights in some strobes are high powered LEDs that turn on fully capable of being used as continuous lighting for both photos and videos. One of the first lights like this that popped into my mind, although I’m not sure if it was the first, was Profoto B10. This light has a traditional flash tube for its strobe function as well as a powerful LED.
As another example, take Reflection Stella WILL. This light is a very powerful LED continuous light. It can run at 6,000 lumens on battery and can go up to 9,000 lumens when plugged into a wall or a 100 W battery pack. From here it can also be switched to continuous mode, not only getting you up to 18,000 lumens with the same LED off, but also without recycle time or overheating and without the traditional downsides of high-speed sync when you outpace your camera’s sync speed.
So, what is this light? It is both a continuous light and a strobe light at the same time. So it’s not fair to classify this as a strobe light as continuous light functions are more likely than other strobe lights with pattern lights. It also doesn’t do justice to fall into the category of continuous light as its burst function allows it to do things that other continuous lights cannot do by pairing with a trigger and being used to freeze motion even with longer shutter speeds.
And there are several other lights that fit this bill, Godox VF 150 and Godox FV200, Eg. There are also Rotolight Neo 2 and Rotolight AEOS, along with the Profoto and Stella Pro Reflex lights that I touched. And while all of these lights have similarities, you won’t know about these features simply by searching for lights by category.
This means we need a new type of light, a partial hybrid for newly released lights aimed at combo shooters – lights with continuous and continuous capabilities. However, where is the line between calling the constant light a “modeling light” or is it simply a fully capable video light? Is it based on available power? CRI ratings? That, I’m not sure.
But as the world of lighting evolves, camera retailers must also adapt, not only for the benefit of customers who can easily find what they’re looking for, but also for companies trying to outdo them. beyond the boundaries of what could have stood apart.
