Which Godox Continuous Light Should You Buy?
- Cameron Wingate
- Explore
- 31 Aug 2022
- 8750views
Since 2009, Godox have made a name for themselves as manufacturers of high quality, yet affordable professional photography studio lighting equipment. Known for their innovation and strong R&D principles behind each product they release, Godox have always been on-the-ball when it comes to market trends - the current trend being the increasing demand for continuous lighting. More and more professional photographers and videographers are asking us what LED lighting would be best for them, and we always say the same answer – it depends on your requirements!
We thought we’d try and summarise the uses and benefits of each Godox LED light in the guide below, but if you have any further questions for us, please do be in touch!
Godox SL100D – Starter Light
The perfect entry-level LED light, the SL100D from Godox provides a budget-friendly lighting source whilst still providing professional level lighting. Compact in size, this small unit still packs a punch and would be ideal for lighting a small studio or a focused scene. Many YouTubers, live streamers and home videographers swear by this model. The SL Series lights are completely flicker-free, which is essential for video shoots, but also for photography sessions that require a quick framerate and shutter speed.
The SL100D is also balanced at 5600K, which is the industry standard for providing natural daylight coloured lighting in your shoots. With a CRI rating of 96+ and TLCI rating of 97+, the SL100D provides the user with accurate broadcast level lighting allowing for much less work in post-production.
Godox ML60 – Affordable Power
A step up from the SL100D, the Godox ML60 is an incredibly portable and powerful LED lighting solution whilst still being very affordable. Able to be used indoors and outdoors, either mains powered or battery powered, the ML60 unlocks the full potential of a compact, powerful and portable lighting device.
With 8 built-in lighting effects, the options for the videographer are widened, and when combined with the ultra-quiet fan video scenes can be dramatic while being almost silent. The ML60 is also fully compatible with Godox fit modifiers.
Like the SL100D, the ML60 also has a CRI of 96+ and TLCI of 97+, providing accurate and vibrant natural light at a broadcast level. It is also furnished with flicker-free daylight balanced 5600K lighting, enabling videographers and photographers to shoot at virtually any framerate or shutter-speed.
Godox VL150 / VL300 – Powerful yet Portable
Getting into larger and more powerful lighting, the VL150 and the VL300 are still lightweight and compact, but pack a larger punch than the more portable models. The VL150 delivers 150W whereas the VL300 outputs a whopping 300W. Both models boast a CRI rating of 96, and a TLCI of 95, ensuring accurate and realistic tones in your videos. They also feature flicker-free technology, which is essential in any videography shoots, and also ideal for photography shoots.
Both the VL150 and the VL300 offer Bluetooth app control, allowing you to control the lights from the comfort of your own smartphone. With high build quality and a U-mount included, the sturdy VL Series lights can mount on any light stand, boom arm, or roof mount to allow for light at any angle.
Godox UL-150 – Powerful yet Silent Running
Entering into the top-of-the-line models from Godox is the UL-150. Providing a very bright 150W, the main draw to this LED light is its unique silent fanless design. How did Godox create a powerful light that doesn’t overheat and doesn’t have a fan? We’re not sure…all we know is that it works! The silent operation is absolutely ideal for top professional level broadcasting, cinematography, commercial products and anything else you can think of!
While powerful, the UL-150 is still lightweight and comes with a Bowens S-Type fitting. The CRI of 96 and TLCI of 97 provides vivid, natural, and accurate light.
Godox Litemons LA150D / LA150Bi – Fully Adjustable Bells and Whistles
While being relatively small in size, the compact but powerful LA150D / LA150Bi models output an impressive 84,800 lux (while using the reflector). Known for their ease of use, these COB LED lights have a very high colour rendering (CRI/TLCI rating of 96+/97+ respectfully), ensuring videos and photos have colours represented as close to natural as possible. One big feature of the LA150D / LA150Bi models is the stepless brightness adjustment capability, going from 0 to 100% continuously allowing precise lighting. The LA150D operates at a daylight colour temperature of 5600K, whereas the LA150Bi has an adjustable colour temperature that ranges from 2800K- 6500K.
With the ability to connect your smartphone to the Godox Light APP, the intuitive user interface allows for smooth and easy adjustments, such as altering brightness, FX effects (8 included) and for easy use with other Godox lights.
We covered these latest Chip-On-Board (COB) lights from Godox in a recent blog which you can read here.
In Conclusion
Like we always say to our community, when choosing an LED light you have to keep your own requirements and budget in mind. If you’re just starting out, we highly recommend the SL100D, ML60, or even the VL150/VL300 Series. If you’re looking for something with more professional capabilities, then the Litemons LA150D and LA150Bi or the UL-150 will be more than capable of anything you throw at them.
If you still have any questions regarding which Godox continuous light is for you, please do not hesitate to get in touch!