Lencarta smart flash 4

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Aiesha
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Hello lovely people! I recently put a thread up asking about lighting, you were all very helpful and recommended the lencarta smart flash 4


I think it looks great so far however, I cannot seem to find hardly any reviews about it! I’m guessing because it’s fairly new out? I was wondering if you guys have any reviews on it? :)

Also some other things I cannot work out is:

1. Is the godox transmitter really important, what exactly does it do?

2. is there a massive difference between the godox xpro canon transmitter and the godox x2t canon transmitter?

Thank you all so much in advance! You are life savers
 
Hi again Aiesha,

This is the Godox SK300II, but Lencarta just put their name on it and sell it for a little more. Normally, not a good thing IMO, but in this case it's worth it as you'll get a warranty and good backup service from Lencarta. They are always very helpful if you call them too. :)

The transmitter sits on the camera and controls the flash. You can adjust the settings remotely without having to go to the unit to change flash duration etc. It also 'triggers' the flash when you take a picture.

I use the XPro and prefer it to the others. Here's a comparison:

View: https://youtu.be/ZZnlZYf9rGo


Here's a video of the Godox range:

View: https://youtu.be/DbGxmUe4wW0
 
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Hope this is not too much of a hijack, but with regards the Godox units mentioned, what's the difference between the SK an MS ranges?
Edited...Just seen the second video which looks like it will answer this question...
 
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Sorry Pete, I've no experience of these. I have half a dozen SK400IIs and used SK300s before those.
 
This is the Godox SK300II, but Lencarta just put their name on it and sell it for a little more. Normally, not a good thing IMO, but in this case it's worth it as you'll get a warranty and good backup service from Lencarta. They are always very helpful if you call them too. :)

Hi Trevor,

Are you positive about this as in you have expert knowledge or are you just guessing?
 
Are you positive about this as in you have expert knowledge or are you just guessing?

Just look at the pictures and compare them yourself. Lencarta aren't the only ones doing it - that's the way business works. It's just that Godox are selling under their own name direct to the public as well as to the trade.
 
Sorry Pete, I've no experience of these. I have half a dozen SK400IIs and used SK300s before those.
No worries...After watching that video, I was surprised how many ranges of flash Godox produce, some at the same price point and with basically the same features, which surely can't be a good business model?
 
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Just look at the pictures and compare them yourself. Lencarta aren't the only ones doing it - that's the way business works. It's just that Godox are selling under their own name direct to the public as well as to the trade.

Yes as far as im also aware the Godox units are also made for a few other companies and rebranded, such as Pixapro, Lencarta and Flashpoint.
I have one Pixapro Citi 600 unit which is the same as the Godox AD600 and it syncs without issue with my Godox X1T trigger and Godox Speedlight.
 
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I have the Smartflash 4. Bought it to supplement the 2 Bowens heads I've had for quite a while. Mine came with a WaveSync transmitter though.

I wasn't overly impressed with it to be honest. Compared to the Bowens head, I found the mounting bracket to be very insubstantial and it struggles to hold large modifiers without drooping. The trigger sometimes worked and sometimes didn't with a "turn it all of and turn it all on again" fix required. Annoyingly, the head will not attach to the [Bowens] beauty dish I have or the [Bowens] small softbox, but it works fine with a cheap aftermarket snoot and the massive [Lencarta] Octobox I have. The lever for locking the modifier in place/releasing also feels insubstantial and is annoying to operate - again compared to the Bowens robust engineering.

Ultimately though, it's the "cheap" end of the price point and you get what you pay for. When it works, and you've got the modifier where you want it, it's fine. If I was doing it over again though, I'd probably spend a bit more for something that might last and is a bit better built.

Not much help on the transmitter though as it looks like they replaced the one I have with this one.
 
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I have the Smartflash 4. Bought it to supplement the 2 Bowens heads I've had for quite a while. Mine came with a WaveSync transmitter though.

I wasn't overly impressed with it to be honest. Compared to the Bowens head, I found the mounting bracket to be very insubstantial and it struggles to hold large modifiers without drooping. The trigger sometimes worked and sometimes didn't with a "turn it all of and turn it all on again" fix required. Annoyingly, the head will not attach to the [Bowens] beauty dish I have or the [Bowens] small softbox, but it works fine with a cheap aftermarket snoot and the massive [Lencarta] Octobox I have. The lever for locking the modifier in place/releasing also feels insubstantial and is annoying to operate - again compared to the Bowens robust engineering.

Ultimately though, it's the "cheap" end of the price point and you get what you pay for. When it works, and you've got the modifier where you want it, it's fine. If I was doing it over again though, I'd probably spend a bit more for something that might last and is a bit better built.

Not much help on the transmitter though as it looks like they replaced the one I have with this one.
You've made some valid points. Certainly the Bowens heads had a more substantial tilt mechanism, but most of them - the ones that didn't have Godox electronics - performed badly in terms of both power and colour temperature consistency, and were always well behind the market leaders in terms of performance. In my experience the SmartFlash is every bit as good as any modern alternative and far better than most. So much so that when I was using flash pretty much all the time and had a very wide choice available, I just picked up and used whichever heads were nearest to hand (except when IGBT was needed) and didn't bother to choose more expensive heads.

As for the inconsistency between the Bowens modifiers and others, you've got that bit very wrong - when Bowens first moved their production to China something when awry with their production and not even their own accessories fitted their own flash heads. My guess is that your beauty dish must have been from one of those early batches.

Yes, as with cars and just about everything else, many Godox products are re-branded and there are some retailers that re-brand everything. But if you look at the Lencarta website you'll find that they sell Godox products as is, but also have a small range of Lencarta products which, although made in the Godox factory, are unique to them, and which also have a 50% longer warranty.
 
when Bowens first moved their production to China something when awry with their production and not even their own accessories fitted their own flash heads. My guess is that your beauty dish must have been from one of those early batches.

Unlikely as it's both the small softbox and dish, and both fit fine on my Bowens heads. The connection system on the Smartflash just isn't as robust. In My Opinion that is.
 
Unlikely as it's both the small softbox and dish, and both fit fine on my Bowens heads. The connection system on the Smartflash just isn't as robust. In My Opinion that is.
No, because neither your small softbox and beauty dish fit, and both were made by Bowens:)
 
No, because neither your small softbox and beauty dish fit, and both were made by Bowens:)

Sorry... I'm confused. The softbox and dish were made by Bowens, purchased separately, at different times, from different places. They fit the Bowens heads (I have 2 - made by Bowens) absolutely fine. They don't fit the smartflash head (not made by Bowens). And you're saying it's the modifiers at fault?
 
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Sorry... I'm confused. The softbox and dish were made by Bowens. They fit the Bowens head (made by Bowens) absolutely fine. They don't fit the smartflash head (not made by Bowens). And you're saying it's the modifiers at fault?
Yes. Basically the Bowens heads were engineered to have wide tolerances, which meant that if the modifiers weren't machined correctly then there was a better chance of them fitting well enough.
Back in the first year or so of their Chinese factory, the modifiers were machined incorrectly and didn't fit anything correctly, including the Bowens heads, but this was eventually changed and they were once again machined to the S-fit specs, which then ended the problem.

Many of the other Chinese manufacturers were also at fault, with fittings that were unlicensed and poorly designed at the time, which added to the problem. That's all well in the past now.

P.S. It's Saturday, so I'm setting off now to go clay pigeon shooting - now guns really are precision-engineered, because it matters:)
 
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I'm not so sure this reasoning is especially sound, Bowens had one bad year so it's probably their fault versus years of Chinese manufacturers making bad copies of the Bowens mount?

Bowens are dead and buried but the mounting systems are still not a strong point for the Chinese brands.
 
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