EXR 400 Ring Flash Review

12Apr/110

[Review] Ring Flash EXR 400

Intro

I have wanted a ring flash for a long long long long time. My original plan was to save for a while and get the Bowens Ring Flash Pro plus a generator. But when i stumbled across the Godox EXR400 ring flash I thought I would give it a test.

Technical data:

Model: EXR400

Max power output: 400W

Power variation: 9 steps

Guide number: 55

Recycle time 0.5 ~1.8s

Illumination angle: 65°

Voltage of the charger: AC 240V 50Hz

Battery: rechargeable Ni-MH battery

Battery charging mode: AC 240V 50Hz and Car charging 12V DC

Replaceable Battery

Full charge indication: green light

Over 200 Flashes at full with one charge (I managed to get around 160 with a full charge)

I already have a portable monolight from the same manufacturer so the fact that it used the same battery pack was a large selling point for me. I paid €386,05 + €11,35 postage + €22.50 import tax.

The kit contains:

1x Flash head with handle

1x Power pack

1x Battery pack

1x Charger

1x Wireless remote trigger and receiver

1x Power pack bag

1x Aluminium case

1x Translucent cap

1x Sync cord

1.5-meter power cord

1x Car charger

1x Mounting bracket

My Impression

"I have the power" well I don't but the flash dose, it as a lot of power. At its minimum power setting, ISO 100 I had to work at between f/11 and f/16. I was hoping to use a shallower depth of field. Full power at close range will be very uncomfortable for your models. It has the same basic faults as my other unit from the same manufacturer. They need to have a much lower power out put at minimum level, but you can easily deal with this problem by taking an extra step away from your subject and zooming in a bit more. One item that I found very important is the "Power pack bag" as this gives you more mobility, the cable between the ring flash head and the power pack isn't the longest. If you place the power pack on the ground and shoot you wont be able to move around your location a lot. But the power pack isn't very heavy so by using the shoulder bag that is provided, you will be able to adjust your flash easier and move around your shooting location easier.