Reviewing the Neewer Vision5 TTL Monolight: The Godox AD400/Flashpoint Xplor 400 Killer
By: Vincent Termini
Tags: Review, Photography, Gear, Camera, Studio

You can watch the video version here.

Introduction

The Neewer Vision5 studio flash is a $350-ish, 400 watt battery-powered monolight that currently supports TTL for Nikon, Canon and Sony. It is a cheap introduction into studio quality lighting and for how cheap it is, this should be at the top of your list if you’re looking into getting a taste of professional (or hobby!) photography.

It supports High Speed Sync up to 1/8000 and, in addition to TTL, you have Manual mode and multi-flash, or what’s also known as stroboscopic mode. It’s got a 2.4 GHz radio system built-in and every package that I could find online includes a wireless trigger. Also Included is a 13 ft 3.5mm sync cable if for some reason you don’t want to use the wireless trigger. 8 channels and 3 groups allows you to add a ton of lights and control them all remotely.

It’s got a Bowens mount for attaching softboxes or other accessories, and it comes with a removable reflector and diffusion material. The reflector and light also features a hole for attaching umbrellas. There’s also a built in 13 watt dimmable modeling light with 6 levels of power adjustment.

The 6000 mAh battery is rated for 500 full power flashes with a recycle time of around 2 seconds, and down to as quick as .01 seconds at it’s lowest power.

Build Quality

This thing is very solidly built. It’s got a fan built-in to keep the unit cool, and so with the battery, this thing weight in closer to 5 pounds rather than 4 pounds advertised. The system also has built in overheat, overvoltage and overcurrent protection, all under budget. 😏

The good news is that it doesn’t have the cheap plastic feel you’re probably used to if you’ve owned a Neewer-made product before. It’s got a nice thin silicone shell around the entire main body which should help to keep the light protected from dings and scratches.

Its about 8 inches long without the reflector, and just over 4 inches wide, so if you’re going to be transporting this or multiple lights around, you’re going to need a decent sized carrying bag. Neewer and others make good photography carrying cases with backpack and roller options. Check those out in the description down below.

One of my favorite features about this light is the pistol grip for hand-holding. This is great if you’re in a location where it may be hard to setup a light stand, though you should make sure your assistant is relatively buff because it’s probably going to get heavy after a while.

This things is, theoretically, future proof with the inclusion of a USB port for firmware upgrade. I couldn’t find any Neewer firmware upgrades, but there are some Visico. I read in an amazon review that someone was having issues firing a multi-light setup and that the Visico firmware upgrade not only worked for the Neewer, but fixed the issue. Since I haven’t had any issues or have seen any benefits of upgrading the firmware, for now, I’m going to stick with the stock setup since they only provide firmware upgrade utility is only compatible for Windows.

Operation & Functionality

This thing just simply works. I haven’t experienced any misfires, though I’ve only tested it up to 100 ft. The advertised distance is 262 ft, but I’m sure most people will never need to fire that far. If you do, I’d probably suggest getting a more professional radio system. Since it’s got a 3.5mm sync port, I don’t see why this wouldn’t work with Pocket Wizards or another third party radio triggering system.

The menu system is really easy to navigate and isn’t overly complicated like some of the other systems out there. It’s dead simple to get in, make the adjustments you need, and get back to shooting.

The power ranges from full power down to 1/128 with 1/3 stop increments. If you use TTL, you get flash exposure compensation in 1/3 stop increments as well.

I haven’t noticed any significant heat coming from the unit, but I also haven’t pushed it to the extreme of shooting hundreds of full power pops back-to-back, but I would still say the fan is doing it’s job well. I should also note that it’s pretty quiet, too.

Cons

Cannot use power cable to power flash.

No mac version for firmware upgrades

No optical slave

The Final Word

For $350, this monolight is pretty hard to beat. The Godox AD200 or the Adorama-branded Flashpoint V1 round head flash is 200 watts but doesn’t even come close to this with half the power and almost nearly the same cost as the Vision5. I was initially going to buy the Godox AD400 or the Flashpoint Xplor400 pro, but given the $650 price tag and the great reviews of this light, I am very happy I got the Vision5.

I took a break from photography and used to be somewhat invested into the Godox/Flashpoint system of lights before I sold it all off. Don’t get me wrong… Those lights are awesome, built, and work, really well and come with top notch customer support and a great warranty. This decision just made the most financial and technical sense for me.

I can’t speak to the long term viability of these lights, but according to most Amazon reviews, it seems like people are getting great life out of them. If you’re on a budget and need more power than a speedlite can offer, the Vision5 is a solid investment. Rather than spend $650 on an equivalent light from Godox or Adorama, you can invest that extra cash in light modifiers or towards a new lens.