This is correct, and GVM has told me they are addressing it, although I don't know exactly how at this point. I would recommend against using non-same branded Fresnel's anyways, because the COB needs to sit in the right spot within the lens for it to work properly. Of course, that's not always possible due to budgets etc., and they do still work, just not as efficiently as ones meant to be paired together. Regardless, it's a big consideration, but one that GVM is supposedly taking care of.

@@NewLayer Ideally, as COB LED's become more common, and maybe a film & television authority needs to weigh in, is a standard for bowens mount so that Fresnels can be interchangeable.

I own and i’ve be en using de 300 with the godox fsl-8 with no problem at all. Maybe the 650 have that problem.

It's definitely a quality light, and way, WAY better than the budget-level GVM lights in every way.

Good feedback! I CONSTANTLY come across this with almost every brand, where the floor cable is 100' long and the the lead cable is 5', or the opposite. It's so rare for both to be a good length. Some do it purposefully and offer longer options (like Intellytech), while most others I think it's just an oversight.

@@NewLayer I have never seen this from an Arri or Mole. Even Aputure finally got the message though their Amaran lights are still a problem. But for these other companies, it's a crapshoot. I think the REAL pro lights are OK. But these mid or lower tier lights... not so much.

My reply here will be almost the same as another comment, but I agree. They are VERY hard to beat for the price. If GVM "fixed" the special effects and refined the menu system, there would be pretty much no reason not to buy them.

Nice, thanks for the support. Hope it treats you well!

I think they are probably the best value in "pro" level lights right now. If they could refine the menu system, it would be hard to find any reason not to buy them.

No problem 👍

It's a beast of a light! I think you'll love it :)

Thanks! I think GVM did what they set out to do with their Pro series of lights, and made something that is professional level in build and light output. Their menus/controls could use some finessing, but they are great lights. They are also all very cohesive, so the Pro SD lights + Pro tube lights are a really good way to build a big, capable lighting kit for that for as little as possible.

Yes, there are definitely differences between Aputure and GVM Pro lights, but the price difference is huge, so you can buy multiple GVM lights for the same price as 1 Aputure light, so they're definitely worth considering.

That sounds good I am deciding to buy two lights for building my studio and your advice is important. Thank you. 👍 @@NewLayer

All measurements are always from 1m and with no modifier so they are a fair comparison to other lights.

I personally didn't come across this at all in my testing with the high end GVM softboxes. Were others using third party modifiers? There's all kinds of random weirdness using differently-branded modifiers and lights, so maybe that's the case? Also, I guess it depends a lot on what modifiers you have, because the majority of softboxes I own don't have that thumbscrew, and all 4 attachments at the speed ring are flat screws + washers.

@@NewLayer No it was GVM softboxes. It was scratching the front. Saw 2 different reviews and they showed the problem. Maybe they fixed it.

@@RobertJohnPhotography Weird! Maybe, because it didn't happen to me.

@@NewLayer I sent you a email with link to the problem. He shows it at the 17:00 mark. You do grreat reviews as always.

Interesting, I have not heard that. I wonder if it's a defect, or there will be a different v-mount adapter just for the SD300B? It wouldn't make sense that the SD200B supports v-mount, but the 300 doesn't, then the 400+ all do again... weird.

The Pro series is WAY better than the SD series for sure in terms of build quality and brightness. And I would definitely get a bi-color light rather than a daylight light + gels. The bi-color light will actually be brighter than a daylight + a full gel. It's also significantly easier to adjust the CCT and much faster than gels. Yongnuo makes good stuff, but they have a tiny US presence, so in my experience, it's impossible to get ahold of them for any kind of issues/support. If you're in the US, the SD200B has a coupon on Amazon right now making it barely over $200, which is an absolute killer deal on that light: geni.us/gvmprosd200b

@@NewLayer Thank you! Appreciate your advice. Wow! Thanks for the link, such a good deal, I'm gonna buy it right now:) Also could you recommend me a good stand for Pro SD200B please? And softbox for product photography:) Good point about Yongnuo. I didn't think about it:) Thanks!

@@MarynaAlexia I highly recommend the Glow collapsible beauty dishes. They are much lighter and more compact Vs. a parabolic softbox, but create the exact same soft output when using diffusion. 34" is a good standard size, but you can go bigger or smaller if you need to: geni.us/glowbeautydish25silver geni.us/glowbeautydish34silver geni.us/glowbeautydish42silver For a stand for that light, I'd get a more heavy-duty, air cushioned stand. Neewer makes a good, inexpensive one in a few sizes. The 8.5ft is fine unless you need something taller. geni.us/neewer85airstand geni.us/neewer92airstand

@@NewLayer thank you so much!

@@NewLayer I have one more question:) I’m thinking maybe I’d better buy a C-stand to take an overhead shots. Could you recommend me a good one please?

I don't know what BF is, and that's quite an open ended question with a lot of "correct" answers. DM me on Insta @newlayercom so I can ask for details and better help.

GVM only makes a 24" and 36" specifically geared towards these lights: geni.us/gvmprosoftbox36 If 42" is big enough, I would HIGHLY recommend a collapsible beauty dish. They are way lighter and more compact, but produce the same exact light when using the diffusion panels as a parabolic: geni.us/glowbeautydish42silver Glow also makes a 48" octabox: geni.us/glow48octa If your dead set on a 120cm parabolic, then Neewer makes a good one (it also has a big coupon right now if you're in the US): geni.us/neewer120parabolic

The brightness will be quite similar, within 1/2 a stop or so of each other. The bigger difference between those lights is in their form factor." The FS series is very much a studio light. Very simple, head unit and power cable. The G200 has external controller + the cable associated with that, so it depends on your needs. I always prefer less cables/parts whenever possible.

I would get the Godox SL150 III, especially because it's on sale right now for $20 less than the FS-150, at least at B&H: bhpho.to/3QMALlo

For sure! GVM makes a regular, air-cushioned light stand that holds even the SD650B no problem, so any decent C-stand will do even better.

I'd get the 200. The brightness difference to the 300 is very minimal, especially in a space that small.

@@NewLayerthank you for answer. Even with a 120 parabolic softbox? (I read You need more light) thank you again

@@shumayla25 The 300 is only 1/3-1/2 stop brighter than the 200, so the difference is quite small, no matter what modifier.

@@NewLayer thank you so much ☺️

@@NewLayer How did you come to that conclusion? 300 is ~ 13500 lumen, and 200 is ~8500 lumen. That is not really "1/3-1/2 stop brighter". Feels like it should be more than 1/2.

Always bare/no modifiers and always from 1 meter!

​@@NewLayer Great, thank you. Pulled the trigger on this one. In my country this one is exactly 3 times cheaper then Aputure 600x. I planned to buy 600d pro, but it's not avail on amazon (still 2x more expensive then GVM) Local retailers got 600d pro 3x times the price of GVM. Worst case scenario I can return it if it's too magenta or build quality is bad. Seems currently they got a promo, so my final price (no tax) was ~650€ with shipping.

@@JoATTech That's a big consideration for non-USA buyers since pricing can vary wildly in other countries!

@@NewLayer Actually turned out to be 747€ (without tax) due to complicated tax laws in EU ... but it's still kinda cheap compared to Aputure 600x, which is 1985€ without tax in my country - so 2.7x more expensive :o

These lights are some of the more consistent in terms of Kelvin shift across brightness levels, and long run times. Like he mentions in the beginning of the video, ANYTHING the light touches can have an effect on the color accuracy, including softboxes, reflectors, Fresnels, etc. Some are minor, and some can make a drastic difference. So, overall, the lesson is that color accuracy is important, but not nearly as much as people make it seem. Yes, you want a light that doesn't have any major flaws in the individual R values and SSI, as well as avoiding lights that have huge shifts when you change the brightness, but the most important thing (by a large margin in my opinion), is that you properly set your camera white balance after setting up your lighting completely. You will almost always have to tweak things in post if you need perfect accuracy, and properly setting white balance, regardless of your lights color temperature and tint, will get you 95% of the way there with basically any modern LED.

@@NewLayer Sure, but his measurements shows like difference in 900K when going from 100% -> 10%. Thats a lot compared to other brands. Actually I think in hist list it was the biggest difference for the tested lamps. Basically wondered if his measurements were off, or if somebody saw same issue. Runing it as a key light would at few procent of intensity would give the color of 6400K, which is quite a lot off for any light.

​@@wpse I can only speak from my own personal measurements. I also use a Sekonic C-800, which is very time tested and trustworthy, and I've not once found it to be inconsistent or off. There is a lot of variation between individual units from most brands, but again, it's less important than most think in my opinion. The only real reason you'd need one that is super accurate throughout the entire dimming range is if you do continuous shots where you dim the light during the shot from 100% to 10%, but that's extremely rare in my experience. Otherwise, whether it's 900K off, or 250K off makes no difference, because you need to re-match all your lights and re-set your white balance for that shot regardless. I also don't know about his spectrometer, although it seems totally fine, it's just one I have no experience with, and isn't really widely available. It would be cool to test it side by side with my C-800, because I wouldn't be able to trust a ~$400 out of the box Vs. the industry standard, which costs $1700+, although I think the C-800 is overpriced.

@@NewLayer Since he measured all lightd with same spectrometer, then it can't be it, otherwise the difference would also been seen for the other lamps. I'm looking to update some light, from 150W to 200W for 360 photography and video. Depending on the products I would like to have somehow consistent color, when I go up and down in intensity. Got a little bit hesitant, when I saw his update video and measurements. I wanted from begining to go with the Tolifo 350W light, then I saw this GVM and not I'm not sure :) Anyway, I appritiate your answers.

@@wpse For sure, that spectrometer looks fine, and even if it's off a tiny bit, by measuring everything, it still gives a clear overall picture. Photography is a whole different thing to consider! Strobes can be way more accurate when adjusting brightness levels, which can be VERY important. It's definitely less important for video. Personally, I much prefer strobes for photos, because even a small one is so much brighter than a continuous LED. Even with a 300W LED light, if you're using a 36" softbox, you'll at best be shooting around ISO 800, f/5.6, and 1/50 second. For real client photo shoots, I prefer ISO 100-400, 1/125 second, and the ability to go up to f/16 if I have to. Even if you had a continuous light bright enough to get those settings, it would be gigantic and expensive, and completely blinding for any human subjects. In my experience, I very rarely change the brightness of my light in my studio, but instead, change my camera ISO, because it's way faster/easier to have my light permanently set since I know it's brightness and color temperature will be constant.

Don't laugh, it's the next step in the future of LEDs 😎

Interesting, what device are you using to measure the output? And I can only assume you're measuring from the same distance for everything, 1 meter? And what CCT?

​@@NewLayer Sekonic 858D, and yep same distance - 1m. 5600K. My light meter shows any other light with proper values, so it's not a measurement error. And the light draws ~650W at full power from the socket. But seems I know what's the issue here. GVM 650B is supposed to have "a lens" on a COB. My unit does not have it. So it's either old version of the unit, they forgot to attach the "lens" or since I ordered it from Amazon someone lost it. It kinda looks like unit that has been already returned (display is a bit scratched), although the COB shape looks a little bit different then what they show on their homepage, so maybe it's older version ... not sure. Hate such purchases, especially that it was a nightmare on amazon side (9th payment was successful with 50€ fee).

​@@JoATTech Gotcha, I get people who are measuring with phone apps and stuff so I always have to ask and make sure. The lens is just a diffuser, it doesn't focus the light at all, so wouldn't make it any brighter. If anything, it would cut down some of the light. The fact that its missing though is not good, and makes me think it was previously bought and returned, possibly damaged. I've bought "new" stuff on Amazon that was VERY clearly used, so that's not too surprising. I would try a return/replacement with same product through Amazon. Alternatively, you could contact GVM directly, but that might not be as streamlined.

​@@NewLayer Yeah, even if the lens is focusing the light it does not magically add output to the light. It would be just narrower beam and wouldn't impact output with modifiers. I can see now that GVM has also shop which appears to deliver to Poland (where I live). So I guess I would return Amazon one and either get second GVM unit from their own shop or just order Aputure 600d .... haven't made up my mind yet. Not sure how good is return policy with GVM online shop, I do not want to get another defective unit I cannot return. I actually contacted GVM via their page, no answer yet :D - I do not expect one during the weekend :(.

@@JoATTech In my experience, their customer service is a little slow, but very good as far as replacements/returns go, so hopefully it's the same for you.

The CC# is not a direct correlation to actual gels, which can be confusing. I find it to be about half, so a CC# of 1.0G would require ~1/2 plus green. The vast majority of daylight lights come in around 0.5-0.8G or so, so in reality, these are around 1/8-1/4 green different. Some high end daylight lights I've tested come in at perfect 0.0, or even slightly green at 0.2-0.3M (meaning they are more green than neutral). Funny enough, a 0.0 light is just as "problematic" as a light with a CC# of 1.3 since it's just as far off of the average. LEDs also turn greener over time with use. Sometimes it will be a 0.1-0.2 shift, other times I've seen 1.0+ shift after 20 hours of use or so. On top of all that, a simple softbox, stock reflector, or Fresnel can change the CCT by 500K+ and the tint by 1.0 or more as well. So in a way, it's a lot more complex than just the numbers, which funny enough, makes it more simple in my eyes. Meaning, as long as the CCT/SSI/CRI is good, and your lights are close to matching each other, then the tint isn't very important since you will pretty much always use modifiers in some way, so you'll need to set white balance/tint before shooting, but after setting up your lights. And then if you're changing these (or any) lights more towards tungsten, then the tint shifts more towards green as well. All in all, you basically ALWAYS have to account for tint changes, unless you're shooting in a perfectly controlled environment. And if you are, you just set your white balance and tint and it's irrelevant. Of course, the big caveat being that if you're using multiple lights, they all need to match each other.

Doesn't work with SOME other-branded Fresnel lenses, important distinction. It works fine with the GVM Fresnel, and I've had other lights in the past that don't work interchangeably with off-brand Fresnel's as well. So it's flaw, just not a deal breaker for people who will be getting the GVM Fresnel. I don't like using non-matching Fresnel's at all because they are all meant to focus properly with only their intended lights.

That is massive! I've used 48" softboxes with 150-300 watt lights no problem, but that's a whole lot bigger. The 450 watt is only going to be 1/3-1/2 stop brighter than the 300, so it's really not much at all. I would get either the 300 or the 650. It also depends on what you plan to do with it. For photography? It won't be very bright in a modifier that big, I always recommend actual flashes for photography, as continuous lights, even 600+ watt ones, are not comparable. If you're just wanting to film talking head stuff with a giant modifier, 300 watts should be fine.

@@NewLayerAwesome reply thanks! I plan to shoot video and I’m doing something a bit unconventional as described in this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p9ekg5letJ-UmI0.htmlsi=Wd7nsm_et8Xt_Dd5 I need a pure white background in a small room, so using two lights to light a simple white backdrop floods the subject too much. I am going to use the large soft box as my actual background to create that look. I will use other lights to light the subject and then focus the camera on the subject to “blow out” the whites in the background. What do you think?

@@KyleTurner-hc3zk Ah gotcha! Then 300 should be even more doable, because you need less light to use the actual softbox as a white background than you would to point it at something and illuminate it to be white. If you want to be shooting at ISO 100, f/8, and 1/250 or something, then I'd say go for a brighter light, but if you're OK using higher ISOs like 400 and maybe 1/125 shutter speed, the 300 should be totally fine.

@@NewLayerTruly appreciate your response! I ended up buying the SmallRig RC350B due to a great sale. It was your comment about the small difference in f/stop going from 300 to 400 watts that gave me confidence to buy it! Can’t wait to test it out. Thanks again!