StellaPro Reflex S Hybrid Light Update. More Power for Less Money?

[@iSpike]

G'day Steve, I appreciate this review. Happy to subscribe. Cheers from Western Australia

[@BehindTheShot]

So glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for taking the time to watch!

[@antpruitt]

Nice work as usual 🤜🏾

[@BehindTheShot]

Thank my friend. Appreciate you.

[@rmrpictures1]

Great review Steve! It's going to be interesting to see how this plays with the new Sony A9III global shutter!

[@BehindTheShot]

Oh yeah. Sync at any shutter speed. We live in an interesting time for gear.

[@charleschessler4808]

Great review of the upgraded battery. I'd love to see a dedicated Bowens Mount Adapter.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching, Charles. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ArminHirmer]

informative as usual. I just wish that shipping and customs to Europe would not bump the price up 400 bucks...

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks, Armin! I hadn’t thought about that. Is it possible that they have local distribution in Europe? I’ve seen retailers there sell them. I’m sure some have the old version, but maybe if you contact StellaPro they could point you to a reseller there with the updated version.

[@erwy1]

Double the power (light) is indeed 1 STOP extra. But that means that +50% power increase is NOT half a STOP extra! Remember we're talking about powers en logarithmics here. 150% power is LOG2(150%) = 0.5849 STOP, hence closer to 2/3 STOP extra (than to 1/3).

[@BehindTheShot]

You are correct, and I hadn’t thought of that. In most cases precision matters, and that extra .0849 does make the upgrade look even better. In my defense, after the fact, I think the reason I maybe didn’t take the time to be precise with the math it is easier to talk 1/2 stops in something like this. The average user would not calculate it, and would just want to know do they live up to the claim, which they clearly do. That said… Truth is I didn’t even think to calculate it out, so thanks for doing that. At least the .585 would round to a half when talking half stops. Your math does explain my results being closer to the 2/3 I saw here.

[@BehindTheShot]

And thanks for watching and helping.

[@richodphoto]

would this work for multiple shutter clicks for close sports like wrestling?

[@BehindTheShot]

Hey Richard, Personally, I don’t tend to use a flash for things like that myself, but that said, these will fire at 30 frames a second (with the upgraded battery) without missing a flash. Before the upgrade it was 20 frames a second. In the original review video, I tested it using my mechanical shutter at 12 frames a second without a mess. Hopefully that answers your question, but if not, let me know.

[@JeffWiswell]

Great video! I've been waiting all summer to buy one in the hope that they have a good Black Friday sale again. Do you recommend any other accessories? Maybe the gels?

[@BehindTheShot]

Hey Jeff, I bought their Chimera ring and softbox and like it. Still, I used them with my Westcott Octabox for the first video, and I’ve used an umbrella. Both work great. I do like having a few different optics. One of my complaints actually is the gel setup. I think you’d want their gel holder and gels because they’re glass. If you try to use normal gels I worry they could melt if you ran them to where they got warm. I don’t know that for sure though. Thanks for watching!

[@northpointstudiony]

As someone who has 6 Stella Reflex S with the original battery. I am pissed that they do not have an upgrade program for us who have jumped on board, spread the Reflex S like gospel. All we get is a %15 discount. Wish the upgrades would have a bi-color option. Curious if a powerful powerbank at 100-140W would do the same as the new Reflex S batteries.

[@BehindTheShot]

Thanks for watching. I do understand your point, and far be it from me to defend a company. They’re capable of doing that on their own. That said, this is a very competitive space, where smaller companies are lucky to survive against the big names. 15% is still a savings, and we as users do want the company to not only survive but thrive. We want more improvements and new products, and that all takes profits. So, personally, I understand their point of view as well. I asked them about bi-color when I did my first review and they said it would increase size and have other trade offs. As to the external power, they have an AC adapter of course, but I don’t know if the product works with third party battery packs.

[@TheRealJonathanArdila]

Does the light has color temp for continuous light?

[@BehindTheShot]

Hi Jonathan, They do not have adjustable color temp. The Reflex native color temp is 5600k.

[@johnjajack3673]

I bought 2 of these on 11/2/24 then decided to add the spot optic to the order so emailed an order request on 11/3/24. Received my original order promptly only to find one light would not fully boot. Have sent 2 emails and no reponse. Nobody answers the phone, can't leave messages, and no response from 2 emails sent weeks ago. Any chance you have a contact at Light and Motion to help me get some resolution?

[@BehindTheShot]

Hey John, So sorry to hear that. I haven’t talked to them since last year, when I did this video. Looking at the site I see Black Friday banners and a huge sale, so I assume they’re still in business. I’ll try emailing them, but if course no guarantee. I’m not connected with them at all, and this was not a sponsored video. If I hear back I’ll post it here.

[@BehindTheShot]

Hey John, I heard back from StellaPro Lights, and was told that they’d be getting back to you about your light issue. They’re short staffed right now I believe. Again, just to be clear, I have no connection to the company, but I’d love to hear back from you if this gets handled.

[@BehindTheShot]

Hey John, I heard back again today that they are creating an RA for the defective light and will get a new light out soon. Please let me know if you see this.

[@johnjajack3673]

@@BehindTheShot Hi - So happy to learn that something is in the works. I have not yet been contacted with an update, but they did ship the order fast so maybe the replacement will just show up soon with a return label for the defective. I'll let you know...john

[@johnjajack3673]

@@BehindTheShot Thanks for the follow-up. I saw your update soon after you posted it and thought I had responded, but I'm just realizing that I apparently failed to hit the replay button to get my response out. Regardless, nearly a week later and no RA, new light, or any response received on my end. I'll continue to keep you updated.

[@olegasphoto]

Unfortunately few people care about light

[@BehindTheShot]

I would disagree with you on that. Every photographer I know, both amateur and pro, cares about light. Light is what we capture, we talk about hard light vs soft light, good light vs bad, or the right time of day (blue or golden hour) vs the wrong time. If what you mean is caring about artificial light, I would still disagree. Yes, many people prefer to shoot only "natural light", but even those, when given a complex scene, may pull out a light. They may not know how to use it, but they own at least a speed light. So, it's my belief that everyone can benefit from having - at a minimum - a good clean portable light source. Be that a Nikon, canon, or Godox speedlight, a studio strobe, or some versatile portable light like the StellaPro Reflex doesn't matter. Everyone can enjoy the benefits of added light, fill light, or control over the light.

[@TheRealJonathanArdila]

Light IS important

[@BehindTheShot]

Exactly.

[@northpointstudiony]

That's why they are amateurs. Photo/video is all about lighting.