Love this strobe! I can't believe that when I first started I just had lightbulbs with reflector umbrellas. This is such a game changer in quality of light and control and overall professionalism. Real studio lights help that you will be taken as a professional. This light is great quality,. but no surprise there since it comes from such a leader in the industry. Easily 5 stars, wish I could give it more!

I have used Neewer lights for several years now, and have been more than satisfied. After having some issues with a predecessor to this model, I got this Neewer S102 400WS unit to replace it. This unit combines all the improvements that I would have wanted in the previous model. Easily adjustable flash power, an LED modeling light and a convenient remote trigger. And, despite what other reviewers have written, I found customer service to be prompt and extremely helpful!

I was trained on big flashes like this when I was learning photography, especially when I was taking studio photography class. This thing is a beast. Wireless trigger works great, and 400 W is enough power that I will not need to upgrade. This is my first big strobe and I am pretty happy!!

This unit is nice and bright but the model light starts to smoke when on for a short time.

Super

I have been using Neewer products for some time now. I really like the light this flash gives off. It's has incremental steps between the next stop of light. The flash feels sturdy and attaching the modifiers is fast and easy.

Works well. I've had others and these work just as well as any of them.

Bought this to start doing newborns and it’s awesome!

This kit includes the strobe light, modeling bulb, and hot-shoe mounted sync transmitter. We tested the kit out with a Canon 5D Mark IV. The flash sync'd with the camera immediately without requiring any differential settings. From there, it was just a matter of adjusting the f-stop and shutter speed on manual mode to get everything correct. The transmitter is lightweight and requires a single high voltage battery, which is included. It can be connected via wire if no hot shoe is present.The strobe light assembly has an informative LCD panel in the rear. It mounts on a standard light post and has mounts for your umbrella. In conditions where these are not available, there's a handle so that you can simply hold the strobe and aim as desired.The instruction booklet has very small print - even my 20 year old said it was a little small to be easily read - but is otherwise explanatory of standard maintenance such as bulb replacement. We ended up going online to figure out best camera settings to work with this unit, but there's nothing here that you can't figure out on your own - it would just be nice to have an initial guide, especially for common pro cameras.The strobe plugs in using a three-prong AC cord that's included (and is long enough for most installations). There's a USB-C port for firmware upgrades that are available from Neewer and were easy to find.Overall, nice build quality, very quick recycle time, and high reliability for field work.

TL;DR - This is an entry level studio strobe with surprisingly good build quality, but not without some quirks. Let's compare it head to head against it's direct competitor, the Godox MS300.DISCLAIMER - This review sample was provided to me free of charge. The opinions expressed are solely my own with no input from either manufacturer or Amazon.For context I am in the Godox ecosystem, but I don't particularly have any attachment to the brand. It's cheap and effective with good cross-compatibility. That said if it was economically practical to use profoto for my work I would. Anyways onto the review.This Neewer studio flash is perfectly fine for those looking to dip their toes into studio lighting. It sits on the higher end of the 100-200 dollar range and whether or not that's justified will depend on mostly personal preference.First off, like so many other budget studio strobes, it works. It has decent power output, variable output range and a fairly simple interface.Standout features are it's build quality, the ability to shoot a 1/64th power, and 2.4ghz wireless compatibility.Minor quibbles include the inability to change the output of the modelling lamp, and the modelling lamp bulb itself seems very flimsy. The lever to loosen the tilt mount cannot be rotated 360 degrees due to the design of the flash as well, which in practice isn't an issue because the range required to loosen and tighten is fairly short, but still irritates me.So how does it compare to the Godox MS300? For one it's $50 dollars more expensive, but for that premium you do get an included hyper reflector and a wireless trigger. The wireless trigger is extremely rudimentary relying on an older manual switch based programming mode. You need to read the manual to learn how to sync the trigger to the strobe, which is a huge pain, but on the other hand it's free. The build quality of the strobe housing is also impressively robust, though at the cost of weight. One other thing I noticed was that the recycle time of the Neewer was slightly worse than the Godox.The Godox on the otherhand, is cheaper, but in turn is built more cheaply. The housing of the strobe is adequate, but very lightweight, which might be a benefit for some. The modelling lamp has two modes and can be set to 100% or adjust as power output is adjusted. There is no wireless trigger nor hyper reflector. I will say that the clamp that controls the tilt is also much cheaper and will give you less precise control when tilting the strobe.In terms of colour accuracy, both suck. If you intend to do any macro focus stacking with these guys, don't expect perfect consistency. But they're cheap strobes, don't get too greedy.Honestly, I'd have no issues recommending either flash to anyone on a budget. It all just depends on whether or not you have any pre-existing equipment in either ecosystem. If you already own some Godox triggers or flashes, I'd probably say just go with the MS300 and vice versa.With that said though, I do believe Godox has a much better upgrade path, so if you intend to pursue studio photography for the long term, I might have to give the edge to Godox.But if you're looking to experiment and have a fun time without breaking the bank the Neewer is pretty damn good bang for buck.4/5

I primarily use this flash for product photography, and it’s been fantastic. The strobe has plenty of power and gives a clean, natural light that’s perfect for detail shots. I especially appreciate the wireless trigger included at this price point it makes setup much more convenient and is a huge bonus. The fan is also quiet, which is great for focused work sessions. Overall, a dependable tool that’s added quality and efficiency to my workflow.

I'm very fond of Neewer products and think they are probably the best photographic accessories company in the market currently. I own a lot of their products and this is the first electronic flash unit of theirs I have owned. I own a lot of flash equipment by other manufacturers though and use it every day in my studio.When comparing this mono light to my high-end studio power packs, this Neewer light really isn't that powerful at 300 watts so don't be fooled by the description. But, these days, camera technology has evolved to the point where huge amounts of electronic flash aren't needed very often and 400 watts can be plenty in many situations.Its flash duration can be anywhere from 1/100 to 1/1000 of a second which means at full power (1/100) it may not stop action if your subject is moving and you're shooting in a relatively bright environment. It does have a fast recycle which is essential so you don't miss an important shot.The controls are straight forward and easy to figure out, and it uses industry standard Bowens mount accessories which is nice.

The thing misfires so badly even when right against the unit. I still love Neewer, owning lots of their equipment, but they failed on the strobe light.