If you are looking for a professional and affordable studio strobe light then Yes, it’s worth buying Godox SK400ii Studio Flash Strobe. After reading this article, you will know everything about Godox SK400ii and you will be able to decide if you should buy this studio strobe.
One more thing here we would like to mention. We are in product photography for catalogs, eCommerce websites, and for online purposes mainly. So we are not into that 100 Megapixels photography league and we will share our view from a studio perspective.
A few words about Godox – Over the past few years, Godox has managed to earn a good reputation for its flash units. Godox has manufactured some of the widely used and very popular flashes. At this time, they have a huge customer base who buy their flashes and they have a decent market share. The same reputation comes with the SK400ii strobe as well.
A few days back, we required 2 studio strobes that were not too costly and offered good quality light with standard features.
After some research, we decided to buy the Godox SK400ii and we were impressed with its performance. Initially, we bought these strobes because of their popularity, price, and of course their brand value. Now after using SK400ii for a few days, we concluded that the SK400ii strobe was a perfect buy for us.
From our experience, here we will be sharing almost everything we know about Godox SK400ii strobe and this will help you decide, whether you have to buy it or not.
First Know- Major Specifications of Godox SK400ii Studio Strobe
- Model – GODOX SK400ii
- Maximum Power – 400Ws
- Modeling Lamp – 150Ws in Yellow Color
- Color Temperature – 5600+_200k
- Recycle Time – 0.1 to 1s
- Operating Voltage – AC 220V-240V
- Triggering Mode – Slave Mode, Sync Cord, Wireless Triggering, Test Mode
- Flash durations – 1/800s – 1/2000s
- Guide No. – 65
- Warranty – 1Year (except flash tube and modeling lamp)
Pricing and Build Quality of Godox SK400ii Strobe
The price of SK400ii (140$ per unit) is highly competitive with many other strobe lights of different brands that offer almost the same features.
While using SK400ii strobes, we liked the build quality and it’s impressive in its price range which is around 140$ per unit. We have found no issue with its build quality.
Godox Sk400ii weighs around 2.1kg / 5lbs, which is not too heavy and easy to move around. Its head comes with a tilting stand mount and sits nicely on the light stand. Godox Sk400ii has metal alloy thread on the mounting part.
Godox SK400ii has a decent-sized bright LCD panel on the backside. All buttons, a dialler, and an AC power socket are placed on the backside around and below the LCD. The on and off switch is also placed on the backside. So basically all physical controls are on the backside of the strobe.
Godox SK400ii is a manual strobe, so no built-in TTL support is given. It features a 400W light source that is going to be operated on AC power. Godox SK400ii also features a 150W modeling lamp that is yellow, not white.
As well if you want to use the HSS feature then make sure to use a compatible wireless trigger. Godox SK400ii comes with a Godox XT16 trigger and you can sync at speeds up to 1/250 second only using this trigger. This is the limitation of the trigger not of the light.
Godox SK400ii features 1/800s – 1/2000s flash durations, so using a wireless trigger like Godox Xpro you can have sync speed up to 1/2000s. We know that sync speed is very low and not as per standards but this is something that you get in SK400ii. So you have sync speed but limited to only 1/2000s and that also with compatible triggers like Godox Xpro.
Godox SK400ii comes with a standard Godox reflector out of the box but sometimes sellers may remove that, so make sure to check the details before buying it online.
The overall build quality of Godox SK400ii is going to impress you if you consider its pricing. 140$ per-unit pricing is very much justified for Godox SK40ii. It’s built using decent-quality metal alloy as well as plastic in its body parts. Overall it feels and looks professional, has decent weight, and is assembled with almost perfection.
Quality of light from Godox SK400ii Strobe
The quality of light produced by Godox SK400ii is per standards and it offers good quality of light throughout the shoot. The quality of light from SK400ii is perfect and we also have no issue with that. The Color or the temperature of the light didn’t change even when we used it continuously for a longer time.
Godox SK400ii is a 400W/s maximum output and 5600k daylight-balanced flash light source. It has a guide no. of 65 (m ISO 100). The output power of the strobe can be adjusted in 40 steps from 1/16(min. power) to 1(max. power).
The 150W Modeling Lamp (yellow color) can be adjusted in 5% to 100% power and has three modes to use – off, prop, and percentage.
Godox SK400ii has a recycling time of 0.1-1s which is impressive in its price range. The company claims that no more than 2% shifts when under the same output.
Godox SK400ii strobe also offers HSS support but capped up to 1/2000s. Make sure to buy compatible triggers for HSS support like Godox Xpro Trigger. We have tested Godox Xpro Trigger with it and it works perfectly with SK400ii. Using Godox Xpro with SK400ii, you can get HSS support up to 1/2000s from this strobe.
Triggering System on Godox SK400ii Studio Flash Strobe
Godox SK400ii comes with a built-in 2.4 GHz(which is standard) wireless receiver. You can trigger SK400ii using a wireless flash trigger or using another flash. Godox SK400ii syncs flawlessly with Canon, Nikon, Sony, and other systems using compatible wireless triggers based on different Camera bodies and their brands.
GODOX SK400ii offers three main triggering systems:-
The first one is, you can use SK400ii in slave mode (that is S1 and S2), so it can be triggered using another flash.
The second one is, sync cord triggering, and of course, the third one is wireless triggering using 2.4 GHz wireless triggers.
Some online sellers are selling SK400ii with XT-16 Wireless Flash Trigger which will allow you to trigger the flash. XT-16 doesn’t offer to utilize HSS of the flash that is 1/2000s in SK400ii.
Triggers that can be used with Godox SK400ii
Godox Xpro TTL and Godox X1 are compatible popular wireless triggers that we can suggest to be used with SK400ii Strobe. These will allow you to use SK400ii with its full capabilities.
If you are not an expert then take advice from someone familiar with these systems before choosing any wireless trigger.
Godox SK400ii Strobe ease of use
Godox SK400ii Strobe is quite easy to use and easy to set up. Attach the power cable that comes with the strobe to the back of the strobe (Power Connector Socket) and another end to the AC Power Socket for the electricity supply. Power on the button on the strobe and you are ready to use this strobe.
It comes with Bowens-mount so attaching accessories like softboxes and other light modifiers is quite handy. Weight is decent and can be moved easily inside the studio.
The manual interface for using Godox SK400ii is on the backside like many other strobes. There is a decent size output LCD panel which is bright and clear. It shows you the settings which you have selected and helps you in making your output settings.
There are 5 buttons, one dialler, one strobe’s power on/off switch, one sync cord jack, one wireless control port, an AC power socket, and a fuse jack on the backside of Godox SK400ii.
You can handle every function of the GODOX SK400ii strobe from these buttons and that dialler.
There is a slave mode button, a test button, and a button to adjust the power of the modeling lamp.
However, there is a single button to set up both groups and channels. The short pressing (GR/CH button) will allow you to select from groups and the long press will allow you to select from channels. Once you are in either Group or Channel selection mode, then you can use the dialler to make the selection and then press the dialler itself to set it up on the selected value.
After using it for few times the Godox SK400ii strobe is easy to operate. We find it quite handy to use and believe that even beginners will easily operate it once they get their hands on it.
Our Final Words for Godox SK400ii Studio Flash Strobe
At this time when we are publishing this article, in our view, the Godox SK400ii studio strobe is one of the most affordable and versatile studio strobes for professional photographers. The features and excellent versatility offered by the Godox SK400ii studio strobe have already made it a popular choice in the photography community. You will only get positive reviews about the Godox SK400ii strobe.
SK400ii Studio Flash Strobe gives accurate color temperature, fast recycling time, and offers all the features of an entry-level studio strobe. Godox SK400ii can be used for portraits, products, and food photography (For Studio Work) very efficiently.
In my opinion, if you know how to use and modify the light of a strobe then you can use it almost for anything inside your studio. Once you start using this light, it is going to be your daily driver in the studio. Remember you are paying for 400Ws, not for 1000Ws, so don’t expect that it will replace your 1000Ws strobe.
In my opinion, the Godox SK400ii strobe is the best 400Ws studio strobe out there in the market only 140$ approx.
So, if you are a professional photographer or just starting your career and need to buy a decent quality professional studio strobe then you can buy SK400ii studio flash strobe. It’s one of the best entry-level studio strobes that you can buy without giving extra thought.
Frequently asked questions about Godox SK400II
No way, remember that it’s a strobe and not a constant light source. However, there is a modeling Lamp that you can use for continuous light but that’s only 150Ws, and it’s yellow – gives yellow color light.
No, it’s a studio strobe that only works as a flashlight. However, there is a 150W modeling lamp. This modeling lamp throws yellow light so no way to use it even for a small continuous light source.
Partially Yes, Godox SK400ii strobe supports HSS but unfortunately, Godox has capped it up to 1/2000s of the seconds. So even if you have a trigger that supports HSS more than 1/2000s then also it won’t work for you. You can only sync up to 1/2000s on sk400 ii.
Godox XT-16 wireless trigger doesn’t support HSS. So it is not the strobe itself, it is XT-16. We suggest you buy a Godox Xpro trigger or Godox X1 trigger for the corresponding camera body to use the HSS feature of SK400ii
We suggest you buy a Godox Xpro trigger or Godox X1 trigger for the corresponding camera body. These are the most popular wireless triggers from Godox and work perfectly with the Godox SK400ii strobe.
However, you can also use the Godox XT-16 wireless trigger(it comes with sk400ii) but it will limit you from utilizing the strobe’s HSS (1/2000s) capability. That is why we recommend the Godox Xpro trigger or Godox X1 trigger. You will be able to sync up to 1/2000s.
It won’t show up because SK400ii in itself doesn’t offer TTL means that you have to adjust the power manually. It’s a manual strobe.
