The Best Strobes for Product Photography 2024-2025

This article outlines The Best Strobes for Product Photography in 2024-2025.  No, I will not tell you to purchase the most expensive units with useless features you won’t use.  This article will outline the best photography strobes to run your photo studio reliably and cost-effectively. 

If you have a photography enthusiast in your circle, many of the featured items in this blog will make great gifts for your photography-loving pals.

Having spent over a decade immersed in commercial product photography, I’ve had my fair share of encounters with various strobe lighting solutions. My goal has always been lighting equipment that works seamlessly and effortlessly, sparing me from technical headaches. I’m thrilled to pass on my wealth of knowledge and insights regarding what constitutes an exceptional strobe for product photography. After reading this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-equipped to make informed decisions regarding illuminating your product shots.

The Power of Good Lighting in Product Photography

Before we delve into strobes, let’s emphasize the importance of good lighting in product photography. Lighting isn’t just a part of the process; it’s the foundation upon which we make stunning product photos. Great lighting sets the mood, enhances clarity, and can transform an ordinary product into something extraordinary. A reliable strobe lighting system ensures consistent output and reduces the time and effort spent on post-processing, ultimately saving you money.

Strobes vs. Continuous Lights: A Critical Choice

Let’s address the first question of many budding product photographers: Should you invest in strobes or opt for continuous lights? To put it briefly, strobes are the way to go for product photography. Continuous lights often lack the intensity and versatility required for this type of photography. Strobe lights, however, can produce a burst of light even more potent than sunlight. This intense illumination reduces image noise and enables you to shoot at higher F-stops, achieving a deeper depth of field.

Determining Strobe Power: How Much is Enough?

When considering the power of your strobes, I advocate for aiming high – specifically, 600 Watts. This level of power provides the versatility needed for various photography projects. Anything less might limit your ability to achieve the small apertures necessary for a deep depth of field, especially when working with intricate product details.

What Sets the Best Photography Strobes Apart?

Now that we’ve established the basics let’s delve into the key features that distinguish the best strobes in the market:

• Affordability: A quality strobe doesn’t need to strain your budget.
• Consistent Output: Seek strobes that deliver uniform light intensity and color temperature.
• Durability: Invest in a reliable, long-lasting strobe that won’t break and that is easy to service.
• Sufficient Light Output: Aim for at least 600 Watts of power for versatility.
• Fast Recharge Time: Avoid delays between shots with a quick recharge time.
• Simple Design: Look for adjustable light intensity output and a responsive slave sensor.

While many strobes come equipped with modelling lights, I never find the need to use them in my photography endeavours. However, it’s worth noting that some of the latest strobe models incorporate robust LED lights, which are exceptionally useful for video production. It’s important to highlight that your videography requirements should remain distinct from your photography needs. This article will focus squarely on selecting the best strobes for your commercial photography needs.

The Importance of Uniformity

Consider purchasing all your strobes at once to maintain uniformity in your lighting system. This consistency eliminates the headache of dealing with variations in light color or intensity during the editing process. Furthermore, it simplifies maintenance and ensures you can use the same light modifiers for all your strobes. I prefer to buy only strobes with Bowens mounts, to facilitate compatibility across all of my lighting equipment.

Where to buy the best strobes for commercial photography

Stick to reputable sources like Amazon, B&H, or Adorama when buying strobes. While you might encounter cheaper options on platforms like eBay or Alibaba Express, the risks associated with quality and return policies often outweigh the potential savings. In my experience, the best strobe brands are readily available through these trustworthy vendors.

How Many Strobes Should You Buy?
My recommendation? Go for seven strobes. This setup offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing you to effortlessly adapt your lighting to various products. Here’s a breakdown of my preferred lighting configuration:

• Four Lights on Stands: Positioned at the North, East, South, and West for comprehensive cross-lighting.
• Two Overhead Lights: Strategically mounted at both the front and back for top-down illumination.
• One Backlight Strobe: Positioned beneath a clear acrylic table to achieve captivating backlighting effects.

The four-point strobe lighting setup stands out as one of the best strobe configurations, ensuring uniform light distribution across all four quadrants of objects. It excels particularly excellent for flat-lay clothing and rug product photography. 

Where to install your strobes in your studio?

Depending on your shooting environment, mount your strobes on 9-foot stands, dwarf mini-light stands, or ceiling mounts. Use sandbags to weigh down your mini light stands for added stability, mainly for backlighting. When attaching strobes to the ceiling, invest in sturdy strobe mounts available on Amazon, and be sure to use proper anchors to fasten the strobes to the ceiling securely.

When selecting a strobe stand for my studio, I often contemplate investing in a pricier, exceptionally durable unit. However, I usually opt for the lighter, less durable aluminum stands because they offer greater portability. Many of my on-site photo projects demand the flexibility of carrying six or more stands, making lightweight stands a practical choice. If portability weren’t crucial, I’d undoubtedly default to the sturdy steel strobe frames.

This is my standard commercial photography arrangement, featuring my photo strobes positioned in their customary locations.

Here’s my method for mounting photography strobes on ceilings securely: Ensure you employ top-notch anchors to firmly secure the weighty photography strobe light to the ceiling.

For backlighting clear objects when I shoot product photos, I utilize a 1-inch clear acrylic table as my shooting surface. Beneath this table, I’ve set up a mini light stand housing a powerful 600-watt strobe. To ensure stability since this setup can be top-heavy, I employ a sandbag to balance the weight at the base

What is a Bowens mount?  See the video above to learn more.