Last year Westcott released the FJ400, a battery/AC powered strobe. If 400watts is overkill for you, Westcott has now released the FJ200 and FJ80 and all three lights work with the same remote system. 

My favorite feature of the FJ400 was the universal remote (FJ-X2m) which works with Canon, Nikon, Sony with an adapter, FUJIFILM, Panasonic Lumix, and Olympus.

Maybe this isn’t a big deal to the average photographer, but being that we are constantly reviewing camera gear, we never seem to have the right remote for the right camera brand. The universal remote is one less thing I need to worry about and it works with both of Westcott’s new lights as well.

The FJ200 is a 200-watt battery powered strobe that is about the same size as a speedlight. It’s one stop less powerfull than the FJ400 but less than half the size and weight. It has a daylight-balanced LED modeling light and a color screen on the back. The FJ200 has an exposed flash tube that will fill light modifiers more evenly and will be significantly brighter than other tubes hidden behind glass. It comes with reflector dish and grid/gel holder. The light comes with a standard umbrella bracket and Westcott is currently working on a speedring/lightstand mount for as well. 

The FJ80 is Westcott’s version of a speedlight. You can use it on camera (and it works with all brands like the remote), or you can use it off-camera in “client mode.” My favorite feature of the FJ80 is that it can act as a remote control for other FJ80s, FJ200s, or FJ400s. The back of the FJ80 has a giant color touchscreen for navigation which makes using the flash extremely intuitive. 

The FJ80 also has a range of accessories currently available and more on the way. 

I only had two days to play with the FJ200 and FJ80 so this certainly isn’t a comprehensive review but, from what I’ve seen so far, and considering the incredibly low prices, these lights are a fantastic value. If you’re in the market for a new strobe system, definitely consider Westcott’s FJ line.