Neewer Z2 Review: Can it really be that good?
If you are looking for a powerful, lightweight and reasonably priced speedlight then this could be exactly what you need. In this Neewer Z2 Review, I delve deep into the more technical details and uses of this awesome flash as well as my own personal experiences using it.
Before I get started I should also mention that the model I am using for this Neewer Z2 review is actually an early pre-release production model, so thank you Neewer for sending it out so early to me. I have been playing with the Neewer Z2 now for a good few weeks and I thought it was about time I posted an article on it so let’s get into the technical specs first.
The Neewer Z2 Flash is now available in Canon, Nikon and Sony versions and it’s fully compatible with their TTL systems.
Neewer Z2 Technical Specifications
- It packs a powerful punch at 76 watts.
- 480 full power flashes per charge. The battery fully charges in 3.5 hours.
- Full Power flash recycling time of just 1.5 seconds.
- HSS (High-Speed Sync) up to 1/8,000th of a second.
- Two modeling lights are built-in.
- Compatible with the Q systems which has 5 groups and 32 channels, works beautifully with the Q Pro trigger.
- Flash duration of 1/180 to 1/20000th of a second depending on output power of course.
- TTL/Manual switch. This is handy if you need to swap from TTL to Manual super quickly.
- Upgraded user interface.
- Round Head flash design.
- Price…
Neewer Z2 Price
Crazily at the time of writing this Neewer Z2 review the Z2 cost just $259.00 and that is an awful lot of light for that price, when you consider the feature list above. Speaking of price though, if you are interested in buying the Neewer Z2, then the good news here is Neewer has given me a discount code HAYES21 which will save you 21% off the price worldwide and all year round, so please do feel free to use that and save some money.
Another little tip here is to check the price on both Amazon and the Neewer Official website just in case one of them has one of those crazy super special offer running at the moment and make sure to select the right version (Canon, Nikon or Sony) of the Z2 flash for your camera.
In my Neewer Z2 Review video below I walk you through the unboxing and how this unit has worked for me as well as its feature list too of course. The written review continues below though if you want to keep on reading.
What’s in the box with the Neewer z2?
- The Z2 flash unit of course.
- A 7.4 Volt 2,600mah battery.
- USB-powered battery charger.
- USB wall charger.
- Padded Carrying case.
- USB charging cable.
- Mini stand.
- Instruction book.
Thoughts on the Neewer Z2.
After using this flash now for a good few weeks I have to say firstly it’s not small and secondly, the Neewer Z2 is super bright. The 76-watt output power is incredible if you are trying to overpower daylight with High Speed Sync (HSS). Incidentally, HSS works at up to 1/8,000th of a second.
This output power is also incredibly handy for when you are using diffusion to soften the light either in the studio or out and about. Diffusers as well as softening the light also weaken the output power of the flash unit so having that extra bit of power is really handy at times then.
So that’s a massive thumbs up for the output power on the Z2.
As I mentioned above it’s not small and you can see its size in relation to my hand and camera in the video or even the picture above, yes, that’s to be expected, as let’s face it the Z2 packs a mighty powerful punch. So it really does need to be that big.
One of the issues I have always had with speed lights is that the head will drop down if you are using slightly larger diffusers on them, so far though the Z2 hasn’t had that issue but it still weirdly manages to be easy enough to twist and pop into position so well done Neewer, I am not sure what kind of magic ye are using there to make that happen.
On shoots, I have easily popped out over 800 flashes on a single charge and the battery still has half the capacity left in it. The rated 480 flashes are for full output power flashes, when the output power goes down the load on the battery also reduces dramatically so it lasts a lot longer then too.
The supplied USB wall charger is a nice touch and it charges the battery in about 3.5 hours but you can also charge the battery on a power bank or in the car via a cigarette lighter adaptor. That’s handy if you are traveling around or even worse you forget to charge the battery the night before 🙂 Charging on the way to the shoot could be a lifesaver there.
Recycling times… The recycling times are stated at 1.5 seconds for a full power flash and that seems to bang on from my experiences, the point to remember here is when you drop the output power the recycling time drops dramatically then too. I found that at 1/4 output the recycling time is really quick and dropping down even further to 1/32nd output power it seemed to be nearly instant.
Modelling lights… The modeling lights are both 2-watt LED bulbs with one mounted in the flash head itself and the other in the front of the flash which is very handy in dark situations where you might be bouncing the flash off the ceiling to help diffuse the light a bit. The front-facing 2-watt modeling light helps the camera to focus quickly in those situations.
The modeling lights also have 10 different output strengths so you can adjust the output power to your exact taste then too.
Display… The flash unit itself as you can see has a nice big backlit display and this makes navigating and using the flash super easy.
Zoom Range… The Z2 has a 28-105mm automatic zoom range or you can of course manually override this if you want.
The flash duration varies from 1/180 to 1/20,000 of a second depending on the output power of course with the 1/180th of a second being max output power.
There is a magnetic accessory kit available for this new round-head design flash it’s the same kit that was used for the Z1 flash.
I also have a Neewer Q4 review here if you want to know about the 400-watt bigger brother of this strobe.
Or why not check out my Neewer CM28 wireless Microphone kit review here.
I have a Neewer F500 field monitor review here and also a Neewer x17 ii Telepromter review here if you ever thought about buying one for your rig setup.
If you have any questions please do feel free to reach out to me as I am only too happy to help.
Or if you would like to know more about photography why not check out my Photography workshops here.
See you out there,
Kieran.
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4.6