From lightning-fast monolights to high-end, pack-and-head systems, here are five motion-freezing, time-stopping strobes to own (for those on a budget to those who can afford a splurge).

Strobes: What You Need for Speed

There’s two general metrics to keep in mind when sizing up flashes and strobes for speed—recycling time and flash duration. The former tells you how fast the flash is ready to fire again after it delivers a flash. The second is a measure of how long before most of the light from the flash dissipates. It’s measured in “t”, with t 0.5 being the time it takes for 50 percent of the flash’s light to disappear and t 0.1 being the time it takes for 90 percent of the flash’s light to disappear. For motion freezing projects, you’ll want to pay attention to the duration at t 0.1, but sometimes that spec isn’t published.

Flash power also plays a role here: A very powerful flash or strobe that outputs a ton of light may take a few fractions of a second longer to bounce back to full charge compared to a lower-powered flash. The high-powered flash isn’t necessarily “slow”—it just has to work harder than its lower-powered peers.

1. Godox V1

Strobe style: On-camera flash.

How fast? Flash durations clock in at between 1/300 sec. at high power to 1/20,000 sec. at low power. Recycle times average 1.5 sec.

Great for: Wedding and event work, travel photography.

The 76 w/ sec. V1 flash is capable of popping off up to 480 full-power flashes on a fully-charged lithium ion battery. It’s available in versions that are compatible with the major camera brands with support for TTL functionality in all.

Price: $259

godox.com

2. FJ Westcott FJ200 Strobe

Strobe style: Monolight

How fast? Flash durations at t 0.1 t fall between 1/260 sec. and 1/7,000 sec. at lowest power. Recycling times range from .05-1.3 sec.

Great for: Portraits, events and weddings, location work.

Boasting 200 w/ sec. of flash output, the battery-powered FJ200 can deliver 450 flashes on a fully- charged battery. An AC adapter is sold separately if you need all-day operation. It supports TTL and power is adjustable over a 9 stop range in either .1- or 1-stop increments. The extended flash tube helps improve light output when using strobes.

Price: $349

fjwestcott.com

3. Elinchrom ONE

Strobe style: Monolight

How fast? Flash durations of between 1/7000 sec.-1/625 sec. at t 0.1. and recycling times range from .06 to .9 sec.

Great for: Event, fashion, travel, group portraits.

The ultra-compact, 131 w/sec. ONE can deliver up to 725 full-powered flashes on a charged battery and thanks to its USB-C connection, you can re-charge without a break in the action. Power is adjustable across a five-stop range. It uses the new Elinchrom OCF modifier mount but is also compatible with most Profoto bayonet light modifiers.

Price: $949

elinchrom.com

4. Broncolor Scoro 1600 E

Strobe style: Battery pack

How fast? Flash durations of 1/8000 sec. (t 0.1) at low power to 1/265 sec. (t 0.1) at full power. Recycling times of .06 sec. at low power and 1.4 sec. at high power.

Great for: Fashion, action, events, studio photography, overpowering the sun.

The Broncolor Scoro 1600 offers 1600 w/sec. of flash power that’s adjustable over 8 stops in 1/10^th-stop increments via two independent outlets. You can control the Scoro via Wi-Fi using the free bronControl app.

Price: $7,251

broncolor.us

5. Profoto Pro-11

Strobe style: Battery

How fast? Measured at t 0.1, flash durations clock in at 1/17,500 sec. at low power and 1/600 sec. at full power. Recycle times of between .02-.7 sec.

Great for: Action, fashion, event, over-powering the sun.

The Pro-11 delivers marquee performance for a headlining price. The Pro-11 can hit 2,400 w/sec. of flash output. It offers fine-grained controls—output is adjustable over 11-stops at .1 stop increments and each head is independently adjustable. The AirX wireless system enables smartphone control of the flash, wireless firmware updates, and wide camera compatibility.

Price: $17,499

profoto.com