Godox ML80Bi review: a continuous studio portrait light that you can use anywhere

Many photographers will already be familiar with Godox lighting solutions, such as the Godox V480 compact on-camera flash or the Godox AD200 Pro II off-camera flash. Godox is certainly a go-to brand due to its products' combination of quality and affordability. As a long-term Canon user, I stuck to my trusty Canon Speedlite for a couple of decades until I discovered continuous LEDs, such as the Godox ML80Bi.

I prefer continuous lighting solutions like the Godox ML80Bi for several reasons. As a photographer, the continuous LED light eliminates the need to worry about the flashgun's infrared receiver pointing towards the camera-mounted remote trigger during portrait shoots, and thus the risk of misfires. This continuous light source also lets me see how the subject is illuminated and adjust the light stand or color temperature and intensity on the fly for a more flattering (or dramatic) look. Additionally, I shoot a lot of video, so a continuous light source is highly advantageous and a flash becomes redundant, especially in gloomy locations like the corridors in London’s Brutalist Barbican Centre.

As the ‘Bi’ in its name indicates, the Godox ML80Bi is a bi-color LED. This means it can emit a wide range of color temperatures, measured in degrees Kelvin, from a warm 2800K to a cooler 6500K. However, it isn’t an RGB LED, so you can’t dial in a more creative range of colors to simulate different-color gels. This lack of an RGB capability initially put me off, as I do like to get creative and add cinematic teals and oranges to my portraits.

However, as you’ll see from this review’s supporting clips and photos, I had a ball using the Godox ML80Bi, especially as my review sample shipped with optional accessories such as a soft box for more flattering portrait lighting effects, and is sure to earn its place as one of the best continuous LEDs.

Godox ML80Bi: Specifications

Godox ML80Bi: Price

The list price of the Godox ML80Bi is $299 / £203 / AU$383. The kit ships with the new ML-Z zoom lens reflector, which boosts the output of the LED by up to an impressive and eyeball-blinding 10x. It contains an ML-BA battery that docks to the LED via a secure push-and-click mechanism. For the price, you also get a sturdy yet compact carry case that should fit into most camera kit bags. Oh, there’s also an adaptor to attach the LED to a light stand (or you can screw it to a mini tripod via a thread on the bottom of the LED).

For the price, the ML80Bi is relatively expensive compared to the similarly specced but slightly cheaper 80W Neewer HB80C, which retails at $179.99 / £129. The ML80Bi also lacks the Neewer HB80C’s RGB ability to mimic a wide range of color gels. However, the ML80Bi is still a powerful and portable portrait light, and unlike the Neewer HB80C, you can adjust the focus of its reflector to get a wider or narrower beam of light. It’s also an attractive LED to look at, with a design that’s reminiscent of the stylish (and much more expensive) bi-color Harlowe Avant Max.

Godox ML80Bi: Design & Handling

As the number in its name indicates, the Godox ML80Bi is an 80W LED, though thanks to the supplied reflector, it can emit a 10x brighter output of 29,000 lux. On unboxing the LED, I was impressed at how heavy it felt, which gave me the impression of a well-built piece of kit. On the downside, the white plastic body of the main LED made me doubt that it would survive unscathed if I dropped it or knocked it over when mounted on a light stand.

The ML80Bi is a modular portrait light. In the sturdily built but compact carry case, you’ll find the body of the LED, plus a clip-on ML-BA battery. The battery is also constructed of white plastic, and when clipped onto the LED, it creates an attractive, sleekly designed light that looks like a boxy retro camera, especially when you clip on the supplied white plastic reflector, which looks a bit like a camera’s lens. The battery can be charged up by plugging in a USB-C power cable. This enables you to shoot in any location without requiring a cabled connection to the mains, which suits my needs as a ‘run and gun’ location-based portrait shooter. You can also power the Godox ML80Bi via NP-F batteries, but you’ll need to purchase the Godox ML-NPA battery adaptor plate to do that. You can also attach a V-Mount battery (sold separately).

As a bi-color light, the controls on the side of the lamp body are very easy to use. A circular textured plastic dial enables you to adjust the LED’s color temperature between a warm candlelight 2800K to a cooler daylight color temperature of 6500K. You can view the chosen color temperature on an LCD screen. After tapping the Set button, you can use the same dial to adjust the intensity of the LED. The mode button also enables you to access 11 animated special effects – Flash, Lighting, Cloudy, Broken Bulb, TV, Candle, Fire, Firework, Explosion, Welding, and SOS.

This isn't quite as many as the competing 80W Neewer HB80C can manage, which boasts an additional seven animated effects. This is because the Neewer LED is an RGB light, so it can produce a wider range of colors in its animated effects. The Godox’s ML80Bi bi-color nature means that its animated effects can only include warm or cold color temperatures rather than the creative reds and blues you’d need to mimic a police car, for example. But despite the lack of RGB colors, I still found the Godox’s ML80Bi capable of producing a range of colored light to complement and contrast with existing light sources on location.

Godox ML80Bi: Performance

To test the Godox ML80Bi, I popped its carry case into my favoured camera backpack of choice – the Wandrd Stratus Photo 18L. I then headed to London’s Barbican Centre for a photo shoot rendezvous with model Maryna. I planned to kill two birds with one stone by using the Godox ML80Bi to illuminate Maryna while testing the iPhone Air's camera capabilities.

In addition to the Godox ML80Bi, I also brought a Godox ML-S50 soft box and a Godox ML-CFL5 Collapsible Silicone Fresnel Attachment with me in the Wandrd backpack. These optional extras proved to be very useful accessories on my shoot, as I’ll explain.

As it was a cold day, we started our shoot in one of the Barbican Centre’s indoor corridors. My first corridor of choice had a stone ramp that made a perfect ‘catwalk’ for Maryna. The location was already illuminated by yellow and blue lights, so I mounted the Godox ML80Bi on a lighting stand, courtesy of the Godox kit’s supplied AD-E2 Stand Mount. As it was a full-size lighting stand, I was able to extend it to Maryna’s head height and shine a key light on her.

To magnify and direct the light, I attached the supplied ML-Z reflector to the front of my ML80Bi. Rotating the reflector adjusted its emission angle between 13º and 30º. A 13º angle produced a more tightly focused, stronger beam, while a 30º angle created a wider, slightly softer flood. The reflector’s bright key light was so intense that I had to reduce it using the plastic control dial on the LED’s body.

Inspired by its strong key light, I began my iPhone Air shoot with some ‘film noir’ style shots of Maryna. She was dramatically lit from the side, with half her face plunged into shadow, evoking the look of a mysterious Hollywood femme fatale. To contrast with the existing blue and orange light, I set the ML80Bi’s color temperature to a cool 5300K. The harsh light created a very striking and defined shadow, which complemented the film noir look of our first shots.

As Maryna was wearing a glamorous dress, I wanted to capture some less dramatic and more flattering photos of her, so I mounted the Godox ML-S50 soft box onto the ML80Bi. I felt really pleased to have a studio-style lighting setup on location and was delighted with the softer key light (and softer shadows) that the soft box produced. The soft box also provided enough light to make Maryna stand out from the background (and add some modelling light to shape her face) when I filmed her walking through the location to test the iPhone Air’s video recording capabilities.

Talking of video, the next part of the test involved testing the Godox ML80Bi’s 11 animated effect presets. I found a dramatically low-ceilinged corridor and asked Maryna to walk through it as if she were in a thriller movie (which was a bit of a challenge due to her high heels). I then used the Godox Light app on my phone to trigger the ‘Bad Bulb' effect on the LED. This intermittent flickering from the ML80Bi made it look like the location’s lighting was failing, which added a sense of drama to the scene. I was able to use the app to adjust the effect's properties, such as the flickering frequency, more quickly and easily than I could using the physical control dial on the body of the LED. I also used the ‘Lightning’ effect to add dramatic lighting to my footage, though this produced a colder-looking light than the warm ‘Bad Bulb’ preset.

After a change of outfit for Maryna (to add variety to my shots), we headed out into the cool November Barbican exterior. The sun was setting, which would normally allow me to capture my model bathed in a flattering golden-hour glow, but due to shadows from the urban location’s surrounding buildings, only the tallest towers were sunlit. Fortunately, I was able to dial in a golden hour color temperature on the ML80Bi, so it complemented the existing sunlight. Thanks to the LED’s adjustable color temperature, I was able to make it look like Maryna was lit by the same sunlight illuminating the distant tower, creating a dramatic golden-hour portrait that would not have been possible without the presence of the ML80Bi.

As the shadowed outdoor sections of the Barbican were quite gloomy, I popped the Godox ML-CFL5 Collapsible Silicone Fresnel Attachment (sold separately) onto the front of the ML80Bi. The accessory produced a much stronger and more directional beam of light, which enabled me to bring the setting sun down to earth and illuminate my model. The Fresnel attachment is made of silicone, so it can collapse flat and fit nicely into my Wandrd backpack alongside the ML80Bi. I can certainly see myself using this compact and portable collection of lighting equipment in future portrait shoots!

Godox ML80Bi: Verdict

Thanks to separately sold accessories, such as the Godox ML-S50 soft box and the Godox ML-CFL5 Fresnel lens, I was able to take my usual Barbican-shot portraits to the next level. Being at the mercy of available light can lead to gloomy and flat-looking portraits, but the customizable light from the ML80Bi helped me emphasize the shape of my model’s face and helped her stand out from the location’s gloomy background corridors.

By changing the LED’s color temperature, I was able to light her as if she were bathed in the same golden hour hue that was illuminating the background buildings, leading to a more attractive collection of outdoor portraits. The animated effects were fun to use when shooting video, though the lack of an RGB LED panel's more colorful gel effects makes the ML80Bi less useful for creative video makers, but still perfect for ‘run and gun’ portraits.

Alternatives

At 80W, the Neewer HB80C 80W RGB and Bi-color LED is similarly specced to the Godox ML80Bi (and slightly cheaper), but as an RGB LED it has the bonus of producing a wider range of colors for a more creative look.

If you need a stick light that works on location, the battery-powered Zhiyun Fiveray F100 LED light wand gives you that option. Like the Neewer HB80C, this is an RGB light that can cast a wider range of creative colors than the Godox ML80Bi. In addition to the bi-color Kelvin scale, it also features six animated lighting effects.