What Are the Best Spotlights and Gobos for Photography?
Looking to replicate that spotlight effect in your photography? We've got just the products for you. We've put together a list of the best spotlight effect kit plus compatible gobos that you can use to bathe your models and subjects in the limelight for that head-turning effect!
Godox VSA Spotlight System
The VSA Mount set is where you should start with the VSA, which comes with the spotlight mount for your light, plus a bag, gel and gobo holders plus a lens optic of your choosing. Separate lenses are also available in Projections of 36°, 26° and 19°.
The VSA Set is perfect for videography and even for theatre productions, especially as it creates such an intense, crisp, and accurate spotlight effect as seen below.
This spotlight unit also has the benefit of being able to be attached to any kind of stand or even safely attached to a ceiling system due to the reliable build of the mount, to allow for any kind of effect you need! Tailor the light as much as you need with different attachments, built in shutter blades, lenses and mounting options, and you can create any effect you can dream of.
These are perfect for LED units up to around 300w in power, and the mount is Bowens S-Type, allowing it to be used with a wide range of lighting options. Suitable lights for this set are those such as the Godox VL200, the Daylite60D, or the LED200B and 200D series.
Colour correction sets and creative gel sets are also available to tailor your light to your space or to add some extra colour, as well as an iris diaphragm to narrow the field of light produced through the lens. There are also 24 gobos you can collect, each in sets of 6 to purchase separately, or you can buy the Complete Bundle Kit and get them all to add to your collection!
MINI30D Focusable LED
Looking for something a little more all-in-one? The MINI30D might be your solution.
This compact 30w LED comes with an optical lens system that allows you adjust the beam angle between 6° and 55° to control your light and trust in accurate colour representations with CRI and TCLI ratings of 96.
Add the Projection Attachment and focus your light projections as you see fit or defocus for a softer effect.
The MINI30D also has the option of a number of gel and gobo sets, scrims and shutter blades, purchasable together with the projection attachment in the Complete MINI30D Set or separately as needed. This compact unit is perfect for those on a tighter budget and is super versatile.
Snoot Options
Optical Snoot for LEDs with Built-In Shutter Blades
Needing a more traditional snoot option to attach to different lighting units? Look no further. The LED Optical Snoot, as mentioned in the name, is designed for LED lighting units up to 300w, and features built-in shutter blades to shape the light and comes with an 85mm lens (but is compatible with Canon EF Mount lenses also!). This snoot is perfect for fashion, product and beauty photography and due to being designed for continuous LED Lighting, is great for budding creative filmmakers.
Even better, the snoot also comes with a set of gels and 12 gobos, meaning you don't have to buy them separately (though this is an option too!). This snoot is also compatible with M-Sized Gobos of other brands, to allow you to reuse other gobo patterns with your new snoot. With an interchangeable speedring, this snoot can also be used with a wide range of different brands of lighting such as Hensel, Profoto, Broncolor and more.
Find the full selection of 24 gobo designs here.
EF Mount Optical Snoot
If you need snoots that are specifically compatible with strobe lighting, however, we have our EF Mount Snoot options too! The standard EF Mount Snoot is a great low-cost solution to creating a spotlight effect, and will fit any EF Mount Canon Lens if you want to use lenses you already own. This snoot also comes with an interchangeable speedring in order to fit Bowens, Elinchrom, Profoto or Broncolor lights, and has a gobo holder included along with 9 random Gobo slides.
Adjustable shutter blades and iris attachments are also available for purchase separately. This Snoot is perfect for strobe/flash lighting but can also be used for LED lighting too, and can handle up to 600w in strobe lighting, but still around 200/300w on LEDs. However, this snoot is not suitable for use with Tungsten modelling bulbs due to the heat the bulbs can produce.
Optical Snoot Spot Projector with Built-in Lens
Don't own a compatible lens? No problem. Try the Snoot with Built-in 85mm Lens instead. The lens is fixed to the unit meaning you don't have to buy a separate lens or change it over, and the snoot is compatible with all the same gobos and shutter blades as the other snoot model.
There is also a Complete Kit Option that comes with all the gobos, gels and a handy padded shoulder bag to store your kit in.
Optical Snoot Spot Projector MKII
The newer, updated Snoot MKII model is also available, now with more versatility and options than before! Buy the snoot without the lens, with 50mm Lens or with 85mm Lens depending on what you need, or purchase the Snoot MKII Complete Kit which comes with 50mm Lens and a range of gobos,8 coloured gels and a handy bag! This snoot also has a compatible Iris Attachment and Shutter Blades available for purchase separately, and has a wide range of speedring attachment options to fit any light you need provided the modelling bulb isn't attached.
Other Options
MagBeam
The MagBeam is also a fun option if you're after a magnifying lens suitable for use with Speedlites such as the Li-ION Series. The MagBeam Kit features both Tele and Wide lens options, along with 4 gobos and the MagBeam mount itself, which can work to amplify the the light produced by your speedlite even further with the fresnel lens design. When fully extended, the MagBeam gives you super-focused light with a hard edge, like a stage spotlight, or can be collapsed down to create a softer, diffused light beam. The MagBeam is also super easy to use, clipping onto a speedlite with the MagGrip (sold separately) and attaching via magnets. Easy to use and compact, this kit is perfect for creating that spotlight effect on the go!
SpiffyGear Light Blaster
A little different to the above, the SpiffyGear Light Blaster system is a unique projection system that can product a spotlight effect with it's lens and gobos, but also has the option of coming with different image slides that can be projected against a wall to create a background for images, such as the Wings kit that can be projected around somebody to give the illusion of them having feathered wings!
It can even be used with a pistol grip, allowing you to use This kit is very unique, and while it may not be the top choice for creating a clean spotlight projection that can be tailored to your needs, it's a great addition to any creative photographer's equipment, and can be used with a Canon EF Mount lens much like many of the other snoots available.
Whatever kind of spotlight you're looking for, EssentialPhoto has what you need! Browse the full selection of spotlight products here and check out our Gobos, Gels and other accessories here. Or, if you're after some further advice, drop our team an email at info@essentialphoto.co.uk.
Images used with permission from Compton Harry Photography.
