JTL Versalight J-160, 180 Watt Second Monolight Strobe.

SKU: JTVJ160

This item is no longer available.

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Q&A

Questions & Answers

Shopper : I have two of these, one just broke, I had it for 10 years. Can I sync multiple JTL 160 together or it is an only two light set up? I have used both and then a third light as my hot shoe off camera flash.Joseph M : Yes. This strobe uses the flash from another strobe to fire. It will work along with any strobeMURRAY C : remember, you can trigger these with slave setting, usually works fine as long as clear line of sight to the triggering flash. also, check with jtl about repairing your bad unit.BYRON H : You can set multiple additional lights to slave mode (one of the switches on the back) and when one strobe fires, all the rest will fire. As many as you like as long as you have at least one that is controlled by the camera.
Shopper : Why Did You Choose This?NEAL B : Back up for my studio. They work great. I already have a pair that I have used for two years without any problems.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2019-02-28T10:50:21

Rated 4 out of 5

Was exactly as listed

Was exactly as listed! Would rrcommend!

KIM T.

2018-11-01T07:49:38

Rated 3 out of 5

replacements

In our situation when the lamp was damaged we discovered it is nearly impossible to repair therefore requiring that you replace the entire lamp head. Very disappointing. You definitely get what you pay for. Handle with extreme care.

SARA C.

2017-08-27T11:31:24

Rated 5 out of 5

perfect

exactly what I needed

Rita T.

2017-07-28T21:05:55

Rated 5 out of 5

Great deal great item.

Economy lights and great quality. I have two of them since 2005. Great item.

c/o Z.

2015-03-27T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Just an Update

Just did a shoot with this kit and now after getting used to it I love it for the price! Yes it still has some drawbacks but that is what photography is about compromise, strengths and weakness, Light and dark check out the Exanple

Sportser J.

2015-03-10T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

quality product at a really low cost

I am a very picky customer. I bought my four units of J-160 along with JTL wide-edge soft-boxes almost 3 years ago and had been using them daily along with Canon 5D for my on-line store since then. They are very handy, strong, convenient to carry around and never brought me any quality problem. Furthermore they are so stable in terms of color temperature (5500K) that is important for pictures of fashion, shoes and costume. For sure I replaced the modeling light (75W) for a couple of time but it's reasonable (JTL offers me excellent services as well) and they are used only as the guiding lights rather than the photo lights for shooting. I even tried to shoot the pictures for my family in Christmas with the four JTL J-160 and the pictures came out unexpected beautiful! Yes, J-160 is really great regardless the design, the quality, the cost and the services.

picky u.

2014-11-14T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Nice starter

As a full on amateur and gear head I really liked this set-up because it gave you a lot to start and experiment with. It is not pro gear, but that being said it is a relatively good set up to start and it being JTL you can use some of the accessories with other lights you may buy from them. The light stands were just that light. I would recommend the flashpoint set that has two for 71$ also get the beauty dish as this is a nice accessory. You'll need a flash meter but other than that you should be shooting in about an hour after you get this kit.

JEFFREY D.

2014-08-12T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

I would buy this again

This is a great little light. I have purchased 6 of them in the past year for different projects. I love that there is a switch to turn off the slave. i don't know if there is another light at this price point that has this feature

mfphoto

2014-01-09T19:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Avoid this device at ALL COSTS

I bought one and and it broke, bought another cuz that is all the camera store had w/i my budget. BIG MISTAKE. second unit went out within 4 months.

Rich

2013-11-25T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Small light / big bang for your buck

I use the light for a back fill and it works great.

Big W.

2013-10-14T21:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

You get what you pay for

They flash. That's about it. I bought 4 to use as extras around my studio (hair lights, kickers, etc.). One burned out the first day. The other three work fine so far (a month later). I like the photocell sensor being on top instead of on the back like some flashes. It can catch light from all directions.

Wes W.

2011-12-19T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

A handy photo light

powerful enough for family, school & special events. Very light in weight & never miss fire with slave, synch cord and radio traiger. True color.

Shutterbug

2011-12-02T19:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

This Seems To Be A Common Problem

Similar to a lot of users, mine crashed after only two shoots. Although I never heard a pop, the unit fails to fire, including with the test button.

Canon S.

2011-09-03T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great product at a great price.

What I really like about about this product is the great quality for the price.

RANDOLPH G.

2010-08-21T21:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

Trying it again

I owned one for over 5 years and used it when ever I needed a overhead strobe as it was lightweight. I did however become frustrated when it quit working suddenly this summer. I chose to buy another unit based on the price and small compact size. If 5 yrs is the useful life, then I can accept that fact given the price. Simple to set up and operate, a basic light source, nothing complex or fancy.

DOUGLAS H.

2010-03-09T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

best buy

Trust me, this the best buy for you in terms of bugget and value. The power, color, compact body, duribility... are all good deal.

John

2009-12-11T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

GREAT lighting option for cheap $$$

To address those with quality issues... like any other product on the market, a situation with one particular unit doesn't neccessarily dictate the experience one will have with another unit. If you have an issue with a unit you bought, that's what Warranty's are for. I've had my J160's for over 4 years now and use them all the time. They are my portable studio lighting because they are cheap, lightweight and have given me very little problems. I did have one burn up after being knocked over by a client, but they aren't basketball's so you shouldn't expect them to bounce like one, right? They have plenty of power for the type of work I use them for, and where they are so small and light, I can carry them all to assignments in one carry case. All of my portable studio lighting fits into one small carry case. And like I said, I've been using mine for 4 years.

JMH P.

2009-08-25T21:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Don't buy this

After 2nd use something inside sparked and died

Joe

2009-08-06T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Terrific light

I've purchased three of these lights and have used them for several years with no problems. They are very rugged and are very compact which make them useful for location work.

Larry N.

2009-07-21T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Stress Test out of the box

First off I am new to all this. So I opened the box had it all together in 45 min. everything I needed was in the box nothing else to buy. So I setup outside and started shooting that hard to catch (Drop of Water) when I noticed my camera stopped shooting. ( card full ) over 400 shots and not one miss fire from the flashes. [...]

ALLEN S.

2009-06-23T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

nice kit

I am not turned off by the lower grade stands because i am gentle on my equipment so this kit is a great starter kit to excperiment with light. Te lighter weight also appeals to me for portablility sake. So far i am enjoying the kit---i have had it a few weeks and have had no problems. The softbox doesn't fit together very well shape-wise--i may have to fool around with bending the wires a bit. Over-all i am pleased with the purchase tho. I went with more lights vs 1-2 better quality lights, as i am not sure how much i will continue to use them. I haven't compared these to better lights either, so don't know what that would be like.... the case is terrific too and another consideration for me.

lisabeeeen

2009-01-30T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Small enough to throw in a bag

These seem to do fine for fills and even sometimes for main. They are great because of the cost to just keep in my bag and take with me for remote shoots ... so i don't worry about breaking my more expensive strobes. Good starter kit that you can keep using.

Dekka

2008-08-29T21:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

another explosion

I was surprised to see someone else had an explosion. I plugged mine into a Canon 5D and when I attached the synch cord something inside shorted with a BANG and a nice zap, had a bit of smoke. The fuse was intact so this is something highly faulty in the design. What's worse is that it threw a surge back through the synch cord and I thought had fried my 5D. The 5D would crash it's OS when trying to control any other flash units... I re-flashed the OS on the 5D and it is now working right again so looks like the surge just reset some of the flash memory in the camera. So consider this product HIGHLY DANGEROUS in that it can potentially destroy camera equipment or render you unable to do a shoot.

dbro

2008-08-08T21:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Dangerous product

I used J160 for 2x and something inside exploded !

CJ

2007-09-19T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Good for learning - Good value

I have had these 2 years without any problems. I ordered new bulbs and flash tubes but have not needed them yet. I have taken around 5000 shot with them so far. My biggest minus is if you are using these (my example is a wedding) and other people are using their cameras - their flashes will trigger the lights and may cause you to miss a shot due to recharge. I wish you could disable that and only use RF triggers via a cable - but you can't. But these are great for the home studio on a budget.

roadragedsb

2007-08-09T21:00:00

Rated 1 out of 5

Low quality product

I have owned two of these units for more than one year now, have sent them back for replacement twice already and the new replacements have failed in the same way. They fail to fire sometimes even after ten or more attempts. [...]Save your money, buy something else.

Luigi

2007-02-04T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Strobe for Those on a Tight Budget

I hadn't ever used a strobe with an umbrella before, but I needed one for some portraits I was taking, and using only this light, a 36" umbrella, and a reflector, I took some beautiful pictures of students at a low-income school. Since this flash has a built-in slave, I was able to use it with not only my Canon PowerShot S2 IS, but also other people's cameras to get beautiful pictures!

Jeff

JTL Versalight J-160 Specifications

  • Power (Watt Seconds)

    160w/s (joule) in full

  • Guide Number

    120ft/36m ISO100

  • Flash Duration

    1/600 sec. @t=0.1; 1/1000 sec. @t=0.5

  • Recycling Time

    0.5-3 seconds in full

  • Modeling Lamp

    Halogen 75w

  • Modeling Bulb Base

    JD E-14 screw

  • Built-In Slave

    yes

  • Slave Effectiveness

    10m; 35ft

  • Fuse

    3A

  • Power Input

    AC110-130 volt, 60 Hz

  • Color Tempatute

    5600K

  • Flash-tube Lifetime

    Over 8,000 typical flashing

  • Power Setting

    1/8 to full continuously

  • Lighting Range (Degrees)

    55 degree

  • Synch Voltage

    DC 6-9volt

  • Dimensions

    f3-3/4"x 7-1/2" (f100mm x 195mm)

  • Weight

    25oz (750g)

  • UPC Code

    410000054031

About JTL Versalight J-160

FEATURED REVIEWS

Stress Test out of the box

By ALLEN S.

First off I am new to all this. So I opened the box had it all together in 45 min. everything I needed was in the box nothing else to buy. So I setup outside and started shooting that hard to catch (Drop of Water) when I noticed my camera stopped shooting. ( card full ) over 400 shots and not one miss fire from the flashes. [...]

Great Strobe for Those on a Tight Budget

By Jeff

I hadn't ever used a strobe with an umbrella before, but I needed one for some portraits I was taking, and using only this light, a 36" umbrella, and a reflector, I took some beautiful pictures of students at a low-income school. Since this flash has a built-in slave, I was able to use it with not only my Canon PowerShot S2 IS, but also other people's cameras to get beautiful pictures!

• The JTL Versalight J-160 is a quality strobe light with an exceptional value for commercial studios, location photographers, photo schools, students and amatures as well. The Versalight J-160 Monolight is the up-graded model of the Versalight J-110 Monolight.

JTL Versalight J-160 Features

  • Remote sensor / slave.
  • Audio signal for recharge ready.
  • Fixed reflector and power cable.
  • Built-in thermostat to avoid overheating.
  • Continuous power adjustor with fine-setting clutches.
  • Angle-adjustable bracket with built-in umbrella holder.
  • Dual-locking stand adapter for studio rail-road installation.
  • Color-temperature corrected (5,500K) circular flash-tube.
  • All kinds of lighting accessories available: barn-doors, snoot, color filters, honeycomb, soft boxes & umbrellas.

Key Features

  • Remote sensor / slave
  • Audio signal for recharge ready
  • Fixed reflector & power cable
  • Built-in thermostat to avoid overheating
  • Continuous power adjustor
  • Angle-adjustable bracket

What's in the box:

  • JTL Versalight J-160
  • Mounting Hardware
  • Sync Cord
  • Modeling Lamp
  • Flash Tube
  • JTL 1 Year Warranty