Which portable godox flash

CraigDHD

CraigDHD

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Craig
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Ok I know this one has been done in it's many forms a lot recently so apologies for another thread on it, but I'm fairly shortly going to upgrade to a more powerful portable flash unit so want to get some opinions as money is tight and a second unit will likely be a long way off so would prefer to make right choice first time. Given there's a few on here eithe have or have had both thought I'd ask for advice.

At present I have 3 lencarta smartflash 2's,some yongnuo 560's and a yongnuo 565. To keep some of the existing parts compatible I've decided to go the godox route with a view to possibly replacing the yongnuos down the line as well which has led me to look at basically 3 options.

1. Godox AD360 £315
2. Godox AD360 II £350
3. Godox AD600BM £400....I've ruled out the 600B as my budget can't go that far

I want it for primarily outdoor portraits so stopping speed isn't a massive concern. I do like the idea of hss as I regularly use wide apertures, I know I can use ND filters and do plan to but having the option there seems like it would be useful. I'll be using with existing bowens mount modifiers and don't really want to buy a new set as I have most I need and would prefer to keep my gear as flexible as possible. I dont see ttl being a big deal, other than for on camera at receptions I never use it and haven't missed it ,that said if I had more easy access to it maybe I would use it more?

so my thoughts,
option 1 AD360.
pros: more portabe/lighter than ad600, simple interface as just a manual flash, works with my exisiting trigger system.
cons: not as powerful as ad600, needs adaptor to fit bowens modifiers, may not fill large modifiers as well, no hss, using tailsync requires additional triggers, no ttl.

option 2 AD360II.
pros: more portabe/lighter than ad600, has hss so no need for extra triggers, has ttl if required, not a lot more money than ad360. can be manually controlled by existing ft16 trigger system
cons: not as powerful as ad600, needs adaptor to fit bowens modifiers, may not fill large modifiers as well, if using x1-n can't trigger existing strobes triggers.

option 3 AD600
pros: more powerful and 600w recommended to overpower sun, has hss so no need for extra triggers, takes bowens modifiers natively.
cons: less portable, heavier for mounting on top of stand, if using x1-n can't trigger existing strobes triggers, no ttl.

One of the downsides of the 2 newer flashes, particularly the ad600, seems to be the move to 2.4ghz from the older ft-16's 444mhz. Am I correct in thinking if I buy XTR16 receivers to replace my old 444mhz receivers I can then use the x1 to control all flashes? Also the weight issue of the ad600 can be offset by adding the ad-h600 head for not a massive amount of cash, has anyone used these yet having looked at godox previous portable flashes a lot of the reviews said the head wasn't very strong and wasn't suitable for larger heavy modifiers. I'd potentially wanting to mount up to 150cm octa on these heads has mayone used larger modifiers on one?

given the price difference between the first 2 would I be right to assume I'm as well going with the 360ii over the 360? If that's the case the choice becomes ad600 vs ad360ii, although there's only £50 in these 2 I'd have to potentially buy 3 new receivers and an external head pushing the gap to over £150 so decision comes down to....

1. In real world does the extra stop make a big difference if shooting during day?
2. Does the extra size/weight of the ad600 make it less useable on location?
3. Is the H600 external head strong enough to take larger modifiers?
4. Will the X1-N control the newer xtr16 recievers to integrate with my existing lights?
5. Do people find ttl reliable for ocf at weddings or similar where you're trying to get everything set extra quick?

apologies for the long post and thanks for any advice you can give.
 
Suggest repost in Lighting forum :)
 
CraigDHD said:
1. In real world does the extra stop make a big difference if shooting during day?
2. Does the extra size/weight of the ad600 make it less useable on location?
3. Is the H600 external head strong enough to take larger modifiers?
4. Will the X1-N control the newer xtr16 recievers to integrate with my existing lights?
5. Do people find ttl reliable for ocf at weddings or similar where you're trying to get everything set extra quick?

apologies for the long post and thanks for any advice you can give.
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Have all 3 so here is my take

1. It can do
2. Get the extension head for £45.99
3. Absolutely
4. Yes, I have them
5. TTL is there for when you do not have time to do manually

Mike
 
In your shoes I'd go for the AD600, and if you're concerned about the weight atop a stand, get the remote head like Mike said.

Godox are building quite a smart system now, I don't do enough with flash to consider a complete swap - but if I did, I'd be going for a complete Godox setup speedlights and all. My mish mash of systems all work, and there's no dealbreaker in the problems due to different systems.
 
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CraigDHD said:
Thanks for the recommendation, I have looked at these but for the price difference I lose hss and only get to 1/32 instead of 1/256 both of which are useful for shallow portraits. The older one had questionable build quality on the strength of the bowens mount from what I read as well so had ruled them out.
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I have those as well and no issues and they can also be triggered from the X1 trigger system

Mike
 
Thanks for the help guys, went for ad600bm, arrived today so looking forward to testing it out. Will pick up the h600 head shortly hopefully to reduce risk/weight on a stand. Anyone using the godox bag for the ad600, is it any good or does anyone have a better suggestion for carrying the light?
 
Had a play with it last night it seems solid was surprised by how big a colour shift you get when you move to hss but seems its pretty normal reading others experiences. I managed to update my x1n firmware fine but i can not get my pc to recognise the ad600 to update it's firmware. Tried a couple of micro usb cables which all work with x1n the pc just doesn't recognise anything being connected when I plug in the ad600. Anyone else had problems with this? Seems a silly thing to replace for but don't want to end up locked out of updates as so far godox seem quite proactive with updating the wistro range.
 
I bought from amazon, the prices have gone up a bit, I ended up having to pay £452 for ad600bm with xt1-n trigger missed lower price by 3 days :( but wanted it for a wedding last weekend so couldn't wait. If you're not in a rush set up a watch on camelcamel with the price you want.
 
Thanks @CraigDHD, I'm still contemplating to get the whether the TTL or manual version of the AD600.

Just a follow up questions, since you got the AD600 manual version, can you adjust the power remotely using the xt1-n trigger? I'm going to use the AD600 outdoors, would the 600w enough to over power the soon?
 
Yeah you can adjust power remotely from the x1t, honestly having used it and adding the variability of hss in to the mix I kinda wish I'd got the ttl to see how it was. Budget wouldn't allow it and I'm happy enough with the manual as I've only every really used manual but can definitely see where it could be handy for weddings etc. I've not tried to overpower bright sun yet but there seems to be plenty of power. Hopefully some of the other guys with it can let you know more until I get a chance.
 
John Soliven said:
Thanks @CraigDHD, I'm still contemplating to get the whether the TTL or manual version of the AD600.

Just a follow up questions, since you got the AD600 manual version, can you adjust the power remotely using the xt1-n trigger? I'm going to use the AD600 outdoors, would the 600w enough to over power the soon?
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The yard-stick to over-power the sun is usually 400-600Ws or so, but that's minimum and of course it varies enormously. Basically you can never have too much power outdoors if you want to use softboxes at real-world distances. This is part of the AD600's appeal, in that you can double up with two or even four units together and get 2400Ws. There is also the HSS option, though I'm not sure how that actually performs with the high-output heads.

In studio tests 400-600Ws usually gives something like f/16-22 in a medium sized 80-100cm softbox, at 1.0m. Take that outdoors and you'll lose maybe half a stop due to lack of walls/ceiling bouncing a light back.

Using Sunny-16 as a guide, bright sun at max x-sync will be 1/200sec at f/11, ISO100. So very roughly, at 1.0m with a softbox, you should be able to match or just beat bright sun. You'll be in the ballpark at least. But 1.0m is very close, and you're much more likely to be at 2-3m with outdoor subjects - and looking at being two or three stops down.

To get the balance back, easiest option is not to shoot in bright sun. Just a bit of haze will knock that back by a stop or two, clouds by two or three, a dull overcast day even more. Then shooting later in the day, or in shade, helps massively whatever the weather. On the equipment side, moving the light closer bumps the brightness up more than you might think (inverse square law) and using a more efficient modifier than a softbox, eg smaller metal one, also increases brightness a lot. Those high-intensity tulip-shaped modifiers are maybe three stops brighter than a typical softbox, and have the major advantage of not blowing over so easily.
 
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John Soliven said:
Thanks for the added information @HoppyUK. I just need to make up my mind on what to get, TTL or not.
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That's easy - get the TTL version. There will come a time when you will benefit. Not that I'm carrying a torch for it or anything, and TBH I'd probably not use it that often. But when you have moving subjects, or anything that alters the distance from the main light to the subject quickly, then auto-TTL is a great asset. I can see some users shooting action using it all the time, like mountain biking or skateboarders or whatever.

These are popular outdoor flash subjects, so maybe a consideration if you want to sell.
 
Quick question on these Godox AD600 units.

I take it the main unit will react to the different Nikon Canon and Sony transmitters, so if you happened to have the main unit, it could be utilised with differing transmitters (N/C/S) for different makes of camera, just changing the N/C/S menu on the main unit? or am I reading that wrong and oversimplifying?
 
shreds said:
Quick question on these Godox AD600 units.

I take it the main unit will react to the different Nikon Canon and Sony transmitters, so if you happened to have the main unit, it could be utilised with differing transmitters (N/C/S) for different makes of camera, just changing the N/C/S menu on the main unit? or am I reading that wrong and oversimplifying?
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I believe the flash just reacts to a remote, so you don't even need to do anything on the flash, but I could be wrong (it's been known)
 
Thought so, but thought I would consult the oracle of experts gathered here.

Thanks guys. :)
 
Denyerec said:
Can you run the 600 attached to the mains ? I seem to recall from the Profoto kit it's battery only which, when you're inside near plug sockets, seems a tad silly.
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No, it is a battery driven solution for predominantly outdoor OCF. The alternative is using traditional strobe heads with a weighty travelpac or similar battery, or carrying an extra Godox battery to give longer shooting time. (Or using a smaller speedlight sized bare bulb solution such as a AD360/AD180 etc).

The relatively lightweight Godox lithium battery pack is attached to the back of the AD600 light control unit, but there is no facility for a direct mains connection. All in all a bit like an Elinchrom Quadra/Profoto at a lesser price. But as with all these miniature solutions for outdoor OCF, a lack of direct mains connection. They are certainly lighter and easier to carry than traditional studio strobes but compromise such matters as a mains connection so are not really advantageous for a combined studio/outdoor shooting. The other downside I can see is the reduction in power when using the bulb head alone via a wandering lead, that equates to reduction of around ⅓-⅔ of a stop compared to using the bulb directly attached to the unit/battery.

Maybe lugging the travelpak around with your Profoto/Elinchrom/Bowens etc avoids duplication of kit, at the penalty of weight and the risk of the heavy strobe getting blown over outside unless properly weighted at the base.
 
Denyerec said:
Can you run the 600 attached to the mains ? I seem to recall from the Profoto kit it's battery only which, when you're inside near plug sockets, seems a tad silly.
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No.

But they've said they plan to sell a mains adaptor in the future. But seriously, the battery is good for hours of full power shooting, why would you need to?
 
Denyerec said:
Can you run the 600 attached to the mains ? I seem to recall from the Profoto kit it's battery only which, when you're inside near plug sockets, seems a tad silly.
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It sounds like a limitation, but in practise it isn't really. You just need a spare battery, so you always have a fresh one to hand. Prudent in any case, and it keeps you cable-free. Most modern lithium batteries are big enough to last a long time, and they keep recycling fast right to the end :)
 
The battery is fine but I'm hoping they follow through on their promise of the mains adapter as batteries have a finite lifespan so a mains adaptor would reduce wear on battery when not needed and ensure that you can still use strobe if the batteries stop being produced
 
Yeah, 90% of the time I'm in a studio or building with power, and often I'm shooting for 10-12 hours at a time. A mains adapter would be perfect, battery-only operation not so much - I'd need several batteries, and I'd be wearing them pretty hard when there would be no need to.

Maybe it's possible to CAD & 3D Print a battery connector housing, then rig it up to a voltage regulator of adequate supply ? Can anyone confirm if there is any microchip identification on the battery packs?
 
Denyerec said:
Yeah, 90% of the time I'm in a studio or building with power, and often I'm shooting for 10-12 hours at a time. A mains adapter would be perfect, battery-only operation not so much - I'd need several batteries, and I'd be wearing them pretty hard when there would be no need to.

Maybe it's possible to CAD & 3D Print a battery connector housing, then rig it up to a voltage regulator of adequate supply ? Can anyone confirm if there is any microchip identification on the battery packs?
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All lithium batteries have a limited recharging life, and based on the history of the failure rate of Godox batteries*, I feel that mains power is a need to have, rather than a nice to have.

*Godox did tell me some time ago that they have changed their battery supplier, I don't know whether the failure rate will go down over time.
 
Garry Edwards said:
All lithium batteries have a limited recharging life, and based on the history of the failure rate of Godox batteries*, I feel that mains power is a need to have, rather than a nice to have.

*Godox did tell me some time ago that they have changed their battery supplier, I don't know whether the failure rate will go down over time.
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*Exactly* Also in 10 years time when you can't buy batteries for them anymore...
 
Frankly, for the hassle, I'd just use a mains powered flash where power is available, for the cost, it's virtually comparable to something like a high quality power supply.

A Godox mains powered flash is less than £100. It's got yo be worth that rather than multiple batteries or power supply.
 
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