Flash; some surprises...

[J.D.]

I was trying to use flash with my A7R the other night and found it a right pain. I've had a couple of Canon 550EX Speedlights for a few years and even with an ST-E2 IR controller and even on Canon bodies, they were less that ideal. The system is a bastard to use (though those who know it well seem to like it) and I never quite got my head around it. On the A7R it is even worse because the Sony hotshoe doesn't line up all the pins (which are configured differently anyway). Sony make good flashes - which are not well designed - but they are very expensive and there's no controller for off-camera work. I had looked at getting a simple Yongnuo setup - two Speedlights and a controller - but there were issues. The unit would work on a Canon or Nikon but not so well on a Sony or Olympus. The problem seemed to be the connection on the hotshoe. On a Sony you have to get the pins in exactly the right place and lock it in or it doesn't work. Otherwise they seem to be good flashes.

I am looking at manual only. I hate TTL.

Enter a mysterious company called "Neewer", hitherto unknown to me but then I don't generally keep my ear to the ground for stuff like this and I'm not especially brand aware. Apparently these guys think that flash shouldn't be that hard and although they have started making dedicated TTL flashes for Canikon, their bread and butter flashes are totally manual. Sounding difficult? It's not. Here's how they work:



Well, I started looking around for Neewer but kept getting redirects to another company called Godox, who make studio flashes. They're not up to Bowens but they're out there in the market and have been for a while. Suddenly it became apparent that, not only were they the same thing. I could get a replacement kit for a bit over AU $300 that looked substantially easier to use than the Canons for what is apparently the same build quality. By comparison, a Canon 600EX is about $500 with no battery charger, no transmitter and no batteries.

http://flashhavoc.com/godox-v860c-ving- ... sh-review/

On top of this is the clincher: these flashes use Li-Ion batteries which are the equivalent of 12 AAs! Fuck me. Rechargeable flash batteries. No more AAs (of which the 550EXs use only four). So I got myself a kit from eBay and I'm awaiting its delivery.

It gets even better. Godox has also introduced a bare bulb flash which runs off the same transmitter (different receiver though). It comes in two models: a 180 W/S and a 360 W/S. Wait a minute, 360 W/S? That's as powerful as a studio flash head! And the bloody thing runs off a battery pack. This shows a different brand of the same thing, marketed by Adorama:

http://flashhavoc.com/godox-witstro-ad180-ad360-review/

For sheer output, this is a much more powerful flash than any Speedlight (about 6 times). By my calculations that should be about 2.5 stops. The light is also easier to modify. Instead of a focused beam like Speedlights, bare bulb flashes throw light pretty much everywhere. All you need is the appropriate modifiers:



An important point to note is that these flashes are not compatible with high speed sync. However you can use a transceiver called the Cells II which is available for both Canon and Nikon:

http://flashhavoc.com/godox-cells-ii-n- ... -released/

[markus]

I'm doing my best trying to forget what I just read :O

...my bike needs new parts more than my camera.

[J.D.]

Took delivery of two Godox V650s and an FT-16S controller today. Trust me when I say it: there's no bullshit about this, it just fucking works. I can't believe how easy it is to use. This is a doddle.

If you are addicted to TTL flash - and there are applications like macro where it is very useful - these flashes are still very good. You just need a different controller. You also need to be a Canikon user.

[J.D.]

Just a brief update on these units. As a forewarning: I'm talking only about off-camera flash.

Firstly, I have to say that the quality of build of these flashes is extremely good. In fact, it's right up there with Canon and Nikon to the extent that it looks to me like they probably come out of the same factory. They are slightly heavier and bulkier than the Canons but these flashes are not really meant for on-camera use so it's not so much of a problem. The receiver unit is a bit naf and I sort of wonder why a neater solution wasn't found. The one on the AD360 is even sillier. The upside is that these little guys really work.

Secondly, unlike Canon flashes, the Godox units are absolutely idiot proof, which is probably just as well for me! You don't really need the manual unless you are planning to go off piste. They have a number of modes from M (manual), S1 and S2 (regular optical slave modes) and RPT (strobe mode). They have a guide number of 58, which is the same as a 580EX (for Canon users). I have been practising with them in manual mode and trying to remember everything I was taught 30 years ago about lighting ratios. The system makes it so easy. If you watched the two videos I posted you can see how simple it is, especially if you have a half decent light meter.

The only issue I've had so far is when I was trying to adjust the flash output and found myself adjusting the wrong one. When you set up, you probably need to note which one is which, especially if you're going to put them inside a softbox. Being speedlights, they tend to give a better light when bounced rather than pointed through a diffuser. In comparison with a studio strobe or a bare bulb flash, speedlights channel light like a torch. Bare bulbs throw it like an incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling. Apart from silver umbrellas, there are some very neat solutions which take the edge off a speedlight quite well. Umbrellas are incredibly cheap and lots of camera shops have them. I get the impression they don't move many though.

Finally, I am really impressed with the Li-Ion battery system they have gone for. This is an absolute game changer. Bye-bye AA batteries forever. For Li-Ion, they are anything but light but when you consider they replace 12 AA batteries, it's a good trade.

I'm still trying to figure out how to do high speed sync. These flashes are supposed to be capable of it with the right trigger. At this stage I have no great need for it and the available triggers don't fit my Sony or Olympus hotshoes. HSS is a bit of a head fuck for me. You seem to need more than one trigger to make it work.

Anyway, with good build quality, ease and simplicity of use and a very reasonable price, these things are almost a no brainer for anyone not using Canon or Nikon. Other brands like Yongnuo, Shanny and Mieke make some quality units which work well with the name brands but not so much with Sony, in particular. What's not to like?