Godox AD600 / AD600B / AD600BM

see also:

• Godox X 2.4GHz radio remote TTL flash and lighting

• models include: Godox Wistro AD600 / AD600B / AD600M / AD600BM / XPLOR 600
• Godox Wistro AD600

• 600Ws powerful portable studio type LiIon flash giving GN 87m ISO 100 AD-R7 standard reflector
• 11.1V 8700mAh LiIon battery pack attaches to rear of unit and takes 4hrs to re-charge but gives 500 full shots and recycle of 0.01-2.5sec (can attach an optional AC adapter after removing the battery)
• 4 versions
  • Godox or Bowens S mount (B version) - can buy a Bowens S mount adapter to fit on the Godox version
  • TTL or non-TTL (M model which is much cheaper)
• 10W LED modelling lamp with 3 output values
• USB firmware upgradeable
• optical TTL slave mode with Canon or Nikon
• Godox radio remote TTL/HSS slave mode with any X1 transmitter (AD-600 requires firmware upgrade)
  • slave in one of 5 slave groups and 32 channels at up to 80m
• flash duration 1/220th - 1/10,000th sec; strobe multi flash up to 100 times at up to 100Hz
• NOT able to be mounted on camera - requires a light stand but does incorporate an umbrella holder (although need to buy the optional Godox reflector with umbrella slot in correct position)
• can be hand held, preferably via the optional AD H-600 / H-600B remote flash head which is much lighter but does drop maximal power output by 1/3rd EV
• optionally, if you own two AD600 units, you can combine the power output of each into one 1200Ws H-1200 head with a 1200W bulb to get an extra 0.7EV light compared to a straight AD600B or 1EV more compared to a H-600B
  • see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO77XTfaFOI
• optional PB-600 portable bag to help carry and operate the controls of the AD600 while using the H-600 head, and the bag helps to keep dust and rain from the unit
• optional AC power adapter
• 2.66kg w battery but excl. bulb and reflector

• Compared to the Profoto B1, the AD600B¹⁾:
  • gives 1EV more power when using 7“ reflector and same spread of light (although same output when tested with Godox vs Profoto softboxes)
  • has shorter flash durations and less shot-to-shot variation in output level (B1 had +/- 0.1EV)
  • is lighter, smaller, much more affordable and with much more affordable lighting accessories
  • HSS works at all power ranges not just at the higher ranges
  • gives 500 shots on a full battery compared to only 200 shots
  • transmitter has a hotshoe on it whereas the Profoto one doesn't
  • can use an AC adapter
  • can use one or two onto a remote head to give 600Ws/1200Ws remote head output
  • has a variety of other TTL controllable flash styles whereas Profoto only has studio type flashes
  • but the B1 recycles faster with more accurate color (the AD600 color changes by ~300K at different outputs) and has a better head for applying gels

• Can the Godox AD600B radio remote TTL battery portable flash keep up with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 II at 10fps and 15fps? My test results
  • one can shoot at 15fps with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 II in mechanical shutter high speed burst mode outdoors in the shade with a bare bulb set at approx. 3m from the subjects to give a broad coverage as a key light, and at 1/32nd output get good, consistent burst exposures with reasonable motion stopping flash durations at ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/250th sec (you may need to adjust shutter speed to increase ambient exposure)
    • in brighter light, you could increase to 1/16th output and add a 3 stop ND filter to keep the aperture fairly wide without having to resort to HSS
• Hands on testing of the Godox AD 600B for radio remote TTL mobile studio flash, high sync and pushed sync on Olympus OM-D cameras – even works in conjunction with Cactus V6 II system!

• by this I do not mean resporting to HSS or Super FP modes as, in these modes, the flash output gets less as you shorten shutter speed, so while it allows a wider aperture, it is not really effective in increasing the flash output relative to the sunlight
• by over-powering the sun, I am meaning creating an image with sunlit areas UNDER-EXPOSED, and the flash then acts as the key light

• if you are using the AD600B with H-600 remote head and 7” reflector, options for over-powering the sun include:
  • get in close with flash ~1.5m
  • use push-sync to shutter speed 1/400th sec and 1:2 +0.7 output and gain 0.3 EV in effect but with banding
  • take the H600 head off - this will gain 0.3EV more power
  • use two units with a H1200 head and 1200Ws bulb will gain 1 EV more power and perhaps enough to allow a softbox
  • HSS mode, although not tested, most flash HSS reduce flash output by 1EV for each 1EV shorter shutter speed so no net benefit over ambient lighting

• I use the term “push-sync” for when I use a PC sync cable or central pin only hotshoe adapter to fire the Godox X1 remote in “single pin mode” and allows the camera to have a shutter speed faster than the camera's x-sync speed
• The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II has a rated x-sync speed of 1/250th sec and when tricking the camera to use faster shutter speeds, you will get some increased vignetting and black banding at the top of the image which increases in size as shutter speed gets faster - but if you don't have any close objects in this region, then this should not adversely impact your photos, and it may allow you to gain some advantage in overpowering sunlight
• thus, if one shoots at ISO 200, f/16 and 1/400th sec with a polarising filter on, you will be under-exposing sunlit areas substantially, but will we be able to over-power the sun with just one Godox AD600B and 7“ reflector?

• unfortunately, the Godox AD600B takes a full 1/225th sec to blast out 90% of its full 1:1 flash output (the t0.1 measure) - that means any shutter speed shorter than this will result in lower flash exposures as they capture less of the full flash duration.
• at the 1:2 + 0.7 flash output setting, the t0.1 duration is 1/350th sec
• at the 1:2 + 0.3 flash output setting, the t0.1 duration is 1/535th sec
• timing of the flash with respect to shutter may impact these measurements, but for these tests, I have used the default timings (the Godox AD600 does allow these to be changed!)
• at 1/320th second, one actually appears to get approximately the SAME flash exposures measured on the camera's histogram at either full, 1:2+0.7 or 1:2+0.3, which suggests you may as well just use 1:2 +0.3 at this speed
• at 1/400th second, one actually appears to get approximately the SAME flash exposures measured on the camera's histogram at either full or 1:2+0.7, and a slightly less exposure at 1:2 + 0.3, so one could probably use either of the latter settings rather than full output which is being wasted.
• as one shortens the shutter speed from 1/250th to 1/320th to 1/400th sec, there is a sequential small reduction in the camera histogram exposure and to gain a constant exposure, aperture needs to change by 1/6th EV for each of the 1/3rd EV changes, but the BIG advantage is that by doing this, the ambient exposure is falling twice as fast, by 1/3rd EV for each increment.

• unfortunately, the Godox instruction manual does not outline how fast the effective maximum output of the AD600 drops as shutter speed shortens.