Godox has announced the Godox V350F series of flashguns for Fujifilm. They are basically the same as Godox TT350F but now powered by rechargeable Lithium batteries, but you can see a full comparison below (thanks to the FR-reader for the info).
FUJIFILM GFX50S, 63mm lens, iso 100, 1/125, f11. The Pro set at 1/4 power in regular flash mode recycled almost immediately, a welcome and noticeable improvement from the older model.
Is the Godox Witstro AD600 Pro a substantially better flash than its predecessor, the AD600?
I have now had the Godox AD600 PRO in my hands for 48 hours, since posting my ‘first impressions’ review. What have I discovered since, and is it a substantially better flash than its predecessor, the AD600?
I used the brand-new Pro unit earlier today on a fashion shoot for Berlin-based fashion brand, Hadas Hinkis.
Since in my first round of clinical testing, I had already determined that one PRO has roughly the same output as the twin H1200, when paired with the legendary Broncolor Flooter S, I felt confident to bring only the PRO on set.
As expected, the PRO performed flawlessly during the entire shoot.
Today, as everything in Shenzhen is coming to a shrieking halt, for Chinese New Year’s celebration, a DHL box arrived from China at my studio, containing the first actual production model of the much anticipated AD600 PRO.
Ever since it was announced first, on October 25th of last year, that a PRO version was rumored to be in the works, speculations on the internet about this new model have run wild.
If you have read my previous article, you know by now that I have been quite enamored with the H1200, the previous Godox flagship portable flash, powered by two AD600 units.
Now, seeing the new PRO version in person, it is a stunning achievement by Godox, and perhaps another nail in the coffin of the established European flash brands and their ill-fated battery powered products.
Make no mistake, the guys in Switzerland and Sweden still make some of the best studio units and special light shaping tools.
But in terms of portable battery flash, Godox has just crowned themselves as the undisputed king of the business!
The Pro is an incredibly well designed and highly efficient light and will be for sure the market leader for some time to come.
Until that time, for most of my work, I used medium format cameras with leaf shutters, that provided sufficiently fast flash sync, up to 1/1600, with certain configurations.
But flash duration really was always my main concern, and I simply did not worry about needing to sync at any faster shutter speeds.
As I started to explore how High Speed Sync (HSS) and/or Hyper or Hi Sync (HS) could open up new creative possibilities, in conjunction with a medium format mirrorless camera, I looked at all available options, offered by the established companies such as Broncolor, Profoto and Elinchrom.
It is important to be very clear that there are basically only 2 different ways to sync at high shutter speeds: With HS, as used by Broncolor and Elinchrom, a very long flash duration is needed to provide a flash long enough, where a portion of that flash can be efficiently synced up with the shutter at high speeds. With HSS on the other hand, (the brands that use this method, such as Profoto, Godox, Jinbei and many speedlites), a rapid sequence of pulsating flashes, creates a very even and reliable solution. While HSS provides a smoother and more even exposure, it can lack the power of a ‘normal’ flash.
For almost all of my career, I exclusively used Broncolor, and even collaborated with the brand for about 10 years, for many marketing and promotional campaigns, including their launch campaign for the original Para 330, in 1999.
Guest Post by The Overrated Photographer. You can follow him on instagram or on his website
Introduction
The Godox XPro-F has finally hit the market and I managed to get my hands on one of the first ones from Godox. These are my pure unadulterated unbiased thoughts, with the exception of my perceptions of Godox to date which have been largely positive.
The Godox XPro-F is in stock also at Adorama, as usual rebranded under the name Flashpoint. You can get it here.
The Godox XPro-F trigger for Fujifilm was already in stock at AmazonUS via third party. I have informed you here and those who ordered, already got their trigger. I guess it won’t take long, and the Godox XPro-F will be in stock also at BHphoto.
The Godox XPro-F wireless trigger is now in stock at AmazonUS here (via third party Pergear – 98% positive feedback in the last 12 months).
NOTE: FR-reader said in the comments that the items are signed as in stock indeed, but Pergear will be able to deliver only February 5th earliest.
NOTE 2: Another FR-reader ordered the trigger and said: “Pergear shipped mine from China, arrives Tuesday. DHL Tracking”
Anyway, the XPro-F is expected to be in stock mid-January, so I guess it will be soon available at BHphoto and Adorama too.
Finally there are a lot of flash options for Fujifilm cameras… but if I should recommend one and only one, I’d say Godox, because it’s just terrific value for the money.
However, lately also Broncolor, Profoto & more added Fujifilm support too, and no doubt that they offer really high quality products. So if you are in those flash-ecosystems already, you can stay there with joy, since you got the support you needed. Unless you invested in Elinchrom… that one is lagging behind, but should come this year, too.
BIG THANKS to the FR-reader, who informed me about it :)
Yesterday, Godox just released firmware update ver.5 for their Godox X1T F trigger. You can download the new firmware at the Godox download page here.
“To add the Fn-12 C.Fn custom setting so that the customer can set RF ID value.”
And THANKS A TON to every single FR-reader, who helps me in finding news like this. If FujiRumors is systematically the fastest site on the web to break news like this, then it’s just possible thanks to your help… feel free to keep it up :)
