HSS Flash - Which to buy?

nowthatswhatica

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Hi all,

I'm looking to buy my first HSS Flash. I have a Canon 200D.

Do you have any recommendations I should consider? Not really sure where to start.

Happy to spend up to £400 - fingers crossed that is enough to get me started.

Thanks in advance
 
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My standard recommendation for Flash these days is Godox - they have a comprehensive range from the small TT350 up to the large battery powered off camera AD1200 strobe - all using the same radio trigger system, which even works between Godox units for different brands - so a Canon fit Godox radio trigger will fire a Godox Flash with ANY brand Fit - and still do TTL and HSS.

Then all you need to do is figure which specific flash (add 'C' to the end of the model for Canon specific version, EG TT350C)

Options
TT350 or V350 - a small 'pocket' flash, great for on a small camera (including Mirrorless, like the Sony A6000 or Canon M50). The V350 has a Lithium Ion battery (rather than 2 AA batteries) for faster recycle times and more shots before the battery runs out.
V860II - A 'full size' flash, decent power, using a Lithium Ion battery.
V1 - A version of the V860II, but with a 'round' head (rather than the traditional rectangular camera flash head). Supposedly gives a more even pattern of light.

AD200 - Off camera only, so you would also need a trigger (and stand) - BUT off camera flash tends to give much better results, lighting wise, and it comes with both a traditional flash head and a 'bare bulb' head, which means it gives significantly better results than a traditional camera flash when used in a softbox, etc. - it is in effect a small, portable, battery powered studio flash.
AD300 / 400 / 600 - Again of camera, these are 'bare bulb' only, so designed to be used with some form of modifier such as a Softbox, reflector, etc, they are the bigger brothers of the AD200.
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to offer your advice and suggestions. Really appreciate it :)

I'll take a look at the models you've suggested and search around for the best prices.

I've already heard a lot about eh AD200 so I'm really pleased you've mentioned it too.

I'll update you once I've made my choice.

Thank you so much again.

:thumbsup:

My standard recommendation for Flash these days is Godox - they have a comprehensive range from the small TT350 up to the large battery powered off camera AD1200 strobe - all using the same radio trigger system, which even works between Godox units for different brands - so a Canon fit Godox radio trigger will fire a Godox Flash with ANY brand Fit - and still do TTL and HSS.

Then all you need to do is figure which specific flash (add 'C' to the end of the model for Canon specific version, EG TT350C)

Options
TT350 or V350 - a small 'pocket' flash, great for on a small camera (including Mirrorless, like the Sony A6000 or Canon M50). The V350 has a Lithium Ion battery (rather than 2 AA batteries) for faster recycle times and more shots before the battery runs out.
V860II - A 'full size' flash, decent power, using a Lithium Ion battery.
V1 - A version of the V860II, but with a 'round' head (rather than the traditional rectangular camera flash head). Supposedly gives a more even pattern of light.

AD200 - Off camera only, so you would also need a trigger (and stand) - BUT off camera flash tends to give much better results, lighting wise, and it comes with both a traditional flash head and a 'bare bulb' head, which means it gives significantly better results than a traditional camera flash when used in a softbox, etc. - it is in effect a small, portable, battery powered studio flash.
AD300 / 400 / 600 - Again of camera, these are 'bare bulb' only, so designed to be used with some form of modifier such as a Softbox, reflector, etc, they are the bigger brothers of the AD200.
 
+1 for godox. For your first flash I’d keep it simple with V860 or v1.
 
What are you wanting the flash for and will it be for on camera or off camera use?

Ive just bought the Godox TT685 flash and Godox Xpro remote trigger and so far am very happy with it.
 
Thank you mate.

+1 for godox. For your first flash I’d keep it simple with V860 or v1.



I'd like to do more portrait photography outdoors. Depending of the time of day I'd like to be able to push my shutter speed past 1/250 to ensure the background remains correctly exposed whilst keeping the composition perfectly exposed too.

I had a look at the AD200 and AD200Pro - Seems like the one I may go for once the lockdown is over.

Will the Godox Xpro work with either the AD200/Pro?

Thank you :)

What are you wanting the flash for and will it be for on camera or off camera use?

Ive just bought the Godox TT685 flash and Godox Xpro remote trigger and so far am very happy with it.
 
Thank you mate.





I'd like to do more portrait photography outdoors. Depending of the time of day I'd like to be able to push my shutter speed past 1/250 to ensure the background remains correctly exposed whilst keeping the composition perfectly exposed too.

I had a look at the AD200 and AD200Pro - Seems like the one I may go for once the lockdown is over.

Will the Godox Xpro work with either the AD200/Pro?

Thank you :)

All the Godox flashes and triggers integrate with each other that’s one of the great things about the system.

The AD200 brings more power than the V860/V1. However it’s an off camera flash so you need a light stand, mount and likely modifier like a softbox when you use it. If you want to use it like that it’s great.

The speed light option you can use on camera so much more portable. It will still defeat the sun outside, you just need to get it closer than the AD200 to compensate the lower power power. The speed light can also be used as a controller if you add an off camera flash later.

I have the V860, AD200 and AD600. For power outdoor portraits I usually go for AD600 as the key light, as in the sunshine more power is better, and AD200 for fill.
 
Thank you so much mate for sharing such useful information :)

I have two speed lights already but I have faced moments in the past where I have needed to push the shutter speed further than 1/250 but for obvious reasons the speed lights wouldn't fire.

As the trigger works across Godoxs range I think I'll start with the AD200 and at a later date purchase an AD600 :)

Thank you!

All the Godox flashes and triggers integrate with each other that’s one of the great things about the system.

The AD200 brings more power than the V860/V1. However it’s an off camera flash so you need a light stand, mount and likely modifier like a softbox when you use it. If you want to use it like that it’s great.

The speed light option you can use on camera so much more portable. It will still defeat the sun outside, you just need to get it closer than the AD200 to compensate the lower power power. The speed light can also be used as a controller if you add an off camera flash later.

I have the V860, AD200 and AD600. For power outdoor portraits I usually go for AD600 as the key light, as in the sunshine more power is better, and AD200 for fill.
 
All the Godox flashes and triggers integrate with each other that’s one of the great things about the system.

The AD200 brings more power than the V860/V1. However it’s an off camera flash so you need a light stand, mount and likely modifier like a softbox when you use it. If you want to use it like that it’s great.

The speed light option you can use on camera so much more portable. It will still defeat the sun outside, you just need to get it closer than the AD200 to compensate the lower power power. The speed light can also be used as a controller if you add an off camera flash later.

I have the V860, AD200 and AD600. For power outdoor portraits I usually go for AD600 as the key light, as in the sunshine more power is better, and AD200 for fill.
Thank you so much mate for sharing such useful information :)

I have two speed lights already but I have faced moments in the past where I have needed to push the shutter speed further than 1/250 but for obvious reasons the speed lights wouldn't fire.

As the trigger works across Godoxs range I think I'll start with the AD200 and at a later date purchase an AD600 :)

Thank you!
If I'm reading the Good site correctly the AD200 isn't as powerful as the TT685 flash I recommended above.

According to Godox the GN 52 of the AD200 with flash head is 52 (ISO 100 @ 35 mm) and with bare build is GN 60 (ISO 100 @ 28mm)

The TT685 is GN 60 (ISO 100 @ 200mm)

Doesn't the fact that the TT685 has a GN60 at 200mm mean that it has more power than the AD200 being as that only has 60GN with bare build, and it's only GN60 at 28mm as opposed to 200mm?
 
If I'm reading the Good site correctly the AD200 isn't as powerful as the TT685 flash I recommended above.

According to Godox the GN 52 of the AD200 with flash head is 52 (ISO 100 @ 35 mm) and with bare build is GN 60 (ISO 100 @ 28mm)

The TT685 is GN 60 (ISO 100 @ 200mm)

Doesn't the fact that the TT685 has a GN60 at 200mm mean that it has more power than the AD200 being as that only has 60GN with bare build, and it's only GN60 at 28mm as opposed to 200mm?

From comments on the Lighting section on another forum, it's difficult to compare power of a standard flash with a 'bare bulb' flash.
The AD200 is unusual in that it comes with a standard camera flash head (IE Fresnel lens type) - which fires all the light forward and a Bare Bulb head - which is much better when using a softbox as the light goes in all directions, giving a much more even result.
Note that the Guide number of a camera flash increases as focal length increases, as the light is more focused, so a GN of 60 @28 is significantly more powerful than a GN of 200 @ 200 (the Wikepedia page on Guide numbers has a table of how GN varies with flash 'zoom', which shows GN @ 28 is ~50%-60% of GN at 100, so the AD200 might have a GN of ~ 400 @ 100mm!
It is a lot more powerful than the TT685 (which is still a good flash)
 
Hi all, just a quick question before I make a purchase. Does my camera body need to specially state that it supports high speed sync or is that not necessary?

I have the Canon EOS 200D. Thanks in advance.
 
Hi all, just a quick question before I make a purchase. Does my camera body need to specially state that it supports high speed sync or is that not necessary?

I have the Canon EOS 200D. Thanks in advance.
The EOS 200D does support HSS, See p193 of the user manual.
 
Hi all, I'm torn between the AD200 and the AD600.

AD600 has more power but only shoots TTL. I was hoping to have more control over the power from the light.

If you own a AD200 - Do you believe it's powerful enough to light for portraits in public spaces like a park during golden hour?

My goal here is to venture into portrait photography and be able to shoot whilst the sun is out through HSS.

Look forward to your thoughts.
 
Hi all, I'm torn between the AD200 and the AD600.

AD600 has more power but only shoots TTL. I was hoping to have more control over the power from the light.

If you own a AD200 - Do you believe it's powerful enough to light for portraits in public spaces like a park during golden hour?

My goal here is to venture into portrait photography and be able to shoot whilst the sun is out through HSS.

Look forward to your thoughts.
AD600B has full manual options (1/1 - 1/256 in 25 steps), TTL and HSS
AD200 has full manual (1/1 - 1/128), TTL and HSS.

There are also the AD200Pro, AD300 Pro, AD400 Pro and AD600 Pro

Finally there is the old AD600BM which is an AD600B with only manual options, no TTL or HSS.

(You probably want to go with the AD600B or AD600BM, rather than AD600 or AD600M, if you chose an AD600 as these are the Bowens mount versions - Bowens mount being the most common mount type for reflectors, softboxes, etc, and so the most cost effective).

If aiming to overpower the sun, then go with the AD600B if you can afford it - even in the UK you need plenty of power (There is even an AD1200, but that's £1474.99 on pre-order at Lencarta, so well over your initial budget!)

The other option, which would give flexibility, is to look at the AD-B2 twin adapter, which allows you to fit two AD200's side by side in a single Bowens mount bracket, giving 400Ws (you can also use it with just one AD200 as a Bowens Mount adapter) - while this is less power than a single AD600, it does mean you if you are in a situation were you don't need the high power you have two lights.

All of which just adds more options, I'm afraid :)

Note: If you are intending to shoot outdoors, you need to be aware that large softboxes and umbrellas will be prone to going where the wind wants to take them!
I would advise looking at the Lencarta Profold softboxes - they are both quick to assemble / dissemble due to the folding mechanism (you definitely want folding softboxes if you're going to move them from site to site), but have D rings at each corner (a feature I've not seen on any other softboxes), which means you can attach guy ropes to them to guard against the wind if needed! Not the cheapest, but good quality.
 
+1 for AD600. AD 200 can work too, as it has less power you will need to position closer than the 600 making portrait possibilities more limited. I’ve had best results using both, 600 as key and 200 as fill.

next point to mention is white balance. These are 5600k lights so shooting as golden hour it won’t match the sun without gels.
 
PS are you thinking HSS so you can shoot wide open? If so a better option may be an ND filter for your lens so you can shoot within synch speed and have full power available.
 
Thank you so much for replying, so much valuable information here and given me some more options to consider :)

AD600B has full manual options (1/1 - 1/256 in 25 steps), TTL and HSS
AD200 has full manual (1/1 - 1/128), TTL and HSS.

There are also the AD200Pro, AD300 Pro, AD400 Pro and AD600 Pro

Finally there is the old AD600BM which is an AD600B with only manual options, no TTL or HSS.

(You probably want to go with the AD600B or AD600BM, rather than AD600 or AD600M, if you chose an AD600 as these are the Bowens mount versions - Bowens mount being the most common mount type for reflectors, softboxes, etc, and so the most cost effective).

If aiming to overpower the sun, then go with the AD600B if you can afford it - even in the UK you need plenty of power (There is even an AD1200, but that's £1474.99 on pre-order at Lencarta, so well over your initial budget!)

The other option, which would give flexibility, is to look at the AD-B2 twin adapter, which allows you to fit two AD200's side by side in a single Bowens mount bracket, giving 400Ws (you can also use it with just one AD200 as a Bowens Mount adapter) - while this is less power than a single AD600, it does mean you if you are in a situation were you don't need the high power you have two lights.

All of which just adds more options, I'm afraid :)

Note: If you are intending to shoot outdoors, you need to be aware that large softboxes and umbrellas will be prone to going where the wind wants to take them!
I would advise looking at the Lencarta Profold softboxes - they are both quick to assemble / dissemble due to the folding mechanism (you definitely want folding softboxes if you're going to move them from site to site), but have D rings at each corner (a feature I've not seen on any other softboxes), which means you can attach guy ropes to them to guard against the wind if needed! Not the cheapest, but good quality.

I was thinking to shoot in HSS to ensure the background is exposed for but you've raised a good point - an ND filter would be a better option which would allow me to shoot within the normal sync speed and use the strobe on full power :) Thank you mate. Didn't think of using ND filters to achieve this.

PS are you thinking HSS so you can shoot wide open? If so a better option may be an ND filter for your lens so you can shoot within synch speed and have full power available.
 
@ All I've just purchased the AD200 plus the pro trigger.

I will definitely share some of my shots with you. Thank you for your help!

I will in the future upgrade to the 600 but I think I made the right decision for a beginner.

Thanks again.
 
As promised here are my first few shots. Thanks all for your input!
 

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