Godox AD600 GodoxAD360Gah! I’ve gone back and forth on which I’d buy if I was considering both. I have two AD360s and one AD600. All are the manual versions, as I don’t find TTL good for my work flow. And I should also state I don’t use speedlights of any brand or kind. I just find strobes better for my work. So I made a laundry lists of my personal likes and dislikes:
AD360
Pros:
- Small
- Light
- Very packable
- Lots of power for a small system
- Fills modifiers well
Cons:
- Lots of stuff I need to use them…let me explain.
First off I use the following ‘stuff’ with my AD360s:
- A Y connector to help the strobe recycle in half the time of a single connector (optional)
- A light stand swivel which also holds the AD360 and any Bowens S modifier
- A battery
- A light stand battery holder (optional? Maybe…)
- A bulb protector
- The coiled power cord
- A straight power cord (optional)
AD600
Pros:
- Small
- Powerful
- Everything in one
Cons:
- Kinda heavy (compared to the AD360 light head or a bag of Cheetos)
So here’s the dilemma for me. The AD360 is nice and small, but requires me to bring lots of little odds and ends. And as with all things – small stuff is easier to pack than larger stuff. It fits in small nooks in my bags or cases. Sure the bulb protector stays on the light, the Y connector ‘can’ stay on the battery as can the coiled wire. I ‘could’ leave the USB receiver plugged in too. But I don’t…why? I’m a bit nervous that it will get hit and sheer off the connector. Same with the Y cord on the battery. And oh yeah I bought two of the straight cords because the curled cord is a total pain in the ass when I use the light on a boom or inverted softbox. So speaking out of the other side of my mouth I also hate the little odds and ends I need to remember with the AD360….
Stuff I use with my AD360Now the AD600, well it has a built in receiver, built in light stand swivel, built in Bowen’s S mount. So I only have to remember the light…duh! And when they release the remote head, when I want to use it on a boom or an inverse softbox it’s all I need. I’ll remove the swivel stand/handle because I never plan on using it. Plus it puts out an extra stop of light over the AD360 unit AND I love its LED modeling light. Something ELSE I would have to add to the AD360. And no I didn’t include transmitters or chargers because I just wanted to point out the differences.
Stuff needed to use with my AD600So you trolls who ‘have to be right’ just like my ex girlfriends save your Cheeto orange fingers from pointing out my “omission.” Go out and create photographs of something other than histograms or test shots all the while hiding behind being anonymous.
I’m not going to say what I would do because I’m still confused. But it’s just some of the real world things I consider. Oh and adding all of these little things up ‘may’ bring the AD360 price closer to the AD600. I’ll leave it to each of you to do the math. Plus it gives the trolls something to be “right” about.
I love the idea of the AD600 with the remote head and throwing that indirectly into a parabolic reflector. After getting a Priolite I really appreciate the Bowens mount (wish my Einstein had one). And I really like having a lightweight head on a stand when I’m out in the field instead of a monolight that needs a sandbag on the stand. I wish these would have better distribution in the States but I think I’m going to order one from China.
Thanks for all the very insightful reviews Mark, they’ve been super helpful. It seems like every time I see a piece of equipment out there that I’m interested in you already have a review of it up on your site. By the way – what happened to your Priolites? I got one of their 1000 packs with a separate head and love the high speed sync with my Pentax. But the exposure over the whole frame seems very uneven – bottom part is always much brighter. Did you have a similar experience with those?
Looking forward to see what you’ll be playing with next.
Here is something that may help you with your Alienbee to Bowens S adapter:http://www.amazon.com/Alienbees-Lighting-Simple-Studio-Adapter/dp/B00F8K1G5U
I did not get the remote head/power pack for my Priolite and wish I had. A ten pound monolight is tough on a stand on location. And yes I am disappointed that the Priolites use Hypersync instead of HSS and I too experience banding which is very noticeable above 1/2000th shutter speed on the 645. Right now Priolite is the only game in town for HSS with Pentax other than their speed lights which I prefer not to use. I’m hoping that one day Godox will manufacture a Pentax HSS trigger. Until then I won’t purchase another Priolite and make due with one for on location work with my Pentax.
Cool – thanks Mark. Same strategy here – I’ll hold onto the Priolite for Pentax HSS and will give the AD600 a try. Looks like Godox are offering a Sony remote now as well and I recently got a a7rii, so I can try that with HSS.
Hi Mark, Thanks for sharing again. I just received my remote head extension unit (the AD-H600B) and thought I would share this – once you add on the bulb protector (the black cup) and coil the thick cable, it takes up quite a lot of space. In fact it takes up almost as much space as the main flash unit itself.
Thanks for that bit of information. I kind of figured it would be a bit bulky but the tradeoff of weight is what interests me the most. How much does the head weigh in your estimation. I cannot find any statistics about the weight online.
I’m excited about the Ad-H600B. I have the ad600 and an ad360. I want to use the ad600 as a pack and head setup with the cononmark parabolic. I am hoping the H600b is light enough to be able to extend the rod out so the bulb is barely inside the reflector.
Yes I believe it will
Hey Mark:
thanks for the comparison between the AD-600 (which I DON’T have) and the AD-360 (which I DO have).
You are right about the inconvenience of all the bits and pieces one has to amass and carry around with them for the AD-360. I felt that the aluminum bulb cover was NOT included with the Ad-360 was a total slap in the face. What were they thinking???
Just to alleviate SOME of the concern of those who are thinking of buying an AD-360, one could make it a little easier to keep things organized:
– Leave the turbo cable (two into one) cable plugged into the battery and the extension cable plugged into the end of that turbo cable.
– Leave the FT-16 remote plugged into the side of the AD-360 (don’t use the black pouch, instead wrap the AD-360 with the receiver attached in bubble wrap, then put in yur case / flash bag)
– Leave the battery clamp attached to your lightstand. The battery pack will just slide right in and out
So that kind of leaves us with the S Bracket, which despite being one more thing to carry / fiddle with, DOES add just a tiny extra bit of protection should your lightstand get knocked over. The Bowens Mount flange on it DOES take the brunt of the impact if the light falls tot he ground on the side. I know this from experience :-\ (the bulb was saved because I had the standard reflector on there as well).
Anyway, thanks again for all the real-world experience with the AD-360 that you have been posting.
I have been using speedlights for sometime and I really am okay with what they do. That said, I would love to be able to get more fill with HSS in some situations. I have been looking at these options but am in no hurry. That said, after looking at these two units with all the “extra” doodads needed for the AD 360, the AD600 is a no-brainer for me. I will deal with a small amount of extra weight and perhaps a second case for that much convenience. Thanks for making that decision easy!
You are welcome.
Let us know how you like the AD600, Jim.
Hi Mark,
I have a question about the H600. I noticed that it has a handle that acts as a lighstand swivel.
I am curious if it is removable. Here is why I am asking. I would like to mount this light like I would a speedlight on a flash bracket attached to the camera. I could then use the bag for the AD-600 to attach it to my belt. This would allow me to shoot alone (I like my assistant but not always available!) Lastly, if this can’t be done with this setup, could I do it with an AD-360?
Thanks ahead for your reply as I know this question is a bit detailed.
Regards,
Jim
You can remove the handle, but I doubt you can configure it as you’re describing.