The Godox AD600 Pro Strobe was recently announced to the public. Having myself recently shifted from a fantastic (but also pricey) pair of Profoto B1s to jump into the Godox (Flashpoint in the U.S.) system, I took notice.
Yes, the Profoto’s are expensive, and price factors in. But really, my core goal was simple: I wanted to have a one-size-fits-all system instead of what I had at the time, which was a mix of Canon speedlights and Profoto strobes, each remaining closed off from the other. To this point, the Flashpoint system delivered, and I now have universal lighting tools to fit a multitude of shooting scenarios. The additional upside was money that could be invested elsewhere.
Even with the goal of consolidating accomplished, when you step from prolonged use of the B1s, you certainly will notice the step down on things like build quality, menu system, and color accuracy as you cringe a bit over losing access to Profoto’s amazing selection of quick and easy-to-use, high-quality modifiers. So I’m happy to see early reports look promising over at Rob Hall’s channel with his review video and that the new Pro AD600 has addressed a lot of the original AD600’s minor issues.
Color Temperature Improvements
One major and welcome improvement is a stable color temperature mode, which locks the strobe within 75 degrees of 5600K over the entire power range. Early findings slot this ahead of even Broncolor and Profoto. This is certainly promising and could potentially negate a major advantage those two brands had over the previous Godox model. As a previous user of the B1s and now the AD600, I can say you do notice these slight shifts with the latter when culling through a shoot.
Improved Modeling Lamp
Another highlight for me is the improved 38-watt LED bulb modeling lamp versus the ten-watt on the original non-pro model. With this modeling lamp boost, the Pro model is much more versatile as well competitive to the high-priced alternatives. It also becomes useful outside of just dimly lit studios.
Those are welcome improvements for sure, but there are more surprises in store for those that check out Hall’s full review above to see if the sum of these improvements add up to a worthy addition to your lighting setup.
I use the original AD600 and my experience has been, for the most part, fairly positive. I wonder if Godox fixed the XT trigger / light proximity issue. On the AD600, if you're close to the light while using the XT trigger, the light won't fire for some reason.
I think the Pro version is a nice step up from the original, but for folks like myself who aren't firing off shot after shot, looking for that sweet recycle time, $300 to upgrade is a bit steep. I think the big selling points for this unit, at least for those who might want to upgrade, are the color variation stability feature and improved modeling lamp.
Very cool unit, though. Thanks for the article.
That's a good question, I know the Xpro trigger launched not long ago, not sure if that resolved it. I'm with you Michael, this new flash it is a really solid alternative. The original had some nice sale pricing from time to time, hoping this one follows that trend!
Not sure about the AD600 but when using the new X-Pro trigger on my speed lights and the AD200, it seems to work perfectly fine even if they practically touching each other.
Good to know, thanks Motti.
Here is a photo taken with the Godox XPro-N trigger and AD200 (on a D750 if it matters). Camera and flash touching each other. Over exposed to show flash was triggered. I took a few with different power settings, worked each time.
Right bottom shadow is due to the fact that I am holding the flash in my left hand (to the left of the camera) and the flash head is slightly behind the hood of the 24-120.
I hope that helps.
I do not know how relevant it is, but I have the same problem with X1T-O + TT600. The solution is quite simple, turn the X1T off, press the status button and turn on while keeping the button down for about 1/2 seconds. Then release the status button. This brings the transmitter in short-range mode where maximum range is around 30m, but it works even if you are very close to the light.
Thanks for the tip, Michele. I'll have to look into it – I don't recall seeing a status button on the unit, but it's been a while so I'll have to double check.
The trigger is fine. You will need to turn on "short-range mode" in order to make it work. just hold the test buttom and turn on the trigger. Restart the trigger to reset.
Its written on the manual.
As Strong John mentioned - be sure to enable short-range mode. This was added with firmware v16 (To add the triggering operation at close range: Press the TEST Button to power the transmitter on, holding on until the STATUS indicator lamp blinks for 2 times. Now the wireless remote distance is from 0 to 30 meters).
I switched to Godox Speedlights a few years ago because of the Li-ion batteries that allowed me to shoot long events without a battery change.
When the AD-360 came out it was the Quantum-killer I had anticipated as I could see the rapidly improving Chinese manufacturers moving into previously unassailable strongholds.
Their integrated triggers coupled with their rock solid reliability sealed the deal.
I am very happy with the AD-600s and sold my Einsteins and the rest of my hodge-podge Bowens, Hensel, and Buff gear.
As a location photographer the locations provide plenty of color shift natively that masks any color shifts that might be present in the flashes. Were I shooting on a studio set with almost no variation in subject I might notice the drift. However I didn't see much shift from my White Lightnings despite their "primitive" design.
The Pro model is a nice step up for a couple of reasons:
It addresses key points in the mind of the potential client. Color stability, recycle time and a better modeling light.
Changes to the mounting of the tube addresses the concerns of those feeling the original was too recessed.
Additional changes to the body make for a more mature product overall which goes a long way to addressing the concerns of those who think Chinese gear is poor quality.
The AD 600 is a great, solid product. The Pro moves the goalposts and weakens the arguments of the defenders of the high priced spread.
I love the current version, but for the modeling light alone I'll be picking this up. When shooting headshots, it's better to have the pupil dilate, so you can see more color in the eye. The current modeling light isn't quite up to the task.
That's a solid point, the iris needs to be standout on those close in headshots.
Something I do when shooting large format is set up a bright led source behind me. Helps me see what I am doing but I imagine it would be useful for headshots as well.
whats this new price on B&H all about, ...... hmmmm, .....
B1 location kit for $2998
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1049889-REG/profoto_901092_b1_500...
Good price for the B1 if you are in the market for two of them. That model has been discontinued for the B1X so I'm guessing that's the reason for that temporary price.
Are we talking in t0.1 or t0.5 when in fast flash duration?
Let's not forget one important factor - the AD600 is a portable unit -- meaning intended use is for outdoors. With that said, the Einstein will NOT fire at HSS and is not useful at all for balancing flash with ambient in most situations. The reason I sold my Einsteins and bought these units. IF you shoot only studio, then for sure, go with the Einsteins. Great lights!
Little late to the party but this strobe has really caught my attention. I'm currently in the process from moving from a Profoto B1 to the Broncolor Siro L 800. Before I commit I really want to try this AD600 Pro first. Price point is amazing and you can't go wrong. In Canadian dollars, a Siro 800 L will set me back almost $5000 once you factor in the RFS remote, extra battery, shipping, taxes (etc). I purchased the AD600 Pro with remote for $1200. If this light performs anything close to a B1 or Siro, this is a steal of a deal. Godox takes quite a bit from a design perspective from Broncolor lights. I also found out, Godox makes the RFS remote for Broncolor which I found very interesting and explains why they look identical.