Gift from the wife - 600ws portable flash

[texxter]

My wife is in Beijing with the kids having popsicles at the Great Wall, and I am here, home alone, which is as nice and quiet as I like it!

I asked her to look around for a portable flash for me, and when I called her today she told me she got it! She drove to this huge photo equipment market in Beijing with her sister and got my a gift! So I hope to do a review of it because there is little available on the internet on this Chinese piece of equipment.

The price is right, 275 dollars. Less than a used SB800 portable flash!

This is similar to the very nice and very expensive Elinchrom Quadra system, a 400ws battery powered flash, which I would buy in a heartbeat if I was making lots of money with my photography. But since that's not the case, I'll take a chance with this 600 ws Godox unit, which looks pretty good on paper. It's commercialized with silly names as the Brilliant DPE or the Link Delight Handy Bowl Flash Strobe Light Kit (or the LDHBFSLK for short)

All jokes aside, it looks like a pretty interesting piece of equipment - it became available in Jan this year, and the specs are pretty good. They have both a 400ws unit and the 600ws unit she got me today.

Here is the picture, and then I'll share some of the specs I like:

• 600ws power, should be enough to overpower the sun in most cases, I hope
• 2.5s recycle time, full power
• 200 full power flashes per battery charge
• Optical slave built-in
• 9 step digital power adjustment
• Battery can be charged by by A/C or a car 12v DC lighter receptacle, with all the power cords included
• Uses a pretty standard Bowens S-type mount for modifiers
• Nickel hydrogen battery which can be replaced
• Comes with a detachable handle, and can be mounted on shoe mount type of stand adaptor, or a regular light stand
• Wireless remote triggers included
• Comes in an aluminum case

We'll have to see how it works - if it does, as I expect it will, it'll allow me to shoot on location without having to worry about power or AA batteries, but still being able to travel light.

Edit: This is a good resource if you're interested in this type of portable flash equipment - http://www.lightingrumours.com/portable-power-guide

[KenJulio]

Was this like a 5 story camera shopping mall? Or did she go to a shop near the Wahaha Hotel? BTW, the restaurant in the Wahaha hotel has an excellent menu and the interior is magnificent. Hope your family is enjoying Beijing as much as we did, if not more!

Oh, also, I hope they dont get lost in the crowds at the Forbidden City.

[tukaniray]

Wife found an awesome deal. Nice, Paco.

Hope your family has a safe and fun trip.

-Ray-

[texxter]

Hey Ken, not sure exactly where this place is, but a five story photo mall sounds right. She said it is huge and they sell all kinds of photo equipment. She's originally from Beijing and knows her way around, but the kids are not used to big city living, and every day when I call them on the phone I tell them to be cautious and stay close to Mom. They are having fun and great food!

Thanks for your kind words, Ray! Looking forward to trying out this light when they return in two weeks...

[Jake]

Dang, you wife goes to Beijing and gets you a 600ws portable flash unit? I can't even get my wife to pick up batteries for my flashes while she is at Target!

You are a very lucky man. Looking forward to the review!

[digidawg87]

Is it 110 volts or 220 volts?

[Redneck]

Wow, looking nice. I might consider getting one myself. Keep us posted how the unit works, please.

[texxter]

Jake, I am indeed a very lucky man!

Donny, this is a battery operated flash. It comes with a battery charger that works with 12v DC, 110/220 AC. That's the reason I bought it, it doesn't have to be plugged in once the battery is charged.

Andre, I will definitely post a review and samples once she's back at the end of the month.

[DoublyDan]

Sweet Paco! Great blessing for someone who is always will to give to others.

On a side note..this makes me want to travel...I have two trips lined up for this summer but they are in Texas (not a bad thing, just have to look in the right places for photo ops.), but I mean really get out and see the world. I know I'm not alone.

[texxter]

Daniel, thanks for your comment, much appreciated!

If you have the bug to go see the world, I strongly encourage you to follow your bliss and do it - it's a wonderful experience. Especially if you can do it with your kids! My wife and I have made a point of traveling overseas with the children since they were very small, so that they develop an understanding and acceptance of other cultures and ways.

They still remember the day we went to a remote village in the hills of Guatemala, and I decided to leave them in the rental car for a few minutes while I went to check out the place. I am talking about a remote village with no paved roads and homes without electricity or running water. My wife made the mistake of giving some candy to a couple of kids, and a few minutes later they had the tiny car surrounded, mothers and children, with pots extended trying to get some candy or any food for that matter. They were a little surprised and scared and didn't dare to leave the car. When I returned a few moments later, this is what I saw, and most people had given up and left, as they ran out of candy of course. My children still remember all these experiences!

Traveling to other countries is a great experience for children, in my opinion!

#1. A group of Mayan children surround our car expecting to get some food or candy.



#2. My daughter with some Mayan girls she met and befriended in a church in a Guatemalan village by Lake Atitlan.



#3. Our last day by beautiful Lake Atitlan, end of the day, done at iso6400 to capture the light of the evening. We strolled around, had native food, and talked with the locals. It's another world!

[Daniel W.]

Haha sweet! My dad (originally form the mainland, and mom from Taiwan) was in China traveling tourist areas a while back and he mentioned a bunch of photo gadgets but didn't know what to get. I've been perusing these units on eBay and wasn't sure, let us know how it goes!

[DoublyDan]

These are really nice Paco!

Thanks for sharing.

[texxter]

Dan, it's interesting (or scary) that there are no thorough reviews of these lights on the internet. It could be because they are still relatively new, not well known, and there seems to be no official distributor in the US. There are a few other vendors with this type of Lumedyne solution. With the popularity of strobist approaches, I hope they become more widely known and used. Professional battery operated flash is out of reach for most hobbyists!

Daniel, here is another snapshot to push over to consider going to some remote place some time in the future. BTW, I went to Big Bend on the motorcycle with a buddy of mine back in 2006 and I loved it!!!! We certainly don't need to go to another hemisphere to see beauty.

[texxter]

Well, I got my flash this week! It looks exactly like the picture above, really nice! The power pack is well built, with a huge battery that I can recharge via A/C or D/C (car cigarette lighter adapter) and it comes with a small reflector and, carrying pouch and aluminum suitcase. There was also a cheap remote that I won't be using.

While I haven't shot with it yet, today I spent some time comparing its power to other lights I use, and so far, I am very pleased. Here are some very unscientific test using the following method, and comparing four lights, a Nikon SB800 flash (120ws or so?), an Alien Bee B800 (320ws), a White Lighting X3200 (1200ws) and the new EX600 (600ws)

• All measurements taken 14 ft from the light, ISO100 set on the light meter.
• Used 7 in reflectors on the AB and WL lights, and different zooms for the SB800.
• Used the same white shoot-thru umbrella as a modifier with all the lights.

Nikon SB800 - at 14ft I get between 2.8 3/10 and 2.8 7/10 with zoom ranging from 35mm to 105mm - obviously at a high zoom the light is not going to be as diffused as with a wide zoom.

Alien Bee B800 - At full power the B800 gives me 4.0 7/10 thru the umbrella with the 7 in reflector, which is one f-stop more light, or twice the power as the SB800

EX600 - My new toy, with a 7in reflector gives me 5.6 7/10, another f-stop of light over the AB B800, consistent with the 600 ws.

WL X3200 - This is very large and heavy 1200 ws monolight, which gave me 8.0 9/10 at full power, again consistent with a 1200 ws punch.

So the EX600 does give me twice as much power as the AB B800 and is battery operated. This is very nice, indeed, when I want to shoot on location without having to carry the X3200, or when I need both.

There are a few things I really like and a few things I don't:

• I like to 20W LED modeling light, which I dont have with the SB800 speedlights
• I like the power pack/battery system, which is supposed to give me close to 200 full power flashes. Very portable and convenient.
• I also like the Bowens-compatible mounting system - I mounted an 11in Bowens reflector with grids, and it works great. I have a Bowens speedring and will be shooting with the Photoflex softboxes, which is hard to do with the SB800.
• I like the price - $275 in China - but it cost a lot to go pick it up
• I don't like the range of flash power - with the 7in reflector and no umbrella, at 14 ft, ISO 100, I get a range from f/11 (power=9) to 4.0 8/10 (power=1) - this is not even three stops. The other lights have a wider range. This means I cannot use this light for just a weak kiss of flash, as it packs a punch even a the lowest power. That's a disappointment.
• Color temperature varation will be significant, and it takes two pops for the digital control to change power settings. I can deal with this.

Overall I am quite happy with the kit, and it fits perfectly when the SB800 cant do the job, but portability is still pretty important. I dont need to carry the super heavy WL X3200 + Vagabond, only this small suitcase with the head and power pack, and I can charge it in the car too. Sweet.

Here are some iPhone pics of it so that you can see the relative size.

[Dobick]

so let me see if I have this right -- at lowest power at 14' with 7 inch reflector and bare bulb you get just under f/5.6?

So how many pops do you think you will get with low power?

And how is the recycle time on lowest power -- are you under a second?

and one final question (for the moment anyway) is there a way that you can shoot this while on AC power -- for unlimited shooting instead of only battery?