So, the accidental leak might’ve forced Godox’s hand, but now it’s official. Godox have announced the new AD600Pro portable strobe. And for the most part, things seem unchanged from the original leak, but now they’re available to pre-order in the USA, with a UK release coming soon. The power consumption of the new AD600Pro is the same as its AD600 predecessor, but there are some important differences. The first is that, unlike the AD600, it appears that the AD600Pro is only available in TTL flavour. so, there won’t be a discounted manual only version. But what it does offer is faster recycle times, a much better bulb design, a vastly more powerful modelling light, and a redesigned bracket.
The flash head itself has had a bit of a redesign, with a little extra added sleekness. It now has cleaner, rounder curves, with an easier to see read button layout. You’ll note that while both strobes are Bowens S-Fit, the new design features a new style of reflector. And inside that reflector is a newly designed bulb & fixture design, too. It’s been speculated, although we won’t know until we can get one in our hands, that this adds potentially up to a stop of output due to better efficiency.
The new reflector design also allows you to more easily work with umbrellas. Before, it was difficult or impossible to mount an umbrella to the light when using a reflector. Depending on which umbrella you’re using, that reflector is often essential to prevent light spill. Now, with the new design, not a problem. The parallel outside edge doesn’t interfere with the umbrella’s stem one bit. The newly designed bracket also adjusts smoothly, no longer does it click to different adjustments as you tilt it up and down.
As with all of the other 2.4Ghz Godox/Flashpoint/Pixapro speedlights and strobes, the light is compatible with all of the 2.4Ghz triggers. That’s the XT32, X1T and XPro. You can mix and match to your heart’s content. Although something worth noting if you’re thinking of adding AD600Pro lights to an existing setup with current AD600 light. You won’t be able to use your existing bulbs or head extensions. But a new head extension is coming, as well as a handle for the body of the strobe. It is not yet known whether a 1200Ws head, allowing you to hook up a pair of AD600 Pro lights, will become available. There’s no word yet on whether or not we’ll see a 1200Ws head.
The final specs remain unchanged, as compared to the leak. It’s a 28.8v 2600mAh battery (vs 11.1v 8700mAh on the AD600), it has a recycle time of 0.01 to 0.9 seconds, which means at lower power (I’ve been told 1/16th and below) you can shoot a rapid 10 frames per second. Due to the change in battery, the maximum amount of full power flashes has been reduced from 500 to 360. This has come as a bit of a disappointment to some, but given the, theoretically, more efficient bulb design, you potentially match the AD600 power at up to a stop below full power. So, ultimately, you’ll probably get about the same performance out of the two, but with the option of a little extra power when you need it with the AD600 Pro. And speaking of more output, the AD600Pro has that 38W modelling light, that’s pretty close to two full stops over the AD600. This means it could potentially be used as a video light either bare or with a small modifier.
One of the big features that’s got a lot of people excited are the colour stability specs. Godox boasts a deviation of only +/- 75K, which even beats out the Profoto B1X at nearly $2100 which falls 100Ws short in terms of power. It’s not quite as good as the +/-50 of the Broncolor Siros L, but for that you’re paying over $2,200. That one is a little more powerful, though, at 800Ws. Our friend, Francisco Hernandez, posted a video about it, offering his thoughts on the new light.
Overall, it does look like a worthy improvement. For those who shoot sports, dance, or other subjects where you have to shoot quite rapidly, that 0.9 second recycle time will easily be worth the extra $150 over the AD600. The increased colour consistency throughout power levels will be very valuable to fashion, catalogue and product photographers, too. In the USA, the Godox AD600Pro will be distributed through Adorama as the Flashpoint XPLOR 600Pro, where pre-orders are already available for $899. Or for $968 with the R2 Pro (Godox XPro) trigger transmitter. At the moment, shipping is expected to begin in early February. The previous model Flashpoint XPLOR 600 TTL is still available for $749, and the non-TTL Flashpoint XPLOR 600 HSS (Godox AD600BM) is available for $549. In the UK, it will be distributed through Pixapro as the CITI600 Pro, who plan to have units available before The Photography Show in March. Pre-orders are now available for £800, although this price may change once it’s actually released (the current model CITI600 TTL is £625 and the manual version is £450).
