GODOX AD1200 – compact flash head with 1200Ws power

Author: Dimitar Lambov

Godox 1200Ws Compact flash head with 1200Ws power

Late afternoon, low and strong summer sun in backlit, huge contrast…

Normally, photos taken without a flash would lack detail in the sky and background. And if we want to capture the beautiful blue sky or an azure sunset with rich and dark colors, we would use a flash, right...? But I want to use a large deep softbox to have softer and more diffused shadows. I want to shoot at an aperture no more than f2.8… Here I encounter limitations and problems I would have if shooting with a compact system flash or even several…

Here are the problems we face with the conditions I mentioned:

1. On a sunny summer day, the average exposure I need to overcome is aperture f16 at a shutter speed of 1/125s (the sync speed of flashes without HSS function)
2. A large softbox absorbs and diffuses a huge part of the flash's pulse, so I need a very powerful flash of around 600-800ws (system flashes have an average power of 50-60ws)
3. But I want to shoot at an aperture of f2.8, so my shutter speed needs to be around 1/4000s. To shoot at this speed, I need a flash with High-Speed Synchronization (HSS).
4. When using the HSS function of a flash, its pulse "stretches" – the duration of the pulse reproduction increases. Due to the short exposure time of the frame and the stretched pulse, only part of the entire flash pulse actually reaches the camera's sensor. Or, simply put, when shooting in HSS mode at 1/4000s, the camera can only capture about 1/2 of the entire pulse. Using Godox AD600 (600ws), I can use half the power of the pulse – 300ws – and that's not enough for me…
5. I also need a mobile solution with an autonomous power supply – compact and lightweight, so I can move it quickly and easily among the rocks…

The solution is: double power with 2 mobile battery flashes Godox Witstro AD600 and the compact flash head AD1200. With this combination, I combine the power of the 2 flashes and get the power I need. Other advantages – I can use HSS, TTL, and a full 600 flashes at full power!

Equipment used for the photoshoot:

Flashes: 2x Godox Witstro Ad600  + Godox AD1200

Trigger: TTL Radio Trigger Godox X1TC – transmitter for Canon

Reflector: Portable Parabolic Softbox 90 cm

After all that's written above, it will be most understandable to show you an unprocessed photo with/without flash. You can see them in the gallery.