Commander one pro lifetime upgrade manual#

Despite the short shutter speed and the reduced opportunity for the flash to get its illumination out, the V860 ll was easily able to compete with the bright sunlight - even when hindered by a mini softbox The shot on the left was taken at 1/640sec and that on the right at 1/1000sec. High speed sync allowed me to shoot with shutter speeds well above the standard sync speeds of the Nikon D810. Flash duration figures range from 1/300sec at the more powerful settings to 1/20,000sec for the lighter bursts.

Commander one pro lifetime upgrade manual#

The output is healthy enough, with an official guide number of 60m/190ft ISO 100 at 200mm, and we are offered full manual control from full to 1/128th power in 1/3rd EV increments.

The unit can operate on the camera's hotshoe as a commander unit for both other Godox flashguns and the marque brandвЂ™s own radio units, or it can join a network controlled by an вЂofficialвЂ™ flash unit вЂ“ or indeed by a radio transmitter plugged into the camera. The V860 II is the latest Godox offering for Canon, Nikon and Sony users, and it provides TTL metering and off-camera control via a wireless 2.4GHz radio system, as well as the usual optical control system. And that is what makes me excited about using these Godox Ving V860 ll units. Units donвЂ™t have to be the same room or very close together, and we donвЂ™t have problems of modifiers covering sensors if the flash unit needs to sit inside a softbox or similar. In case you arenвЂ™t aware, the attraction of radio over optical controls in flash-to-flash communications is that the signal is more reliable outside on a sunny day and it can pass through walls and other physical barriers. The big names have been catching up of course, but for those looking for something that doesnвЂ™t come with a significant premium for having radio wireless TTL control these companies offer an interesting set of alternatives. While Nikon and Canon have held on to their intermittently effective optical flash control systems for far too long, innovative brands such as Godox, Phottix and others have been making real progress in the field of 2.4GHz radio controls.

While in the distant past the independent flash brands were very much following in the footsteps of the big names, now we often see the resourcefulness of some companies putting the sluggish progress of the main brands to shame. The head offers full tilt and swivel movements, manual and automatic zoom, a diffuser and a white card reflector for catchlightsДЇlash changed with the advent of aperture priority options, the coming of full TTL metering, optical off-camera communications and then, eventually, radio controls.

The Godox V860 ll is a very well made flash unit that comes equipped with an AF assist light on the front, a sync socket for cabled triggering and a USB port for firmware updates. In those days of course flash unit controls were much less complicated, but working with flash was generally much harder than it is today - all we expected back then was a cable socket and a manually variable burst of illumination. Marquee brandsвЂ™ hotshoe units were always disproportionately expensive, and for a young photographer on a stacking-shelves budget the appeal of cheaper and more powerful models from secondary manufacturers was obvious.

I've been a big fan of independent flash brands since I was a teenager.

Godox Ving V860 ll flash kit with X1 transmitter - $245/ВЈ199.