Cactus V6 Review

Conclusion

Allrounder Jack of all trades and master of power levels. No other product can pull off all the tricks of the Cactus V6.

Frankly, I think the Cactus V6 is a wonderful product. It is made for the past, the present, and the future:

• The Past: Strobists will dust off their TTL speedlights and will use them as they were never meant to be used: In lighting ensembles with remote controlled power calibrated to absolute levels with 0.1 EV resolution.
• The Present: Modern flashes like the RF60 with its HSS emulation and remote zoom level control or the Godox V860C with its Lithium-Ion battery, or the Nikon SB-910 with a 200mm zoom head, are supported.
• The Future: Through future firmware upgrades, the Cactus V6 will be able to support flash models that have not been released yet.
  

  UPDATE: As of firmware version V1.1.008, the V6 supports the Pentax AF540FGZ II and the Pentax AF360 FGZ II flash models.

For just US $70 per unit (also available from Adorama for $69.95 with free shipping) the Cactus V6 offers a tremendous amount of functionality and excellent usability.

Pros

• +  controls power levels of up to four groups
• +  dedicated group buttons support quick group (de-)activation
• +  push-in capable dial supports quick adjustments to power levels and other settings
• +  brand-agnostic support of numerous flash models
  (over 30 models already supported)
• +  user-defined flash profiles for film-style TTL flashes
• +  absolute power mode for equalising flash power differences
• +  can be used as an HSS facilitator due to optical trigger and delay functionality
• +  supports on-camera flash with TTL pass-through
  (for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax)
• +  works as a wireless camera trigger with convenient relay mode
• +  increased battery life due to use of regular AA batteries
• +  Highly tolerant of flashes
  (up to 300V trigger voltage and Pentax low-voltage compatibility)
• +  Lever-style locking mechanism, including locking pin
• +  compatible to RF60, V5, and LV5
• +  rock-solid reliability and enormous range (or alternatively, near proximity tolerance, starting with V1.0.152)

Cons

• −  tripod thread location may create mounting challenges
• −  a bit large in the camera bag

Note that the above “Pros” list does not even contain all highlight features.

An earlier version of this conclusion expressed a desire for a means of trading in some of the insane reach of the V6 (100m+) for more close proximity tolerance. My wish came true! Starting with firmware V1.0.152 (see "downloads") there is an optional "SHORT" working range mode. It works like a charm for macro photography, etc. and still supports a ~30m range.

I wish all the V6 internals would fit into an overall smaller package. Like a V5, a V6 takes up quite a bit of room in a camera bag. However, this is more like a "In an ideal world..." niggle than a real complaint.

With its numerous unique features the Cacuts V6 is far from “yet another radio trigger”. But does it tick all the boxes in terms of functionality? Does it not lack P-TTL support for automatic flash exposure?

I personally do not miss P-TTL support. Many professionals also avoid the vagaries of automatic metering and prefer manual flashes instead. David Hobby (aka “The Strobist”) once commented on TTL: "...I tweaked them around a lot. I am not used to the on-the-fly variability of TTL (one reason I do not normally use it) so the camera and I were both trying to drive the car."

Ideally, the V6 would still be able to emulate a system-dedicated P-TTL flash on-camera for two particular reasons that are Pentax-specific: It would be able to fool a Pentax DSLR into providing second-curtain sync and HSS trigger events. While the V6 can emulate these features with some manual delay settings and/or the help of a P-TTL capable flash, it would surely be convenient to use these P-TLL extras in a fully automated fashion. However, I personally would certainly not want to pay extra for this convenience. The ability to remote control power levels of off-camera flashes is the main feature of the V6 and I personally would not want it to become more expensive or specific to certain brands in order to have support for these features added.

I value that the V6 is highly brand-agnostic when it comes to supported cameras and/or flashes. In particular shooters that own multiple camera systems should take note of this one system that may address all their needs. I furthermore applaud the fact that the V6 upvalues any previous investments into TTL flashes and preserves the investment in any V5, LV5 gear.

I have no reservations in highly recommending the Cactus V6 to all strobists out there.

A final goodie: In this review I tried to focus on essentials. You can find more details of operation in the Cactus V6 manual.

© All images featured in this review were created by the author, Class A, and are copyrighted.