Cactus V6 Review

Highlights and Specifications

The Cactus V6 has a long feature list:

  • independent control of four light groups
  • remote control over power levels
  • quick adjustments regarding group selection and power level control
  • brand-agnostic support of numerous flash models
    (over 30 models already supported)
  • film-style TTL flashes supported with user creatable flash profiles
  • adds 0.1 EV resolution to RF60 control and film-style TTL flashes
  • absolute power mode
  • controllable by RF60 in master mode
  • optical triggering, e.g., for HSS sympathy triggering
  • extra short flash feature for high-speed shots
  • (P-)TTL pass-through (for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax)
  • sync-speed up to 1/1000s
  • rock solid performance (100m range, automatic temperature adaptation)
  • compatible with old flashes (flash trigger voltage range of 0-300V)
  • compatible with low-voltage flashes (e.g., Pentax) even in cold weather
  • low-battery indicator
  • remote camera shutter release (including relay mode)
  • delay feature
  • dial direction configurable
  • settings survive power off
  • lever-style locking mechanism, with a hot-shoe locking pin
  • uses regular AA batteries (including rechargeables)

As I have elaborated in the introduction to the RF60 review, the ability to remote control the power level of flashes at last enables the reliability, predictability and consistency of shooting with manual flashes without requiring the photographer to walk up to individual flashes whenever adjustments are needed.

P-TTL off-camera flashes do not require local manipulation either, but their optical communication is far less robust and flexible than radio communication. Dealing with the vagaries of P-TLL automatic exposure is not everyone’s favourite activity either.

Specifications

  • radio frequency: 2.4 GHz
  • number of channels: 16
  • number of groups: 4 (arbitrary number of flashes within one group)
  • max. sync speed: 1/1000s
  • maximum effective distance: 100 m (conservative figure)
  • operating temperature: -20°C to +50°C
  • flash trigger voltage supported: up to 300V
  • low voltage flashes supported: yes
  • reverse polarity supported: no
  • dimensions: 72mm x 72mm x 42mm (LxWxH)  
  • weight: 68g
  • power input: 2x AA (1.5V); mini USB (5V, 1A)
Spring Loaded Battery Door
Two AA batteries can have over 2.5 times the capacity of the AAAs used in the Cactus V5.

Battery life
(based on low-capacity AAs):

Sender
Receiver

LCD Light Off

40 hours

21 hours

LCD Light On

25 hours

17 hours

These manufacturer supplied figures are based on the battery capacity of two AA batteries of 1000mAh. Note that Sanyo Eneloop XX rechargeables feature 2550mAh and will thus more than double the above operating times.

Mounting Options

The V6’s metal male hot shoe has a lever-type locking mechanism that not only clamps down with friction but also features a locking pin. The latter is in the Canon/Nikon position, but will not interfere with other equipment because it is spring-loaded, i.e., can retract. Overall, it is quick and easy to securely attach a V6 on a camera or even in tilted setups, such as on umbrella swivels.

The V6 may also function as a flash stand, if used on the supplied flash stand.  

The V6 also has a female tripod thread that enables secure mounting on light stands. Unfortunately, the proximity of the female tripod thread to the male hot-shoe means that — as it was the case with the Cactus V5 already — using the tripod thread will not work well on some larger tripod plates. This is one disadvantage of the transceiver design since a pure receiver would not need a male hot-shoe.

A potential remedy is using a flash stand with an integrated tripod thread as an adapter for tripod mounting. Unfortunately, the V6's native flash stand does not feature a tripod thread.


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