[bdery]

You should be able to use HSS with the "Cells II" transmitter for the Godox.

All you need is on HSS-capable P-TTL flash in order to generate the (optical) trigger signal for the "Cells II" transmitter.

That's not how it works. The Cells ii has a full array of "Canon" pins, meaning the camera can be fooled in thinking a HSS flash is mounted and will send the proper signals. The Cells ii transmitter will then tell a Godox/Neewer/Cheetah flash to fire in HSS mode.

That transmitter will almost certainly not work with any other protocol than Canon's. Not Nikon, not Pentax. It will also not work when mounted as a receiver, because in this case it's simply a dummy trigger.

[Class A]

That's not how it works. The Cells ii has a full array of "Canon" pins, meaning the camera can be fooled in thinking a HSS flash is mounted and will send the proper signals.

Thanks for the correction.

I read a review that led me to believe otherwise, but having consulted further sources, I'm convinced you are right.

[bdery]

I got my two flashes over the weekend (the Neewer rebadges). I ran them through a few tests, and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. I'll be writing a longer review (probably in the same form as your Cactus review) but I can already say that build quality is better than expected, recycle times are ludicrously fast, and battery life seems neverending. In short I'm a happy customer.

[jbsg02]

I got my two flashes over the weekend (the Neewer rebadges). I ran them through a few tests, and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. I'll be writing a longer review (probably in the same form as your Cactus review) but I can already say that build quality is better than expected, recycle times are ludicrously fast, and battery life seems neverending. In short I'm a happy customer.

agreed here, there were my first flashes so I don't have much to compare them to, but for manual flashes, these seem top notch

[mattdm]

I just got mine. As I posted in another thread, I went with the Cheetah-branded version, the Cheetah Light V850. This is a little more expensive than the other versions, but you get US-based service (and I've heard that the customer service is great).

I agree with howieb that it'd be nice to have a way to go faster than dialing through all of the third-stops. It's also a little finicky to select groups — it's nice that there are so many, but honestly I think I'd rather a dial with fewer numbers on it. And, it'd be kind of cool if they had a smaller version for use as accent lighting (although I know that for some people, the Cheetah Light CL-360 is the "real" flash and this is the small version). And while I'm asking for things, it'd be nice if the transmitter was low-profile like some of the others.

Other than those little things, though, I'm very impressed. Lots of power, really quick refresh time (if you are using low enough power, it'll keep up with high-speed burst mode, which is kind of fun).

[bdery]

I agree with howieb that it'd be nice to have a way to go faster than dialing through all of the third-stops.

I think a wheel on the transmitter could be nice, but honestly it takes less than 3 seconds to go from OFF to 1/2.

It's also a little finicky to select groups

If the clicks on the transmitter were clearer, I think there would be no problem there. I agree that 16 groups is a little extreme, but the way I see it, you can have numerous "presets" that you can call easily (say, you use 1-2-3 for a specific type of shooting, a-b-c for another, and you don't have to remember how you set things up the last time, just call up those combos

And, it'd be kind of cool if they had a smaller version for use as accent lighting

It could hardly be cheaper than 100$, though. Maybe it'll come in the future.

it'd be nice if the transmitter was low-profile like some of the others.

I actually like it better this way, easier to see the controls. Plus it looks like a PocketWizard

If you have suggestions or requests for the upcoming review, I'll be glad to note them!

[mattdm]

And, it'd be kind of cool if they had a smaller version for use as accent lighting

It could hardly be cheaper than 100$, though. Maybe it'll come in the future.

Yeah, I wouldn't even mind if it were very close in price. I'd just like it to be compact enough that I wouldn't need to give a thought to throwing a second or third light in the camera bag. At 1¼ pounds with battery, the V850 isn't that. (The Nikon SB-R200 is a quarter of the weight (also with battery). It'd also be nicer to mount in creative locations, using a gorillapod or similar.

[bdery]

Yeah, I wouldn't even mind if it were very close in price. I'd just like it to be compact enough that I wouldn't need to give a thought to throwing a second or third light in the camera bag. At 1¼ pounds with battery, the V850 isn't that. (The Nikon SB-R200 is a quarter of the weight (also with battery). It'd also be nicer to mount in creative locations, using a gorillapod or similar.

That's a valid point. When I go on location with my studio setup, I bring a lot of stuff anyway, so the weight of the flashes is not very important, but I can understand why for others it can be a burden.

[Class A]

I have some old Nikon SB24's and SB25's that I was considering getting the Radio Popper JrX's.

Note that these will be supported by the Cactus V6.

If you have suggestions or requests for the upcoming review, I'll be glad to note them!

I guess it may be useful to have a look at Brian Hursey's Cactus V6 preview. The final version will have a few more tricks up its sleeves.

There is also FlashHavoc's report on the RF60 + V6 with some comparison to the V850 (see also the comments). I also tried to further compare the V850+FT16 vs RF60+V6.

People tend to forget that one can about half the recycling times while doubling the battery life of an RF60 with an external power pack. The latter may even does screw on to the side of an RF60. Obvious downsides of this add-on are: a) added cost (currently ~$39.95) and b) more bulk (at least the size and weight of 8 x AA).

Things will certainly get very interesting if Godox ever comes out with something better than the FT16. I don't know whether there are actual plans, but Elvis from FlashHavoc keeps mentioning this as a possibility.

[howieb101]

The other good thing about the Godox Vings is that the receivers use power from the flash so you don't have to worry about another set of batteries to charge for the receivers.

Howie B

[Class A]

The other good thing about the Godox Vings is that the receivers use power from the flash so you don't have to worry about another set of batteries to charge for the receivers.

In case you mentioned that in comparison to the RF60: The RF60 is even better as the RF module is built into the flash. It is also powered by the flash's batteries and as an extra advantage cannot fall off.

I don't think the Godox's receiver is a huge problem, but one guy who posted a youtube video did not like the fact that it is possible to knock off the receiver accidentally. Have a look at his video, if you like (the link points to the correct position within the video).

[mattdm]

I don't think the Godox's receiver is a huge problem, but one guy who posted a youtube video did not like the fact that it is possible to knock off the receiver accidentally. Have a look at his video, if you like (the link points to the correct position within the video).

That was a worry of mine too, but I've used mine a reasonable amount with quite a bit of moving around, and haven't actually ever knocked it out. He mentions velcro being too fat, but I have some of the low-profile stuff which I plan on trying if it becomes a problem. Or for that matter, tape. Not beautiful, but...

[Class A]

I agree with howieb that it'd be nice to have a way to go faster than dialing through all of the third-stops.

Do you know that you can long-press on the +/- buttons to obtain a faster speed?

It still steps through all the third-stops but much quicker compared to pressing for each third-stop.

[bdery]

Class A, you are correct about the usefulness and limitations of a power pack. You can come close to the performance of a Godox with one, the downsides being bulk, cost, and battery management.

[Class A]

Class A, you are correct about the usefulness and limitations of a power pack. You can come close to the performance of a Godox with one, the downsides being bulk, cost, and battery management.

Yes, I agree that handling a single Li-Ion cell is much more convenient compared to 12 AAs.

Note, however, that you could get an external power pack like the Godox PB960 which just uses a single battery. If you order the latter with a Canon cable, you can connect it to one or two RF60.

On the other hand, the PB960 and V850 Li-Ion solutions are proprietary, i.e., you will probably be out of luck if you ever run out of power whereas AAs are easy to get almost everywhere and since they are used by other gadgets, you may just borrow some from a gadget you are currently not using.

Furthermore, you probably already have an AA charger whereas the Li-Ion solution requires you to deal with yet another charger. I'm OK with the D-LI90 for my K-5 II, but it adds another charger to my zoo. When I only had the K100D, I only needed one charger for the camera, flashes, and triggers.