[morenjavi]

[UPDATED]

Hello.

I'm finally 'unifying' my flashes and triggers. Sold my old and nice Yongnuo triggers, and changed little by little my diverse flashes for Godox ones.
I have of course my Metz P-TTL flash (for fill and quick pics) and my valuables V6 II & V6 triggers, for HSS.

I needed a device that allowed me not only to change power remotely, but to control groups easily, just with one or two clicks, and be able to see all my configuration at the same time.

When I read about the XProC, I though that it could be the answer, so I bought one. I ordered my trigger (and extra XTR16) directly from China, just to save a few euros... and that was a big mistake.

INITIAL TESTS

I started with random tests just to check if the device worked.
It seemed to work: I could fire the XProC just putting it directly on the hotshoe or using a PC-Sync to 2.5mm cable. Not sure how safe is to put it directly on the Pentax hotshoe, but I do the same with my XT32C and never got issues.

I fired my AD200 (internal receiver), AD360 and V850 (XTR16 receiver), changed power, set it ON of OFF, etc.

NICE SURPRISE WITH THE V6 II

So after first quick tests I decided to check HSS. I have the last HSS firmware on the V6 II, I'm not going to go PTTL way, too long to explain on the same post.

A thought came into my head: 'could the XProC be detected as a Canon Flash?'. So I configured the V6 II as Pentax Camera + Automatic flash, started my camera, started the XProc and then the V6 II... yes, it was detected as a real Canon flash. Also, on the XProC display two icons appeared: a camera symbol (so the XProC was detecting the V6 II as a Canon camera) and a HSS symbol. More on that symbol later.

As I don't want to bore you, I'll tell the final configuration I put on the V6II:

Pentax Camera
Canon Flash, Godox V860C profile
Normal Sync

On my tests it worked. Now about how to sync above and below 1/180.
On the XProC you have a button named SYNC that enable/disable the HSS symbol on the display. This button doesn't change anything on our remote flash, just allow to pass the 1/180 speed on your camera or not, it's similar to change from P-TTL mode to HSS P-TTL mode on Pentax flashes.

So, normally you have the SYNC mode enabled on the XProC. So now, if you fire your camera with 1/180 or lower you'll get normal sync. But, if you fire above 1/180, the XProC will put your remote flash with HSS enabled (HSS symbol appears on remote Godox flash) AND fire & sync it. Yes, you will sync up to 1/8000 automatically!. While you are on HSS territory, your flash has HSS enabled, once you are on normal speeds, HSS is disabled automatically on the Godox flash.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT HSS SYNC

So the basic configuration is, on V6II side:

Pentax Camera
Canon Flash, Godox V860C profile
Normal Sync

On XProC side (initial recomendation):

SYNC ON
C.Fn STBY OFF
C.Fn GROUP 16 (0-F)

So, what happens with 'old' devices like V850, AD360, etc ?
You'll need to use a XTR16 receiver AND put HSS manually, but they will work.

What about POWER SYNC ?
Enable SYNC on your XProC.
Configure V6 II's SYNC MODE as POWER SYNC
Put your remote flash power to 1/1
Done.

Why STBY OFF?
XProC will go to sleep after 90 seconds without activity. But, if you put the trigger on top of your camera's hotshoe or use a cable, after 90 sec, it will go to sleep. Changing camera settings, focusing... etc will not register for the XProC, only if you fire, so it's really easy to put it to sleep. And only will wake it up if you push the SET or TEST buttons, sliding the power button up/down will not wake it up, fire will not wake it up.

Why C.Fn GROUP to 16 (0-F) and not 5 (A-E) ?
On the XProC you can see up to 5 remote groups/devices. Every group have three status: OFF (--) , M (Manual) and TTL. If you select a group you can cycle --/M/TTL etc to change status. With C.Fn GROUP set to 16, TTL will be disabled, you'll cycle just --/M, that is, enable/disable group. You can't use TTL anyway, so better to disable it.


ISSUES AND BAD NEWS

This is only for my unit, I'm afraid I got a defective one. The problem with my unit is that sometimes I got:

* misfires (about 1 of every 30 pics)
* change power with the wheel but is not registered on the remote flash

I get the above issues only with XProC + AD200 internal wireless receiver combination. No issues firing my other Godox flashses, firing my AD200 using my XT32C or firing my AD200 with a XTR16 receiver. Some weird signal/communication issue, I think. I need to check another XProC unit... but I can't return the one I have: sending back to China will cost me more than half the value of the trigger. Never again. Please, don't do the same :(.

The issue is less severe If I select 100m range on the XProC.

My unit was defective. The seller sent me a new one, so no issues and no bad news .

XPROC COMPARED TO XT32C

XT32 & XPro are triggers that go one step further the basic XT16, that only can control power and fire remote devices.

XT32 is a manual trigger, that is, it can't control TTL, but as we're not Canon/Nikon/Sony/Fuji/Olympus users, no matter if it support TTL or not.
XT32 supports HSS but, I found no way to use such feature, that is, in a native way; surely you need a proper Canon/Nikon camera.
XT32 supports groups (yes, I know that the XT16 also 'supports' groups). You can control the power for 16 different groups AND, you can ENABLE/DISABLE groups. I think this is the main reason for buying this trigger (well, also is nicer that the XT16). This is why I bought this trigger last year.

Then you have the XProC (Canon flavour), that seems similar in features to the XT32 (for a Pentax user), that is, it controls groups and can enable/disable it. It supports TTL but, as we can't use this feature, no matter if it has it or not.

So finally I'll speak about the differences that, in my opinion, are relevant.

* On the XProC, you can see up to 5 groups/flashes at the same time, check if they are ON/OFF, and see the power settings. You can select any group with a dedicated button and then you can change the power with the wheel or enable/disable it with the MODE button. Also, you can select all the groups and change power at the same time. You can, for example, add 1EV step to all your flashes at the same time: select all, turn the wheel to change power, done.
The XT32C only can select/view a group at a time. To select a group you need to click the GR button, then turn the wheel to select the correct group, and then push the SET button (the humble XT16 is much faster selecting groups). Then you can use the wheel to change power for the selected group. If you double-click the SET button the group is disabled, if you double-click again, it's enabled. The previous power value is not lost.

* XT32C & XProC store the power settings and ON/OFF status of the groups permanently. But, unfortunately for the XT32, if you set a group to OFF, then power OFF-ON your XT32C and set the group ON again, the power for that group will be 1/128, the previous power value is lost. This doesn't happen with the XProC, so it's a great advantage.

* XT32C & XProC have a TEST button to fire the flashes, both triggers set all the groups to the settings that are configured on the trigger when you click it. So by pressing this button you are sure that all your flashes are configured with the settings you put on the trigger. But the XProC have an extra advantage: when you power ON the XProC, it configures all the groups with the stored settings, so you can start to use your flashes immediately without checking if they have the correct settings or not.

* When you fire the XT32C or XProC, no flash setting is changed. But, the XProC have a multimaster mode. On this mode, every time you fire, you also set all the groups with the trigger's settings. This mode allows you to have different triggers with different settings using the same set of flashes with different settings.

* Finally, if you are looking for HSS features for your Pentax camera, and you have a nice Cactus V6 II with the HSS firmware, you will get 'automatic HSS' (not sure how to name it) for your remote Godox flash. This means you don´t need to put any manual setting on your Godox flash to enable/disable HSS, just your XProC stacked. Notice that it will depend on the Godox model, but my guess is that most of the flashes that support Godox X wireless protocol will support this 'automatic HSS'. Please keep in mind that neither Cactus V6 II nor XProC are officially designed/guaranteed to work together, so try it at your own risk.

XPROC ON ONE CAMERA AND XT32C ON A SECOND CAMERA AS 'SLAVE'

I do some paid works every year, and my usual equipment consists of two cameras and three flashes (name it A,B,C). (flash) Settings are different for every camera. My main camera needs to fire sometimes A&B, sometimes A&C, sometimes A&main P-TTL flash. But my secondary camera needs to fire allways A&B flashes. I could do the work with only one camera and my 17-50mm lens, but the quality of portraits will suffer. I have my DA 50-135mm on my other camera. Using one camera and swapping lenses... I tried it but it's a lot of stress, seriously.

In the past I have solved my problem (with flashes) by using several 'tricks': having two sets of triggers/receivers (one for every camera), using only one trigger and swapping it... last year I used a combination of FT16 on my main camera and yongnuo triggers on the other. This year I'll use XProC on main camera and XT32C on secondary.

Now that I have the XProC, I think it's possible to use two or more cameras to control the same set of flashes, with same or different settings.

If you need the same flash settings on main/secondary camera, I think you can put the XProC on main camera to change settings. On secondary camera you can put the XT32C locked, to avoid changing settins by mistake. The XT16 could work, but you can't lock it. You can change settings with the XProC, and the XT32C will 'follow' the same settings when shooting with it.

If the settings are different, obviously the best option is to have two XProC on multimaster configuration. But if you don't want to buy a second XProC, and you have a spare XT32C, I think you can program every trigger with your needed settings, put the XProC on multimaster mode, and when you need to shoot with the XT32C, press first the TEST button to set your settings. Not very sophisticated but will work. I think this will be my option this year.

I'm sure more options can be possible.

I shall finish here. Sorry for the very long post, I will be flad if it could be useful for somebody.

Regards,
Javier.

P.D. My Cactus V6 II has been revalued ... again

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Last edited by morenjavi; 02-28-2018 at 06:30 AM. Reason: Updated info

[stevebrot]

Once you get things sorted out in regards to the defective unit, it might be good to add a review here in the accessories review section:

Flash Accessories (Third-party) - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database


Steve

[morenjavi]

Once you get things sorted out in regards to the defective unit, it might be good to add a review here in the accessories review section:

Flash Accessories (Third-party) - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database


Steve

Thanks for the suggestion. I have updated the first post.
Regards.

[morenjavi]

Hello again,

I know that all eyes are focused now on the new Cactus RQ250 but... for users still using the Godox system, and users that made an investment on Godox devices, this trigger is a great addition to any existing Godox system.

After a brief talking with the seller, he sent me a new XProC unit without cost, that I received in a few days. Great customer service.
I repeated the tests and got no one single misfire.

As a conclusion, I highly recommend this trigger for existing Godox users:

* will allow to see and control up to 5 groups, change power, enable/disable, etc.
* 'compatible' with V6 II (recognised as a Canon device)
* for modern Godox devices (supporting X system), it will allow to fire in HSS mode without an extra XT16 receiver or manually enabling HSS on remote flash (with the help of a nice V6 II, of course). For older ones, your need to configure it in a similar way as the XT16/XT32.

Regards,
Javier.

[howieb101]

Hi.

I would just like to add that I have now tested this with a K1 (Morenjavi testing was with a K3 II) and all is working great.

To re-emphasise Morenjavi conclusions the:

1. XPro-C is definitely a step up from the older XT32 trigger;
2. Automatically going into HSS without having to manually enable HSS (on supported lights, eg, AD200) is definitely a nice improvement.

Regards,
Howie Be

[jake14mw]

Thanks for your detailed review. I will have to read it again in more detail when I have time. So, you suggest the Canon model over the Nikon one?

[morenjavi]

Hello.
I had a XT32 Canon version that worked fine on my camera's hotshoe, so I though that it would be 'safer' to get Canon version for the XPro too.

Regards.

[morenjavi]

Hello friends,

So I finished a work ten days ago, also I have finished pictures's edition so I'm a bit more relaxed to write a few lines. I think this post is still related with the thread, as this is a real experience with the XproC, Pentax cameras and Godox lights.

I perform a similar work every year (a First Communion on a local Church), and I've using similar equipment from year to year, but I've been improving it too. For example, the first year I used K7 + K10D cameras, cheap Yongnuo flashes and triggers as external lights. This year I used a K3II as a main camera, PTTL flash and XproC trigger, K5 with XT32C trigger, AD360 + AD200 for main lighting, V850 for auxiliary lighting.
My initial plan was to put the XproC on the main camera, as I have to handle different 'scenes' and need to change light configuration quickly. Sometimes I need to use AD360 + AD200 illuminating the whole Church, sometimes AD360 + main PTTL flash, sometimes AD360 + V850 + main PTTL... it depends on the 'scene', this made me crazy past years. My backup camera always use the AD360+AD200 'setting'. As the lights are manual, I need to know what are the correct 'f', that depends on the distance from the child to the lights.


When I use the main camera with the XproC, I have to set all the lights with the trigger's settings before starting to fire, for example, put groups A & C on, B off. Then fire as needed. If I need to use the backup camera + XT32C again, then I have to set the lights with the XT32C's settings, that is I need to enable groups A & B, then I can start to fire, etc.That is, I need to use my triggers in a 'multimater environment'. The key is to know the best way to set all my lights correctly configured for the trigger I'm using.

I made some test at home and this is what I 'discovered'

XT32C

* Turning the trigger ON. When you turn the trigger ON the first time, all your lights/groups are set with the trigger's stored settings. It your turn it OFF-ON again, no more settings are set. But I discovered that if you turn it OFF, wait 8 secs and turn it ON again, it sends the settings to all the lights on the same channel.
* Pressing the test button. By pressing the test button the lights are fired and the trigger's settings are sent, so after one pressing, you are ready. My AD200 is first set with the correct settings, then fired. My AD360 & v850 are first fired, then set.

XProC

* Turning the trigger ON. Always set all lights, turning OFF-ON always work, don't need to wait. For me, this is the preferred method.
* test button. Similar to XT32C's behaviour. Unfortunately, sometimes I noticed that AD360&v850 were fired but no new settings were set. If I pressed the button harder it seems to work... not sure if it's a 'hardware' problem or a software one. The problem happens with legacy lights with XT16 receivers.
* multimaster mode. With this mode set, when you trigger your camera, the XproC set all the lights with the stored settings, then send fire signal. But the results for me were: AD200 worked as expected, AD360 was fired then set, v850 is only fired.

As a conclusion, AD200 ( and I suppose modern Godox lights with native X protocol ) works without issues, but legacy lights with XT16r receivers are not so good for multimaster setups.

After the tests, I decided to use the OFF-ON method for XproC and 'test button' method for XT32C. Also I locked the XT32C as I didn't want to change settings by mistake.

So in the morning at the Church, I:

1. measured all the lights with my photometer and the XproC (the 'ALL' feature was really usefull), I stored values for all the lights on XproC for groups A,B & C.
2. stored the same values on the XT32C, groups A & B enabled, then locked it!
3. waited for families :S ...

At the end, my experience with the XproC was very positive, no misfires, no misconfigurations, was easy to enable/disable groups as needed during 3 hours. Not so great for multimaster setups but still recommended. Forgot to say, XproC doesn't like NiMH batteries, use alkaline instead.
The XT32C is still a very good trigger.

Regards.

[Class A]

Forgot to say, XproC doesn't like NiMH batteries, use alkaline instead.

In what way does it "not like" NiMH batteries?

That would be a huge "NO" for me. Way too expensive to keep buying Alkaline batteries, AFAIC.

[stevebrot]

In what way does it "not like" NiMH batteries?

That would be a huge "NO" for me.

Good question. If a modern device does not play well with NiMH, that is usually a strong indication of deficient design.


Steve

[morenjavi]

In what way does it "not like" NiMH batteries?

That would be a huge "NO" for me. Way too expensive to keep buying Alkaline batteries, AFAIC.

Good question. If a modern device does not play well with NiMH, that is usually a strong indication of deficient design.


Steve

Hello.

I'll try to explain what I mean about if this trigger likes or not NiMH batteries.


I've been using this trigger with NiMH batteries since the day one, but noticed that, after few use, the battery level indicator showed two bars instead of three of a fresh/new battery.

Investigating on other forums found a user with the same 'issue'. Then I read the manual and found, on the chapter about battery: "AA alkaline batteries are recommended". Also on the same chapter you can find the meaning of the battery level indication when you have 3-2-1 bar or blinking bars. A foot note says:

"The battery indication only refers to AA alkaline batteries. As the voltage of Ni-MH battery tends to be low, please do not refer to this chart."

I didn't found when I tested the trigger abnormal behaviour with NiMH batteries, batteries discharging fast or any fail related to batteries. I don't know how many hours can this trigger be working with a pair of standard NiMH batteries. But you can't be confident on the bar indicator. So there is really nothing against using NiMH batteries, but it's clear that the recommended batteries are alkalines.

I bought a set of 4 AA alkaline batteries on a supermarket (1 euro), before the work, just to avoid problems. By mistake I let the multimaster mode ON during the work (this function consume power quickly, says the user guide). Well, today I still see three bars, so my guess is that this device consumes really few power and a pair of AA batteries will last a lot of time.

Regards.

[Class A]

I've been using this trigger with NiMH batteries since the day one, but noticed that, after few use, the battery level indicator showed two bars instead of three of a fresh/new battery.

Oh, as long as it is just the battery level indicator playing up, that's completely normal.

NiMH accumulators don't lend themselves for useful battery level indication so battery level indicators are always calibrated with respect to Alkaline batteries.

As long as the trigger is working fine with NiMH accumulators and only the battery level indicator is "broken" then there is absolutely no problem. You can most likely save quite a bit of money, even if the triggers don't eat through Alkaline batteries very quickly.

[mactrash]

Thanks for the review / report.

I cannot make use of X1tn and now just ordered XproC after read your report.

[morenjavi]

Welcome to the club and glad to be helpful. I read your problems with X1Tn on the other thread.

Try to put that XT16r receiver on your AD200, also you can try to put tape on all the X1Tn's contacts but the central pin. It should work. I faced the same problems to get HSS with my AD200 at the begining, and I had to disable the wireless mode and put a XT16r receiver. Then it worked.
Read my thread "K3-II + V6 II + XT32C + AD200 = HSS frustration

K3-II + V6 II + XT32C + AD200 = HSS frustration :( - PentaxForums.com"

[Cynog Ap Brychan]

I used the Godox XPro P trigger on my K-1 for a studio shoot, and it worked fine with the Godox 600 strobe. However, the trigger did not work with my K-3 II. Later, I was trying out my K-1, and it was stuck in manual mode and would not respond to changes in the mode dial. I then tried the trigger on my K-3, after checking the mode dial was functioning correctly, and now it is suffering a similar fault to the K-1 inasmuch as it will not respond to changes in the mode dial, apart from a few settings like B and User 1 (PASM just brings up Av mode). Strangely, my K-3 II seems to still function properly even though I have tried the trigger on that. Has anyone had a similar problem (I have searched the internet with no result), and if so, is there any way to rectify the problem?