[Navmaxlp]

Anyone know if a Godox TT350-P will work on a Cactus V6? I'm got two RF-60 flashes controlled by another V6II but am looking to expand into monolights eventually. The thought here is I can use the Godox on my other V6 then, once I'm ready, I can get into the Godox studio lights. I can use the Godox inside and the Cactus on site. Any thoughts?

To clarify what I've got so far, I'm using a V6II on camera controlling an RF60 and an RF60X. The TT350-P would be used off camera on a V6.

[mcgregni]

I think this is now over to you to test it yourself.. There's potential for remote manual power control via the V6II/V6 system, as the Godox flash is an on.-camera P-TTL type. I doubt if there's been any official testing by Cactus.

[Navmaxlp]

Well, the TT350P has been ordered. We shall see how this goes.

[mcgregni]

Everyone's fingers are crossed! Let us know the outcome.

[Class A]

Anyone know if a Godox TT350-P will work on a Cactus V6?

Depends on what you mean by "work".

I expect the V6 to be able to fire the TT350-P when shutter speeds don't exceed the sync-speed.

You should also be able to use the "POWER SYNC" mode of the V6II to operate the TT350-P (attached to the V6) at full power using the "Hyper Sync" approach.

You will almost certainly not be able to remotely control the power level of the TT350-P, as the latter is very unlikely to implement the by now almost ancient analogue TTL interface that the V6 relies upon.

You will not be able to use the TT350-P at shutter speeds exceeding the sync speed at any power level other than "1/1" (and using the "POWER SYNC" mode on the V6II).

If you had a V6II receiver for the TT350-P, you could potentially be able to us the latter as a fully capable off-camera HSS P-TTL flash, but a V6 as a receiver won't get you very far (see above).

Hope this helps.

[Navmaxlp]

Depends on what you mean by "work".

I expect the V6 to be able to fire the TT350-P when shutter speeds don't exceed the sync-speed.

You should also be able to use the "POWER SYNC" mode of the V6II to operate the TT350-P (attached to the V6) at full power using the "Hyper Sync" approach.

You will almost certainly not be able to remotely control the power level of the TT350-P, as the latter is very unlikely to implement the by now almost ancient analogue TTL interface that the V6 relies upon.

You will not be able to use the TT350-P at shutter speeds exceeding the sync speed at any power level other than "1/1" (and using the "POWER SYNC" mode on the V6II).

If you had a V6II receiver for the TT350-P, you could potentially be able to us the latter as a fully capable off-camera HSS P-TTL flash, but a V6 as a receiver won't get you very far (see above).

Hope this helps.

Hmm. This might still work for me for now. I purchased the TT350-P so I would have one flash that was usable on camera with PTTL and HSS. I am also excited that it gets my foot in the door to the Godox system and it's large selection of studio strobes and lights. Within the Cactus ecosystem, it will probably be used for background lighting. I can set the power manually and, as long as the V6 can fire the flash, I should be OK to leave it be and simply control the RF60 and RF60X from the V6II.

Would it make any difference if I mounted the V6 on the camera and used the V6II on the TT350-P? While I can get by for the time being, I really would like full manual control at the least of the TT350-P from the Cactus equipment. I thought of camera mounting the RF60X and putting the TT350-P on the V6II but that's counterproductive and still leaves me with only two flashes off camera. Could be useful when using on camera flash as fill light though I suppose.

In the end, it seems an additional V6II would solve most of these issues. I was hoping to avoid having to make an additional purchase but, that's the way this hobby usually goes right?

Either way, I'll keep you posted once I receive the flash. Thanks for all the info and help!

[morenjavi]

You will not be able to use the TT350-P at shutter speeds exceeding the sync speed at any power level other than "1/1" (and using the "POWER SYNC" mode on the V6II).

Well, you can use some trick to sync at speeds up to 1/500 or so, without setting HSS or 1/1 power . Look at this post to 'view' what I'm talinkg about: Xpro-P TTL Wireless Flash Trigger for Pentax - Page 9 - PentaxForums.com

The idea is to use the POWER SYNC ADJUSTMENT of the V6II to wait a bit after the HSS signal has been triggered, this way you put your Godox flash (or other) on top of your V6II and you sync at speeds above normal sync speed. I have used this trick with a flash on top of the V6II (TX), a flash as slave on a V6 on RX mode or with a pair or trigger/receiver, the trigger stacked on top of the V6II and the flash on the receiver.
But for every flash or trigger you need a different adjustment, usually the range 23-27 is good for the flashes I have checked. For example, AD200 works with '24' but V850 needs '27'.

Also, you need an old firmware for your V6 II, 1.1.013, to make it work.

Regards.

[EDIT]

Sorry Class A, I see that you were talking about a V6 II in RX mode, and I was talking about a V6 II in TX mode, on the camera's hot shoe, so maybe my answer has no sense, my apologies. Anyway is a nice trick isnt' it ?

---

Last edited by morenjavi; 02-12-2019 at 09:43 AM.

[morenjavi]

Ok, I'm auto-answering myself. Let's forget the above trick for now... I have read again the #1 post and the original question. If you want to control power for the V350P, as Class A pointed, you will not be able with a V6, you will only be able to trigger.
If your idea is to 'build' a Godox system, and use it as your main system, instead of another V6 II to control power for your V350P, you could get a cheap XT16 trigger and stack on top of the Cactus V6II, so you will be able to control your RF60 and also your V350P, maybe only for normal speeds.
Stacking a Godox trigger is a kind of 'quicksand terrain', depending on the firmware version you can get HSS sync or not for your Godox lights. But an XT16 is really cheap, and can give you more control over your V350P easily.

Regards.

[mcgregni]

I'm sure that ClassA is right, and pointed out the limitation regarding the V6 here, ie the analogue TTL legacy support needed. I forgot about that sorry. You will probably have to stick with the simple triggering and manual power control on the Godox flash itself.

Really, you would be best to commit one way or another now. You could get another RF60x for a complete Cactus 3 flash radio system, and just use the Godox for your on camera work.

Or ditch the Cactus equipment altogether and research how to build into an all-Godox solution.

[Navmaxlp]

I'm sure that ClassA is right, and pointed out the limitation regarding the V6 here, ie the analogue TTL legacy support needed. I forgot about that sorry. You will probably have to stick with the simple triggering and manual power control on the Godox flash itself.

Really, you would be best to commit one way or another now. You could get another RF60x for a complete Cactus 3 flash radio system, and just use the Godox for your on camera work.

Or ditch the Cactus equipment altogether and research how to build into an all-Godox solution.

This is intriguing. I had initially been wanting to keep a foot in both ecosystems as a way to kind of wait things out and see what progresses. For the time being I think I will hold off and use the Cactus system with the TT350-P. Eventually, I may look to sell off the Cactus flashes and triggers to more fully engage in the Godox system. I'm thinking I should be able to get roughly $250 to $300 for the gear which would afford me two TT600s and the XPro-P for triggering. That gets me the same amount of gear I have now but all in one system with a few dollars left over for some light modifiers or a good head start on one of the studio lights.

Again, I think I may wait for a bit before making this decision. I'm a complete beginner and hobbyist. I'd hate to lose some of the investment money I've spent on the Cactus gear. That being said, it seems like I'm experiencing all that Cactus has to offer at this point whereas Godox has some room for expansion. I'm just now incorporating a second and (potentially with the TT350-P) third flash to my portraits. Perhaps that will be enough to keep me busy for the time being.

Either way, I'll let you know how this works out. I can't be the only person thinking about this. I do really like the Cactus system. I've gotten used to it at this point and have seen some nice returns. My daughter may be getting tired of being my model at this point but, she's 5 and can be bought with "My Little Pony" dolls.

[Class A]

Would it make any difference if I mounted the V6 on the camera and used the V6II on the TT350-P?

No, I'm afraid it wouldn't make a difference in terms of extending the functionality. You'd just be worse off with respect to controlling the Cactus flashes.

In the end, it seems an additional V6II would solve most of these issues.

Yes, probably.

Note that both Cactus and Godox have reverse-engineered the P-TTL protocol so there is never a guarantee that there will be full P-TTL compatibility. However, the V6II is advertised as working with some "X"-TTL versions of Godox flashes so I think the chances are good that you'd get full control over your TT350-P with a second V6II unit.

Thanks for all the info and help!

No worries, glad I can share my experience.

[Class A]

Well, you can use some trick to sync at speeds up to 1/500 or so, without setting HSS or 1/1 power.

Well, you'd have to use "POWER SYNC" mode as I stated, but typically you cannot get away with using anything less than full power on the flash.

The reason for that is that already at 1/2 power, most speedlights emit a flash pulse that is too short to illuminate the full frame (as the slit formed by the front- and rear-curtain takes longer to travel across the sensor than the pulse lasts). Perhaps having done your experiments with an AD200 gave you a different experience as this is no regular speedlight. However, its nominal flash duration at full power doesn't leave much hope for lower power settings for full frame illumination. Of course one will always get "some" illumination at all power levels, but the question is how useful lower power levels will be.

[Navmaxlp]

No worries, glad I can share my experience.

You wouldn't know this but, your experience and expertise has been invaluable as I've taken up off camera flash.

Same goes for you mcgregni. I appreciate both of your time and info.

---------- Post added 02-12-19 at 01:28 PM ----------

Ok, I'm auto-answering myself. Let's forget the above trick for now... I have read again the #1 post and the original question. If you want to control power for the V350P, as Class A pointed, you will not be able with a V6, you will only be able to trigger.
If your idea is to 'build' a Godox system, and use it as your main system, instead of another V6 II to control power for your V350P, you could get a cheap XT16 trigger and stack on top of the Cactus V6II, so you will be able to control your RF60 and also your V350P, maybe only for normal speeds.
Stacking a Godox trigger is a kind of 'quicksand terrain', depending on the firmware version you can get HSS sync or not for your Godox lights. But an XT16 is really cheap, and can give you more control over your V350P easily.

Regards.

Thanks very much for the input. I think in light of this, I will eventually stick to one system. At most, I would use each system independently rather than trying to tie two systems together. I'd rather avoid the "quicksand terrain" as you call it

[morenjavi]

Well, you'd have to use "POWER SYNC" mode as I stated, but typically you cannot get away with using anything less than full power on the flash.

The reason for that is that already at 1/2 power, most speedlights emit a flash pulse that is too short to illuminate the full frame (as the slit formed by the front- and rear-curtain takes longer to travel across the sensor than the pulse lasts). Perhaps having done your experiments with an AD200 gave you a different experience as this is no regular speedlight. However, its nominal flash duration at full power doesn't leave much hope for lower power settings for full frame illumination. Of course one will always get "some" illumination at all power levels, but the question is how useful lower power levels will be.

I agree with your point, but as I understand, at 'lower' speeds (the range of speeds that I am referring to), that is 1/400 or less, things are different. At such 'low' speeds you have most (if not all) the frame still not blocked by the first or second curtain, so you don't need any long pulse to illuminate the frame, at the contrary, a very short pulse can do it. For example, the AD200 at 1/128 power have a t0.1 of 1/11000, and the humble Metz 48 AF-1, at 1/128 have a pulse duration of 1/25000. But I can fill the frame at 1/200 and 1/250, and near full at 1/320 with AD200, Metz 48, V850, etc. at minimum power settings. You can get a thin dark band at the bottom, but the frame is still usable.
From my point of view, this is a way to 'stretch' your sync speed.
Practical applications may be debatable, but please take a look to this post of David Hobby: Strobist: SLC-2L-02: Two-Speedlight Daylight Group Shot. He is 'exceeding the sync' of his Fuji X100F camera, getting a small dark band at the bottom of the frame, to get an effect that he wants. I made my experiments after reading his post. Again, under my point of view, I'm doing exactly the same that David explains on his post (except for his nice picture), that is, 'exceeding the sync just a little', just for fun, that's all, to check that it was possible with my equipment.

Regards.

[Class A]

At such 'low' speeds you have most (if not all) the frame still not blocked by the first or second curtain, so you don't need any long pulse to illuminate the frame...

Yes, fair point!

The less the shutter speed is above the sync-speed, the more time there is to still illuminate the full frame.
The trouble is just that speedlights are so fast that this doesn't really buy much leeway, unless on is prepared to not have parts of the frame illuminated.

Depending on the application, it can be just fine to have parts of the frame not be illuminated by flash and a system that supports influencing the sync timing will provide the most flexibility as you ideally can choose to either have the bottom part or top part go "dark" in terms of flash illumination. If one can steer the "black band" to the top part then outdoors often the sky will fill in that part without anyone noticing that the flash didn't cover this area.