[thelonelyplayer]

If they make an xpro pentax ttl hss trigger, that will be the best news of 2018, for me. And i will buy a couple of ad400, and another tt685, for using in both sony and pentax systems.

[serothis]

If they make an xpro pentax ttl hss trigger, that will be the best news of 2018, for me. And i will buy a couple of ad400, and another tt685, for using in both sony and pentax systems.

I just picked up a couple of AD600 (non-pro) during the amazon prime day for dirt cheap. Then I read about the AD400's...some regrets.

[str8talk83]

The Godox system is great. It would be really nice for some third party manufacturers to jump in with Pentax again.

[BrianR]

Still no sign of a Pentax version of the Godox. The Cactus has launched on Kickstarter but its price is a bit disappointing. It's a little stronger than the AD200, but at about twice the cost. The design looks nice and Pentax support is great, but I'm not seeing a justification for the much higher price? Edit- oops, a discussion is here

Here's hoping Godox supports Pentax TTL sooner rather than later.

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Last edited by BrianR; 08-06-2018 at 11:40 AM.

[nzondlo]

Still no sign of a Pentax version of the Godox. The Cactus has launched on Kickstarter but its price is a bit disappointing. It's a little stronger than the AD200, but at about twice the cost. The design looks nice and Pentax support is great, but I'm not seeing a justification for the much higher price? Edit- oops, a discussion is here

Here's hoping Godox supports Pentax TTL sooner rather than later.

The price might not be as competitive for what for what is a fairly similar product, but this was new ground for Cactus so I'm not surprised their R&D costs were probably much higher and the price was needed in that respect.

[Class A]

The design looks nice and Pentax support is great, but I'm not seeing a justification for the much higher price?

I think the Cactus design is preferable because the reflector doubles as a protection cap for the bare-bulb. The Godox approach with two different heads requires one to find a safe place for the bare-bulb part.

The RQ250 should also be much better in terms of colour-stability in its colour mode.

Until Godox caught up just very recently with their round-head add-on for the AD200, the RQ250 also had the advantage of a neat attachment system for accessories like grids, snoots, barn doors, domes, and gels.

I find the Cactus triggers to be better designed than the Godox equivalents. Only the Godox XPro trigger is a real alternative, the other trigger models are not even appreciated by Godox fans due to their usability issues.

I wish the RQ250 would be more affordable but I think Cactus are much, much smaller than Godox and need to charge sustainable prices. I like that they offer after-warranty service. A Godox device, unfortunately, becomes electronic waste if it develops a fault outside the warranty period. One could argue that Godox prices make it viable to live with some losses, but it isn't a great strategy for our planet.

[BrianR]

I wish the RQ250 would be more affordable but I think Cactus are much, much smaller than Godox and need to charge sustainable prices. I like that they offer after-warranty service. A Godox device, unfortunately, becomes electronic waste if it develops a fault outside the warranty period. One could argue that Godox prices make it viable to live with some losses, but it isn't a great strategy for our planet.

I appreciate your response. Do they have regional after-warranty service centres or a single global one?

It might not be completely fair of me to compare it with the ad200 though, it may be closer to being a lower spec'd and priced ad400?

I do like the look of it, it would be a solid studio light for my use (mostly small scale stuff) with a few added whiz-bang features that would be great for outdoor use. I'm in no rush though, I expect if this is a success for Cactus they'll have other models and price points planned.

[Class A]

Do they have regional after-warranty service centres or a single global one?

They have an international dealer network. I'm assuming -- but don't really know -- that any repairs after the warranty period would be handled by Cactus in Hong Kong. I can't imagine that they have distributors with a repair service.

It might not be completely fair of me to compare it with the ad200 though, it may be closer to being a lower spec'd and priced ad400?

Difficult to make comparisons.

The RQ250's strong suit is the fast recycling (1.1s), the colour stability, and (AFAIC) the bare-bulb + protector/reflector design. It should also be much more performant than an AD200 as it has active cooling whereas the AD200 overheats after 30 or so full power shots in succession. As long as Godox doesn't cater to Pentax, another plus is the trigger compatibility. The Phottix Odin exists in a Pentax version but Phottix hardly offers any compatible lights; no location shooting strobe anyhow.

The AD400 is more powerful (0.7 EV stop brighter, if the flash tubes are equally efficient) and offers more power for the dollar. I'd rather have the long tube from the RQ250 than the helical design from the AD400, though, as it should be better for evenly filling light modifiers.

[funkythiru]

They have an international dealer network. I'm assuming -- but don't really know -- that any repairs after the warranty period would be handled by Cactus in Hong Kong. I can't imagine that they have distributors with a repair service.


Difficult to make comparisons.

The RQ250's strong suit is the fast recycling (1.1s), the colour stability, and (AFAIC) the bare-bulb + protector/reflector design. It should also be much more performant than an AD200 as it has active cooling whereas the AD200 overheats after 30 or so full power shots in succession. As long as Godox doesn't cater to Pentax, another plus is the trigger compatibility. The Phottix Odin exists in a Pentax version but Phottix hardly offers any compatible lights; no location shooting strobe anyhow.

The AD400 is more powerful (0.7 EV stop brighter, if the flash tubes are equally efficient) and offers more power for the dollar. I'd rather have the long tube from the RQ250 than the helical design from the AD400, though, as it should be better for evenly filling light modifiers.

Since it costs the same as 3 RF60X's, does it provide anything more than bare bulb advantages? I do wish it would just be around the same price as AD200.

[Class A]

Since it costs the same as 3 RF60X's, does it provide anything more than bare bulb advantages?

Yes, of course.

• one Li-Ion battery instead of 12 AA batteries (or 14 to be precise, as the RQ250 should be as powerful as 3.5 x RF60X)
• smaller form factor compared to 3.5 x RF60X.
• over 400 full power shots without overheating (compared to ~30 for the RF60X)
• swivel included and much simpler mounting compared to handling three speedlights.
• colour-priority mode (although I haven't measured how much the RF60X deviates from its target colour temperature over its power range).
• easy to mount accessories (again, just one gel, etc. instead of three), option of a barn door, dome, etc.
• 20W LED (=100W Tungsten equivalent) modelling light that also works as an AF-assist light.
• option of using a Bowens S-type adapter for mounting large modifiers. One can use three speedlights in larger modifiers with a corresponding mounting bracket as well, but not in in forward-firing configuration. While I like the backward-firing approach in principle, it is more complicated to set up and break down.
• firmware updates via micro SD card obviate the need to have a compatible OS. Even Linux users can update an RQ250 whereas the RF60X requires access to a Windows or MacOS machine.

Three (and a half) RF60X would have the advantage of not using a proprietary battery type and being more flexible when you don't need all that power from one spot.

I do wish it would just be around the same price as AD200.

Yes, I also hoped for a lower price. I don't think comparing to the AD200 is fair, as the latter lacks many of the premium attributes of the RQ250 in terms of performance and quality so I expected a price higher than that of the AD200, but not quite as high as $699 (at 100% retail, i.e., without Kickstarter rebates).

Compared to a Profoto B2, the RQ250 costs less than half despite having better specs in many ways. It seems that Cactus would like to compare the RQ250 to a Profoto B2 rather than an AD200 and that seems justified when looking at attributes like colour stability and performance. However, I don't know how Profoto sell any of their products because, frankly, I find their pricing to be just ridiculous. Sometimes you pay for what you get, but in the case of Profoto, the gear isn't that good, not even close to being as good to warrant such prices. I almost fell of my chair when I read they are charging $995 for their stupid A1 speedlight. Ridiculous.

[rawr]

Compared to a Profoto B2

What about the Priolite MBX500-HS? For Pentax users, it may be a more apt comparison.

[Class A]

What about the Priolite MBX500-HS?

Costs $1,499, is twice as powerful, but only provides 220 shots, hence about 440 RQ250 full-power equivalent shots (compared to 520 of the RQ250). Also has active cooling. Accepts Bowens S-type modifiers directly. Doesn't offer a round-head diffusion disc option. Couldn't find information regarding recycling time. Trigger system ($273 for a single trigger) only works with Priolite lights as opposed to the Cactus V6II which is much more versatile.

One of the biggest differences is HSS (Cactus) vs HotSync (Priolite). "HotSync" is Priolite's brand name for HyperSync, i.e., what Cactus refers to as "PowerSync". This technology enables higher shutter speeds by producing a single, long pulse. This means there will always be some gradation in the frame. HSS, on the other hand, works with a very large number of high-frequency short pulse bursts. This guarantees even illumination across the full frame and is the standard high-speed sync approach in the industry. The Cactus V6II can perform PowerSync and that is great for devices that don't support HSS, but it is just the next best choice after HSS.

[funkythiru]

Wonder how many are going in for the SEB offer? Shipping is about $25, the best deal is the 4 pack with $60 shipping but who is willing to a group buy?

[serothis]

I'm not sure if this has been posted but the Godox AD 400 Pro is priced at $649

FLASHPOINT XPLOR 400 PRO TTL – Cordless Strobe Announced! | FLASH HAVOC

The AD 400 is 60% more powerful, also has color sensitive mode, a really bright modeling led, .9sec recycling time, 390 full power flashes and $50 cheaper. I really don't see the point of the Cactus offering.

[Class A]

I really don't see the point of the Cactus offering.

As long as Godox doesn't release their announced Pentax-compatible trigger, you'll have to jump through hoops to get HSS out of an AD400 as a Pentax user.