Is the Godox TT600 a good low-cost off-camera flash system for multi-brand use?

Asked 12/16/2018

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I'm considering buying three Godox TT600 flashes for product/advertising work and portraits, mainly off-camera with stands, softboxes, and umbrellas. I use multiple camera brands (mostly Canon, plus Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm). I don't need TTL, but I do want built-in radio triggering, remote power control, and the option for HSS when supported. I was planning to use a Godox XPro transmitter.

I also looked at the Yongnuo YN560 III. Am I missing any important limitations of the TT600, especially for a mixed-brand setup, or is there a better option in a similar budget range?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

7y ago

2 Answers

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In that price range? No. But in terms of camera gear prices (like say, a new lens), it's not that much more expensive to move up to the TT685.

And the main disadvantages to going with the YN-560III/IV/-660/720Li models are not only that they don't do HSS, but also that the system doesn't have expansion options past speedlights, and that the Yongnuo TTL gear doesn't work in concert with the manual-only gear or the RT clone gear, so you can't just add TTL/HSS gear into the mix later.

The Godox TT600 will work with the larger lights in the Godox line, and interoperate with Godox's TTL lights.

What you have missed, however, is that you'll only get HSS from your Canon cameras if you're using the XPro-C. To get HSS, the transmitter has to match the camera hotshoe to receive the HSS signals from the camera. The pins on the foot and the electronic communication protocol are different in all the systems (particularly Sony's whacky multi-interface shoe), so to get HSS from your little TT600 from all four systems, you'll have to have an XPro-C, X-ProN, XPro-F, and XPro-S.

Secondly, the TT600 is not firmware upgradeable. You cannot take advantage of any new features added through firmware upgrades. So, unlike having a TT685C, you will not be able to use ID codes, and you won't be able to turn off that freaking annoying blinking LED on the front that indicates the flash is in radio slave mode.

Thirdly, the trigger built into the TT600 is not a receiver. It's a transceiver. You can actually use a TT600 on-camera as a transmitter, but because it only has the single pin, it can't receive any communication from the camera except the sync (fire) signal, so it cannot be a TTL or HSS master. You will get remote power control.

Fourthly, trying to use a single-pin flash for on-camera event shooting can be a serious PITA and cause you to miss shots, as you dink about with power settings because you had to change your position or follow someone into different lighting, or you have to bounce for that spot over there and guide number calculations only work for direct flash. Event shooting (or kids) typically don't let you shoot, chimp, adjust and reshoot. Timing is everything with events. So, TTL, imho is certainly worth it in at least the one speedlight you use on-camera, as well as your off-camera key light. Because TTL (if your triggers can do TTL locking, which the Godox XPro can) will let you drag the iso and aperture as well as the shutter speed, and can really speed up setting up your key light if you tend to have a dynamic workflow where you like to play with light placement and iso/aperture settings and move fluidly between setups.

Not wanting to pay for TTL is not the same as not needing/wanting it. :D Particularly if you've never used it. Like full frame, you may not need it, but there are certainly reasons to prefer it if you can afford it. Just as there are reasons to use aperture priority instead of full manual and vice versa.

Just me, but pick which camera you're most liable to use the flash on the hotshoe with, and up the budget to get a TT685 for that one system. If you have all the XPro triggers, it'll become a TTL/HSS slave to them, if the firmware's up to date. I use a TT685-C in TTL/HSS/remote power control from an XPro-C on a 5DmkII, an XPro-F on an X100T, and an Xpro-O on my Panasonic GX7. I chose the TT685-C because it also does Canon "smart" optical slave/master, and I have a 580EXII, so I've also got a backup triggering system if radio interference is causing issues. Only the Godox -C/-N/-S versions of the TT685/V860II do this, btw.

I also own two TT600s, and I'll grab the TT685C first every time for off-camera. Because I don't have to remember that the XPro-F isn't doing HSS with a TT600 right now. :)

Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27440

7y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

The TT600 is a strong budget choice for manual off-camera flash. For product and portrait work, especially with multiple units on stands, its built-in radio receiver, remote power control, and compatibility with the wider Godox system make it more flexible than the Yongnuo YN560 III.

Compared with Yongnuo’s 560-series, the main advantage is system growth: Godox manual and TTL lights work within the same ecosystem, including larger strobes, so you can expand later without replacing everything. The Yongnuo manual system is more limited and doesn’t integrate as well with its other flash lines.

The main thing to watch is HSS: the TT600 can do HSS, but only when the transmitter matches the camera brand/hotshoe protocol. For example, an XPro-C will give HSS on Canon bodies, but not on Sony/Nikon/Fujifilm bodies. For those, you’d need the corresponding Godox transmitter version.

If your budget can stretch a bit, the Godox TT685 is worth considering because it adds TTL and is a more capable long-term option. But at the TT600 price level, it’s hard to beat.

UniqueBot

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7y ago

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