Experimenting with Godox V1 flash
This is probably a post with a smaller following than my normal ones, but perhaps a Godox expert will be able to help! As I mentioned last month, after an unfortunate accident between my Canon flashgun and my ceiling fan, I bought a Sony specific flashgun as a replacement, the Godox V1. (affiliate link to Amazon). I bought it with the accessory kit which comprises some nicely made light modifiers that neatly attach with small magnets to the round head of the flash gun. All works fine when I attach the flashgun to my camera hotshoe, but I had a few issues with triggering them via my set of Phottix Ares – some low priced flash triggers that I bought way back in 2016 when I was first experimenting with using my Canon speedlights with my new Sony body. Although they are only simple on-off triggers with no TTL control, they have been great for controlling my manually set speedlights when I have off-camera flash. I first talked about my experiments with interworking Canon flashguns with Sony cameras here on my blog in case anyone is interested. For some reason, the Godox V1 would not trigger when inserted in the hotshoe of these triggers, although a short cable to the sync socket on the flashgun solved that problem, so I am back in action with 3 Canon speedlights and this new V1 if I set everything up manually.
I thought it would be great if I could actually control things from a more advanced transmitter on the camera – and I dreamed of being able to use TTL through all these devices if only I could find a solution. So, in the recent sales, I bought a Godox XPro-S transmitter which allows for remote control of the Godox V1 and full TTL control of the flash power and duration. I noticed that Godox also had a small receiver for a Canon flashgun – the X1R-C for $34. Wouldn’t it be great if I could use that with a Canon flash attached and control the power of the Canon flash from my main controller! So I bought one of those as well as a test.
Results – I plugged my Canon speedlight into this receiver and tried various options from the Sony transmitter. Well – the good news – the Canon flash did trigger and I could take a flash photo! The bad news – I couldn’t control the flash power remotely which means that I would need to set up each Canon flashgun separately and it certainly didn’t support TTL in any form. No exposure compensation either. The end result – you can use a Canon specific receiver with a Sony specific transmitter for triggering a flashgun, but that is the end of the interaction. As I already have a set of manual flash triggers that work, I’m afraid this Canon specific receiver is going to have to go back to Amazon – unless any of my readers know differently! Please let me know if you have experimented more with these sorts of configurations between Sony, Canon and Godox!
Incidentally, I did play around with the transmitter and my Godox V1 on a lightstand. I also equipped it with a orange filter so that it matched tungsten light and a narrow honeycomb filter (is that the technical term for those small filters that only allow light to travel in a narrow beam?). I wanted to make it appear that I was being lit by the light from my Christmas tree in a new stock shot. I think it worked pretty well, although it has yet to impress a buyer!!
Happy Christmas all!
While I don’t have the Godox V1, I have several of the Godox TT685 paired with the single Godox XPro-S. After an arduous path originally Nikon with Pocket Wizards, then Sony/Yongnuo TT560III and transmitter, switching to Godox due to issues (hardiness and electrical) with Yongnuo. Had similar issues you had with Canon flashes when attached a Yongnuo receiver to the Nikon Speedlight. Fire signal, power setting/TTL transmitted. I would have to manually set the flash, which in Real Estate photography was a problem. It was used for supplemental fill lighting in an adjacent room so the doorway view would not be dark…and was the furthest from the camera. Yongnuo flashes were cheap ($75) so went 100% Yongnuo. Think I sold my Nikon Speedlights by time I switched to Godox and definately prefer them over the Yongnuos.
Not surprised that XPro can’t talk, other than fire signal, with a Canon on a receiver as it won’t even talk (directly) with a Sony branded flash, but I do have a couple of suggestions for you.
1) To use your Canon flash as secondary (within studio environment – not real estate expansive environment) forget the receivers, set them up as slaves with optical triggers. Still have to manually set. (I’ve used this slave/optical setup with the Sony flash as a backup when on a shoot and forgot the XPro at home.)
2) For TTL or full manual control from the XPro, consider the TT685 to team with your V1, as they have receivers and group/zone controls built in, and half the price of the V1.
3) Not touched on, but… The XPro doesn’t like rechargeable batteries (very short life – well discussed online) Use standard alkaline batteries for amazing life – but remember to turn off. My rechargeable Eneloops are great and recommended for the TT685 (and V1).
Thanks for that comprehensive reply! I didn’t know about the issue of rechargeable batteries with the xPro, so will watch for that! It is a good point about just replacing my Canon flashes with a full Godox set. They are pretty old now (at least 8 or 9 years I think) so their life might be coming to an end and I could do with some expenses to set against my tax bill!
In fact, I just saw that Adorama had two used (excellent condition) TT685 flashes on sale today for $69 each. So a quick purchase was required!