• joanne Matthews
• Thursday 03 October 2019
• 0 Comments

 

Introduction

 

2 main flashes exist in the Hähnel range, the Modus 360RT and the Modus 600RT.

These are fully featured flashes with excellent autonomy and very short recycling time thanks to their Li-Ion battery. They both have a radio controlled wireless system built in.

Some people may claim them to be clones of Godox V350s for the Modus 360RT and Godox V860II for the Modus 600RT but these are not simple clones,  Hähnel has made them better on all aspects such as:

 - Better build quality

 - Better Hotshoe mechanism

 - Better stand

 - Clear Paper user guide provided

 - More compact charger and better designed batteries

 - Better client support

Build quality & handling 

The build quality is excellent

To mount the flash there is the same ergonomic system as there is for Sony flashes with a simple lock and a clear indication with a red dot when flash is fixed. On the Godox it was painful as you had to screw it

The shoe is delivered with a protection (please noet: Godox is not) and the Flash stand seems a better finish.

The spring to open the battery feels solid , the Godox was a little bit flimsy and the head rotation mechanism feels also more solid than on Godox.

The provided charger is very handy for travels, it can use a micro USB or USB charger. 4 LEDs indicate the % of charge. You will need 4 hours for a full charge (2000mAh capacity)

Connectivity includes

 - USB port for firmware update

 - Synchro flash jack

 

Comparison with Godox V860 II 

The Modus 600RT is a full size flash like the  Nissin Di700a or the  Sony HVL-F60RM and won’t be adequate on a A6000 body

It is much bigger than the Hähnel Modus 360 RT.

Detailed comparison of Godox V860 II / Hähnel Modus 600RT from the outside

on the side you can see that the Hähnel on the right has a button to help rotate the head

Identical interface and size but hotshot fixation different (better on Hähnel)

 

 - The back is identical but the finish of the Hähnel on the right is superior.

 - The locking mechanism is a simple screw on the Godox on the left and a very nice lock system on the Hähnel on the right.

 

 

  - Hähnel charger is much smaller and accepts a micro USB or USB cable for charging it output 500mAh, so it will take 4 hours for a full charge.

  - The Godox needs a classical AC plug which is much more bigger and output a 800mAh so it will take 2.5 hours for full charge.

  - The shape of the Godox is symmetrical and at night you can insert the battery in the wrong side. The shape of the Hähnel is curved on one side allow you to insert the battery even in complete darkness.

 -  The different shapes imply that batteries are incompatible between systems.

 

Ergonomics

 

There are the same very good ergonomics as used for the Godox V860 II. The Information displayed is clear on a big screen.

Buttons : 1 mode + 1 Wireless + 4 dynamic ones whose function is clearly labelled on the screen

Thanks to these dynamic buttons and its bigger screen the advanced functions the Modus 600RT are more easy to handle than on the Hähnel Modus 360 RT

The screen is also switching between green mode = on camera flash or commander mode to an orange one when in slave mode

You also need to know the difference of icons used between the Radio wireless (an antenna) or the optical wireless (a Flash).

 

 

Some screen examples

Mode : allow you to switch mode : TTL, Manual, Multi (Stroboscopic)

 

 

Wireless setup

 - Press Wireless icon (extreme right)  to switch between the various wireless mode

          -Master radio

          -Slave radio

         - Master Optical wireless

         - Slave Optical wireless

 - GR allow you to select which group you want to change settings

 - Mode will switch between TTL / M / Multi

 - The +/- change the exposure for the selected group

 - Zm : set manual zoom for each group

 - CH : change radio / optical channel

 

 

 

 

 

On camera flash

 Bounce mode 

In Bounce mode, used indoors we can get good results for any size of room and large group of people.

 

Direct Flash

Direct flash gives quite ugly results inside (like all flashes), but can be used as a replacement to get some shadows, especially combined with the HSS mode to shoot wide open eg at F1.4 t & 1/4000.

 

Wireless

Wireless Flashes combined with some light modifiers like an umbrella to diffuse the light (avoiding a harsh light) is the best way for me to use flashes, it allows you to perfectly balance the flash with ambient light and to re create the impression of the natural light.

To use this you need a commander A (a flash like the HVL-F20M for optical wireless or Hähnel Viper TTL trigger for radio wireless ) and 1 or several slave flashes (B) 

The use of remote flash (wireless) with some light modifiers is for me the best way to use flashes. This allows you to recreate a natural light environment as the use of flash is not seen.

To do this you need a controller A (like the Sony HVL-F20M flash  for optical wireless mode or the Hähnel Viper TTL transmitter for radio wireless mode) as well as 1 or more slave flashes (B)

 

 

More than 120 flashes in burst mode in 25 seconds, and it could continue for more

 

Wireless Flash 

The Modus 600RT has 2 wireless mode

 - Optical : max 5m , no obstacle allowed, compatible with all Sony bodies and flashes 

 - Radio controlled : up to 100m with Hähnel Viper TTL trigger

 - For both modes the Modus 600RT can serve as commander or slave

Please note the Hähnel flashes are not compatible with Godox XPro or Godox X1 and vice versa. They need to use Hähnel Viper wireless trigger

 

 Conclusion

The Hähnel Modus 600RT,  is an excellent powerful flash. Thanks to its large Li Ion battery, it can offer a GN of 60, a very short recycle time and an autonomy >500 flashes which is on par with the Godox V860II (they are identical in term of performances).

All non Li-ion flashes like the Sony HVL-60RM can’t compete for very long burst of photos in term of recycling time  (as low as .1 sec and up to 1.5 sec).

Paired with the Hähnel Viper TTL wireless transmitter you get seamless wireless flashes.

Its big screen allows for easy configuration even in the most complex situations with multi group wireless flashes.

Build quality and ergonomics details are better than the Godox V860II.

Highly recommended for heavy duty flash users.

The only case where I would still take Godox is if you have other Godox studio flashes like AD200, AD600 and you want to keep the same wireless transmitter like a Godox Xpro across devices.

 

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