Day: December 27, 2019

Test Shots with Flashpoint XPLOR 600 HSS TTL

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Photo above: Chelle Leary at Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta, Georgia
[NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1000, 1/60, ƒ/4, (35mm = 58)]

Flashpoint XPLOR 600 HSS TTL list price $699

Sale Price $479

I have shot with this flash in Hawaii because they have a couple at the school I teach each year.

I put this photo up on the blog in February and am using it here.

[NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, ISO 100, ƒ/5.6, 1/100, Focal Length = 24]

When the sale price popped up around Thanksgiving, I started to think should I do it and buy them. I finally bought two and will be slowly selling my older lights, which work just fine, for these shortly.

Setup for the first photo
Krog Street Tunnel with Chelle Leary [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1000, 1/60, ƒ/4, (35mm = 75)]

I took my daughter to the Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta. The Krog Street Tunnel is a tunnel in Atlanta known for its street art. The tunnel links the Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown, and Inman Park neighborhoods. It is trendy among cyclists and is part of the BeltLine for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross Hulsey Yard.

Chelle Leary at Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta, Georgia [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 2000, 1/60, ƒ/4, (35mm = 24)]

Before buying the lights, I shot all these on TTL and controlled the two lights using the Godox X1 I already owned.

I just put one of the lights on A Channel and the other on B Channel and powered them at 0, -1, and low as -3.

Chelle Leary at Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta, Georgia [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 32000, 1/320, ƒ/4, (35mm = 48)]

Depending on the ISO I set the camera, the scene would look vastly different.

Krog Street Tunnel Chelle Leary [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/60, ƒ/4, (35mm = 48)]
Chelle Leary at Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta, Georgia [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 10000, 1/160, ƒ/4, (35mm = 24)]

The lower the ISO, the more the flashes became the dominant light. I didn’t want to hand hold the flash a long time, and then you would see ghosting in the subject if she moved.

Chelle Leary at Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta, Georgia [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 10000, 1/160, ƒ/4, (35mm = 105)]

By changing the ISO, I could decide how natural light blended with the strobes worked. Trying to keep a tiny flash on the model’s face gives the skin tones the best color and dynamic range.

Krog Street Tunnel Chelle Leary [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/320, ƒ/4, (35mm = 24)]

I also took my daughter out in the sunlight and took more photos. Here the daylight is at more of her back; she would have been silhouetted without the flash. Notice the flash sync went up to 1/320. You can do high-speed sync with these flashes.

Chelle Leary at Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta, Georgia [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/60, ƒ/4, (35mm = 58)]

While I shot with my Nikon Z6 to get all these photos, these flashes will work with Fuji, Nikon, Canon, and Sony. You need to buy the correct transmitter for your camera brand. The strobes will work with all of them.

I bought the Flashpoint brand. However, you can find the same flash in brand names like Godox, Neewer, Cheetah, MoLight, and others. It’s a good idea to go with dealers a little more local to you just in case of problems. If you have a problem with Flashpoint, Adorama has a good reputation for taking care of you to get it repaired.