Adorama eVOLV 200 Flash - The Lightweight Heavyweight

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Twins Separated At Birth: Just as a reminder, the flash I'm describing is the eVOLV 200, Adorama's house branded version of the Godox Wistro AD200.  I chose the eVOV200 over the Godox because Adorama offered a bundled packaged I couldn't pass up.

Burn Out: In my last post, I managed to "singe" a flash tube contact during a rapid fire sequence a full flash output. I immediately ordered a replacement head and flash tube, which fortunately for me were not particularly expensive.

I am  NOT going to blame this misstep on the manufacturer, as there are ample warnings about overheating. For that matter, the unit still functioned in spite of the burned contacts, so I really can't consider this a product fail.

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Practical Application - The Wescott Halo Light Modifier: There is one place where the unit is an unqualified bullseye. Because of its compact size, radio triggering capabilities, and TTL automation, it can fit inside a Wescott Halo, a cross between a shoot-through umbrella and a softbox.

Here's the deal: In the past, the Halo has been difficult to use in the field. Before the availability of affordable TTL supporting radio flash triggers, one was forced to expose manually adjust everything. This meant that you had to reach through the Velcro-secured access slot in the cone-shaped shroud to adjust the flash output using the braille-labeled control buttons (just kidding, there aren't any). The shroud coaxed all of the light to exit through the umbrella shaped diffusion panel, eliminating unwanted light spill when used indoors.

Mounting The Flash: To mount the flash to the Halo, you need at least one male spigot and a standard umbrella bracket. Because the flash is enclosed in the cone-shaped, reflective shroud, conventional, line of sight triggers won't work. Even if you could trigger the flash, you still had to make the adjustments manually. These are some of the difficulties that made me less likely to use the Halo. That situation was about to change.

Here's the eVOLV 200 mounted on an umbrella stand with the Halo's shroud folded back so you can see the mounting. The flash body has two 1/4 x 20 threaded sockets to facility (nearly) on axis mounting. I needed two brass spigots so the flash would clear the thumbscrews. When the shroud is replaced, the back of the flash doesn't touch the inside surfaces.

Bare Bulb Advantages: Another advantage of the eVOLV 200 is the option to use its bare bulb head. The advantage, when using the Halo (or any other enclosed softbox-type light modifier) can be seen in this photo. Both were made at the same setting, and simultaneously adjusted in Elements to keep the comparison valid.

In the image on the left, you can clearly see the rectangular light spread created by the H200 Speedlite Flash Head included in the package. If memory serves, it spreads the light beam to the width and height of a speedlight set to the 35mm light spread. Not too wide, not to narrow, but a compromise nonetheless. Notice too that there is no backsplash of light on the background, as there would have been if I used a shoot-through umbrella. I am now certain that the only light that hits my subject is the light I aim there.

The image on the right was taken with the bare bulb flash head in place. With the flash tube in parallel (or nearly so) alignment with the internal umbrella shaft, only a small fraction of the light goes directly forward. Nearly all of the light leaves the tube sideways to bounce about within the Halo until it eventually finds its way "out of the front". You can see that the light is very even over the entire surface, giving the photographer a much softer shadow when the Halo is used up close, as it should be. One might argue that this arrangement isn't particularly efficient, but in theory all of light eventually finds its way out. It's not wasted, just redistributed for maximum softness.

Obligatory Selfie: Shooting with this combination outdoors, I now have a combination that is powerful enough to use with the Halo and similar softbox types of modifiers in conjunction with direct sunlight. In this selfie, I standing in the shadow of a building with the blue sky behind me. I was also surprised that the Halo didn't seem as susceptible to being toppled by a breeze, gentle or otherwise. A sandbag would have made it even less so.

For what it's worth, you can see that the catchlight is very even from edge to edge, with no apparent hot spot in the middle. To repeat, the light from the bare bulb, placed inside of the Halo, is more evenly distributed across the face of the softbox, producing a much softer light overall.

TTL With The Nikon: Another strong selling point was the ability of the flash to utilize TTL exposure Control. In a nutshell, it worked well enough with the Nikon controller, but didn't work at all with the Fuji. This was a huge disappointment, since I use both systems and hoped I could get some cross platform adaptability. However, I know that the same Fuji transmitter works in the TTL mode when coupled with the Adorama Li-On R2 TTL Fuji compatible flash. At some point, though, I may give up on TTL completely, at least for location shots where I have the time to nail down the exposure manually.

Wish List: There is one accessory I'd really like to see. Since the head is removable, why not make an extension cable so the head can be mounted in places where the flash body/battery pack won't fit? Using the Halo would be be much easier without the weight of the battery on the inside. If it could be clamped to the outside of the light stand, it wouldn't put so much weight at the end of the light stand where it would accelerate the rate of fall to the ground should a gust of wind topple it.

In spite of its shortcomings, I'm pleased with its 200 watt second output, which puts it in the same category as my Norman 200B flashes, minus the weight and bulk.That is Way Cool.

Adorama eVOLV 200 Flash - Power In Your Pocket?

Norman 200B Photo from www.fredmiranda.com

History Lesson: The Norman 200B Flash. This was, and for some still is, the real deal. The unit consisted of a head that features a user replaceable flash tube and a variety of different reflector configurations cabled to a  6-pound pack containing the electronics and the battery. This was definitely not a disposable flash, but one that could be repaired and re-built when the unit goes south. Original versions used NiCad batteries, but today many photographers now use a safer, more reliable sealed-lead acid battery instead. I've used them for photographing large groups of people, or when I need to use a large softbox or umbrella in the field. Its 200 watt-second output coupled with a portable DC power pack allowed photographers to bring studio-quality lighting almost anywhere. Norman is still selling these units, and the last iteration, the 200C, can be seen here.

I must state here and now that these units are durable and reliable. In my opinion, the greatest single drawback is the weight of the batery pack. The weight of thepack can be used in place of a sandbag when mounted with a Norman quick-detachable bracket at the base of the stand. A typical assignment, described here,  was one where I used a 200B in a medium sized softbox held aloft with a paint pole. 

A Viable Replacement? As a simple Joe Consumer type, I get my information about new products only when they become available to the general public, and often only when a dealer decides to put the item on sale, as was the case here.

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In 2017, a new flash hit the market, the Godox AD200, which is known as the eVolv 200 when purchased under the  house brand Flashpoint from Adorama. I decided I needed to have one, not just for its output, but because it was capable of TTL exposure control over a variety of platforms by simply purchasing a dedicated camera controller. Since I straddle both the Nikon and Fuji works, this adaptability makes a lot of sense, although any unit that sold for as low a price point as this one may prove to be an expense, rather than an investment. The price was moderate, so I took the plunge.

Lightweight Wonder: Did I forget to mention that the complete head, body, and single battery weigh on two pounds?

Twin Heads: Another feature that attracted me was the interchangeable head feature. On the one hand, there was a standard, non-zooming speedlight head capable of a light spread suitable for a 35mm lens. On the other hand, it would accept a bare bulb, just like the Norman and my Amatar converted Vivitar flashes. When used inside a softbox, the bare bulb is a better solution than the narrow beam of a speedlight head, since bare-bulb light goes in every direction and without a pronounced hot spot.

After charging the battery, I decided to play with the bare bulb head, just to see if it would indeed recycle as quickly as advertised. Sure enough, it took less than 2 seconds to go from discharged state to fully charged, and without thinking, proceeded to fire a dozen or so shots in rapid succession. Pleased with the performance, I proceeded to disassemble the unit and return the pieces to the fitted case.

When I removed the flash tube, I noticed a roughness I hadn't experienced when assembling the unit. Closer examination showed that one of the contacts was seriously burned. Now flash overheating is a well-know fact of life, but in a world of speedlights powered by AA batteries, seldom encountered for the simple reason the the little AA batteries usually don't provide enough current to recharge a shoe-mounted flash to full power fast enough cause any damage to the flash itself. Here we had a flash and battery combination that could apparently reach peak output faster than the contacts could properly cool off.

Okay, I learned a serious lesson, and gave some additional thought to how I'll use this flash in the future. Before anything else, I'm going to attach a label on the dedicated flash controller that simply says "Slow Down",  a reminder that the unit needs to have time to cool off between shots. I'm sure this flash will become a suitable backup for one of the two Norman 200B units I routinely use for photographing the Adult School's Graduation Photo I do every year in June. I'll breathe a little easier knowing I have a backup should one of the Norman units get cranky on me.

I know that the catalog photo doesn't give you any idea of how large, or small, the unit is. I'll include some image of the flash "in action" when I have a chance to use it.