Flashpoint/Godox Radio Triggers

First Generation Flashpoint Li-on flsh and dedicated Radio Controller. Both are set as Group E. Red tape = Nikon TTL.

Flashaholics Anonymous: My name is Tom, and I am addicted to flash. Ever since I first saw how Joe McNally used Nikon's Creative Lighting System to automatically, and remotely, control the outputs of literally dozens of speedlights I was totally hooked. 

I have always been on the lookout for equipment that can do something new, or better, and so as my collections of flashes grew, they reflected the advances manufacturers were offering in each new iteration of their product line. 

I have at least one full sized, full powered speedlights in my normal carry bag.  Since I started carrying Fiji cameras, I bounced around from brand to brand, including the OEM models, looking for a flash whose TTL system worked as well as Nikon's. The more I used flash in the field, the more I came to rely on manually adjusting the flash output to get the results I wanted. Coincidentally, flashes made by Godox, sold under Adorama's house brand Flashpoint, caught my eye when they introduced its Zoom Li-on flashes. These hot shoe flashes were a great leap forward for the off-camera flash crowd.

• The flashes used a dedicated 7.2 volt lithium battery which greatly improved recycle time and (sigh) increased the weight,
• In addition to the built-in optical S1/S2 triggers, one could purchase a radio receiver that could be securely mounted to the flash body, and
• A compatible hotshoe radio transmitter (the R1) capable of controlling the output of up to 16 groups of flashes broadcasting over 16 different frequencies, could control any Li-on flash with the optional radio receiver installed. The controller used a simple rotating dial and a bank of four dipolar switches. Multiple flashes could be set in the same group causing them to fire unison. The channel setting restricts the triggering signal to a specific frequency, a way for you to separate your triggering signals from other photographers using similar flash setups.

I was a late adopter to the system, purchasing most of these flashes after the price dropped to about $100.00 per unit, well below the 2016 MSRP of $180.00.

The entire line of Godox flashes morphed over the years and became the R2 series. Updates included the addition of TTL flash metering and dual-use capabilities that allowed an R2 speedlight to function as both an on-camera flash and a controller for multiple off-camera R2 flashes, giving me the functionality I enjoyed with Nikon's Creative Lighting System. At first the  R2 flashes included a built-in interface to accept the original proprietary (R1) Zoom Li-on receivers, but this feature was discontinued and replaced with a microphone jack flash terminal and a USB port.

The R1 Receiver

Since the original Flashpoint receivers are no longer available, I have been looking to purchase a lifetime supply. Recently I found the receiver available from Godox, the original manufacturer of the flash. I found these receivers on eBay and immediately purchased two for about $15.00 each, a price close to the MSRP when they first came out. This is significant, as I have two Godox/Flashpoint AA speedlights that could, if necessary become part of the flash fleet. If so deployed, they will be clearly marked for second string use due to the longer recycling time when compared to those powered by 7.2 volt lithium batteries. I only hope that my new receivers will seamlessly integrate with my existing fleet of five. 

Now that I am swimming in these R1 flashes, thoughts of making them my primary location lighting units come to mind. Sure, I will have lost automation, but I'm at a point where I never use this feature anyhow. And it stands to reason that if I can deploy a multi-flash setup, I'll have plenty of space and time to make the necessary adjustments. I did learn one thing: If you have an R2 flash and mount an R1 receiver, you can use either controller to trigger the flash. 

There are some pitfalls when attempting to deploy a mixed fleet of R1 and R2 compatible flashes. As I have documented in earlier posts, you can mount an R1 controller (or a Pocket Wizard, as shown here) in the hot shoe of a R2 controller, as shown here. It boggles the mind to think that two controllers can control as many as 32 discrete flashes from the comfort of one's own camera.

There is one trick that might help you out of a mixed compatibility problem. The R1 controller performs two functions. As you would guess, it controls the triggering of the flash. What you may have deduced  is the controller has the ability to moderate the output of said flashes. What you might not know is these two functions are independent from one another, and you can use the R1 controller to adjust flash output while holding the controller in your hand. Now if you configure your R1 flashes to fire in the S1 (optical) triggering mode, you can then adjust the output of your squadron of R1 flashes with the remote held in your hand.  When everything is set, you can let your obedient R2 flashes provide the burst of light that triggers the optical slaves.

With my eyes on future assignments. I have to admit that staying in the R1 world has real world advantages. The most important is the ease of adjustment. The controls on the R1 are a bit bigger, and don't require quite as much care when making adjustments. With the R2, accidentally switching from one group to another is too easy, whereas the same adjustment in the R1 world requires the twisting of a relatively large knob. Adjusting speedlight output is easier too. The R2 requires the scroll-wheel selection of the group, then selecting it by pressing a selection button, followed by an up/down roll on the scroll wheel. With the R1, there are dedicated, very intuitive increase and decrease buttons.

I can hardly wait for my next multiple flashy  assignment. More flash, more heartache? I don't think so.

*Watt-Seconds is a measure of flash power that is independent of reflector design and reflectivity.