By now most of readers of LightingRumours have already came into contact with the Godox Witstro AD200. This small sized but powerful flash is a extremely capable device that can be used for many different types of photography. With 200 Ws of power it quickly became the favorite go-to strobe for many people, including myself.
Besides the small form factor and high power output, the AD200 has another trick up its sleeve. The flash tube is removeable, meaning you can change the head of the strobe from from a tightly-controlled fresnel reflector to an omni-directional bare-bulb. The two different heads previously mentioned have been available since the AD200 was first released, but since then some more different types of heads have been introduced.
One of these newly introduced heads is the EC200, which is fact not exactly a head but merely an extension cable between the AD200 base and the flash tube. I can understand that not everyone understands the reason why the EC200 was introduced since the AD200 is already in fact very portable. This mini review should help you to understand what is the purpose of the EC200.
The main selling point of the EC200 is that it gives you new possibilities of the using the AD200, situations where the already-lightweight AD200 is still too heavy. For instance at the end of a boom arm or on top of a lightweight light stand the weight is very important. By bringing the weight down to the base, the stability of the light stands can be greatly increased.
In the photos below, I have put a EC200 on a carbon monopod and put the AD200 in my back pocket. This allows me to remain mobile, shoot quickly and leave the heavy light stand at home.
In addition to off-camera applications, the EC200 is also useful for on-camera use. By putting the EC200 on top of the Godox X1 trigger located on your camera you can get an extremely powerful flash for on-camera use. Event photography, macro… you name it! There are a lot of applications that would benefit from having a high-powered on-camera flash.
For on-camera use the length of the cord (1.5 meters) is a bit unpractical, but it is manageable. However, because of this length the cable there is also a loss of power. Due to the internal resistance of the cable you lose approximately 1/3 of a stop of power. Although this might sound very significant, I hardly notice the difference, except when I would need to overpower the sun.
Personally I am quite found of the EC200. It is a great addition to the AD200 that shows the potential of the AD200 ecosystem. The AD200 is the Swiss Army knife of strobes that can be used for almost anything. At US$35, the Godox EC200 offers great value for money. If you own a AD200, the EC200 is definitely recommended.