The Godox AD Range Battery Flash Full Breakdown

Choosing the right lighting equipment can make a huge difference to your resulting images. Having the right amount of flash power can transform your results, which is why Godox's AD Range of battery flashes is world-renowned for being a solid, reliable (and affordable) option for photographers of all kinds and skill levels. 

In this guide, we're comparing the main seven models from the Godox AD range. We'll look at their power, portability, features, versatility and, most importantly, the types of photographers who would benefit most from each model.

Understanding Flash Power: What Do the Numbers Mean?

Before looking at individual models, it's worth understanding what the numbers in the Godox AD range represent. The numbers refer to the flash's maximum power output in watt-seconds (Ws).

AD100Pro II = 100Ws
AD200Pro II = 200Ws
AD300Pro II = 300Ws
AD400Pro II = 400Ws
AD600Pro II = 600Ws
AD800Pro = 800Ws

Generally, more watt-seconds mean more available light. This gives you greater flexibility when using larger softboxes, shooting at greater distances, working with smaller apertures or competing against strong ambient light.

However, more power isn't automatically better.

A wedding photographer working in a small venue may benefit much more from two lightweight 200Ws flashes than one heavy 800Ws unit. Equally, a fashion photographer shooting outdoors in bright sunshine may find that 100Ws simply isn't enough.

High Speed Sync and TTL Functions

TTL (Through the Lens) is an automatic flash exposure system that allows your camera and flash to communicate with one another to determine the appropriate flash output. Rather than manually adjusting the flash power for every photograph, the camera sends a pre-flash to assess the scene and calculates how much flash power is needed for the exposure.

This can be particularly useful when working in changing lighting conditions, such as wedding photography, events or outdoor portraits, where subjects may be moving between different lighting environments.

For example, imagine photographing a couple outside at their wedding. One moment they are standing in direct sunlight, and the next they have moved into the shade. TTL can automatically adjust the flash output to help maintain a consistent exposure without requiring you to constantly change your settings.

However, TTL isn't always essential. Photographers working in controlled studio environments often prefer manual flash because it provides predictable, repeatable output from one photograph to the next.

High-Speed Sync, commonly known as HSS, allows photographers to use flash at shutter speeds faster than their camera's normal flash sync speed. Most cameras have a standard flash sync speed of around 1/160s to 1/250s, depending on the camera model. When using conventional flash without HSS, exceeding this speed can result in a dark band appearing across the photograph.

HSS overcomes this limitation by allowing the flash to produce a rapid series of light pulses while the camera's shutter travels across the sensor.

Without HSS, your shutter speed may be restricted by the camera's normal flash sync speed, making it difficult to achieve your desired exposure in bright conditions. With HSS, you can use shutter speeds such as 1/1000s, 1/2000s or even 1/8000s, depending on your camera and flash compatibility.

This gives you considerably more creative control over depth of field and ambient exposure.

All of the AD Range Flashes except for the AD600BMII have both TTL and HSS functions included.

Remember! To use HSS and TTL functions on your flash, you must pair it with a trigger that supports these functions. A single-pin universal trigger will not be able to communicate fully with your camera to be allow these functions to work. 

Light-by-Light

Godox AD100Pro II

The AD100Pro II is the smallest and most portable flash in this comparison. Designed for photographers who want to travel light without sacrificing the creative possibilities of off-camera flash, it is an excellent addition to a compact lighting kit.

Its pocket-sized design makes it particularly appealing for photographers who are constantly moving between locations.

Key features:

• 100Ws flash output.
• TTL and manual flash modes.
• High-Speed Sync up to 1/8000s.
• Approximately 490 full-power flashes per battery charge. 
• USB-C battery charging.
• Built-in magnetic modifier attachment. 
• 2W LED modelling lamp. 
  

Which photographers is the AD100Pro II useful for?

Wedding photographers often need lighting that can be positioned quickly and discreetly, especially when moving between locations. For event photographers, portability is a major advantage. The AD100Pro II can be carried in a camera bag and used as a small off-camera accent light.

If you're photographing people outdoors, travelling or working in locations where carrying larger lighting equipment is impractical, this flash makes an excellent companion. Or, if you're more the studio type, it works particularly well as a hair light, rim light, background light or secondary light in a multi-flash portrait setup.

However, 100Ws does have limitations. If you're trying to overpower strong sunlight, illuminate large groups or shoot through large softboxes, you may find yourself needing more power.

Godox AD200Pro II 

The AD200Pro II is arguably one of the most versatile flashes in the entire Godox range, which makes it incredibly popular with all kinds of photographers! It offers twice the power of the AD100Pro II while retaining a relatively compact design.

What makes the AD200Pro II particularly interesting is its interchangeable flash head system, allowing you to swap between Fresnel Head and Bare-Bulb head (included with main unit), as well as the H200R Round Head attachment, the extension head, and the R200 ring flash attachment. This gives you different ways to shape and distribute your light.

The speedlite-style fresnel heads provide a more directional light source, while the bare-bulb head produces a broader light spread and works particularly well inside softboxes and other modifiers, and has the bi-colour modelling lamp included.

Key features

• 200Ws flash output.
  
• High-Speed Sync up to 1/8000s.
• Approximately 500 full-power flashes per battery.
• Interchangeable flash heads.
• Speedlite-style H200 II head.
• H200J II bare-bulb head.

This flexibility is what makes the AD200Pro II so appealing.

Which photographers is the AD200Pro II useful for?

The AD200Pro II is an excellent option for wedding photography. It provides enough power for many indoor and outdoor portrait situations while remaining small enough to carry around throughout a busy wedding day.

For individual portraits, headshots and environmental portraits, 200Ws offers a useful balance between power and portability. It is especially effective when working with medium-sized softboxes, umbrellas and beauty dishes.

The AD200Pro II provides a good compromise between the output of a speedlight and a traditional studio strobe, with portability plus the higher output.

For photographers wanting to explore off-camera flash without immediately investing in larger studio strobes, it is a particularly attractive option.

Godox AD300Pro II

The AD300Pro II is where things start to become particularly interesting. At 300Ws, it offers a substantial increase in output compared with the AD100Pro II and AD200Pro II, while remaining remarkably compact for a battery-powered studio flash.

Weighing approximately 1.2kg with its battery, it is an excellent choice for photographers who need professional lighting without carrying particularly heavy equipment.

Key features

• 300Ws flash output.
  
• Approximately 350 full-power flashes per battery
  
• Godox Mount & Speedlite Mount Compatibility
• Freeze Mode with flash durations as short as 1/24390s.
• Colour-Stable Mode for more consistent colour temperature.

One of the biggest advantages of the AD300Pro II is its combination of portability and lighting performance. Unlike larger battery-powered flashes, the AD300Pro II has a particularly compact design that makes it easy to fit into a camera backpack or lighting bag.

It features a native Godox mount, providing compatibility with a range of dedicated Godox lighting modifiers. For photographers who already own Bowens mount accessories, the optional S3 bracket allows you to use a much wider selection of softboxes, beauty dishes and other modifiers.

Which photographers is the AD300Pro II useful for?
The AD300Pro II is an excellent option for wedding photographers who want a powerful but portable lighting solution. Its 300Ws output provides plenty of flexibility for couple portraits, individual portraits and smaller group photographs.

Its compact design is another major advantage for photographers who need to carry lighting equipment between venues, locations and different parts of an events venue.

It also provides enough output to work with a variety of softboxes, octaboxes and beauty dishes, making it suitable for both studio and location portrait photography.

The ability to adjust flash output in fine increments is particularly useful when creating consistent and repeatable lighting arrangements for things like commercial photography or studio portraits, for fine tuned lighting effects. 

Its small footprint also makes it easier to position on light stands in locations where space is limited.

Godox AD400Pro II

The AD400Pro II is one of the most versatile flashes in the Godox AD range, offering an excellent balance between power, portability and professional lighting features.

With 400Ws of output, it sits comfortably between the smaller AD200Pro II and the more powerful AD600Pro II, making it an attractive option for photographers who want more power than a speedlight or compact flash can provide without carrying a larger 600Ws unit.

What makes the AD400Pro II particularly interesting is its combination of portability and accessory compatibility. With both a native Godox mount and an included Bowens mount adapter, giving photographers access to a huge range of lighting modifiers.

Key features

• 400Ws flash output.
• Approximately 460 full-power flashes per battery.
• Recycling time as fast as 0.01–1 second.
• Freeze Mode with flash durations as short as 1/27770s.
• 30W bi-colour LED modelling lamp.
• Power adjustment from 1/1 to 1/512.
• Native Godox mount and included Bowens mount adapter.
• Optional H400P extension head.
  

Unlike some flashes that require additional adapters, it features a native Godox mount alongside an included Bowens adapter. This gives photographers plenty of flexibility when choosing softboxes, beauty dishes, reflectors and other lighting modifiers.

The 30W bi-colour modelling lamp is another useful addition, allowing you to adjust the colour temperature to suit your lighting environment.

It also features Freeze Mode, which provides extremely short flash durations for capturing fast-moving subjects.

Combined with TTL and HSS, this makes the AD400Pro II a particularly versatile flash for photographers who work in a variety of environments.

Which photographers is the AD400Pro II useful for?

Its 400Ws output provides plenty of flexibility for couple portraits, individual portraits and smaller group photographs for both studio work, and events and location coverage.

For portrait photographers, 400Ws offers a very useful balance between power and retaining portability. It provides enough output to work with medium and large softboxes, octaboxes and beauty dishes without having to carry a larger 600Ws flash.

The AD400Pro II also provides enough flexibility for tabletop photography, product shoots and smaller commercial lighting setups.

The optional H400P extension head is also worth considering, as it allows you to position the flash head separately from the main unit.

Godox AD600Pro II

The AD600Pro II is one of the most capable battery-powered flashes in the Godox range, offering an excellent balance of power, portability and professional features, and is considered a competitor to high-end flashes such as the Profoto B10X, which are much more expensive.

With 600Ws of output, it provides considerably more power than smaller portable flashes such as the AD200Pro II and AD300Pro II, making it particularly useful for photographers who regularly work outdoors or need to overpower bright ambient light.

It is equally at home in a photography studio or on location.

Key features

• 600Ws flash output.
  
• Approximately 360 full-power flashes per battery.
• Fast recycling time of approximately 0.9 seconds.
• Freeze Mode for capturing fast-moving subjects.
• 40W LED modelling lamp.
  
• Bowens S-type accessory mount.
  
• Optional AC26 mains power adapter.
• One of the biggest advantages of the AD600Pro II is its combination of power and control.

Which photographers is the AD600Pro II useful for?

The Bowens mount means it is compatible with a huge range of lighting modifiers, including softboxes, beauty dishes, reflectors and large umbrellas. It also features Freeze Mode, which uses shorter flash durations to help capture fast-moving subjects with greater clarity.

This makes it particularly useful for action portraits, sports and dance photography and other situations where movement needs to be frozen. 

The addition of TTL also makes it easier to work quickly when lighting conditions are constantly changing. Its 600Ws output provides plenty of flexibility for outdoor portraits, group photographs and creative lighting setups.

You could use it as your key light with a large softbox, while using smaller flashes for background or rim lighting, with the additional output giving you more flexibility when positioning lights further away from your subject or working with multiple layers of diffusion.

It is a strong option for photographers who have outgrown smaller flashes and want something capable of handling more demanding lighting situations. If you find yourself pushing smaller flashes to their limit at full power regularly, it may be worth upgrading to a higher output flash.

Godox AD600BM II

The sister to the AD600Pro II, the AD600BM II is another powerful 600Ws battery-powered flash, offering many of the same benefits but with a more straightforward manual-only approach.

It is designed for photographers who prefer to have complete control over their flash output rather than relying on TTL exposure automation.

What makes the AD600BM II particularly appealing is that it delivers professional levels of power without some of the additional automation features that certain photographers simply don't need (therefore resulting in a lower RRP).

Key features

• 600Ws flash output.
• Manual and Multi flash modes.
• Fast recycling time of approximately 1.9 seconds.
• 40W LED modelling lamp.
• Power adjustment from 1/1 to 1/512.
• Bowens S-type accessory mount.
• Optional H600P extension head.
  
• NO High Speed Sync or TTL Features

For photographers who regularly work in controlled environments, this isn't necessarily a disadvantage. Once you've established your lighting setup, manual flash provides consistent and repeatable results without the camera automatically adjusting the flash output.

Another advantage is the improved battery performance, with approximately 500 full-power flashes available from a single charge.

Which photographers is the AD600BMII useful for?
More experienced photographers, or those who prefer to work without TTL or HSS will benefit from using the AD600BMII. While it packs the same punch as the more expensive AD600Pro II, the lack of connectivity features means a more straightforward shooting experience for those who prefer that. 

It also means you don't need a fancy trigger to shoot with it. The XT16 universal trigger is more than suitable to fire the AD600BMII as it doesn't need a camera-model specific hotshoe to communicate with. 

Godox AD800Pro

The newly added AD800Pro takes things a step further, offering a huge 800Ws of flash output.

Despite being the first model for this output for the AD Range, it benefits from the upgrades found in the MKII versions of the AD100-AD600Pro IIs, with colour coded group indicators and a wider stop range, but is designed for photographers who need more output than a traditional 600Ws flash can provide.

What makes the AD800Pro particularly appealing is its ability to deliver studio-level lighting power while still offering the flexibility of a battery-powered flash.

Key features

• 800Ws flash output.
  
• Approximately 300 full-power flashes per battery.
• Fast recycling time of approximately 1.5 seconds.
• Freeze Mode for capturing fast-moving subjects.
• 40W bi-colour LED modelling lamp.
  
• Power adjustment from 1/1 to 1/512.
  
• Bowens S-type accessory mount.
• Optional H600P extension head compatibility
  

It is particularly useful when using large softboxes, scrims and other light-shaping accessories that absorb a considerable amount of flash output.

Which photographers is the AD800Pro useful for?

Large group photographs, full-length portraits and creative outdoor lighting setups can all benefit from the extra output of the AD800Pro, with the 800ws being useful when using larger modifiers or positioning your light further away from the subject.

For photographers who regularly battle bright midday sunlight, that additional power can make a noticeable difference. The extra power also gives you more flexibility when shooting at lower ISO settings or using smaller apertures to achieve greater depth of field.

Fashion and commercial photography can often involve more demanding lighting arrangements. You might need to illuminate a large area, use several layers of diffusion or position your flash further away from the subject.

Its Freeze Mode is also useful for capturing movement in fashion photography, fitness campaigns, sports and dance photography, and commercial advertising.

View the full specification comparison table for all 7 AD Range flashes below for a quick-view: