Godox propac PB960 - Why? And first impressions

#Strobist #Batterypack #Battery #PB960 #Godox
How I added a battery power pack to my flash in order to reduce recycle times and save me from feeding the flash with fresh / recharged batteries all the time. The power pack is Godox Propac PB960 and the flash I add it to is Yongnuo YN685.
Affiliate link to the PB960:
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If you want to read a great blog regarding flash photography, it is right here:
strobist.blogspot.com/

Informative video. Very useful for me... Thank you :)

[@WolferAlpha]

I made a mod on my tt520mk2 to use a DIY lithium battery pack directly in the power supply using the same cable shown in the video, it was practically better than this propac, it went from 5s recycling time (described in the manual) to 420ms (measured with 480fps slowmotion)

[@frederikboving]

Wow! Such an approach is outside my comfort zone but good to hear you got good results; thanks 🙏🏻 for sharing!

[@BenjaminKanarek]

I have 2 Godox PB960's, using them with the 2 x Godox TT685's I use. Turns the Godox TT685 into a powerhouse 1800 full power flash output per charge and much faster recycling time! I use these when I need lazy light. I also have 2 x Godox AD200's, AD600 TTL and 2 x MS300's. When in studio, I use whatever is available at that studio, usually Broncolor.

[@frederikboving]

Wow! What do you think of the AD200? Does it work well together with the other Godox flashes?

[@BenjaminKanarek]

@@frederikboving seamlessly :-)

[@ndon85]

do you still need to use rechargeable batteries with this device for the electronic or not ? thank you

[@tonypmedia]

Great video and literally ordered mine not long ago but you counted SUPER FAST and then on that last hit you moved your hand and it just turned to ready after a mere 3-4 seconds. Don't over-exaggerate it lol. I know batteries alone flatten out fast the more you use and become inconsistent. For future viewers and speaking in general, this device is awesome and worth the money so get it without question. Also, don't get it then immediately charge it. Use it until you can't turn it on anymore THEN charge it. People complain at times about how these "don't last long" .... that's because they bought it not understand these batteries have banks holding charge memory. Don't just plug it into the charger until it absolutely can't turn on or just blinks with no absolute signs of use. Lastly, I don't know fully about using the y cable to power one light. I have mine on the single plug and it works just fine. I feel using the y-single light can burn it out.

[@frederikboving]

Ha-ha! Thank you! Yes, you have a good point about "massaging" the batteries, so they get really empty before charging. I must admit I am not good at this - I constantly "top" my batteries and they live shorter for that reason, so I hope others will read what you wrote above and take notice!

[@tonypmedia]

@@frederikboving When you get more lights, do exactly that and I promise your devices will last forever lol :-) . That goes for anything pertaining a battery too my friend, let them die out first then you can fully charge(don't interrupt the charge). When everything turns green, you can unplug and pop away my guy!

[@frederikboving]

@@tonypmedia Ha-ha! Thank you for sharing :-D I will let my electric toothbrush and my iPhone stay out of the charger for longer than I do now! Take care :-D

[@dennisrodler9580]

Good video! Certainly helping, what i would like to know though is if its possibke to shoot in continuous mode to shoot bursts in hss... noone is really going into this so id be happy if you could share your experiences. Thanks in advance!

[@frederikboving]

Hi Dennis, I assume that by continuous mode you mean a drive mode on your camera that fires a series of pictures with very short interval, i.e. a burst, say 5 FPS? The HSS is already a kind of burst mode for your flash, as it overcomes the max shutter speed by firing several times per picture. This puts strain on the flash and most certainly the battery. If you then on top of this shoot HSS in bursts, you are adding bursts on top of bursts so to speak. I have not tried it, it should technically be possible, but the strain on your flash and battery will be significant in attempt to keep up with your camera.

[@dennisrodler9580]

@@frederikboving thanks for your response. I use a 5D iv which i think can take up to 7 fps. What i noticed though is the flash is only fired on the first picture using just regular batteries. For birds and wildlife i need more pictures whit flash being fired. I do use hss for quicker shutter speeds f.e. 1/2500 . Putting my camera in continuous shooting for 7fps output. Can the battery pack help here or do i need a different technical approach?

[@frederikboving]

Hi Dennis, the battery pack will help, but it depends very much on how much power you fire at. If you go full throttle (1/1), then I understand the chances are slim - it will take seconds for the flash to recycle. If you go down to say 1/4 i starts to look better. I have not tried this, but googling a bit, this was what I learned. But I think you have to try with the specific combination you have in mind. You can try to go for a different approach: Kill the ambient light and let the flash be your shutter speed. Set the camera to something like 1/200th or slower than the min sync speed, drop HSS, and close down the aperture so that your flash light is the only light that matters. That way you only need one flash firing per picture and you can still freeze fast motion. I understand that people shooting things like water droplets hitting a cup of water use this technique. Hope this helps!

[@dennisrodler9580]

@@frederikboving thanks a lot, i will get one and try it out. I usually just do fill in flash with 18 or 1/16th of power output...

[@BenjaminKanarek]

Don't use the Y cable. It could burn out the flash. A single cable is sufficient.

[@frederikboving]

Noted, thanks! Got my second flash now - of course forgot to buy a second cable! Typical me! It is in the mail!

[@EagleOwl]

Question fred how many hours does the PB960 last for usage when plugged in with flash?

[@frederikboving]

Uh, tough question. Have never run it down, but I would imagine you could quickly do so if you shoot HSS where it fires many times per shot. My guess would be several hours if you don't shoot HSS and your are not too trigger happy. The battery gets tired fast if it does not get time to recover a bit between shots. Sorry this is not very helpful, but the best I got.

[@daneehazama1392]

When buying the Godox PB 960, Does it come with the cable for the Godox 685?

[@frederikboving]

Sorry, it's been so long since I bought my flashes that I cannot remember. best /frederik

[@52701970]

Hi Frederick, not sure if you said but how do you charge the battery pack it self?

[@frederikboving]

Hi! With the battery pack comes a charger that is used for charging the battery. However, the pb960 has so much power once charged that I don't need to use the charger very often!

[@mallem1755]

Hello, can you tell me what cable works with godox flashes? The canon one?

[@frederikboving]

Sorry- sold my PB960 years ago so I am not able to check it.

[@MNTetuko_ID]

What's the voltage that the power supply give? is it 6V or is it 8.4V?

[@frederikboving]

Sorry, I have no idea. Suggest you ask ChatGPT - it usually gives solid answers.

[@headshotportraitphotos6229]

you should use panasonic eneloope rechargeables if you dont already.

[@frederikboving]

Hi, thank you for sharing! I have since switched to Godox with Lithium batteries - makes my life so much easier!

[@angelisone]

Anyone knows where I can buy the cable or model for ATG/Metz 76MZ-5?

[@frederikboving]

sorry, no

[@angelisone]

@@frederikboving Are you saying Godox doesn't make cable for professional flash? ATG/Quantum used to make the cable for 76MZ-5 but they are in trouble like Pocket Wizard company. Every used the 60CT-4 , 76MZ-5, QFlash T2 series or MG8000 Extreme? They were ATG's last flashes made for the working pros. The ATG's Auto2 works better than TTL flashes. They never overheat, no shutdown & no meltdown.

[@frederikboving]

@@angelisone I'm saying that I don't know. I am no expert on Godox cables.

[@tugwilson]

@@angelisone You need to order the PB-Mx cable.

[@angelisone]

@@tugwilson You are just guessing because I got screwed by a camera store selling it. It's doesn't even fit. Have you ever seen or used the ATG/Metz 50MZ-5, 70MZ-5 or 76MZ-5? ATG departed from Metz over 2 decades ago. And then later Metz folded into the history books.

[@sebastianochoa7780]

How long could those batteries be powering the internals? More or less, could they handle a wedding? Great video btw!

[@frederikboving]

Hi Sebastian, thank you! I have never noticed as I use my flashes primarily for studio work and just change them as they run out. My strong expectation is that they will last a wedding comfortably because the battery pack takes all the heat. But that said, I would always carry a handful of spares just in case. All the best!

[@odilonavelino3691]

Qual e a potência do propac 960 godox

[@odilonavelino3691]

E m voltagem

[@frederikboving]

Sorry, I don't know.

[@philiplangham1099]

Flashpoint r2 pro flash Li on

[@frederikboving]

?