A good speedlight and trigger is indispensable for most photographers. You can pop one on your camera and add a touch of fill light; you can add the trigger and put your flash almost anywhere to be used as a key light or fill. For those photographers who know, we have at least one or two speedlights in our bag, plus the remote.
Hähnel MODUS 600RT is a very powerful (Guide Number of 60 – about the most power you’ll see from any speedlight) speedlight (or hotshoe flash) with a ton of features, easy to read screen and best of all – a removeable Extreme Lithium-Ion battery that can power the unit most of the day. There is also the smaller MODUS 360RT.
These flashes are available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm and Micro Four Thirds (Olympus and Panasonic) camera systems. They’re compatible with all current mirrorless and DSLR cameras and are future-proofed by the ability to update the firmware with a USB cable.
The included Extreme HLX-MD1 battery is built to the same demanding specifications as the Hähnel Extreme camera batteries – it’s drop-proof and temperature resistant thanks to robust construction. A charger is included but if you own a Hähnel ProCube2 charger, you can purchase a battery plate to charge 2 MD1 batteries at the same time. The battery lasts up to 600 shots at full power and 1,200 shots at half power. In my experience, I could shoot an entire wedding in TTL and had lots of battery life left. Recycle time is up to 1.5 seconds at full power (four times faster than flashes that use AA batteries).
MODUS use the same 2.4GHz wireless system as the rest of the Hähnel line. This means you can use the Viper TTL transmitters and any of the wireless Captur transmitters and receivers with MODUS speedlights. Hähnel triggers are very reliable and I’ve not had a missed shot yet due to a misfire.
MODUS 600 RT features a head that raises and swivels, has a pull-out wide-angle diffuser and pull-out bounce card. You can use it in TTL, Manual or Multi flash modes. Any feature you would want from a speedlight is available with MODUS.
There is one brand of speed light and trigger that is often mentioned when the topic of speedlights and triggers comes up. How does Hähnel MODUS compare? Hähnel products can be repaired in Canada by the trained technicians at Amplis Foto. There is no way to repair most of the Chinese flashes – dealers handle warranty by simply replacing the unit over the counter. This isn’t a great business model and may run afoul of Canadian “Right to Repair” laws that are being drafted. It’s definitely not environmentally friendly to dispose of a product just because it stopped working. There’s also the issue of electrical safety – mainly with batteries and chargers. See my article here for more info https://www.photonews.ca/electrical-safety/
MODUS in Use
Hähnel has included some thoughtful features in their flashes and triggers. MODUS has a large easy-to-read screen that’s backlit in Orange. This is easier on your eyes than the harsh green and red used by other companies. Viper TTL has a small screen with a white backlight – again easy on the eyes and easy to read. MODUS has a quarter-turn lock with a button to press to unlock it from your hotshoe – you can’t “accidentally” unlock it from your camera.
One of the other key differences between MODUS and some of the cheap Chinese brands is the flash consistency. From shot to shot, exposures didn’t change. I used it in Manual for portraits and as long as the capacitors were recharged, each exposure looked perfect. It was easy to make power adjustments from Viper – press the Group button to toggle between TTL, Manual and Standby modes; press SEL button then a Group button then spin the wheel up or down to adjust power. Viper has control over three groups. It’s an intuitive system that doesn’t allow for accidental power shifts. If you spin the wheel, the backlight comes on. You have to press SEL to access power settings. This is an improvement over the old Cactus system that was such a staple in photographer’s kit.
Viper also has a TTL passthrough if you want to use a speedlight on camera in addition to remote speedlights.
I had no issues with getting enough light from MODUS 600RT when photographing backlit scenes, nor at night during the reception. Since it was a destination wedding, I also limited my lighting gear to two speedlights and the trigger. There aren’t too many photographers using the Chinese brands that aren’t carrying 2 or 3 spare speedlights and at least one spare transmitter – for when something breaks down. I don’t have room in my bag for that – I want gear that works well and works reliably. Hähnel delivered on that and hasn’t failed me yet.
To learn more or to order Hähnel MODUS, Viper and Captur, visit www. Hahnel.ca or ask your local photography store.
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Author: Will Prentice
A portrait, fine art and commercial photographer for 30 plus years, Will Prentice is not just a contributor to PHOTONews magazine, but also host of PHOTONewsTV, owner of Captura Photography+Imaging and Technical Support/Brand Manager for Amplis Foto, Canada’s largest distributor of photographic equipment.
Will teaches photographers of all skill levels how to improve their craft – from creative photo projects to picking the right gear for their needs to flattering lighting to getting the best expressions to creating final images for screen and print. His unique style of highly detailed images with perfect tonality, wide dynamic range and stunning colour is instantly recognizable. Commercial clients rely on Will’s creative eye and mastery of lighting.
When he’s not behind the camera or in front of a class, you’ll find Will outdoors in any weather – usually on one of his bikes or enjoying time with his grandchildren.
I’ve recently been gifted this speedlight together with the trigger. However, I seem to have changed my settings and now can’t figure out how to get it back to normal. I’m using the flash with a Canon 5DMKIV. I can’t control my flash from the flash panel. The only way I can change speedlight is by accessing it through the camera speedlight menu on the back of the camera. I even tried using the CFn Menu on the camera tonight and it won’t scroll past the first item in the menu using the wheel, on the back of the flash. I’ve checked the flash, it’s not locked.
Do you perhaps have any suggestions as to what I’ve done?
Thanks and regards
Hi Lucia,
I suggest resetting your flash and trigger. Can you please send an email to servicedesk@amplis.com and we will help you get this working again.
Best
Will