A very common question is what is the difference between the Godox AD200Pro and the Visco2 Pocket flash. I aim to answer this query below!
Both flashes are great examples of portable, lightweight and powerful flash heads that outperform classic speedlights like those made by Canon, Nikon or Sony. As a rough estimate these are about 60Ws : so a 200Ws head has more than triple the power!
The Godox AD200Pro and the Visico2 are quite similar in many ways. Both have a power output of 200Ws and both offer a power range of 9 stops from 1/1 to 1/256. Similarly, both products have a recycle time of 0.01-1.8 seconds, they are both fairly similar in shape, size and weight, and even appearance. Both pieces of equipment come with a portable travel case that is padded and sturdy, offering protection for the equipment inside. This makes these two products particularly difficult to choose between - the basic specifications are almost the same
Despite these similarities, there are some interesting differences:
Magnetic Round Head Attachment
The Visico 2 supports a range of popular modifiers that fit straight onto the flash head, such as the Godox AK-R1 accessory kit. This allows you to attach honeycomb diffusers as well as color gels to your flash head, meaning that, even without further equipment, such as softboxes or umbrellas, you can still modify the light in many ways. To achieve the same feature with the AD200 PRO you would have to purchase a round head attachment, as well as the additional modification kit, costing a lot more!
Included Bare Bulb
The Godox AD200 PRO is sold along with two interchangeable heads, one being a fresnel bulb, and the other a bare bulb. This allows greater lighting options to the photographer, with the rectangular fresnel bulb producing a longer, thinner beam and the bare bulb creating a wider and more rounded light. The bare bulb works particularly well with light modifiers, such as softboxes and umbrellas, due to the ability for the light to escape evenly around the whole bulb.The Visico2 offers a simpler bare bulb mode - simply click the round front reflector / diffuser off and the bulb is exposed. No additional parts are required!
Triggering System
Another key difference between these two products is the triggering system. The AD200 Pro works with the Godox range of triggers, such as the X1T, X2T and XPRO, and these can also trigger other Godox heads. The Visico2 works with different digital encoding to the Godox range, meaning that the Visico 2 will not work with the Godox triggers, or vica versa. Visico's system will also trigger over Visico flashes and control many of their LEDs power as well.This is important to bear in mind when considering which flash head to buy - if you already have invested in one system its often cheaper and simpler to purchase more items from that same range. However the triggers aren't expensive compared with the lights, so its not a huge expense to run both systems
Batteries
Both flash heads are equipped with extremely powerful batteries, offering 500 flashes per charge, a number that doubles, when the power output is halved. This means that both pieces of kit are reliable and will not run out of juice on a shoot when fully charged. Spare batteries for the Visico units are more affordable than the Godox units. Both batteries are very easy to change over.
Modelling Lamp
Both flashes are installed with the capability of providing a LED modelling lamp, however the difference is with whether the LED is built in or not. The Visico 2 conveniently has an LED modelling lamp available to use instantly with the act of turning the equipment on. The Visico 2 offers 5w in 6 steps. In comparison, the AD200 PRO’s modelling lamp is only accessible with the fresnel bulb attached. This can cause complications based on your technique or style of work: you might have to swap heads just to get the modelling function! This makes it far more difficult to swap between flash and modelling and also creates some discrepancies between the light supplied by the modelling lamp and the flash of the bare bulb. These discrepancies are lessened with the use of modifiers, such as softboxes or umbrellas, therefore you do need to think about what you exactly want to do with these flash heads in order to decide which is best for you.
Price
The biggest difference between these products is definitely the price. The AD200 PRO comes in at AUD$525 or so plus $100 for the triggers. The Visico2 is priced a lot lower at AUD$400 plus a $75 trigger: $475 for a complete kit vs $625! The Visico 2 is designed to be a more affordable flash head and yet, despite this cut in price, matches up really well with the more expensive product. Despite the lower price, a drop in functionality isn’t really shown in this product. So, in terms of which product is best for you, it really does depend on what you are hoping to be doing!
The power of the flash is pretty much identical and the only differences lie in the functionality of the product and the usability. If you’re looking for a more affordable product, then the Visico 2 is definitely a good choice, The extra bare bulb head of the AD200 PRO sounds good, but there is an issue with the lack of a modelling lamp in bare bulb mode. Take the time to think about what you are hoping to achieve with your flash and follow this guide to make an informed choice! If you have any differences that you’ve noticed on these two products please do let us know in the comments.
Last updated April 2022
