Thank you for your detailed response and analysis of your recent experience with an intermixed Westcott & Canon system!!!!!!!
Earlier this week I spent some time talking with B&H lighting specialists about the Canon interference issue. They recommended trying either Westcott or Godox.
Because I'm a huge fan of controlling my 600EX-RTs via Canon's in-camera menu system (and not knowing if the issue lies in the Canon transmitter or in its flashes (or both)), I decided to first try using Westcott's FJ-X3M transmitter ($99). Just came in the mail today.
But now, in reading your post - it looks like your experience was that the (FJ-X3 to 600EX-RT) was LESS reliable than (ST-E3-RT to 600EX-RT). Ugh!
(Sidenote: The other thing I was on the fence about the FJ-X3 is that it has a built-in rechargeable battery. Thus, you need a backup since you can't just plop fresh batteries in it; however, maybe the charge lasts tons longer than the typical AA batteries...)
I have several 600EX-RTs in my system. Not sure I want to shell out lots of money to totally replace them to evolve to a Westcott system...
So now, I'm rethinking my strategy and will try the Godox route -- going with the XProC transmitter ($69) and then a receiver (X1R-C) for each of my Canon flashes ($40 ea). Each has a micro-USB ports for firmware updates.
If anyone has worked with that combo, feel free to post with your experiences!
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Update: Since I posted the above, I decided to go ahead and purchase the Godox XProC (transmitter that uses the camera hot-shoe) and X1R-Cs (attaches to each canon flash). In my at-home experiments, I didn't lose the link to my flashes. The longest "sleep" test I tried was 20 min - again,no loss.
I had my first shoot using them this past weekend. In a funny/not-funny way, I found a continued use for my Canon transmitter - as a channel scanner. I used it at the beginning of my session so I could choose a good one accordingly on the Godox.
Overall, it was a good shoot. There were times I was regularly active with the camera/shooting, and there were times we were setting up for the next shot and the equipment would sit idle for several minutes. Not once did I encounter a non-recoverable link. There were a few pics in which the flashes did not fire; however, in reviewing afterwards, most of the non-fires were when there was a delay from the previous shot and I was waking it up from stand-by mode (which can also be turned off).
Cons: There's just more parts to keep track of and more things that can go dead over time. Previously, I had always used rechargeable Ni-MH AA batteries and would always start off with freshly charged batteries for each client session. Godox specifically states you should use (one-time use) alkaline batteries (or lithium) so the unit gets the full needed voltage (rechargeables have slightly less voltage). These last a lot longer than the rechargeables. So now, at the start of a new client session, there's the extra decision that needs to be made - keep working with the current set of (one-time use) AA batteries? Put them to the side (or toss) and start fresh? (Side note: there are rechargeable Li-ion AA batteries - something to consider moving to in the future...)
Pros: I felt like I could once again rely on my equipment to do its job (yay!) I always work in manual mode with my flashes. It was super-easy to change the power on the fly to each group on the transmitter (quicker than working with Canon menu system). I use HSS all the time - it worked great. Setting the channel on the transmitter/receivers at the beginning of the session was very easy as well. There's also a clear future strategy: When it's time to buy more flashes, I will go with Godox (their flashes already have the "receiver" built in and thus over time, I'll be able to reduce the # of separate receivers I'll need.)
Other tidbits:
- I've turned the equipment on/off in all sorts of orders (camera, transmitter, receivers, flashes) and haven't encountered any issues of "has to be turned on in a certain order to work".
- Some forums have indicated concern that Godox manuals are not helpful. I found them decent enough to address the vast majority of my questions (a lot of the set-up you can figure out if you've previously worked with ocf). Googling answered the rest of my questions.
- Some forums have indicated that the transmitter gets easily scratched to the point it gets unreadable. I can see the possibility of that so I searched for a cheap trimmable screen protector. Amazon ones had bad reviews. I ended up going to JoAnn Fabrics and (in the interfacing section) buying just a foot of 100 Vinyl Fuse - Gloss Finish ($8.49/yd). It is very thin (~ 4gauge), easily cut with regular scissors, and has just a tad bit of stickiness on the one side (that, and static keeps it on the screen. No tape needed!). Unnoticeable when the transmitter is on. No worries about "bubbles", etc like with regular screen protectors. If it starts curling up over time, I'll just cut out another square from my stash and replace it. Doesn't seem like it will leave a residue.
- Some forums indicate it's a pain to update the firmware on the Godox (at least it's doable without having to send the equipment in!). However, I also found out that new equipment you buy has already been updated to the latest firmware (up to that point in time). (You can verify the current firmware version on the equipment). If you ever do need to update, the firmware files are on Godox's website. To use them requires downloading them, uncompressing/unzipping them, connecting the Godox equipment to your computer, and executing the update.
Final thoughts (for now!):
So far, so good -
The Godox still uses the same 2.4 GHz system that the Canon does, but seems like they do a better job of maintaining the communication (at least for now - who knows if they too will have problems in the next few years as communication devices continue to evolve...)
I did have to fork out a few hundred dollars for this solution (2 transmitters, 4 receivers); however, it was still cheaper than almost any other solution I could think of.
Finally, there are indeed multiple paths forward out there to achieve a reliable flash system. Hopefully my (singular) experience can serve as a useful data point on the journey 🙂
