A couple of you have praised the AD200 for travel kits, and it’s got me rethinking my light. For outdoor portraits with a 42-inch shoot-through at around 6 ft, is the AD300 Pro’s extra 100Ws and bigger battery worth the weight bump (about 1.3 lb vs about 2.8 lb), or does the AD200 still hold up at noon?
The AD300 Pro buys you about half a stop over the AD200 — helpful at “noon” but not night-and-day… Are you shooting HSS at f/2–2.8, or can you stay under sync with an ND? Before adding weight, move the 42" to about 4 ft or swap to a small silver umbrella for roughly a stop back.
At noon with a 42" shoot-through at about 6 ft, the AD200 still holds up if you run the bare-bulb head and scoot the brolly in a bit; otherwise HSS eats the margin. The AD300 Pro’s real win is quicker full-power recycle and a usable modeling light more than a big power jump, so I only grab it when I need that or longer battery. If you want more punch, the AD-B2 dual head with two AD200s outmuscles the 300 but gets bulky — could you flip the umbrella to bounce for a bit more bite, @surecompass?