Godox V100 Flash
100 Ws, IR AF Illuminator, 2.4 GHz TX/RX & Optical Slave, 2W Modeling Lamp
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
Godox V100, Canon version (22.3 oz./632g with included battery, 1.9s measured recycling time, measured GN 85'/26m at 35mm at ISO 100, 90'/27m at 50mm and 105'/32m at 105mm, $349). bigger. It comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. Whew!
I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
February 2025 Better Pictures Godox Canon Nikon Sony Fuji OM SYSTEM LEICA Zeiss HASSELBLAD All Reviews
Canon Flash Nikon Flash Sony Flash
Godox V100 with brilliant LCD touch screen. bigger. The distance scale in the middle shows the auto exposure range in TTL mode when on a camera.
Introduction top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
The Godox V100 is a big, heavy shoe-mount flash with a dedicated Li-Ion battery that gives fast recycle times and 400 full-power flashes per charge (many, many more in typical TTL use), but paradoxically lacks quite a few important basic features, like a catch light card or a wide-angle diffuser found on most other and simpler flashes for shoe-mount use. This round-head flash is more intended for multi-light setups with light modifiers, especially with its powerful battery and cooling that allows for 70 full-power dumps before needing to stop and cool down.
While big and heavy, it's not much more powerful than the very compact Canon 320EX (about $50 used if you know How to Win at eBay), which weighs half as much, and it's less powerful than the professional and much better featured Canon 580EX II (about $85 used if you know How to Win at eBay), which is also smaller and lighter than this Godox V100. The Canon 580EX II has about the same measured power at wide settings, while its more effective reflector compared to this V100 gives the 580EX II much more power at longer zoom settings where you need it — for shoe mount use.
The circular front of this V100 flash is optimized for people who want to use external light modifiers, for which I prefer using larger dedicated studio strobes like Godox' SK400II V rather than these little battery powered flash. Hint: The big Godox' SK400II V costs only half of what this V100 costs!
The reason you might want this Godox V100 over the used Canon flash I prefer is if you need 2.4 GHz commander and slave functions, but this Godox V100 has no optical commander ability; just an optical slave.
Today's Canon EL-5 is much more powerful, as well as smaller, lighter and better featured than this Godox V100 for shoe mount use, for less money. It also has a dedicated Li-Ion battery for recycling times twice as fast (0.9s measured) as this Godox V100 (1.9s measured). The EL-5 is rated 350 full-power flashes per charge, while this Godox V100 is rated 400 flashes. The EL-5 also has 2.4 GHz commander and slave options, but no optical.
This Godox V100 does have an excellent red (IR) AF illuminator lacking in many current flashes. This lets your camera focus in pitch black and isn't particularly annoying.
I have the Canon version. Features come and go depending on the version you get; for instance, the Sony version has special modes optimized for the A9 III's global shutter — but you have to calibrate it yourself!
The Godox V100 has a 2W modeling light, which isn't very bright so I'm unsure what purpose it serves. It's rated 3,300 ±200K, but looks more like a cozy 2,700K — a little weird for a daylight-balanced flash.
Not only do features vary by brand, even within a brand some features do or don't work depending on which camera model you have. For example, the infrared AF illuminator works magnificently well on my Canon 5DS/R, but doesn't turn on at all with my R5 II! Ditto for auto wake-up from sleep when the camera wakes; on my R5 II when the flash goes to sleep, it won't turn back on unless you manually hit a button or the touch screen! Auto-wake works fine on my 5DS/R.
The Godox V100 is a pain to turn on, as not only do you have to hold the power button a moment, you also have to spin the rear dial as an extra step to avoid accidental turn-ons. I hate more steps between me and getting my flash to turn on; I love a simple switch or lever as on most flash units have always had, be it my 1970s Vivitar 283 or my new Canon EL-5.
It seems like the Godox TT600 flash does a lot more, because it's a copy of the Canon 580EX II and adds 2.4 GHz wireless, and it's only $65 brand new if you don't mind running on 4-AA cells. For almost $300 back in my pocket and having wide panels and catchlight cards, the TT600 is much more my style.
The shoe mount of this Godox V100 is open; it's not gasketed for weather resistance as most Canon flashes have been since about 2007.
While lacking a catchlight card, it does come with a tiny, detachable sub-flash for fill:
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Godox V100 with Included Sub-Flash. bigger. |
Included SU-1 Sub-Flash. |
Sadly this sub-flash isn't particularly useful for practical on-camera shooting because the sub-flash only works in manual power mode. The sub-flash does not vary its output with TTL control along with the main flash, so that means you'll have to fiddle with manual power levels every time you are at a different distance. Boo 👎🏻🤮!!!
The Godox V100 comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
New intro top
Comes with Li-Ion battery.
Good intro top
70 full power flashes at the 28mm setting, or 100 full-power flashes at 105mm, before needing to cool down.
Big, round head optimized for use with external light modifiers (but limits functions as a purely on-camera flash)
Infrared AF assist beam (which doesn't work on all cameras, good luck) that makes AF easy in the dark without blinding your subjects as with most flashes today.
It beeps when it's ready for the next shot, just like their studio strobes. The beep is not an exposure OK signal; it's letting you know it's ready for the next shot.
2.4 GHz commander and slave.
Touch screen is bright, colorful and highly legible.
Touch screen is very responsive and easy to use — if you can find what you need first, which isn't always that obvious.
Optical slave (no optical commander).
2W Modeling Light.
Full ~ 1/256 (0 to -8 stops) manual power settings.
Manual power sets in tenth stops
1/8,000 High Speed Sync (HSS); to 1/80,000 in Sony version with Sony global shutter cameras.
The usual repeating flash and remote control options.
2.5mm sync terminal.
Case included.
Charges from USB-C.
Bad intro top
Canon version doesn't wake from sleep with some cameras like the R5 II; you have to tap the flash's screen or tap one of its buttons or otherwise it stays asleep!
Clumsy turn-on requires holding a button and then turning the control ring.
Included sub-fill-flash's output is only set manually; it cannot vary automatically with the TTL system. This makes it relatively useless for real-world event shooting.
1/80,000 High-Speed sync in Sony version requires manual calibration to your camera for best results.
Obtuse user's manual is only half translated from Chinese; good luck figuring out all this flash can do.
Missing intro top
Oddly no tripod or light stand socket, seeing how this flash is intended for multi-flash setups.
No wide panel, head only goes as wide as 28mm, not even 24mm and certainly not 14mm. Godox wants to sell you the AK-R1 Accessory Kit for wider-angle lenses, but even if those were included no way am I going to carry a separate wide panel in my pocket!
No catchlight card; instead includes a detachable sub-flash that only sets in manual power levels, not TTL! Godox wants to sell you the AK-R1 Accessory Kit with a clip-on catchlight card, but even if it was included no way am I going to carry a separate card gizmo in my pocket!
Battery has no test or charge-level button on it; you have to stick it in the flash to see if it has juice.
No app for setup. So?
No battery percentage readout, just a simple icon.
No PC (Prontor-Compur) sync terminal (does have a 2.5mm sync socket).
No optical commander; Optical slave only.
Specifications top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
The Godox V100 comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Rated Power specifications top
100 Ws.
See Performance for measured guide numbers.
Rated Recycle Time specifications top
1.7s from a full-power flash. (actual measured time is 1.9s).
Flash Duration specifications top
1/300 ~ 1/20,000 second (3⅓ ms ~ 50 µS).
Zoom Head specifications top
28 ~ 105mm, manual or automatic zoom.
Does not have a wide panel for any lens wider than 28mm.
Swivel Head specifications top
The head is completely flexible. It has perfect click stops and no interlocks.
120º up (which points up and backwards) to -7º down.
150º counterclockwise (left) to 180º clockwise (right), which is directly backwards:
Godox V100. bigger.
Infrared Autofocus Assist Light specifications top
It has a magnificent wide-angle infra-red AF assist illuminator, but sadly it only works on some cameras and not others.
2.4 GHz Radio Control specifications top
32 Channels
5 Groups.
Optical Control specifications top
Slave only, no commander ability.
S1 (trigger on anything) and S2 (ignore preflash) modes.
Touch Screen specifications top
I see it rated as 2.3" (5.8 cm) screen, both as an LCD and as an OLED. In either case it's bright, sharp and responsive.
Case specifications top
Great soft case included:
Included Case, Godox V100. bigger.
Power & Battery specifications top
This is the best part about this flash: the Li-Ion battery which charges directly from USB-C:
Battery
VB30 21.4 Wh lithium-ion battery. bigger.
7.2V, 2,980 mAh.
Rated 400 full-power flashes on a charge. Of course at lower power one will get almost an unlimited number of flashes.
Charging
Charges from any USB-A or USB-C source over USB-C. You can charge from pretty much anything if you have the right cord, and it generously comes with an AC adapter and USB-A to USB-C cord:
Included AC-to-USB-A Adapter and USB-A-to-USB-C Charging Cord. bigger.
Size specifications top
8.11 × 2.99 × 2.81 inches (206 × 75.9 × 71.4 mm) HWD.
Weight specifications top
22.300 oz. (632.2 g), actual measured weight, with included battery.
Rated 21.8 oz. (619g) with battery, 17.5 oz. (496g) without.
Battery only: 4.210 oz. (119.4 g), actual measured weight.
Quality specifications top
Made domestically in China.
Announced specifications top
January 2025.
Included specifications top
Godox V100. bigger.
Model Numbers specifications top
V100C for Canon.
V100N for Nikon.
V100S for Sony
V100F for Fuji.
V100O for OM SYSTEM (Olympus).
V100P for Pentax.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
February 2025 (introduction)
$349 at Adorama, at Amazon and at B&H, same price for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM (Olympus) and for Pentax.
I haven't seen any sell used yet.
Packaging specifications top
Godox V100. bigger.
The box is 10 × 8.6 × 3.9 inches (254 × 218 × 99mm) HWD.
The box and contents weigh 38.7 oz. (1,098 g).
Optional Accessories top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
The Godox V100 comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Spare VB30 21.4 Wh lithium-ion batteries.
AK-R1 Accessory Kit
A bunch of magnetic light balancing and correction filters, diffusers, snoots and more goodies.
PROPAK PB960 Li-Ion External Battery Pack
Clips to your belt and offers more flashes and faster recycling than the included internal battery.
XPro II 2.4 GHz TTL Commanders
S2 Bowens Adapter
Lets you use standard Bowens light modifiers, but if you want to do that, I suggest real studio strobes rather than using little flashes like this.
An almost unlimited slew of other flash accessories
Performance top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
The Godox V100 comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Measured Power Output
Zoom, Full-Frame |
Measured GN, Meters |
Measured GN, feet |
35mm |
26m |
85' |
50mm |
27m |
90' |
105mm |
32m |
105' |
The reflector does very little to give more power and range at longer settings; other flash are much more effective here.
Measured Recycling Time performance top
1.9 seconds at full manual power.
Mechanical Quality performance top
It's mostly plastic, with a metal shoe.
It's made domestically in China:
Godox V100. bigger.
Serial Number
Lasered into the bottom of the flash, above the certifications.
Power & Battery performance top
Plug the battery into anything with either a USB-A to USB-C cable or a USB-C to USB-C cable and you'll charge at 10W: 5V at 2A.
It charges either in or out of the flash.
The battery's LED is red while charging, and a vivid green when done.
My first charge delivered 12.5 Wh in 90 minutes to charge what I thought was a dead battery — but it should take about 25 Wh to charge a 21 Wh battery.
When done, it continues to draw 66 mW (5V at 13 mA).
It ought to charge from any of:
It comes with an AC adapter and a USB-A to USB-C cable if you've been living in a cave and have no USB-C cables.
User's Guide top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
The Godox V100 comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
Godox' V100 Manual
Recommendations top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Performance User's Guide Recommendations
The Godox V100 comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This Godox V100 is for people who want a compact battery-powered multi-light setup for use with lots of light modifiers. The circular head is good for this, while I prefer manning-up to full sized dedicated studio strobes like Godox' SK400II V rather than these little battery powered flash for multi-light setups because the studio strobes have four times as much power, which you need when using umbrellas and diffusers, and if you're putting your lights on stands, studio strobes lead to a much more stable setup than shoe-mount flash — and the SK400II V is half the price of this V100!
I prefer any of Canon's own flash for shoe-mount use because they communicate more reliably with my cameras and have more features, like built-in catchlight cards and wide diffusers. Likewise, Godox' TT600 is similar to Canon's own flash for a lot less money than this V100.
The Godox V100 comes for Canon, for Nikon, for Sony, for Fuji, for OM SYSTEM/Olympus/Panasonic and for Pentax. I'd get mine at Adorama for all brands, at Amazon for Canon, at Amazon for Sony, or at B&H for all brands, or get it used if you know How to Win at eBay.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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