Godox V1 Review | Round head flash - lithium battery

Godox V1 Review (Round-head Flash for Canon)

Godox V1 photos showing front and back. The obvious difference when compared to other speedlites is the round flash head which gives a more even and natural spread of light. — Godox V1 Speedlite

Introduction

The Godox V1 is basically an updated version of the Godox V860ii speedlite but with a round flash head instead of the more traditional rectangular flash head. The round-head offers the benefit of producing a more natural circular flash pattern. The round head also has a magnetic surface which allows fast and convenient attachment of compatible magnetic accessories. The design and specifications are also very similar to Profoto’s A1 which costs more than 4x the price (not reviewed on this site as it’s well above my price range).

The Godox V1 speedlite has a very similar specification to the Godox V860ii speedlite except that the flash head is obviously round and it also has a shorter 28-105mm zoom range. (The Godox V860ii has a zoom range of 20-200mm).

Build quality is very high. Slight improvements have been made over the Godox V860ii with a smoother and quieter head swivel and a better hotshoe lock rather than the locking ring.

The Godox V1 supports high speed sync and is fully compatible with Canon’s E-TTL II metering system. As with other Godox speedlites the Godox V1 uses the Godox 2.4GHz X-radio system which provides both master and slave TTL functionality. It is powered by a 2600mAh rechargeable Lithium-ion battery which gives a fast recycle speed of 1.5 seconds at full power and around 480 full-power flashes which should keep most photographers happy. It’s still worth investing in a second battery to keep as a fully charged back-up just in case it’s required.

The Godox V1 has a power output of 76Ws. Godox don’t state the V1’s guide number at it’s maximum zoom of 105mm but I have read on several sites that it has a guide number (GN) of 28m at ISO 100 @ 50mm zoom. The Godox V860ii has a very similar power output to the Canon 600EX ii-RT which has a guide number of 39m at ISO 100 @ 50mm which would mean the Godox V1 is just under a stop less bright at 50mm. I’ll try to do a side by side comparison in the next couple of weeks but from first impressions it does appear less powerful than the V860ii and the Canon 600EX ii-RT. This maybe due to the slightly wider spread of the flash beam that you get from the circular head compared to a standard rectangular one.

Unlike most other speedlites the Godox V1 has a built-in LED modelling light which is adjustable in 10 steps. It’s not super powerful but I did find it a useful addition in low light over short distances.

The Godox V1 was released in April 2019

Guide Price:

£229 / US$259 (guide price only, updated 17 Feb 2021)

Lencarta (UK) / WEX (UK) / Amazon (UK) / B&H Photo (US) / Adorama (US) / Amazon (US)

Compatibility

The Godox V1 is compatible with the Canon E-TTL II flash system and can therefore be used with most Canon EOS cameras. Radio wireless communication is made using the Godox X radio system that can work at a range of up to 100m. The V1 can act as either a master or slave flash. Unless you particularly require a speedlite to be used as a master on-camera it’s usually best to use a dedicated radio controller/master such as the XPro-C (highly recommended and quick to use), the XT32C (still a good option) or X1T-C controller (works fine but the controls are smaller and it’s more fiddly to use).

Godox V1 Canon speedlite rear view showing controls and display

Power

76Ws
Maximum Guide Number 28m @ 50mm & ISO 100
Comparative Guide Number 23m* @ 35mm & ISO 100
* estimated guide number

Zoom Head

Zoom head: Yes
Focal length coverage: 28-105mm
Auto zoom for sensor size: Yes
Flash bounce card: No, but there is a clip-on magnetic bounce card available as an optional extra (part of the Godox AK-R1 accessory kit)

Flash Head Tilt & Swivel

Up: 0, 90 and 120° – this is quite a useful feature and allows you to quickly bounce light of the wall-ceiling behind you without having to turn the head around.
Down: 7°(for shooting close subjects in the range 0.5 to 2m)
Left: 60, 75, 90, 120, and 150°
Right: 60, 75, 90, 120, 150 and 180°

The flash head can be tilted up to 120 degrees to allow you to fire the flash behind you. — The flash head can be tilted up to 120 degrees to allow you to quickly fire the flash behind you.

Manual Exposure

Manual / output settings: Yes – 1/1- 1/256
Manual steps: 1/10 stop intervals

ETTL Exposure

Canon E-TTL II with flash exposure compensation (FEC), flash exposure lock (FE lock) and flash exposure bracketing (FEB)

Wireless Communication

Radio Wireless (RF) 2.4GHz (master & slave)
The Godox V1 adopts the Godox radio wireless X system
Maximum range approximately: approx 100m
No. of groups: When used as a master it can control up to 4 groups. (A, B, C & D). When used as a slave it can be set to one of 5 groups (A, B, C, D & E). You’ll then need to use a dedicated X-series controller to fire it.
No. of channels: 32 channels with 99 IDs
Master/Slave: Can act as both a master and a slave unit

Optical Wireless: No

Auto-Focus (AF) Assist

AF-assist beam: Yes
Number of AF points supported: 1
AF-assist beam type: Infra-red
Beam range: 0.6-10m at centre, 0.6 to 5m at periphery

Other Features

High speed sync (HSS): Yes
Second-curtain flash sync: Yes
Modelling flash: Yes (fired with camera’s depth-of-field preview button)
Modelling lamp: Yes 2W LED continuous light with 10 step adjustable output, colour temperature 3300K
Multi (stroboscopic) flash: Yes
Colour temperature info communication: Yes
Remote shutter release: No
Custom function: 11
Flash settings from camera menus (with compatible cameras only): Yes
External flash exposure sensor (S1, S2): Yes
PC terminal: Yes 2.5mm sync port
USB socket for firmware updates: Yes (USB-C port)

Batteries & Recycling Time

Battery: Lithium battery 7.2V/2600mAh (removable)
Recycling time: Approx. 0.01 to 1.5 sec
Number of flashes (approx): 480 full power flashes
Flash Colour temperature: 5600K +/-200K
Flash Duration: 1/300s to 1/20000s
Optional external power supply: No

Build Quality

Dust and water resistance: No
Mounting foot material: Metal clamp type
Size: 76 x 93 x 197mm
Weight: 420g (excluding battery). Lithium battery adds 110g

Compatible accessories:

Godox AK-R1 round head light modifiers — Godox AK-R1 accessory set

The Godox AK-R1 flash modifier set has been designed to work with the Godox round head flash and is compatible with the Godox V1 speedlite, the Godox AD100 Pro and the H200R Round flash head for the AD200/AD200 Pro

Godox S2 Speedlite Bracket now accommodates the V1 speedlite — The updated Godox S2 Speedlite Bracket has been redesigned to accommodate round head flash such as the Godox V1. The bracket comes with a Bowens Mount which accepts a wide variety of light modifiers.

Placing the speedlite in the Godox S2 bracket allows you to attach a wide variety of Bowens Mount lighting modifiers such as defectors, soft boxes and beauty dish. The bracket also has an 8mm socket to hold an umbrella

Godox V1 Manual

Godox V1 Manual pdf format (opens external link to Godox official website)

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Godox AD100 Pro Review

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Godox V860ii Review

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This page was last checked and updated on 17 Feb 2021