Godox V860II C Review

Introduction

The Godox V860ii C speedlite has a very similar specification to the Canon 600EX II-RT in that it has a Guide Number (GN) of 60m (200mm@ISO100), a 20-200mm zoom head, supports high speed sync and is fully compatible with Canon’s E-TTL II metering system. However rather than communicating using Canon’s RT radio wireless system it uses the Godox X radio system which provides both master and slave TTL functionality. It is also powered by a 11.1V/2000mAh rechargeable Lithium-ion battery which gives a blisteringly fast recycle speed of 1.5 seconds at full power and around 650 full-power flashes which should keep most photographers happy.

The Godox V860ii C was released in July 2016

Guide Price

£161 / US$179  (guide price only, updated 17 Feb 2021)

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

Note that Adorama have rebranded this speedlite as the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on R2 TTL

Compatibility

The Godox V860II-C 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 V860II-C 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 the X1T-C controller (works fine but the controls are smaller and it’s more fiddly to use).

When using the optical wireless system (line of sight) this speedlite can act as both master or slave with any Canon EX speedlite.

Godox V860II Specification

Power

Maximum Guide Number 60m @ 200mm & ISO 100
Comparative Guide Number 34m* @ 35mm & ISO 100
* estimated guide number based on similarly powered Canon 600EX II-RT GN.

Zoom Head

Zoom head: Yes
Focal length coverage: 20-200mm
Coverage with flip-down diffuser: 14mm
Auto zoom for sensor size: Yes
Flash bounce card: Yes

Flash Head Tilt & Swivel

Up: 45, 60, 75 and 90°
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°

Manual Exposure

Manual / output settings: Yes – 1/1- 1/128
Manual steps: 1/3 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 V860ii adopts the Godox radio wireless X system
Maximum range approximately: approx 100m
No. of groups: 5 (A, B, C, D & E)
No. of channels: 32
Master/Slave: Can act as both a master and a slave unit

Optical Wireless (master & slave)
Line-of-sight communication. 
Fully compatible with other Canon EX speedlites and Canon’s optical wireless ETTL II system
Transmitter maximum range approximately: Indoors: 12-15m, Outdoors: 8-10m
No. of groups: 3 (A, B & C)
No. of channels: 4
Master/Slave: Can act as both a master and a slave unit

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)
Multi (stroboscopic) flash: Yes
Colour temperature info communication: Yes
Remote shutter release: No
Custom function: 9
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

Batteries & Recycling Time

Battery: Lithium battery 11.1V/2000mAh
Recycling time: Approx. 0.01 to 1.5 sec
Number of flashes (approx): 650 full power flashes
Flash Colour temperature: 5600K +/-200K
Flash Duration: 1/300s to 1/20000s
Optional external power supply: Yes the ProPac Lithium Power Pack PB960 can deliver 1800 full power bursts

Build Quality

Dust and water resistance: No
Mounting foot material: Metal foot plate with plastic screw wheel.
Size: 64 x 76 x 190mm (2.5 x 3.0 x 7.5″)
Weight: 430g/oz (excluding battery). Lithium battery adds 110g

Compatible accessories: 

Spare Lithium-ion battery 11.1V 2000mAh Godox VB18 Amazon (UK)

Godox S-R1 adapter allows the use of Godox AK-R1 magnetic accessory set

Godox V860iiC Manual

Latest Speedlite Posts

• Planned Blog Posts March 2021
• Godox V1 vs Godox V860ii C
• Godox AD200 vs AD200 Pro
• Round head speedlites vs rectangular head speedlites
• Review of 2020

This page was last checked and updated on the 17 Feb 2021