Today we’re taking a look at Godox’s newest flash, the V100.
Never one to rest on its laurels, Godox has been constantly expanding and updating its lineup in recent months and years. Notable releases include a new and improved version of its bestseller AD200Pro II, a Pro version of the V1 round head flash, the compact X3 trigger, the Lux Master and others. The last two items on this list include color touchscreens, and the first and last include a convenient auto sync function with the X3 trigger.
January 2025 has seen the release to market of yet another new product, the V100 round head hotshoe flash. This new flash can be seen as the love child of the AD100Pro compact studio flash and the V1 Pro, with software features from the AD200Pro II and touchscreen controls like the Lux Master.
Available for all major camera manufacturers, the V100 seems to be, on paper, a wonderfully versatile powerhorse. How does it perform in the studio and on location? Read on to find out!
Physical Description
The recipe to design a speedlight (or hotshoe flash) is well proven, and the Godox V100 does not break the mold. At a glance, it strongly resembles the V1 Pro. Side-by-side, the two flashes share most of their characteristics. The V100 is slightly taller and the front has subtle differences.
The V100 ships in a typical Godox package. It includes a soft case, a stand, a USB-C cable, a wall charger and the SU-1 detachable fill flash first seen on the V1 Pro.
One key feature is of course the round head, compatible with Godox’s AK-R1 accessory kit and the AK-R21 projector. This round head is a similar design to the V1, V1 Pro, AD100Pro, and optional H200R head for the AD200Pro. A round head presents some benefits versus the rectangular heads found on most speedlights. The main advantage is better spread of the light, more uniform and with softer overall spill. There is less chance of having a hot spot in the center.
This head is different than that of its siblings mainly because it features cooling vents on two sides. The head can tilt down to -7°, and backwards up to 120°. Most flashes limit themselves to 90° (fully vertical); the backwards tilt makes it much easier, and faster, to bounce the light back and fill a room. The head can of course rotate horizontally as well, covering 330° in total. A modeling lamp is built in the head, like other Godox round heads but different than the V860 iii whose modeling lamp is always oriented forward.
One thing to note is that, in some regions, the flash ships with the magnetic front ring unassembled. The user must simply put it in place before the first use. Rumor has it that this relates to a patent issue.
The front of the flash looks identical to that of the V1 Pro, including the removable SU-1 fill strobe. It also offers an AF-assist beam and a port for an external power source.
On the left side (as seen from the rear) are the battery release button, a USB-C port for firmware updates and a sync port.
The right side shows the USB-C charging port for the battery. There is no external charger included, because the battery doesn’t need one: it charges directly by plugging a cable into it.
The flash features a metal foot, giving confidence in its durability.
The rear is where the V100 differs from the V1 and V1 Pro. For some years, Godox has used a consistent design for their buttons and wheels, with the same layout on speedlights and triggers. The X3 trigger broke this pattern with its touchscreen; the V100 follows suit.
Most of the rear is taken up by the large color touchscreen. The only buttons are Test on the left, a silver scroll wheel and Ok button in the center, and the Power button to the right. Previous flashes used a lever for power; turning on the V100 is a two-steps operation, requiring a press of the button and a rotation of the wheel (a behavior seen on many recent products). The wheel is almost flush with the body, making it a bit hard to rotate.
Interface
The design language for the menus and touch controls is consistent with that of the X3 trigger, despite the V100’s screen being bigger. And the screen is big, bright and sharp. It’s easy to see and responsive to touches. Color schemes are similar, with TTL being green, manual settings white, adjustable bars orange, and so forth.
The screen dims after a while, and becomes completely dark later on. A simple touch revives it.
When in TTL mode, the flash shows basic information: the TTL indicator dead center, the TTL/Manual toggle at the bottom left, the zoom settings at the bottom right, the channel and group (if active) at top left, and the battery and tilt statuses at top right.
When in manual mode, the display is the same, except that the center indicator is now the power level. There are Plus and Minus signs which can be pressed, but more simply a finger can slide over the indicator to quickly adjust the power output. Lastly, by rotating the scroll wheel, various elements can be highlighted on the screen. A press of the center button activates control, and the wheel can then change settings. All of this is pretty intuitive.
Things are simple, but not quite as easy to guess, when wanting to access menus. Whereas the X3 trigger and Lux Master flash have subtle bars to indicate where to swipe, there is no such indicator on the V100, which leads to some guesswork at first, especially since there are two menu sections.
The first is accessed by swiping down from the top. This menu gives quick access to what I call operation toggles. There are six settings available: high speed sync, AF assist beam, sound confirmation, modeling light (coupled with a slider at the bottom when active), flash lock and multi-exposure. To exit this menu, swipe up or press the Power/Home button.
The second menu is accessed by swiping right from the left. It gives access to triggering controls and the standard menu. Here the behavior is inconsistent. If no button is pressed, swiping left brings back the main screen. However, if either the “Menu” or “Wireless” button has been pressed, one must swipe right to exit this page, but then select a control mode to return to the main screen. Pressing the Home button, or swiping left, brings back the Menu/Wireless page. To exit this screen, the user must select either Wireless-off, Sender, or Receiver. This is counter-intuitive, but easy to learn.
The “Wireless” button gives access to channel and ID controls, as well as the Sync shortcut also found on the X3, AD200Pro ii and Lux Master. This Sync tool is truly useful. Like all Godox Speedlights, the V100 can be used as stand-alone, as a receiver (triggered by another flash or a Godox trigger such as the X3), or as a trigger itself (controlling other Godox flashes and studio strobes). This makes it extremely versatile.
The Menu page offers the standard options like power control type, slave mode, standby and auto off, etc.
When selecting the “Sender” control option, the big touchscreen really shines. Groups are displayed in an easy-to-see manner. Toggling between TTL/Manual/OFF is as simple as holding a finger on a group’s control, and adjusting power is easily done with a single swipe. As always, green means TTL and white means manual. As a controller, the flash can only handle four groups, plus its own settings. Color tabs under the groups are reflected on newer products such as the AD200Pro II.
In general, the new menu structure is logical and information is easy to find. Using the V100 is quicker than, say, a V1 (except for veteran users, maybe).
In Use
The V100 is a truly versatile speedlight. Its output power brings it in the league of compact studio strobes, while its shape lets it compete with other hotshoe-mounted flashes.
In a studio, the V100 will do as well as can be expected, but cannot overpower an AD200Pro or bigger strobe. Its fast recycle time, vented head and round head allow it to deliver excellent performances. It can deliver up to 70 pops at full power before slowing down to prevent overheating.
As an events flash, mounted on camera, the V100 offers a truly unique package. It’s more powerful than just about any other speedlight on the market. Its intuitive controls make it easier and faster to adjust settings. Its built-in Li-Ion battery promise hundreds of pops on a charge. To put it simply, mounted on a camera is where the V100 truly offers something unique.
When controlled remotely, the nice interface is somewhat wasted: most settings are controlled from the trigger, not the flash.
The little menu inconsistencies reported would be easy to correct (I am testing firmware version 1.01). They are not catastrophic, but could be improved.
The front-facing optional flash, first seen on the V1 Pro, is nice but by no means a game-changer. Its use is limited to when the flash is used via a hotshoe, and the flash head not oriented forward. As such, it can serve as a nice fill when shooting an event, but not in more complex environments, such as a studio when its extra power could be a welcome boost. It does work (with manual power selection) even if the main flash is set to TTL, and it also works if the head is horizontal but swiveled to either side, even slightly. These limitations mean the add-on flash cannot serve to boost the total output power when using a studio modifier such as a softbox; it’s really intended as a fill flash when bouncing the main head.
The option to use an external power pack is truly welcome, and shows that this flash aims at being versatile and ready for all situations.
In summary, the V100 offers the same benefits and limitations as the V1 Pro, with a better interface and more powerful output.
Other Options
There are not many options for round-head speedlights on the market, and most of those come from Godox. The Godox V1 and V1 Pro are the two obvious comparisons. Setting aside the touchscreen, the V100 is more powerful than either (100W vs 76W), offers the front-facing fill flash of the V1 Pro, uses the same battery, and costs more ($349 vs $299.00 for the V1 Pro and $229.00 for the V1).
The obvious competitor not made by Godox is the ProFoto A10. Offering many comparable features, with an output power estimated at 76W (similar to the V1, lower than the V100), the A10 offers faster recycle times (1 second vs 1.7 seconds) but costs $995. The Neewer Z1 round flash is another option. At $189.99, it offers power and features similar to the V1/V1 Pro and uses a different and less ubiquitous sync protocol.
The V100 thus stands alone, if only because of the output power it can deliver and its sheer versatility.
Conclusion
There is no question that the Godox V100 is a powerful and well-made flash. It shines as a speedlight, can be used reliably in the studio, offers TTL, wireless controls as a master or slave, has a solid body, is reasonably priced, in short it ticks most boxes.
New Godox users will get a more advanced product for a price comparable to, or less than, that of a more basic OEM flash. Users familiar with the Godox ecosystem will have more to think about before deciding to upgrade. After all, a touchscreen might be nice but it’s not enough to justify a significant expense. The increased output power makes the V100 one of the most powerful speedlights currently on the market. That will be enough for many. Coupled with Godox’s reliable synch ecosystem and good reliability, the V100 is a welcome addition to the company’s lineup.
The Godox V100 can be purchased for $349.00 from Amazon, or roughly the same price from B&H Photo, for example.
