Frederik is a photographer, blogger and youtuber living in Denmark in the Copenhagen region. Outdoor photography is the preference, but Frederik can also be found doing flash photography applied to product shoots and stills.
You can use your flash in stroboscopic mode to get several exposures in one image in one go. The flash fires a series of flashes while the shutter is open and this can capture motion and change in a way that illustrates how the subject is moving across the frame.
Here a pair of scissors are moved vertically while the shutter is open at 1/10th of a second and the flash fires 5 times.
Flash setting
The setup of the flash involves two parameters: the number of shots and the frequency of the shots, i.e. how quickly after each other they are fired. This needs to match the shutter speed so all the flash bursts are used in capturing the image.
Top left “RPT” is Nikon language for stroboscopic. The flash will here fire 5 times at a frequency of 50 flashes per second. And the flash power is set to 1/128th of full throttle.
Your flash will typically ask for these two parameters as “Times” and “Hz”, where the first is the number of times the flash is to fire. The Hz is less intuitive, but means the number of flashes fired in a second. So 50Hz would mean 50 bursts of the flash in a second. You can find the appropriate shutter speed by dividing “times” with “Hz”: In the example in the image above, the flash is instructed to give 5 flashes at 50Hz: 5/50 = 0.1 second shutter time.
Stroboscopic photography requires the flash to be in manual mode, so you determine the flash power. In terms of how much power the flash is to give, my advice is: as little as possible – around 1/128th is a good starting point and then you can work a bit up or down from there.
Camera settings
I usually shoot with my camera in manual mode and have camera settings so that the ambient light does not add to the exposure. In other words, if it was not for the flash, then the frame would turn out completely black. My camera settings are:
Base ISO, typically 100, but subject to the camera
Shutter speed: 0.1 – 1 second (but you can go much longer if you want to)
Aperture: Well closed down, say f/8 or higher.
You need to experiment with the settings – I typically adjust the aperture to get the right balance between eliminating ambient light and the power of the flash. Mind you that if the subject is far away from the flash, then the flash power needs to be increased significantly. My advice is to start out with simple cases like the examples I have shown in this post and then work your way towards more advanced scenes. You will find that shooting stroboscopic involves a lot of trial and error and that you will see a lot non-keepers. But keep going – it is a great feeling when you succeed!
Take care of your gear
Shooting stroboscopic is very taxing for both the flash and the flash battery, so you may find that the flash will stop working because a overload safety mechanism starts to engage. I recommend you consult the manual for your specific flash to see how many strobes it can handle before it needs to rest. And stay well below that limit just to protect your gear. Better safe than sorry.
Intentional Camera Movement
Many use the stroboscopic effect to capture motion, but as a twist you can also use it to capture intentional camera movement. In the example below I move the camera while the subject is very still!
Maybe difficult to see, but here the coffee mug is very still on my table while I move the camera during the burst of flashes.
High Speed Synchronization (HSS) is an automated feature whereby the flash fires a series of bursts to expose a single image. It is rather taxing for the the flash to work in HSS mode, as several bursts are needed per image and this puts a big demand on the battery in particular.
In many cases HSS is not necessary. If you are shooting at shutter speeds up to around 1/200th of a second or slower, then all is good. The problem comes when you go beyond the camera’s flash sync speed. You need to check the flash sync speed for your specific camera, but it is typically around 1/200th of a second.
Top red arrow: HSS is turned on as the transmitter shows. Lower red arrow: 1/6000th of a second shutter speed is only possible because HSS is turned on. When shooting with a transmitter, my Nikon Z6ii blocks shutter speeds beyond 1/200th if HSS is not activated.
When you shoot beyond the flash sync speed, the mechanical shutter in the camera will not expose the entire sensor at any point in time. The camera has 2 curtains, one that exposes the sensor and another that covers it (rear curtain). For slow shutter speeds, there will be a point in time when the first curtain has exposed the full sensor, but the rear curtain has not started to move yet. When you go beyond the flash sync speed, the rear curtain starts moving before the first curtain has revealed all of the sensor. So the first and rear curtain move in parallel across the sensor, and only expose a small fraction of the sensor at any given time.
If the flash is fired only one time when shooting beyond the flash sync speed, the light of the flash will only make it through to a fraction of the sensor and you get black bars in the frame. HSS makes sure to fire the flash several times as the two curtains move across the sensor and this way all of the frame gets light from the flash.
My Nikon Z6ii blocks me from going beyond 1/200th of a second in manual exposure mode when using a transmitter mounted on the camera, even when shooting in TTL mode. Only if I switch on HSS on the transmitter, will it allow me to go beyond 1/200th of a second. When the flash sits directly on the camera, the flash and camera based on the shutter speed figure out if HSS is needed and turn it on/off as appropriate without involving me in the decision.
When you buy used gear, you will not get the pleasure of unboxing a brand new product that now one has used before you. But you will potentially be able to save a lot of money and lay your hands on some gear that you would never be able to get hold on if bought from new. My Nikkor 70-200mm lens is such an example in my case.
What do you need?
Be careful that the low price is not a pitfall: make sure you really have a need for the product or that its features are important to you.
You may think that a f/1.2 lens is super nice and can render soft backgrounds and all that, but when you then look at the stats in your Lightroom database, you may find that the f/1.2 lens is used 99.9% of the time stopped down. So you’ll find that you bought a lot of glass that you are in fact not using.
Be honest and write a list of requirements before you start searching for gear. It is OK to buy gear that you really don’t need, just because you – say – enjoy owning top level gear, but be honest about it: are my requirements from a rational need (2 card slots for an event photographer) or are they more driven by emotion (a camera that looks cool). There are no wrong requirements, only requirements.
Look and feel
The issue with buying anything online is that you cannot touch and test the product prior to buying. Many producers of furniture have physical shops where you can try and test the product before buying, so you know exactly what you get. That is not so easy when buying used.
If it in any way is possible for you to try and test the product before buying, then that is the best way to get assurance that things are as they should be. Provided of course that you know how to test the product: if you buy a lens but you have no idea how to test the sharpness or if potential fungus influences the image quality, then the point with trying and testing the product is lost. So when you test used ger, it is important you know what good looks like, otherwise the test is of no value.
Returns
If it is not possible to test the product, then the first thing to look for is the ability to return the product if it does not match your expectations. This is probably where I have seen the most photographers being disappointed: the product has shortcomings, but it is not possible to return it.
If you are a consumer buying from a professional, then you typically will be protected and allowed to return the goods if it does not match your expectations. You need to check the legislation in your area, but this is the way it is in many countries. So I always buy from a professional vendor where I can return the goods if I want to. Make sure to check the terms and conditions before you buy.
Now, now, now!
The oldest trick in the handbook of a salesman is: put time pressure on the client! Create a sense of urgency! And many salespeople do. My guess is that it works, otherwise they would not do it.
So you may find that you are tempted by an offer that seems like a really good one and the seller tells you it is a one time offer that is exceptional, but you have to make your decision NOW! But as most who have bought on Black Friday know: the offer may not be so special after all.
So my advice is never to buy a product without having followed the prices for some time. This way, you build a baseline and an understanding of the price level before making the purchase. Yes, it is an investment in time and effort, but IMHO it comes back to you when you get an offer that is really exceptional: you know what good looks like, because you know what average looks like.
To sum it up
So the sum of my wisdom (it is short) is:
Plan your purchase. Know what your decision criterias are.
Never rush into that “exceptional offer”. Take your time. Get to know the market. Get to know the price level.
Make sure you can return the goods, especially if you cannot try it.
Be careful buying used if you are not competent to assess the quality of the product – get help if you can from someone independent with the required skill set.
Not all flashes has the ability to zoom, but some do, like speedlites from Godox or Yongnuo. The point is to send the light in the same direction as the lens is “looking”. Sending the light wide if the lens is zoomed in at a narrow field of view does not make much sense, and vice versa.
Here the flash is zoomed in at 200mm and the light only covers a small area of the wall.Here the flash is at 24mm and the light covers a good part of the wall.
The flash can follow the lens on the camera if in TTL mode and adapt the same zoom as the lens, provided it stays within the range the flash can follow (typically 20-200 mm). Notice that if the flash has the built in wide angle diffuser engaged, then the zoom is locked in its widest position.
You can also set the zoom manually just like you can set the flash power manually – in the images above I did just that to illustrate the difference between the two flash zoom positions without changing the zoom on the lens (the Nikon 24-70/4 S by the way).
SOOC is simply an abbreviation meaning Straight Out of Camera in relation to digital photography. It signals that the image has not been edited in any way and is as close to the original as you can get.
Many think of SOOC as meaning no editing in software designed for the purpose like Lightroom or Photoshop. However, most cameras allow a profile to be applied to the image (standard, vivid, B&W, vintage, etc) and then it is debatable how unedited the image actually is. From the camera picks up the information from the sensor and until the information is written to the memory card, there is a bit of processing going on, so the completely unedited image is probably difficult to find.
The closest is a RAW image format, but even here the ISO settings influence the processing of the image. Many think that the ISO setting influences the sensors sensitivity to light, but the sensors sensitivity is constant. Instead the ISO settings governs a gain applied to the light readings from the sensor, and this camera internal processing can – with a bit of good will – also be seen as a sort of editing.
So I see SOOC more as an ideal that some like to get as close to as practically possible. Many professionals do what they can to get the images right in camera i.e. make sure the framing is spot on and no tweaking to e.g. the exposure settings is necessary in post to make the images look their best. They do not do so out of idealism, but simply because it saves time, and as you know: time is money. A school photographer taking several thousands of headshots over a year can save a lot of time if there is no editing needed but the result can be printed and delivered to the clients as is.
So my advice is that you should not put too much into the SOOC term. See it as an ideal and just know that when a camera reviewer says he /she presents the images SOOC, it is just another way of saying that the images could probably be even better with a bit of time spent editing.
The SmallRig RM75 video light is actually quite small. At 9.9 x 6.7 x 0.18 centimetres, it will not take up much space in your camera bag. Despite the small form factor, it delivers a CRI at 96 and a colour temperature in the range of 2500K to 8500K.
It is powered with a 4Ah battery, which I find to be a large battery especially considering the small size of the light. The spec sheet promises 3 hours of operation at full throttle, and if you ask me, that is a mind blowing performance! When I think back just a few years what a small LED light could deliver, then giant steps of progress have been made here!
The SmallRig RM75 as it presents itself on the tin.
The box with the light contains very little other than the light: a manual, a user guide, a USB cable and a light diffuser.
In the box you will find the instruction manual (left), the light itself (right) and a diffuser along with a USB cable (middle). The diffuser also protects the SmallRig light.
I must admit that I thought the light diffuser was a case to protect the light mainly, but when I tried to fit the silicone rubber case, I could see that the case is somewhat thicker than the light itself. This design to create a space between the light and the case, so the heat can dissipate. That said, the diffuser will also protect the light, the same way you probably have a cover for your smartphone.
Yes! USB-C charging! And you can also see the small screen top right that shows you the menus and status of the light.
I enjoy USB-C charging very much! It saves me from unboxing yet another charger, and it also means that I can charge the SmallRig when on the go, say via my power bank or the USB plug in my car. So USB-C charging is very welcome! And I am also glad to see that the SmallRig charges with a powerful 65W charger – not all devices can stomach so much power (for the tech savvy: it supports USB-C PD).
In use
There are not many buttons on the SmallRig and that is good news if you ask me! Other than the on-off switch and the USB-C connector, there is only a command wheel to control the light (it is named “SET”). It works simple and smart: push it once to enter/jump a menu, and long push it to exit the menu. Turn the wheel to change the value, say the strength of the light or the color temperature. The menus and options are displayed in a small OLED screen on the middle of the rear of the SmallRig light.
The interface to the SmallRig is simple: a small command wheel (left), an on/off button (middle) and a USB-C connector (right). At the other end there is a 1/4″ thread for mounting the SmallRig on a tripod or the like.
There are 3 main menus in the menu system and you can control all aspects of the light (light intensity, color temperature, saturation, hue, etc). There are also a number of predefined effects that you can choose between like fireworks and a police car. For my liking, it gets a little bit fiddly to choose between all those options with just a command wheel, and luckily there are 2 QR codes in the manual – one for OIS and one for Google. In other words: the SmartRig has an app! Everything seems to have an app this day and age!
Of course the SmallRig has an app! And you can control all aspects of the light including special effects! Just remember to have bluetooth turned on on your smartphone.
The app is maybe not the most elegant software I have come across, but it certainly gets the job done, and it also secured that the software in the SmallRig was updated to the latest version, before I started to use the app in more detail. For my usage the most important is to be able to control the intensity of the light and the color temperature – and sometimes also to turn the light on and off remotely. So I have not deep dived into the more advanced functions, but it sure looks overwhelming with all the effects that are available and the way you can tweak the hue of the light.
Mount
There is a small 1/4″ thread in the bottom of the SmallRig so you can mount it on a tripod or a boom arm or whatever is to your liking.
The SmallRig on a Manfrotto tripod.
As a new feature (at least for me), the SmallRig also has some magnets that makes it possible for you mount the light on a metal surface.
The SmallRig has magnets that allows you to mount the light on metal surfaces. Here a small lamp on my desktop. The magnets are relatively weak compared to the weight of the SmallRig, so it will not work for all types and sizes of metal.
I found the magnets to be relatively weak when holding the 185 grams light, but if you find some metal that is sufficiently “beefy” and flat, then it definitely works.
Conclusion
The SmallRig RM75 here in late 2022 retails for around 80 USD which I think is a very fair price for a powerful light with lots of features and controls and a battery that will keep you with light for several hours on one charge.
The question is if the 5W of light the SmallRig yields (500 lux at 0.5m) is sufficient for you and if the surface of the light is big enough for your needs. That comes down to exactly what your needs are for lightning. But if you find that the size and the illuminance of the SmallRig will cover your needs, then I have no hesitation to recommend the SmallRig RM75.
I love my Sony RX 100 M3. But it is a tired old friend. It has been on the floor a few times – the control ring is more oval than round, the LCD flip out only hinges in the left side and for the EVF to work I have to make a little rain dance and send a prayer to Sony! So I need a change – a new camera!
The new Ricoh GRIIIx in front of the Sony RX100 M3. The latter is a tired old friend, that has served me really well over the years.
So although I am not a street photographer, the Ricoh camera GRIII and all the hype and attention it gets has certainly not passed unnoticed. And then my local camera pusher had a black Friday deal with a good price (1000 EUR) and a SmallRig video light added to the package, and I decided to go for the Ricoh pocket camera.
The GX3x is the newest camera from Ricoh and it stands on the shoulders of the GX3, where the older version is a wider lens of 28mm full frame equivalent, where the one I decided to go for had the additional ‘x’ which signifies a 40mm full frame equivalent lens, i.e. a more narrow field of view for the x version. In any case, it will be a change from my Sony RX100M3 that provided a zoom lens.
Speed
The first thing I noticed when starting to use the camera is the start up time. Relative to my Sony RX100M3 the startup time is super fast! This camera is really fast and does all it can to help you not miss that scene or situation that suddenly is worthy of a shot!
The menus are well structured and the camera responds super quick to scrolling and zoom/pinch. Super responsive.
Speed is also what comes to mind when using the menu system and in general working with the camera – it is super responsive! Pitching and zooming happens super fast on the touch sensitive rear LCD and it is simply a pleasure to work with.
You can use the touch screen to control the menus or the nice control wheel here. Your call!
And in addition the menus are well structured. As a Nikonian I find the structure is similar to Nikon and I feel at home right away. You can use both the excellen touch screen or the good command dial to control the menu system.
The PASM dial works well. The other buttons and dials feels a bit “plastic like” but they get the job done.
The buttons and dials are a blit light or “plasticky” when I compare to the Sony RX100M3, but they get the job done and as such I can forgive the lack of an up-market feel to the controls, despite the price tag around 1000 EUR. The play button to review the images sit right where it should, but I had to get used to pressing it again to move out of review mode (on a Nikon you just half press the shutter, and it understand you want to move on).
Viewfinder
There is no viewfinder! You see the scene you are about to shoot using the rear LCD! That is intimidating at first, especially when you come from a camera with viewfinder – EVF or OVF.
I felt like an old man that forgot his reading glasses! You walk around with the camera in arms length to look at the rear LCD and frame your shots! But to my surprise, you quickly get used to it. And I really like the touch to focus feature: Tap to select what it is in the frame your want the camera to focus on and your wish is it’s command!
Focus options
The Ricoh GRIIIx comes with no less than 9 different focus options out of the box! I have in this post explained them all and most of them work really well and it is nice that there are so many options to choose from. And the macro function enables you to get really close to the subject (12 cm).
My only complaint when it comes to the focus system is the implementation of manual focus, where you have to turn the command wheel a lot in order to move the focal plan. It would have been nice with a ring around the lens to control the focus manually.
Charging
There is one thing that I don’t need: one more charger! And unfortunately the GRIIIx brings a charger for the battery! However, I was REALLY happy to see that it is possible to charge the battery via USB-C without taking it out of the camera. This means a lot to me, as I have a good set of USB-C charger and it also means I can use a powerbank on the go to charge the camera.
Thank you for USB-C! I have too many chargers. The Ricoh GRIIIx charges the battery in camera. You can use powerful chargers and it is faaast charging!
Some devices with USB-C connectors cannot muster a high powered power supply like 65W, but the GRIIIx took the challenge happily. And the charging for that reason is fast. Good!
Maybe because of the need to keep the rear LCD powered at all times when shooting, the battery life is not impressive. The specs promises around 200 shots, but I would think it depends very much on the rear LCD and how you use it. If you on a sunny day turn up the brightness and in addition take a long time to frame each shot, then I think the number of shots will drop like a stone. On an overcast day with temperatures around zero degrees, I was able to get 100 shots out of a fully charged battery before it was depleted, so the temperature is also part of the mix. But in my book much is forgiven as it can be re-charged via USB-C and hence my power bank or the USB connector in my car can be used for re-charging when on the go.
Internal memory
I don’t know how many times I have pulled out my DSLR from my camera bag only to learn that I left my SD cards at home! If my SD cards could speak like the toys in Toystory, then they would scream “Remember me!” every time I head out without the cards!
So I was really happy to find that the Ricoh GR3x has internal memory, and if you shoot JPG files (which I often do, as they are excellent) then you can have lots of images without the SD card installed in the camera. This feature is a true life saver!
In the pocket
The Ricoh GR3x is a pocket friendly camera. At around 250 grams with battery and memory card, I sometime have to tap my pocket to make sure I have not dropped it! And relative to my iPhone, it does not take up much space in my pocket or backpack.
It is compact and light (250 grams approx). Here with my iPhone12.
One thing the GR3x shares with my Sony RX100M3 is that the lens hood is built into the camera. When you turn off the camera, a set of small blinders move in to protect the front of the lens. Excellent! You can put the camera in your bag or pocket and not worry about a lens hood or the like. This small feature is really important to me and one of those things you will notice in the daily use of the camera.
Maybe a small think to you, but a big thing for me: the camera closes the front and protects the lens when turned off. Great feature for lazy photographers – no need to worry about a lens cap if you handle the camera with a bit of care!
However, the blinders are not designed to handle a lot of force, so if your camera needs to fit into a tight pocket or will bounce around in your bag, then a lens hood may be one of the first accessories you should get. Also, be aware that the camera is not weather sealed so make sure to protect it well from rain and moist.
Image quality
The image quality produced by the 24MP APS-C sensor in combination with the 40mm FF equivalent lens is really good.
Image quality is more than approve – here a frosty day in December.Image quality from the 24MP sensor is more than approved.
There is lots of detail, contrast and resolution. Of course you need to consider if you want to live with the restrictions imposed by a prime lens at 40mm, but if that is not an issue for you, I think you will love the image quality. Color rendition, contrast, resolution – all exams passed with flying colors.
Close up image using the macro function. It works really well.
There is a macro function you can engage to give you that extra focus on smaller things. It does not need to be bugs or insects, it can be nice little things like a snow covered leaf in the woods or the like. I found the macro function to work surprisingly well, even as the owner of a Nikkor 105mm S Macro lens!
Only thing to mention regarding image quality is the focus breathing. It is significant and videographers looking for a small camera will probably find this to be a showstopper.
Low light performance
A rainy evening during winter time. Not much light here.
The low light performance of this little camera is impressive! I have come home with usable images shot at ISO 6400. It requires a little bit of post processing to remove the grain and noise that will show in the darker parts of the images, but to me this is a small price to pay when the reward is to come home with images where the camera almost “sees in the dark”.
A night out.
I think the built in image stabilisation really helps capturing images at night – I have (with a bit of luck) shoot handheld at speeds down to 1/10th of a second.
Technical image quality
The purple dot on the stem of the tree is all the flare I could find in this image!
If we look at some more nerdy aspects of the image quality, one of the first things I notices was the outstanding control of flare. Videographers will probably want to stay clear of this lens for that reason! It dampens flare really well!
The flare control is outstanding. There is a little bit of purple where the red arrow is, but is is really well dampened. This is my “light from the iPhone” test that I usually do with lens reviews.
The sunstars are as most sunstars are on modern lenses: not that great. But it is because the rounded aperture blades are designed to give round bokeh balls and this comes at the expense of the sunstars. I would happily live with less attractive bokeh for beautiful sunstars, but I think I am alone with that point of view.
I have seen more beautiful sunstars than this, but this is a typical compromise when the bokeh is prioritized.Bokeh is more than approved. Both wide open and stopped down, the results are beautiful.
The bokeh or out of focus areas are rendered beautifully. You can also see this in the macro shot earlier in this post. The GRIIIx performs well here!
In high contrast areas there are lots of aberrations. This is zoomed in 400% so many will not notice, but I do!
If you want to pixel peep into an image shot in a high contrast scene, then you will find aberrations and plenty of them! In the example above I have zoomed in 400%, but then the aberrations are noticeable. I doubt that any non-photographer in real life would ever notice, but as an acid test of the lens performance, I think it is fair to mention the aberrations generated.
Conclusion
Can I recommend this camera? Yes! Indeed! Relative to my set of criterias for a small pocketable camera, this one checks all the boxes. But it may not check all your boxes, i.e. your preferences may be different than mine. It is very capable camera, but it is not cheap and it is not free of errors or bugs. But it won me over – maybe it will win you over as well?
Pros
Image quality
Bokeh
Flare control
Low light performance
Image stabilisation
Internal memory
Macro function
Good AF system with lots of options
Menu system and responsiveness
Start up time (fast!)
Weight (250 grams approx)
Size (pocket friendly)
USB-C charging
Lens front protected when turned off
Cons
Price (1000 EUR)
No viewfinder
Battery life
Not a flip / articulating screen (it is fixed)
Plastic feel to the build quality
Not weather sealed
Sunstars not that beautiful
Prime lens, not a zoom
No built in flash (a hot shoe is available though)
A hot shoe is a flash interface that you find on the top of some cameras that enables an external flash and the camera to communicate. Cameras with built in flashes will not have a hotshoe whereas many DSLRs and mirrorless cameras do have a hotshoe.
The camera lying down to the right displays the hot shoe sitting on top of the camera (metal). The flash in the middle is positioned in a cold shoe. A cold shoe is on its own to the very left.
The hot shoe is brand specific. It looks similar across all camera brands, but the specific position of the contacts and the protocol used differs, unfortunately.
Transmitters to be mounted on Nikon (N), Fuji (F) and Sony (S) going left to right.
In the image above you can see 3 different camera brands and what their contacts for the hot shoe look like. You can see that the number of contacts and their position is not the same, so you need to buy a flash specific for your camera brand if you plan to mount it on camera. The above 3 is so called triggers that allow you to operate the flash off camera via a radio signal.
A cold shoe is just a hot shoe with no contacts. It allows you to mount the flash in the shoe, that either serves as a stand on its own, or enables you via a thread to attach it to a stand. A cold shoe works for all flash brands.
When I was in the market for a speedlite flash the first time around, I looked at the prices for flashes from the big brands such as Canon or Nikon. And my conclusion was that they were out of my reach budget wise. I know from many blog posts and users sharing experiences with these brand flashes that they are very good and will (almost) last you a lifetime. Your mileage may vary, but the price simply kept me from the big and well known brands.
The other side of the road is is to go for a very cheap flash, but studying the market and what experience photographers had had with budget flashes, that did not seem to be my path either. As they say, buy nice or buy twice. I was not planning to buy twice.
So my solution was Godox, that I find to deliver solid quality products without breaking the bank. That for me was the sweet spot I had been searching for. And I got a TT685 and later a V860 mk II and now a V860 mk III. And I wish I had started with the latter!
Now, if you are simply after if I can recommend this flash, then it is a big yes. I find the price around 220-230 EUR to be reasonable, and the functionality and light provided by Godox is exactly what I need. If you have a big studio and need to cover a lot of distance or area, then this flash may not suffice (the guide number is 60 (meters)), but for my work mainly being shooting objects (products, stills, etc) at relatively close range, this flash is spot on for that I need.
Notice that this flash is also branded under the name: Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL over at Adorama.
Battery
So this reviewer starts out with the battery on the V860 III – does he not get the point with a speedlite? Well, I do, but when you start working with a speedlite, one of the first things you will notice is battery life and recycling times.
Mk II left, mk III right. Newer is better: Smaller size battery and more power.
I have had speedlites with AAA batteries and external power banks, and I can say from bitter experience: do not travel that road! It is clumsy and cumbersome! The powerful Li-on battery in the V860 III delivers plenty of power. In fact, it has 1.5 times more power than the mk II, despite the battery is smaller in size.
The hole in the flash is by design! The battery fits very precisely. You release the battery by pushing a button while tilting the flash – then it slides out sideways.
The recycle time after firing full throttle is around 1-2 seconds, and that is more than acceptable in my book. The cycle speed obviously increases as you lower the power, so worst case is 1-2 seconds, but often faster.
The spec sheet promises 480 flashes at full power (76W) before the battery is flat. I must admit that I have never run a battery down – I have a spare battery in the charger, and as soon as there is 1 bar left, I switch, and I have never bothered to count. For me the flash can fire so many times on a single battery that I get tired before the flash does! But of course, if you shoot HHS a lot, then 480 flashes may wear down quickly!
Notice that relative to the mk II, the mk III has 50% more amps available, despite the battery’s physical size being smaller. So if your budget allows, go for the mk III for that reason alone – you will not regret it.
Presentation
So the Godox V860 III is a pretty standard speedlite and from the looks of it, it does not stand out from so many other speedlites.
As with more expensive flashes, you can tilt the head both in and up-down direction, but also turn it sideways. This is great for bouncing the light exactly in the direction you want it to. Cheaper flashes often only allow you to tilt up and down.
Modelling light.
An added feature with the mk III relative to the mk III is so called modelling light. It allows you to see the direction of the light before you hit the shutter – provided the head is pointing the same direction as modelling light does! And when shooting into a shoot through umbrella, I find it less useful as the light is rather weak. The idea is good and probably stems from some of the pro gear where the modelling light can power up entire softboxes and really be useful. Here I find it is more a gimmick than anything else.
On camera
The foot of the flash is designed for a specific brand of camera, and you can get a flash for all the major brands. I have flashes for both Fuji, Nikon and Sony, but I know the list is longer and that Godox probably extend is as this blog post ages. So check if there is one your camera.
One cool detail that I think many have forgotten is the ability to have the flash fire in optical slave mode. This is a budget friendly way of getting your flash off the camera and use the flash built into your camera to trigger the Godox flash. In the image above, just below the modelling flash, you can see a red zone beneath the Godox name, and it is where the flash looks for trigger light if you have activated optical slave mode. Of course the slave flash is not very smart and cannot contribute to TTL shooting or other ways of controlling the light automatically, but as a manual way of getting the flash off camera, I think it is a valid option. And it can be an option while you save for a radio transmitter! Which brings me to…
Off camera
Maybe one of the best things about the Godox flashes is that they share protocol and can talk to each other irrespective of the camera they are intended for. When we are talking on camera, you need to buy a Godox flash made for Fuji if you want it to be mounted on a Fuji camera. The foot is made specifically for that brand only. But when moving off camera, only the trigger needs to fit the brand of the hotshoe. The protocol between sender and receiver is brand agnostic.
Transmitters to be mounted on Nikon (N), Fuji (F) and Sony (S) going left to right.
Sounds complicated? I have 3 so called X-pro tiggers. One for Nikon, one for Sony and one for Fuji. Each pro trigger can only sit on a Nikon, Sony and Fuji hotshoes respectively. But they can trigger any V860, irrespective of what camera it is made for.
The x-pro transmitter.
So I use the same flash for 3 different cameras. That is smart. And it works. But of course the trigger is not for free, but compared to other brands where the protocol between trigger and receiver is brand specific, this is simply brilliant!
Living with a V860 III
Admitted, I will never be a big fan of the user interface on the Godox flashes, and the mk III is no exception. I have come to learn to live with the menus and buttons that I find a bit quirky, so it is not a showstopper in any way, but a better designed user interface is for sure on my wish list for the mk IV!
The weight is around 500 grams with battery, and that is some when mounted on top of the camera, but you quickly get used to it. Be careful with handling the flash when mounted on camera – the foot is made of metal, so if force is applied (you drop the camera with flash on a tile floor!) then you may find your flash survives but the hot shoe on your expensive camera is shredded. So take care or shoot off camera!
The user interface could be better. It is not bad, but not super intuitive either.
I don’t think you will miss any technical features with the V860 mkII. It supports HSS, front/rear curtain sync, optical slave, TTL, exposure compensation +/- 3 stops, zooms between 20 and 200mm, has built in reflector and has a focus assist light. There are so many groups and channels that even 10 wedding photographers working in the same space could find a seperate channel combination to work with! Your demands may be more advanced than mine, but for me this flash has all I need and then some!
The light is as it should be – 5600K +/- 200 K. I have not noticed any changes or inconsistency over time with the temperature of the light, no matter if the flash is just started or has been at it for a long time.
My wish list for the Mk IV, other than a better menu system, is the ability to charge the battery via the USB-C connector in the flash, i.e. that I can charge the battery without removing it from the flash. That would be cool. But it is nice to have.
Conclusion
As you have probably guessed, I like this flash! It gets the job done, and without the quirks that some other flashes have. In short:
Excellent value for money
Powerful and compact battery
Tons of technical features
Great wireless system
And the improvement points are:
More power to the modelling light
Re-designed menu system (by a photographer, not a software engineer!)
I guess the name says most of it: shoot through umbrella! It is a light modifier that you shoot through to diffuse and soften the light. It really looks like a white umbrella. A shoot through us opposed to umbrellas with reflectors on the inside, where they reflect the light rather than letting it through.
The umbrella left mounted horizontally, the flash to the right.
I guess professionals with a studio don’t use umbrellas as they have softboxes and beautyboxes and the like that is much better at directing the light where it is needed.
However, don’t write off a shoot through umbrella just yet! First of all it is very inexpensive, secondly it folds down to taking almost no space in your camera bag and thirdly it yields some beautiful light. The reason the light is so beautiful is that it is soft – the umbrella makes the light source much bigger than the head of the flash, and as you probably know: beautiful soft light is all about getting a very large light source very close to your subject. And an umbrella can help with both! Don’t be afraid to move the umbrella close to your subject – you will love the effect!
Off camera flash
An umbrella requires that you have an off camera flash. Otherwise you will be pointing the lens straight into the umbrella, and there is not much point to that way of working! So in the image above you can see my Godox flash is mounted on a stand that also holds the umbrella. Not a camera in sight.
The flash and the camera talks to each other via a radio transmitter mounted on the top of my camera in the hot shoe. You can also make the flash go off camera via a long cable, but I find it so much more enjoyable to work with a radio transmitted signal. So if your budget allows, consider a radio controlled flash and a transmitter to match.
Flash zoom and umbrella distance
The umbrella and flash at work. The flash could make better use of the umbrella if the zoom on the flash is a tad wider.
One tip to get the most out of the umbrella: adjust the focus of the flash so that it uses the entire umbrella. In the example above, you can see that I have only used the centre part of the umbrella. You can either move the umbrella further away (until you reach the end of the arm!) or you can adjust the zoom on the lens to go wider.
Umbrellas comes in different sizes. If it is not a problem for your camera bag, I would recommend large rather than small. You have probably guessed why: it makes the potential lightsource as big as possible = soft light. You can always zoom in to make use of only the centre of the umbrella if that is to your liking. The other way around is more complicated!
