Godox V100 N Speedlight Review

Spread the love

In nearly two decades of professional photography, I’ve used countless on-camera flashes. From entry-level models to professional-grade units, they’ve all seen the top of my cameras and moved on after a few years of usage. For the most part, the pro ones have all had pretty much the same set of features. HSS, TTL, long battery life, remote control possibilities, and so on. The Godox V100 N has all of this and a few other creative features, the most interesting one being a touchscreen LCD display.

The Big Picture: Godox V100 N Speedlight Review Conclusions

A Nikon DSLR camera with a lens and a Godox external flash unit attached, placed on a textured surface. — The Godox V100 N on my Nikon D4

When I first mounted the Godox V100 N on my Nikon, I didn’t expect it to be so much more powerful than any other speedlight I had used. Over several sessions, the V100 N quickly showed that it isn’t just a minor update to the V line of flashes in Godox’s range; it’s a completely different tool. The first thing that caught my attention was the difference in battery life and power output compared to the V1 N I own. With 100 watt-seconds in an on-camera flash, my perspective on light changed. Rooms that normally forced me into high ISO settings with a weaker flash were suddenly manageable at lower ISOs. The results were sharp, and I had more freedom to work with shadows. Battery life, which was a concern for a three-day event, amazed me. I didn’t have to worry about charging the Godox V100 N during a ComicCon event, where I shot hundreds of images at various power levels each day. Not worrying about running out of power and feverishly swapping out flash batteries in the middle of photographing celebrities and screaming fans interacting was quite a liberating feeling. The smaller detachable accessory flash that goes on the front is cute, but only really helps with catchlights when you’re doing headshots and tighter portraits.

Close-up of a camera flash control screen displaying various settings and adjustment icons. — HSS worked on my Nikon Zf too

What could be a concern for some photographers is the weight of the flash. It might take a long time to get the centre of gravity when it’s combined with a smaller camera, and it would definitely make your Z9 or Z8 feel much heavier than it already is when latched onto those cameras. The touchscreen isn’t laggy like I thought it might be. It takes a few days to get used to using it, but there is a tactile wheel option as well that you might like to use for more precise power output adjustments. Still, the pros outweigh the few cons by far, and this is a flash for any serious photographer to have in their arsenal. If you need a reliable flash for portraits, events, weddings, or location work, and you want good output, flexibility, and compatibility without reaching studio strobe prices, the Godox V100 N is one of the best options I’ve seen so far.

I’ve heard photographers say that the round head gives off a better output than a rectangular one; I’ve personally not seen any evidence confirming the same, since I mostly bounce the flash output off walls when available. But what’s great here is that the Godox V100 N head is magnetic and compatible with the accessories that attach to the V1 and V1 Pro series of flashes
The rechargeable flash can be charged via a USB-C cable
The detachable sub-flash is useful for close-up shots
Has a built-in LED modeling lamp with 10 adjustable power levels
Delivers 70 to 100 (depending on the zoom value / focal length chosen) consecutive flashes at 100Ws
Comes with a 2.3” full-color touchscreen LCD, but also a control wheel
Also available for Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, and OM System (aka Olympus) cameras
Works with the existing Godox wireless ecosystem
For this price, Godox really should have also included the round magnetic AK-R11 dome diffuser in the box. This is an invaluable tool for places where you don’t have a wall to bounce your flash off for a smoother output. Tilt your flash upwards at 75° and fire away without the fear of getting the awful in-your-face washed-out flash look
Weighs nearly half a kg or about 17.5oz; you’d better have strong wrists to use this all day
Recycle time is around 1.7 seconds for full power shots, but the includes a port for the PB960 Lithium-Ion Flash Power Pack, reducing full-power recycling time to 0.8 seconds

BUY NOW

Experience

A Godox camera flash with a digital display sits on a gray textured fabric surface. — It’s heavier than it looks, but nothing that will tip over a professional camera

This is a professional’s speedlight, and you don’t need a Pro designation in the name for you to realize that once you pick this up. It’s not just the extra weight; even the exterior seems more premium than what Godox uses for its less powerful flashes. Each time you lift it to mount it to your camera, you get reminded that it’s a product that you can rely on. Three days of shooting at an event solidified that feeling for me. For those who don’t do as many events as I and are more into studio sessions, you can rest your fears. Tackle a full-blown portrait session, bouncing off ceilings and using fill-flash or flash bursts without worrying that the battery will die suddenly. Often, after a few hours, you’re down maybe one bar, even after some full-power shots. For those like me who are very familiar with V1 units, this is a noticeable improvement. You’re less concerned about running out of battery during a long shoot or needing to carry multiple spare batteries.

Close-up of a camera flash LCD screen displaying exposure compensation at +0.7 and various settings. — The touchscreen color LCD is big and bright

I didn’t give the Godox V100 N a proper break throughout the three-day event. These were 8-hour shoots from midday until night, and the flash stayed strong, barely losing battery throughout the event. There was always a worry in the back of my mind, over whether the flash would start heating up or start choking when I began doing continuous celeb shoots. Neither of these problems materialized. Yes, after many full-power shots, heat can build up, and the flash head gets slightly warm to the touch. However, I didn’t experience noticeably slow recycle times or significant drops in performance during my test runs.

Detachable Sub Flash

A round diffuser and a Godox camera flash placed on a patterned fabric surface. — The SU-1 detachable sub flash next to the AK-R11 magnetic dome diffuser

The detachable SU-1 / sub-flash offers a lot of creative flexibility. For portraits, having that small fill-flash in front can help reduce harsh shadows, especially when bounce isn’t possible. It’s also helpful in mixed lighting to keep catchlights in the eyes. It attaches cleanly, but you need to listen for the click as it’s a mechanical attachment, not a magnetic one. It might feel like it’s attached when you gently place it there, but there’s a risk of it falling off. Ensure you hear the click, guaranteeing its stability. If you’ve used the Godox V1 Pro series, you’ll be quite familiar with this attachment

Handling And Weight

Two black camera flashes, Flashpoint and Godox brands, placed side by side on a gray textured surface. — The Godox V100 N (on the right) is slightly taller than the Flashpoint R2 Zoom (sold outside the USA as the Godox V1)

The Godox V100 N is clearly more powerful and heftier than the V1, and as a result, it’s also quite evidently heavier. When attached to lighter mirrorless bodies or smaller cameras, you can feel its weight, especially when tilting the head, and often when you bring the camera up to your face. If you shoot handheld or have a light rig, you’ll need strong arms and a steady wrist. The touchscreen makes some features more sensitive; seasons Godox users might find the buttons and physical controls on the V1 to be easier for quick adjustments. The V100’s screen is an excellent color LCD, but sometimes it takes a bit longer to glance at or swipe compared to pressing a button. Setting TTL, manual, HSS, etc, is quick once you get accustomed to the responsiveness of the screen. Zooming, bouncing, turning the head, and adjusting power are mostly smooth. For those of us coming from years of using buttons all the time on the back of speedlights, get used to the fact that this might be the way all non-amateur flashes will be in the near future

Close-up of the Godox V100 N flash screen displaying a Rotate screen or dial to unlock message. — You can turn the physical dial or the one on the LCD to start the flash

When it comes to usage-related heating, this flash didn’t give me any major trouble at all. It gets slightly warm after many full-power shots, but thanks to its cooling system, it doesn’t overheat significantly. As with all battery-powered flashes, if you’re going to be doing a long session of full-power shots, you might want to consider getting an additional battery. The 7.2V/2980mAh battery on this flash can be charged directly with a USB-C cable connected to your smartphone’s power adapter. This is relieving compared to the additional battery charger I need to take with me when I do events with my V1.

Magnetic Modifiers

Close-up of a camera flash unit facing upward, with a textured grey background. — The circumference of the top of the flash is magnetic

I already own Godox’s magnetic flash modifiers AK-R1 kit, which includes the round heads, filters, and more, and they work perfectly with the V100 N. The round-head design is maintained, so modifiers made for V1/V1Pro round heads attach easily. Soft domes, diffusion domes, grids, and more fit securely. The retention is solid; the magnets are strong. I didn’t see any falling off during commutes or while mounting and unmounting. If you were concerned about whether your old modifiers would still work, the answer is yes, they do. I will say this again – Godox really should have included the magnetic dome diffuser in the package. This is a real game-changer when it comes to event photography. I’ve shot rectangular head speedlights for most of my career as a photographer, and whenever there isn’t a wall or ceiling to bounce them off, they start to look very harsh. A round dome diffuser greatly reduces this effect and provides a much smoother and natural-looking output. I bought one for use with the Godox V100 N for this review.

Results

All the images below were shot using a Nikon Z8 and the Godox V100 N speedlight. Notice how far away from the stage I was during those frames. It was around 100 feet at times, but the flash still gave me sufficient power to add a very useful fill to the subjects, who were often in and out of shadows. Most of these images have little to no editing done

Person in a yellow TV-head costume stands with hands raised at a convention under a WELCOME TO MEF sign.

Person in a Ronald McDonald costume and makeup posing at a convention, surrounded by colorful merchandise.

Two people in colorful costumes hold up a tray together on stage, with a bright, glitchy screen behind them.

A group of people at an indoor event gather around two kids on a purple and black floor.

Four people in Wolverine and Deadpool costumes pose enthusiastically at a comic convention against a pink backdrop.

Two women speak on stage at Middle East Film & Comic Con Abu Dhabi, sitting in chairs with microphones.

A man in a denim jacket signs autographs at a table during a fan event, with a security guard behind him.

A person in ornate armor and a red cape points forward, holding a helmet, with a building in the background.

Two women speak on stage at Middle East Film & Comic Con Abu Dhabi, seated in chairs with microphones.

Two people in colorful, artistic costumes and face paint pose together at an indoor event or convention.

Two people in colorful anime-style cosplay pose and smile at a convention with a blurred crowd behind them.

A person uses a pyrography tool to burn an image of a cowboy on a wooden plaque.

Person in a white fox mask and robe sits at a colorful merchandise booth with anime posters in the background.

A woman in a yellow hoodie shops for illustrated bucket hats at a busy indoor market or convention.

Two smiling people at a merch booth, one giving a thumbs up and the other making a peace sign.

Two men sit on stage talking at Middle East Film & Comic Con Abu Dhabi, with microphones in hand.

Four people stand behind a booth at a convention, selling colorful pins and merchandise.

Man with blond hair speaks into a microphone in front of a seated audience under bright stage lights.

Man with curly hair speaks into a microphone on stage, wearing a patterned shirt and event lanyard.

Woman in a black kimono smiling on stage at a comic convention event in Abu Dhabi.

A young man in a blue hat and white shirt claps at an event, surrounded by other clapping attendees.

A man smiles and claps on stage at Middle East Film & Comic Con, with others seated beside him.

Two men on stage, one in military cosplay and the other in black with a microphone, speaking to an audience.

Five panelists sit on stage at Middle East Film & Comic Con, speaking to an audience.

Person in a white dog costume smiling, sitting among others at an indoor event with rows of chairs.

Four people sit on stage speaking into microphones at a panel event, with a branded backdrop behind them.

A group of people sit in an audience, smiling and laughing during an event.

Five people stand and smile on stage at Middle East Film & Comic Con in Abu Dhabi, with chairs behind them.

A man speaks on stage at Abu Dhabi Comic Con, holding a microphone and smiling at the audience.

A man in a black cap and glasses speaks into a microphone on stage with colorful lights in the background.

Person wearing a bear mask and orange shirt, holding two plush toys, performs on a stage with bright lights.

Person in elaborate, colorful fantasy armor costume with large wings and swords, on a stage with dramatic lighting.

A performer in a colorful, beaded costume and headpiece dances on stage with one arm raised.

A person in a turquoise wig and shiny costume poses on stage, cosplaying as a character.

Person in a pink wig, cute dress, and bunny ears sings on stage with colorful background lights.

A man in a white costume aims a sword forward, focusing intensely at a crowded indoor event.

A person in costume with a white wig and green apron stands on stage with a thoughtful pose.

Person in detailed, spiked silver armor cosplay posing outdoors at a crowded event, making a claw gesture.

Person in blue and black cosplay outfit aiming a large prop weapon at an event, with people in the background.

Two women, one in a purple superhero costume, smile while browsing shelves at a convention or store.

A woman in a purple uniform smiles while promoting Flamin Hot snacks at an indoor event booth.

A man with glasses swings a large red mallet at an indoor event, with people watching in the background.

A DJ with headphones mixes music on a laptop and mixer at a live event, colorful lights in the background.

A man smiles while signing autographs at a table as a fan stands across from him at an event.

A group of dancers in blue costumes pose energetically on stage with a vibrant red and yellow backdrop.

Young woman with wavy hair smiling and looking up while seated at a table, surrounded by people.

A woman in black signs an autograph while a man beside her holds a phone at a convention table.

Two people in cosplay costumes at a convention; one wears a green hijab and the other a red Mario cap.

A smiling man in traditional white clothing takes a photo with his phone at an event.

Person in a skull mask costume aiming a toy gun at a convention, with a colorful blurred background.

People at a booth hand out blue Funko bags, with Funko products visible on the table.

A smiling child watches a claw machine grab a prize capsule, hands pressed to the glass.

Two people in cosplay smiling, one with a camera and making a peace sign, at a lively convention.

The Best On-Camera Speedlight Today?

A smiling man with a camera stands in a convention hall with a Welcome to MEFCC sign in the background. — Look how happy I am while using the flash. Image by Azi

When you look at what you get for the price, the Godox V100 N is more than just a premium speedlight. Its features start to overlap with what was typically reserved for more costly studio strobes and high-end flashes. The output per dollar is quite strong, and the jump from about 76Ws to 100Ws is bigger than it seems on paper, especially if you need that extra power for high ceilings, outdoor light, or bouncing. The inclusion of modern features, such as USB-C charging, a touchscreen, a detachable fill-flash, wireless capabilities, and compatibility with a solid round-head magnetic set of accessories, makes this a very attractive purchase. Flash output stays steady over long periods, and the color consistency is so good, you start to forget this isn’t a premium name brand. Catchlights and fill from a sub-flash help make the portraits stand out more than just using the main flash. You could argue that the touchscreen LCD isn’t really necessary in a speedlight, but that’s the direction all LCD screens in photography seem to be going.

For many photographers, Profoto’s name stands for prestige and build quality, but it also comes with a high price. The V100 series of flashes shows that Godox isn’t just catching up; it’s surpassing in some ways by offering features that many people want at a more reasonable cost. If you’re a photographer who extensively shoots weddings, events, or on-location commercial work, you’ll find that the Godox V100 N offers many features you might have previously found only in units from higher-end brands. It provides power, flexibility, and reliability. Profoto’s less expensive speedlights and off-camera flashes will now have to compete more effectively. The idea that paying more guarantees better quality is slowly becoming less relevant when Godox offers this much. Get yours at Adorama today.

Tech Specs

Taken from the Godox V100 product page

Model	V100 C	V100 N	V100 S	V100 F	V100 O
Compatible	Canon EOS cameras (E-TTL II auto flash)	Nikon cameras (i-TTL auto flash)	Sony cameras (TTL auto flash)	Fujifilm cameras (TTL auto flash)	OM SYSTEM (TTL auto flash)
Power (1/1 output)	100Ws
Flash Coverage	Auto zoom (flash coverage is set automatically to match the lens focal length and image size)
	Manual zoom (28-105mm)
	Swinging/tilting flash head (bounce flash): 0 to 330° horizontally and -7° to 120° vertically
Flash Duration	1/300s-1/20000s
Exposure Control
Exposure Control System	E-TTL auto flash and manual flash	i-TTL auto flash and manual flash	TTL auto flash and manual flash	TTL auto flash and manual flash	TTL auto flash and manual flash
Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC)	3 steps with 1/3 increment each step
Sync Mode	High-speed sync (up to1/8000 seconds), first-curtain sync, and second-curtain sync
Multi Flash	Provided (up to 100 times,100Hz)
Wireless Flash (Radio 2.4G Transmission)
Wireless Function	Sender, Receiver
Sender Groups	A,B,C,D,E	M, A, B, C, D	M, A, B, C, D	M, A, B, C, D	M, A, B, C, D
Controllable Receiver Groups	A,B,C,D,E
Transmission Range (approx.)	100m
Channels	32: 01~32
ID	OFF/01~99
Modeling Flash	Fired with the camera’s depth-of-field preview button
Auto Focus Assist Beam
Effective Range (approx.)	Center: 0.6~10m/2.0~32.8 feet Periphery: 0.6~5m/2.0~16.4 feet
LED Modeling Lamp
Power	2W
Color Temperature	3300K±200K
Power Supply
Built-in Lithium Battery	7.2V/2980mAh
Recycle Time	Approx. 1.7 seconds. LED indicator will light up when the flash is ready
Full Power Flashes	Approx. 400
Power Saving	Provide standby and auto-off functions
Sync Triggering Mode	Hot shoe, 2.5mm sync cord
Dimension
WxHxD	2.81”2.99”8.11”
Net Weight Without Battery	≈496g
Net Weight With Battery	≈616g

Declaration of Journalistic Intent

The Phoblographer is one of the last standing dedicated photography publications that speaks to both art and tech in our articles. We put declarations up front in our reviews to adhere to journalistic standards that several publications abide by. These help you understand a lot more about what we do:

At the time of publishing this review, Godox isn’t running direct-sold advertising with the Phoblographer. This doesn’t affect our reviews anyway, and it never has in our 15 years of publishing our articles. This article is in no way sponsored.
Note that this isn’t necessarily our final review of the unit. When firmware updates are released in the future, there’s a good chance we will update the review with our testing results. In fact, almost all our reviews are like this.
None of the reviews on the Phoblographer are sponsored. That’s against FTC laws, and we adhere to them just the same way that newspapers, magazines, and corporate publications do.
Godox supplied the unit to the Phoblographer for review. There was no money exchange between us or their 3rd party partners and the Phoblographer for this to happen. Manufacturers trust the Phoblographer’s reviews, as they are incredibly blunt.
Godox knows that it cannot influence the site’s reviews. If we don’t like something or if we have issues with it, we’ll let our readers know.
The Phoblographer’s standards for reviewing products have become much stricter. After having the world’s largest database of real-world lens reviews, we choose not to review anything we don’t find innovative or unique, and in many cases, products that lack weather resistance. Unless something is very unique, we probably won’t touch it.
In recent years, brands have withheld NDA information from us or stopped working with us because they feel they cannot control our coverage. These days, many brands will not give products to the press unless they get favorable coverage. In other situations, we’ve stopped working with several brands for ethical issues. Either way, we report as honestly and rawly as humanity allows.
At the time of publishing, the Phoblographer is the only photography publication that is a member of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. We champion human-made art and are frank with our audience. We are also the only photography publication that labels when an image is edited or not.

More can be found on our Disclaimers page.