Fstoppers Reviews the Godox V100: More Power and Modern Features for Your Hotshoe Strobe

Godox has built a reputation for delivering capable and affordable lighting, with flashes like the Godox V1 and Godox AD200 becoming go-to workhorses for countless photographers. But with every new product, the question arises: is it just a minor spec bump or a genuine leap forward? The new Godox V100, the company’s flagship on-camera flash, arrived promising two major advancements: a significant power increase to 100 Ws and a modern touchscreen interface. Is that enough to make it worth an upgrade?

Taken together, the features aim to address the core needs of photographers who require a versatile on-camera light that can handle everything from fast-paced events to portrait sessions. I took a closer look to see if the V100’s performance and usability live up to its impressive spec sheet.

Build and Design

From the moment you pick up the V100, it’s clear this is a premium strobe. The build quality is solid, with a sleek design that looks professional. It weighs 619 grams with its battery, which is hefty but not overly burdensome once it’s on the hot shoe. The most prominent feature is the large and vibrant touchscreen on the back, which immediately sets it apart from the button-and-dial interfaces of its predecessors.

Godox has redesigned the hot shoe, and I like the new design, as it appears a bit more rugged. This is a welcome change for anyone who has experienced the frustration of a broken or malfunctioning hot shoe mount on past models. While I did not run into the same degree of issues with the old shoe design, I was also using my gear in a slower-paced studio-shooting environment. While long-term durability is yet to be proven, the new design (and attention paid to this part) inspires confidence.

Perhaps the most practical new design choice is on the VB30 lithium-ion battery. It can be charged directly via a built-in USB-C port, reducing the need for the proprietary charging dock of previous battery models. The ability to top up a battery from a power bank, laptop, or standard USB-C wall adapter is a massive quality-of-life improvement for anyone working on location.

Power and Performance

The headline feature of the V100 is its 100 Ws power output. This represents a meaningful increase over the 76 Ws found in models like the V1 and Godox V860III. For event photographers in unaccommodating and dark venues, it means more reach and the ability to maintain lower ISOs. For portrait shooters working outdoors, it offers more juice to open up shadows or shape light through slightly larger modifiers than you would expect from a hot shoe strobe.

This extra power is paired with good thermal management. Godox claims the V100 can fire between 70 and 100 consecutive full-power flashes before its thermal protection engages. For photographers covering extended action sequences, this means the flash is far less likely to slow down or shut off at a critical moment. The full-power recycle time is a still-respectable 1.7 seconds, but at the partial power levels used more commonly, recycling feels basically instantaneous.

For those with flagship global shutter cameras, such as the Sony a9 III, the V100 is also compatible with this new tech. This allows for flash synchronization at shutter speeds up to an astounding 1/80,000 of a second, opening up new creative possibilities for freezing motion in brightly lit environments.

The Touchscreen Interface

The move to a touchscreen interface can be divisive (just see the debate over touchscreens in cars), but Godox has implemented it well here. The screen is responsive, and the menu system is largely intuitive. Basic operations are fluid and reminiscent of other good touchscreen UIs, with only a little bit of a learning curve. Swipe gestures give you quick access to the key controls photographers would want: power, settings, flash modes. Power, scrolling, and flash testing all get dedicated manual buttons.

While photographers accustomed to the muscle memory of physical buttons may need a shoot or two to adjust, the visual interface is easy to grasp. Overall, the extra functionality enabled by the touchscreen outweighs concerns over muscle memory, particularly for flash workflows that are set-and-forget.

Features and the Godox Ecosystem

The V100 comes with a small, detachable sub-flash designed to provide a catchlight or a touch of direct fill when the main head is bounced. It’s an interesting idea, but I did not find myself too excited to use it. Manually setting its power for every shot is unfeasible in dynamic shooting environments, so TTL support would be a big win in a future model.

Off-camera, the V100 excels. It integrates perfectly into Godox’s well-established 2.4 GHz wireless system, functioning reliably as a receiver unit. It can be controlled from any Godox X-series trigger or another flash set to master mode. This versatility only adds to the V100’s value, and the 100 Ws output makes it a credible source for use on a stand at a bit of distance or through a modifier.

Overall, it’s clear the Godox V100 is more than just an incremental update. The combination of class-leading 100 Ws power, robust thermal performance, and the convenience of USB-C charging makes it a great option for active photographers. While the sub-flash feels underdeveloped, that does not detract from the flash’s outstanding core performance.

For event, wedding, and portrait photographers who need a powerful, reliable, and versatile flash that works seamlessly both on and off camera, the V100 presents a compelling package. It’s a modern, powerful light and yet another great entry in Godox’s flash ecosystem.

The Godox V100 is available for purchase now for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony.

What I Liked

• Class-leading 100 Ws of power provides flexibility for a strobe

• Excellent thermal performance keeps up during intense shooting situations

• Direct USB-C battery charging is a great convenience

• The large, responsive touchscreen is good looking and intuitive to use

• Seamless integration with the robust Godox wireless ecosystem

• Global shutter sync support provides future-proofing for high-end cameras

What Could Be Improved

• The detachable sub-flash needs TTL support to be truly useful in dynamic environments

• Long-term durability of the new hot shoe design needs to be proven by time