I don't normally comment, but I had to tell you, you are a delight to listen to. No strange accent, straight-up real world experience, no mumbo jumbo, just what I want to hear. Thank you! Its great to hear someone just tell it like it is. Thank you.
This flash is good during the reception where low light is a problem. I would use the 860II for most of the wedding, then pull out the new 860III for the reception, no need to buy two batteries.
I recently switched to Godox and can easily shoot an entire wedding with one battery. My V860iii came with the VB26A battery and yesterday I shot an 11 hour wedding on the same battery. The formal photos were done natural light but I shot with flash the rest of the day. Since switching to Godox I 've probably done 15-20 weddings and have always finished the event on one battery. Of course I bring spares but battery life is simply not a problem at all. It's a great flash at a great price and I definitely recommend it.
Thanks, Jason, for the great review of the Godox V860lll. Having come from a Flashpoint R2 LI-ON flash for Nikon, I find this Godox more reliable in terms of flash sync (with a NIkon Z7), build quality is great, and if I'm not mistaken, the same battery from the Flashpoint R2 will fit in this unit. Also, kudos to Godox for making an accessory (SR-1) that converts a rectangular head into a round head, which allows all of the Godox circular head accessories, light mods, etc., to work on this flash! Thanks again for the excellent review!
1/4 is a little much. I stay around 1/16. Jack up your iso.great review too. I agree with the dial. It’s always changing on me. Also I had the canon speed lights and this one blows it away
Great review mate. Here in Sydney, you can't buy an SB-5000 for love or money so I'm looking for a replacement for my dead SB-900. The V860iii looks pretty good for my purposes and I really appreciate your review. As for the modeling light - for my money, if it's not coming from the actual flash head, it's not really going to cut it. May be great when I drop the car keys at night though... hehe. Cheers and thanks from Aust - Dave
Great review!!! If this is the same battery as the V1, I’m concerned you may have a defective battery. I have a couple V1’s and have never come close to running out of power. I’m talking 10 hour weddings. This is also true for the Mk 2’s I have. Never have come close to draining the battery
there should be an on, off and lock button on the flash so power can't be changed once locked. The bad battery power is worrying. Maybe wait for mark iv, but when will that come out?
Thanks for the honest info Bruh. I was about to get a pair on the 860III's. I have the mark II's and I love them, I just can't understand why the battery drains so fast on the mark III. I do like the upgraded locking mechanism.
I have two Godox V860ii Speedlite and its a great flash but during weddings it doesn't flash sometimes, which is frustrating! I found out its because the battery overheats and stops flashing, sooo frustrating! Thanks for the review but doesn't look like the Godox V860iii Speedlite solves this issue.
Hi Jason, very well explained video ❤ How is the Westcott, FJ 80 II M Flash in comparison to Godox V1 or Godox V860 iii, in terms of quality, ttl Accuracy, colour temperature and durability?
Thanks for the review I am having issues with my Nikon sb-700 battery compartment cover and now a flash ERR after I dropped it. I was thinking about getting the Nikon d5000 Flash but it is quite expensive. I have a Yongnuo YN568EX as a backup flash. This one looks like it would be a good alternative and more affordable. Noted will also get an extra battery :-)
After watching this video I decided to get.... the V860II. Here in Japan the price difference is closer to $70, and it doesn't seem worth it for such minor differences. This'll be my second V860II.
The dial is a lil touchy.. But the battery for me has been awesome.. It's the best speedlight I've used to date. I'm probably going to sell my V1 & V860II to buy two more V860III's
I don't get the hype about the V1. It's less powerful and has a limited zoom range than the V860II and V860III. And most people use it on-camera... during events & weddings, where the better light fall-off doesn't matter. It only really shows when shooting a person in front of a wall or a background. Without any modifier. I just ordered my V860III, because my SB-910's have a loose connection on my Z6 & Z6II hot shoes. And I'm not going to pay 600-800 EUR for a Nikon SB-5000.
@@caleidoo I'm still loving my V860III It's a powerful flash. I used it during golden hour modified with a diffused beauty dish back lit the subject with the sun and it still illuminated the face
@@njrivetelite Happy about the V860III as well, but strangely, compared to my Nikon SB-910, it underexposes on my Z6II. I regularly needed to dial in -1.3 on any Nikon body I used when bouncing with the Nikon. But not with the V860III. I leave it at 0.0. As long as it is consistent, I can live with that.
@@caleidoo that's interesting, I haven't really had an under exposure issue with it from my experience. The first party flashes are great. I just can't justify their cost. Especially with Canon.
The LED on the front is in no way a modelling lamp. May be useful to find kit when packing away in a dark venue or to provide light when taking the clients outside the venue in the dark but a modelling lamp.. not a chance. Mostly because it won't offer any likeness or approximation of the lighting pattern when using the bar speedlite head let alone modifiers.
Had 4 of these flashes in last 4 mth all snapped at the bottom connector too camera…so beware terrible connection……so have gone back to a tighter connection the Godox V860ll for Sony no problems….Godox the quick release is too easy to snap ………good idea ……but snap’s so easy
Spoke to repair guy. Godox had to make the sony connector plastic because sony hotshoe design wont allow for metal due to interference. All other brands take metal connection.
Hi, I`ve got 2 of this model for my Sony sistem! I think, this is the best budget speedlight! But the problem, which I have is the plastick, easy-broking hot shoe for Sony system! I had broken my 2 times for 6 months.
How does the flash recycle time compare to the V860II? The only time I run into issues at weddings is during ceremony processions since there are so many people walking down the aisle and the flash is often working hard for those tall church ceilings so I have to stay conscious to have enough juice for when the bride starts walking down. Wondering if the III shows any improvements in that category or if the V1 would be better
Does the 860iii flash head tilts back a few degrees back like the V1 head and does the V1 have the togle button to switch between ttl to manual like on the 860iii?
Someone on Reddit gave a detailed explanation While the VB18 has 2000mAh charge, and the VB26 had 2600mAh, the VB18 was 11.1V, and the new VB26 is only 7.2V. Stored energy of the battery is the charge multiplied by the voltage. VB18: 2000 mAh * 11.1V = 7200 coulombs * 11.1V = 79,920 joules => 22.2 Wh. VB26: 2600 mAh * 7.2 V = 9360 coulombs * 7.2V = 67,392 joules => 18.72 Wh Godox has since replaced the VB26 with a VB26A that has 21Wh capacity, but nobody's reported if that's the one that was specced with, or if it's increased the battery life to be comparable to the VB18. And you showed your batteries lying with their label-side down so it can't be identified which you have.
@@JasonOsbornePhotography that makes sense! Maybe costs took Godox that route? Or the design of it? Who knows, but that definitely stinks to go backwards when there's nothing in the flash to really justify the decreased performance.
@@AnthonyToglife so this is the same battery for the Godox v1 which surprises me because it’s such a huge flash. They prob did it for the redesign to make it fit inside the body, and at $50 a pop it guarantees extra battery sales. I used it again for a wedding this weekend and it made it through with 1 bar left by the time I left. I wasn’t hired for the whole event time so I’m sure it wouldn’t of made it if I had been. Overall tho I’m enjoying using it.
Does the mk iii version allow more groups than the mark ii? I've seen some photos of the mk iii with a D and even an E group - the mark ii only allows groups A-C and as a Master with A-C if being used on camera as a commander. The mk iii manual online doesn't really specifically say how many groups can be controlled.
Thanks for your thoughts on this flash. Has it improved over time (battery life) or with firmware updates? I noticed some are saying these are now shipping with a 3000mAh battery v 2600mAh? Do you think modelling light would fill for product photos?
I will say I think the battery needs to be broken in a bit before getting max longevity, using it and recharging it I’ve noticed it lasts a lot longer now than when I first used it, but I would still get a back up. I think the modeling light is strong enough for product photos, I even used it during headshots to see where the flash would hit as a rim light.
I am trying to decide on my first flash as a casual hobbyist. I mostly like doing macro but want something that can be generally good for all purposes. I torn between the v860iii and v350 (i am not sure what I do and dont need) and additionally need to decide on a wireless trigger as i think that the xpro seems to be very excessive for my needs. Opinions?
I would go with the Godox tt600 and the Godox x2tc trigger both are around $60 and will get the job done for your purposes. The tt600 takes 4 aa batteries instead of a battery pack but it’s a great flash that I used when first starting out
@@JasonOsbornePhotography So the V860III shoots out a red pattern when focussing on you R6? That would be a first. All flashes disable the AF assist light on mirrorless. If it does work on Canon Rx, I doubt it works on other brands.
What brand of flash do you like or enjoy?! Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to sub and like this video if you find it was helpful!
I don't normally comment, but I had to tell you, you are a delight to listen to. No strange accent, straight-up real world experience, no mumbo jumbo, just what I want to hear. Thank you! Its great to hear someone just tell it like it is. Thank you.
Thank you for kind words I appreciate it!
This flash is good during the reception where low light is a problem. I would use the 860II for most of the wedding, then pull out the new 860III for the reception, no need to buy two batteries.
OMG… someone that finally did a great review of this flash.
I’m a wedding photographer and this is the best flash I have ever used.
I recently switched to Godox and can easily shoot an entire wedding with one battery. My V860iii came with the VB26A battery and yesterday I shot an 11 hour wedding on the same battery. The formal photos were done natural light but I shot with flash the rest of the day. Since switching to Godox I 've probably done 15-20 weddings and have always finished the event on one battery. Of course I bring spares but battery life is simply not a problem at all. It's a great flash at a great price and I definitely recommend it.
so why was his bad? Raising iso indoors can help reduce flash power, so was he on a low iso?
Loved the review, straight to the point and pleasant to listen to. Keep it up bro!
Thanks, Jason, for the great review of the Godox V860lll. Having come from a Flashpoint R2 LI-ON flash for Nikon, I find this Godox more reliable in terms of flash sync (with a NIkon Z7), build quality is great, and if I'm not mistaken, the same battery from the Flashpoint R2 will fit in this unit. Also, kudos to Godox for making an accessory (SR-1) that converts a rectangular head into a round head, which allows all of the Godox circular head accessories, light mods, etc., to work on this flash! Thanks again for the excellent review!
1/4 is a little much. I stay around 1/16. Jack up your iso.great review too. I agree with the dial. It’s always changing on me. Also I had the canon speed lights and this one blows it away
Thanks for sharing all this info, especially the answers in the comments section. Very useful
🙏👍
Love the modeling light for dancing time when the light you see are only disco light.
Great review mate. Here in Sydney, you can't buy an SB-5000 for love or money so I'm looking for a replacement for my dead SB-900. The V860iii looks pretty good for my purposes and I really appreciate your review. As for the modeling light - for my money, if it's not coming from the actual flash head, it's not really going to cut it. May be great when I drop the car keys at night though... hehe. Cheers and thanks from Aust - Dave
Great review!!! If this is the same battery as the V1, I’m concerned you may have a defective battery. I have a couple V1’s and have never come close to running out of power. I’m talking 10 hour weddings. This is also true for the Mk 2’s I have. Never have come close to draining the battery
so truee
there should be an on, off and lock button on the flash so power can't be changed once locked. The bad battery power is worrying. Maybe wait for mark iv, but when will that come out?
There is no bad battery power issue. The battery life during a long shoot is fantastic.
Thanks for the honest info Bruh. I was about to get a pair on the 860III's. I have the mark II's and I love them, I just can't understand why the battery drains so fast on the mark III. I do like the upgraded locking mechanism.
The canon r6ii's AF is not great so having a modelling light in dar clubs will be handy
I have two Godox V860ii Speedlite and its a great flash but during weddings it doesn't flash sometimes, which is frustrating! I found out its because the battery overheats and stops flashing, sooo frustrating! Thanks for the review but doesn't look like the Godox V860iii Speedlite solves this issue.
Had to subscribe! clear and concise! Thank you.
Hi Jason, very well explained video ❤
How is the Westcott, FJ 80 II M Flash in comparison to Godox V1 or Godox V860 iii, in terms of quality, ttl Accuracy, colour temperature and durability?
Thanks for the review I am having issues with my Nikon sb-700 battery compartment cover and now a flash ERR after I dropped it. I was thinking about getting the Nikon d5000 Flash but it is quite expensive. I have a Yongnuo YN568EX as a backup flash. This one looks like it would be a good alternative and more affordable. Noted will also get an extra battery :-)
After watching this video I decided to get.... the V860II. Here in Japan the price difference is closer to $70, and it doesn't seem worth it for such minor differences. This'll be my second V860II.
That modeling light is 🔑
The dial is a lil touchy..
But the battery for me has been awesome..
It's the best speedlight I've used to date.
I'm probably going to sell my V1 & V860II to buy two more V860III's
I don't get the hype about the V1. It's less powerful and has a limited zoom range than the V860II and V860III. And most people use it on-camera... during events & weddings, where the better light fall-off doesn't matter. It only really shows when shooting a person in front of a wall or a background. Without any modifier. I just ordered my V860III, because my SB-910's have a loose connection on my Z6 & Z6II hot shoes. And I'm not going to pay 600-800 EUR for a Nikon SB-5000.
@@caleidoo I'm still loving my V860III
It's a powerful flash.
I used it during golden hour modified with a diffused beauty dish back lit the subject with the sun and it still illuminated the face
@@njrivetelite Happy about the V860III as well, but strangely, compared to my Nikon SB-910, it underexposes on my Z6II. I regularly needed to dial in -1.3 on any Nikon body I used when bouncing with the Nikon. But not with the V860III. I leave it at 0.0. As long as it is consistent, I can live with that.
@@caleidoo that's interesting, I haven't really had an under exposure issue with it from my experience.
The first party flashes are great. I just can't justify their cost. Especially with Canon.
@@caleidoo try the sb910 in ttl mode not ttl-bl.
Great lesson! Concise and complete.
The LED on the front is in no way a modelling lamp. May be useful to find kit when packing away in a dark venue or to provide light when taking the clients outside the venue in the dark but a modelling lamp.. not a chance. Mostly because it won't offer any likeness or approximation of the lighting pattern when using the bar speedlite head let alone modifiers.
Haha I would agree but that’s how Godox is marketing it. Not my words, theirs.
Had 4 of these flashes in last 4 mth all snapped at the bottom connector too camera…so beware terrible connection……so have gone back to a tighter connection the Godox V860ll for Sony no problems….Godox the quick release is too easy to snap ………good idea ……but snap’s so easy
Sorry to hear that, I haven’t had any trouble with mine at all. I shoot a lot and it’s still holding tight.
Spoke to repair guy. Godox had to make the sony connector plastic because sony hotshoe design wont allow for metal due to interference. All other brands take metal connection.
@@Hayden-xt9kp you can buy a metal plate for the sony version now. 😊
@@kifley19 Do you mean we have to buy it separately?
Hi, I`ve got 2 of this model for my Sony sistem! I think, this is the best budget speedlight! But the problem, which I have is the plastick, easy-broking hot shoe for Sony system! I had broken my 2 times for 6 months.
Yeah I’ve heard the Sony version hot shoe mount can break, I shoot canon and I haven’t experienced the issue, hopefully they will fix it soo
recommendations between V860: III-N, III-S, etc? trying to pick one up for a corporate event I am shooting (mainly conference and group of people)
Same flash! N-Nikon S-sony
How does the flash recycle time compare to the V860II? The only time I run into issues at weddings is during ceremony processions since there are so many people walking down the aisle and the flash is often working hard for those tall church ceilings so I have to stay conscious to have enough juice for when the bride starts walking down. Wondering if the III shows any improvements in that category or if the V1 would be better
1/8 or lower it recycles almost instantly gets slower at 1/4 and above
Fast. Fast enough when I took a wedding procession two weeks ago. I used a TTL on 1/16th power. Almost recycle instantaneously.
Does the 860iii flash head tilts back a few degrees back like the V1 head and does the V1 have the togle button to switch between ttl to manual like on the 860iii?
Fire bro 💪🏾✊🏾 just subbed
A shame regarding the battery life, I wonder what changed to cause it?! Anyway, solid review/comparison brotha.
Someone on Reddit gave a detailed explanation
While the VB18 has 2000mAh charge, and the VB26 had 2600mAh, the VB18 was 11.1V, and the new VB26 is only 7.2V. Stored energy of the battery is the charge multiplied by the voltage.
VB18: 2000 mAh * 11.1V = 7200 coulombs * 11.1V = 79,920 joules => 22.2 Wh.
VB26: 2600 mAh * 7.2 V = 9360 coulombs * 7.2V = 67,392 joules => 18.72 Wh
Godox has since replaced the VB26 with a VB26A that has 21Wh capacity, but nobody's reported if that's the one that was specced with, or if it's increased the battery life to be comparable to the VB18. And you showed your batteries lying with their label-side down so it can't be identified which you have.
@@JasonOsbornePhotography that makes sense! Maybe costs took Godox that route? Or the design of it? Who knows, but that definitely stinks to go backwards when there's nothing in the flash to really justify the decreased performance.
@@AnthonyToglife so this is the same battery for the Godox v1 which surprises me because it’s such a huge flash. They prob did it for the redesign to make it fit inside the body, and at $50 a pop it guarantees extra battery sales. I used it again for a wedding this weekend and it made it through with 1 bar left by the time I left. I wasn’t hired for the whole event time so I’m sure it wouldn’t of made it if I had been. Overall tho I’m enjoying using it.
My plastic part where the emits light started burning....
I just add in waiting from B&H 🔥
Does the mk iii version allow more groups than the mark ii? I've seen some photos of the mk iii with a D and even an E group - the mark ii only allows groups A-C and as a Master with A-C if being used on camera as a commander. The mk iii manual online doesn't really specifically say how many groups can be controlled.
hey, so i have a much older Canon 580ex ii, i am using a R6 now,. Do you think it's worth ditching my 580 for something like the 860iii?
I never had a flash burn mine did
I think the one I got was defective.
Thanks for your thoughts on this flash. Has it improved over time (battery life) or with firmware updates? I noticed some are saying these are now shipping with a 3000mAh battery v 2600mAh? Do you think modelling light would fill for product photos?
I will say I think the battery needs to be broken in a bit before getting max longevity, using it and recharging it I’ve noticed it lasts a lot longer now than when I first used it, but I would still get a back up. I think the modeling light is strong enough for product photos, I even used it during headshots to see where the flash would hit as a rim light.
can't the modeling light be used as a catch light for the eyes?? thanks 👍
I have 2 V1s not sure if I should replace those for the V860iii or just get 2 V860s for 4 flashes 😂
Thank you. 🎉
This is a great review
I am trying to decide on my first flash as a casual hobbyist. I mostly like doing macro but want something that can be generally good for all purposes. I torn between the v860iii and v350 (i am not sure what I do and dont need) and additionally need to decide on a wireless trigger as i think that the xpro seems to be very excessive for my needs. Opinions?
I would go with the Godox tt600 and the Godox x2tc trigger both are around $60 and will get the job done for your purposes. The tt600 takes 4 aa batteries instead of a battery pack but it’s a great flash that I used when first starting out
How do you think it compares to the V1?
HI do u think is it ggod for Sony @65 camara ?
Hello can anyone confirm if this flash has laser assistance beam and if works with mirrorless. Thanks
Yes it does, works well with my canon R6
@@JasonOsbornePhotography thanks for the answer 😁
@@JasonOsbornePhotography So the V860III shoots out a red pattern when focussing on you R6? That would be a first. All flashes disable the AF assist light on mirrorless. If it does work on Canon Rx, I doubt it works on other brands.
@@caleidoo I could be wrong but I heard that the beam doesn't work on mirror less but that's only in continuous AF mode.
Why does the V860III have no bounce head?
Hi. Does it have the green tint to it like the v1 and v860ii?
I own the v860ii and never experienced the green tint. I heard that was more prevalent in the V1…but as of now no green tint
Does this flash have red focus assist light?
Yep!
@@JasonOsbornePhotography Thanks for the reply!
Compre 2 Godox V860III y en menos de un mes se me quemaron los dos es de tener cuidado con esta marca no los están fabricando muy bien.
Those letters the v60iii (o) (f) (n) do they mater
That's the brand it's intended for...C for Canon, N for Nikon, etc. I just got one of these flashes.
1/8 is high power 😂😂😂
its a lot more powerful than the v1
It is not
@@fideliofotografie8142 it is powerful
Hype? Oh, you’re just click baiting us😅