A nice touch is that the flashes wireless system is designed to be compatible with much of the present Godox range. You can partner the Godox VING V860III SPEEDLIGHT with the X1 wireless trigger system and higher-end V1 flashguns. Another nice touch, especially for Pros, is that if you have the V1 as your main flash, these cheaper V860III are fully compatible with communication and even share the same battery type. Further playing with the flash reveals this flash’s depth of quality. The refresh rate at around 50-75% power is far less than a second, and only after several hours of shooting did that refresh rate start to slow. In most use I didn’t have to wait for the recycle time, it was just primed and ready. Thirdly, there’s the AC charging cable and charging plate for the battery. Finally, there’s the hot shoe plate quarter-inch plate adapter for attaching the flash to lighting stands. First Impressions and Build Quality The main limitation of the Godox system is that each flash uses a slightly different user interface. I personally use the V860 III, the T350 (a compact, easy to carry flash), an AD100Pro and the X2T trigger. Each offers the same options, but the buttons are always positioned differently, and operation has to be re-learned each time. When using the flash on-camera, this is moot as it will often be used in TTL. When using it remotely, it’s simpler to just use a trigger and only have that to learn. Godox V860III Compared With Other Options

Right below the screen are four buttons whose functions will change according to the current mode. The screen will show the current setting. Being dedicated means you have full access to all the camera’s flash TTL exposure leaving the camera to adjust the flash brightness, so you don’t have to. There is a manual override if you want to take full control and HSS.From there, after uncompressing 1 zip file, and one RAR, and...and... it went well and the flash has now the most recent firmware. As well as all the features you’d expect from this line of flashes, such as TTL and HSS, Godox has added new and improved features into this third version. The V860III (Zoom III R2 TTL) still has all the features existing users know and love, including a zoom mode (20mm to 200mm) for easy light range adjustments, -7 to 120-degree vertical angle adjustment, the built-in 2.4G Wireless X system allowing for seamless connectivity of multiple flash heads and Triggers like the X1, a High-Speed Sync (HSS) capable of shooting up to 1/8000s, FEC, FEB, and rear curtain sync modes. Switch to slave mode and the illumination of the rear screen changes from blue to orange, giving a visual display of status. (Image credit: Matthew Richards) Godox VING V860III: Performance For event photographers and those who use on-camera-flash in fast-paced environments, these updates, especially with the low cost, will be more than welcome.

If you’re looking for a workhorse flash with a ton of features and a battery that just seems to keep going and going, the Godox V860 III is an excellent choice. In addition to the flash itself, a case and a foot, it comes with a dedicated battery charger (compatible with batteries for the Godox V1 and Godox AD100Pro), as well as a quality USB-C cable and a wall plug capable of delivering 2A and 10W. Physical DescriptionIt is not realistic to compare the V860 III with all of the first-party options on the market, simply because there are so many of them. Switching the flash to the manual is pretty straightforward and enables you full control over the use of your flash with a good amount of adjustment that should suit most users. Aside from the power, the wireless connectivity options with the X1 wireless trigger and receivers add a further dimension to the use and it sync’d easily with the system. The zoom head covers 20-200mm and will zoom automatically (it can be widened to 14mm by using the wide diffuser). Its guide number (GN) is 60m (197 feet) at ISO 100 and 200mm. GN is a bit misleading, and it is often more interesting to compare output power. The V860 III can output 76W of power, similar to the company’s V1 although lower than the 100W of the AD100Pro. The final big feature is the wireless control, the Godox VING V860III SPEEDLIGHT is shown to work with the X2, but in this review, I’ve been using it with the older X1 wireless trigger with good results.