Godox V860iii Speedlite - Complete Walkthrough

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XPro Controller Video: • Godox XPRO Radio Contr...
Video Contents:
00:00 - Intro
00:25 - Unboxing
01:31 - Physical Overview
07:24 - Mounting Your Flash
08:35 - On-camera Operation
08:56 - TTL and Exposure Compensation
10:02 - Adjusting Zoom
12:04 - TCM Function
13:18 - TTL/Manual Hard Switch
13:37 - Manual Mode
15:31 - Sync Modes and FEB
17:01 - Multi Mode/RPT
19:35 - Autofocus Assist Beam
20:28 - Wireless Operation
20:46 - Master/TX Mode
24:04 - S1/S2 (Optical) and PC Sync triggering
26:15 - Radio Receiving/RX Mode
28:28 - Pairing a Controller
33:14 - Custom Functions Menu
38:38 - Factory Reset
39:03 - Canon-Specific Instructions
42:05 - Conclusion
RAISING THE BAR
Godox's beloved V860 flashes just keep getting better! Built around a rechargeable lithium battery, these flashes have been outperforming speedlites from the big camera brands since 2015. This third iteration brings a suite of performance and quality of life upgrades. Once you use one, you'll never look back!
THE STROBEPRO DIFFERENCE
Strobepro is the largest distributor of Godox products in Canada. Give yourself peace of mind with Strobepro's helpful staff, in-house 2-year warranty, and Calgary-based service centre.
LITHIUM-POWERED
Compared to a conventional flash that uses four AA batteries, you'll see a huge improvement to both recycle times and shots per charge. We're talking a full power recycle of just 1.5 seconds, and 480 full power shots before you'll need to reach for your charger. Don't risk missing a shot!
X-SERIES WIRELESS
The built-in 2.4GHz radio receiver offers full power control and triggering without the need for an attached receiver. Just a single radio transmitter is all you’ll need to have full control over all your V860iii flash units. Use your flash on-camera, off-camera, or as a radio master!
IMPROVED MENUS
The menu system has received an overhaul to be quicker and more intuitive. Particularly improved is the radio master interface, allowing you to easily control other Godox flashes and strobes from the V860iii's rear display.
QUICK-RELEASE LOCK
A minor complaint with previous iterations of the V860 was its somewhat fiddly wheel-lock for its hot-shoe. The V860iii has a simplified button and lever style lock that will speed things up for you.
LED MODELING LIGHT
A small but bright LED has been added to the front of the flash body, and can be used as a focusing aid or as a rough preview of where your bare flash will land.
TTL
TTL mode allows your camera to automatically set the power and zoom of the flash.
HSS
High Speed Sync allows you to shoot shutter speeds up to 1/8000s. Perfect for freezing action and giving you full control of the ambient light, even in the bright midday sun.
200MM ZOOM
The huge 20-200mm zoom range allows the flash to push light as far or wide as you'd reasonably want to. Flip out the wide-angle diffuser, and your 20mm zoom will spread to 14mm.
EXPANDED TILT ANGLES
The V860iii brings added flexibility to the tilt and swivel mechanisms. Swivel from 0 to 330 degrees horizontally, and tilt from -7 to 120 degrees vertically.
DEDICATED TTL/MANUAL SWITCH
A small switch on the front of the flash-body can quickly switch you between TTL and Manual modes. When using the V860iii on camera, it provides a quick and tactile way to cycle between modes without entering internal menus.

[@kwomack5399]

100 times better than the Godox tutorial, thank you!

[@Strobepro]

Thank you! Glad you found it helpful. :)

[@RickMentore]

Its fantastic how you thoroughly go over the features. Nice job.

[@richschmitt100]

Thanks Jesse, great job explaining all the functions. You are a really good teacher. Enjoy your videos and keep them coming.

[@KaleiHarmon]

Thank you so much for creating a straight forward, concise and extremely useful video!!! Love how you sectioned it off with features specific to Canon. Thank you so much!

[@davidtellam7421]

Thank you so much Jesse. I've been waiting for a clear tutorial. This was it. I have this with the X2T. Great combo. As someone new to flash, I eventually got everything working but didn't quite know how. I would hit something and everything would stop working - and I'd spend the rest of the evening in the dark wondering what I'd done wrong. This was very clear. 🙂

[@sornberg]

I just bought a v860iii-s and your video is a god-send. Very well done and very, very informative!

[@NishanSaliya]

Thank you so much for this great full tutorial. I am a new photographer and I really wanted to know how my Flasher works. This video really covers all that I need. Love it!

[@psoon04286]

Appreciate the thorough review. Answers all my questions about the differences from the older model and I certainly appreciate the little improvements like the hot shoe locking mechanism, the hidden pocket for the foot and the ‘manual/TTL’ switch👍🏼👍🏼 Cheers from Surrey, BC😄

[@tarawilliams3035]

This was EXACTLY the tutorial I needed to get going! No rambling, clear and concise. Thank you so much!

[@jasonrossrealty]

This video is GOLD!! And thank you so much for showing exactly how to reset when things go crazy off the rails.

[@Strobepro]

Glad to help!

[@mickeyreyes3189]

I can’t thank you enough for this detailed walkthrough, I was losing my mind trying to figure out why my flash wasn’t working when I would attach it to the camera. Keep up the good work!

[@Strobepro]

You're very welcome!

[@suniltube100]

Thank you sooo much sir, your way of telling is so nice, and definitely all will understand ..May god bless you always sir

[@marioluiz8773]

excellent tutorial. I just bought it and the explanation is helping me to get the best out of this flash. Thanks

[@haroldnavarro9055]

The cleanest, very neat and very organize video tutorial! Very clear to understand. Love your channel.

[@amaralthais]

I'm a new photographer and bought this flash a while ago.. i never used it, cause I had absolutely no idea how to work with it. This tutorial saved me haha. I have an event next Saturday and was sweating bullets, so worried my photos would all be dark. Thank you so much for this video!

[@Strobepro]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@lynncrow4718]

just got my new godox flash and this is so excellent. my Nikon flashes have been terrible... I can't wait to shoot my next event. THANK YOU...

[@luvo_studio]

Wow!!!! Thank you sooooo much!!!! I underused my V860ii flash so much. Will do a lot better after this video....You've just upped my game! Thank you!!!

[@hermanbosman7127]

Great video! Thanks for spending so much time on this...lifesaver!!! 💯

[@Ferrari7a]

Very helpful. Not too fast and not too slow

[@pajonazare]

This is a great tutorial, I was having a hard time to connect it to my xpro. Thank you very much

[@StephenCaudillPhoto]

Great overview. Concise and very helpful. I was pulling out my hair trying to get my Flashpoint trigger to work with my flash off-camera. Bookmarked, because I don't remember so well any more.

[@Strobepro]

Great to hear!

[@markus_knoedel]

Thank you. Still a great introduction video. Just got the flash and now I am a lot wiser.

[@pavelvoitukovic2412]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. Got all my questions answered here! Really appreciate 👏

[@Mark-qs2gn]

Finally! A great tutorial on this product! Subscribing!

[@teddeveaux7429]

very informative one of the best tutorial on the flash

[@sidsquid1]

Excellent, well done. BTW your narrative says you can't have auto zoom when you're in manual mode, but you can - as your visual actually shows. You've answered a few questions I had, so thanks for that.

[@varadsmobilephotography4516]

Thank you for the wonderful tutorial. Great learning experience.

[@callmehank88]

Waiting for my light to arrive, learned a lot already, Cheers, I am sure I will be back.

[@youreagent]

Very excellent presentation and overview. Thank you!

[@Dnich1000]

Thanks for walkthrough! Very helpful and through!

[@chrisschindler7634]

Fantastic video! I really needed this.

[@JessaWanders]

This is so helpful!!! This is my first flash!!! Thank you for the tutorial

[@demonhunter20]

Excellent tutorial! I needed to know what was TCM for.

[@dougnelson423]

What a great video. So helpful.

[@DavidCentaura]

Wow, very nice and informative instructions. Thank you.

[@rodrigogregoriodelasheras5246]

What a video, I have sean a lot and the was the video that told me just what I needed to know thank you and excellent, it has a lot of tecnical information about the flash

[@bkcampb]

Excellent excellent lesson . You get top score for very little babbling!!!! I’ll be looking for more from you, this is my first time seeing you. Good job well done

[@mossgatherer_]

This is so thorough, thank you!

[@Strobepro]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andye300]

Fantastic tutorial and easy to understand!!

[@johnharkness6095]

This was an excellent video of how to use the Godox flash. Straight forward and easy to understand! Thank you!

[@LennyMeidan]

Perfect walkthrough. Thanks. 👋👋

[@vitorcanejo]

Thank you. You’ve helped me so much.

[@katemaxwell6061]

Excellent guide, thank you 🙏

[@sparkybp09]

Nice thorough explanation. Tx

[@ponceje2011]

Thank you so much for this video. Super helpful. I got three Godox V860IIN Flashes and an X2T. Hoping to do some fun portraits with Nikon Z72. :)

[@andyv6127]

Thanks, that was really informative

[@Omiefury]

Excellent tutorial!

[@applepiephotoandvideo5936]

This is very helpful. Thanks!

[@imzaazmi]

Thank you for this tutorial ❤️❤️

[@NickFowlerPhotographer]

Great explanation - thank you 👍

[@bme7491]

These plus a couple of Godox 32" octagon softboxes were a good fit for my use cases.

[@balderoine]

Thanks King

[@grantpetras1396]

Thankyou very much. I was ready to launch this into oblivion,...could not get it work properly, was not reading the focal/zoom ....until I pushed the diffuser back in .5 of a mm and presto . Thankyou. Owe you one.

[@wayneviglione6879]

Excellent. The written manual was not so helpful but this was an exceptional guide for the new user.

[@drakewhite9648]

Excellent video. Very helpful. Can you recommend a TTL off-camera flash cord for the Fuji XT-3?

[@bromesko]

Thank´s for a very great video. Hope it also will work for my Fuji GFX.

[@HansStuurman]

Thanks for this super video

[@WimVanWambeke]

Thank you for this walkthrough. I have the olympus controller and the olympus version of the flash. If i buy a canon version of the flash, will it also be possible to use it offcamera with my olympus controller?

[@LOTUSARTSTUDIO-gx8yf]

Wonderful explaination. Thank you 🙏

[@Strobepro]

You're welcome.

[@RajanLakule]

Hi, very useful and clean presentation. I have been using V1 and expecting to get V860iii in a day or two. The newest Sony cameras like A7Riv and A7RV have in camera body direct flash control for Sony flashes. Do the Godox flash V1 and V860iii are compatible with the same feature where the in body settings can control the flash? Thank you

[@sheklung]

Sir, Thanks for the full explanation. It's nice and useful. I discovered that my Nikon D7000 has a delay of around 1-second flash after I press the shutter button. Have you ever experienced that? I cancelled delay exposure mode and the problem still exists. Do you know what's going on? Thanks.

[@accion-tech688]

muy bien video , todo muy claro .. gracias !!!

[@366nina]

Thank you u were great

[@bewegt]

great explanations, but I'm a bit confused anyway, which mode do I have to use if I want to shoot in afc burst mode for catching animals with my Panasonic S1R, Highspeed sync or RPT?

[@dakatso13]

good explanation :-) Thank you

[@DrUndoTattoo]

I just bought this flash for my Sony a seven IV however my flash never says I Dash TTL it just says TTL and also I never get the millimeters of my lens showing up even in the automatic is there an adjustment I have to make or do I have a defective flash I’ve tried it with multiple lenses and it never tells me what millimeter lens I’m using all it tells me is what my f-stop is

[@MagicianDerrickRose]

great tutorial. Thank you!!!!

[@Strobepro]

Thanks for watching!

[@AdStack-ie3fb]

Thx for video. It was helpful. You didn't cover use of led light and power levels with flash. Is this covered on another video?

[@thilinaalagiyawanna3680]

Thank you

[@user-yt9sx5nw3c]

Very well explained👍

[@Strobepro]

Thank you 🙂

[@tatianaleal9915]

Thanks!

[@nathanmontalvo4234]

Hello, my question is…is there a way to turn off the flash head and only use the modeling lamp??? Thanks in advance 😁❤️

[@RajanLakule]

The Godox V860iii is not compatible with the settings of in camera body flash control available with newer Sony camera like A7IV, A7RV. The settings called “external flash settings “ under flash settings in these cameras is greyed out when V860iii is attached on hot shoe or connected as off camera flash. Can a firmware update to V860iii be a solution to make it compatible with a very useful function within camera body to use the Godox flash to its fullest potential like the Sony Flashes? Kindly reply

[@SunnySingh-xx6uo]

Is there a way to disable the pre-flash function when using the V860iii as a master on comera? I've noticed it will always fire when using off camera flash and Godox says it's a pre-flash for communications. Do you know if this affects photos in anyway?

[@BoomingVisuals]

Great Job. I just got this lash in and while I'm texting it out I notice that it keeps changing from ttl, muilti, and manual by itself. How do I stop this?

[@Strobepro]

Hey, sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure what's going on there. Are you still experiencing this issue? It's not a common thing we encounter, but perhaps the mode button is stuck. If you bought it from us, please contact our support team.

[@elboogie2324]

I'm considering picking this up, the V1, and the AD200 Pro. Not at the same time. I already have a TT600, and the MS300v

[@NathaliaAbouSejaan]

i just got godox v860 III but its not firing there's anythink that i can do with it ?

[@Eightpspi]

At 21:54 how to you get that M 1/4 I want to be able to control the master power while controlling the other flashes

[@TroyStarzTruckingVlogs]

Can the Xpro controller work with the v800iii flash???

[@Strobepro]

Yes! Godox hasn't changed their radio system in a while, and the XPro remains compatible with the latest models.

[@cosciblog]

any idea why autocus light doesnt work for me? Sony Alpha 6300, TTL Mode(not iTTL). Bought the S/Sony Model

[@paigeofstylez]

I just bought this and the XproC trigger

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

👍👍👍❤ Thank you! Subscribed (Colorado).

[@MDMiller60]

When I go to the menu in TTL normal mode, to turn on/off AF assist, I get m/ft, Zoom, STBY, etc. No AF. (Olympus) Camera is set for C-AF; was in single frame AF.

[@k3n12ock]

Debated between the v860iii or the v1 but got this instead;

[@MDMiller60]

When I go back to Manual Mode, I have the TCM, the SYNC, but no S1/S2 and nothing for the 4th button.

[@Enrique-the-photographer]

I recently purchased this flash (didn’t get it yet) for the Fuji X-T4 but I have a Flashpoint R2 transmitter (for Fuji), will it trigger the Godox V860 III Fuji version?

[@Strobepro]

Yes it will. Thanks

[@cashino]

Thank you 🙂

[@naacpdekalb9447]

will the V860iii work with the Godox X1T off-camera remote

[@sbshutterbug]

Thank you for the great tutorial. Can the battery be charged via the USB-C port in the flash?

[@Strobepro]

Hi Greg, That port is for firmware updates only, but the external charger is powered via a USB-C cable so you can take advantage of expanded charging options.

[@kevinoneill4850]

Excellent video, I tried to locate your video concerning the firmware upgrade of this flash. Is this video still available It seems that I can't find it...

[@Strobepro]

Hi Kevin, Our firmware update tutorial is tad outdated now. In fact, the V860iii uses Godox's newer "G3" software, which was not mentioned. However, the process is generally the same, so we hope you'll still find these instructions helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGPYkp-Ond6Wl6c If you run into any trouble, feel free to contact us by phone or email for additional support.

[@drmanhat4483]

i bought the fuji one by accident... i have a canon. is this a big deal?

[@FILMARCHIVCHEMNITZ]

Danke. Das hat mir sehr geholfen. Eigentlich müsste der Hersteller so ein Video machen. Eine Bedienungsanleitung auf Deutsch, gibt es gar nicht.

[@antoniocastagna99]

Buongiorno ottimo video. Con Il flash GodoxV860III S mi ci trovo molto bene, ma vorrei farti una domanda, quando lo utilizzo in TTL con macchina sony quando premo il pulsante di scatto per ctturare l'attimo che voglio io, il flash naturalmente essendo in TTL fa dei lampeggi prima di fare il lampo definitivo e solo allora scatta l'otturatore, quindi scattando in ritardo di almeno 1-2 secondi.... non becco mai l'attimo che voglio....per esempio in un evento mentre scatto un soggettto che mi sta guardando faccio la foto e qunado scatta lui ha già abbassato lo sguardo e la foto viene come non la volevo io. C'è un modo per ovviare a questo? Oppure sbaglio io ? Dipende dallamacchina Sony? Naturalmente rimandeo in TTL altrimenti bisognerebbe valutare la potenza del flash e poi passare in manuale.... Grazie anticipatamente

[@AkaiMiso]

Is there a way to set the default power when switching back to manual via the hard manual/ttl switch?

[@Strobepro]

Hmmm... we had a look and we can see why you would want that feature! The flash remembers its last power setting if the regular mode button is used, but it always defaults to 1/128 power when the hard switch is used. The hard switch is meant to speed things up for the user... I gotta say-it's kind of poorly implemented right now! Can't believe I didn't notice until now. We'll pass this feedback along to Godox and hope that they can address the problem with a firmware update.

[@kennguyen222]

*Does it have the same angle difference as the Canon "EX" speelight?* *Ex: the bottom 7 degree angle is for macro*

[@Strobepro]

Hi Ken, There is one click-stop down from the forward position that gives the flash a slight downward angle for macro. Not sure if it is a full 7 degrees.

[@markhanebuthsanchez]

How do I know when its done charging? When I charge it I see a red light

[@formx9796]

Excuse me but the exact same flash has white balance problems I think cause I put my camera as cloudy but it changes after I take a photo you know why..?

[@Strobepro]

That's a new one for us. Can you tell me which camera you are using?

[@michaelrose2652]

Hi. I have this flash and i think it is great. One thing i cant figure out though. I put on my 50mm lens and i have the flash in TTL mode, but the flash zoom doesnt read what lens i have on, it is just blank until i spin the dial to 50mm. Why is the zoom not automatically detecting what lens i have on? Thanks

[@Strobepro]

Hi @michaelrose2652, If you are in auto zoom and you see three dashes instead of the focal length of your lens, it may be a communication issue with your specific lens. It may also be a communication issue between the camera and the flash. Some of Canon's newest bodies like the R10 may still have small compatibility issues that need to be sorted out with firmware. Are you able to tell us which camera and lens combo you are using?

[@michaelrose2652]

@@Strobepro Hi. I am using the flash with a Canon 80d paired with the 50mm 1.8 lens. The flash just will not recognize the prime lens and show it. All I see are three dashes. If the flash does not recognize my lens, will shooting in TTL mode on the flash even work?

[@richardtabigue431]

Im using this with my XT3 in manual mode, when the camera cant focus the flash switches to TTL on its own. Is that normal or is there a setting to prevent that from happening? thanks

[@Strobepro]

Hi Richard, That's a new one for us. You could try disabling FP in the camera's flash function menu and set the camera flash mode to M as well. The disadvantage is that you do need FP enabled to use HSS. We'll pass this on to Godox, because that's definitely some odd behavior from the flash that might be able to be addressed in a firmware update. You might try updating the firmware on your X-T3 if you haven't done that in a while. The V860iii flashes were made to be compliant with cameras on their latest firmware versions.

[@KierenSerreynKS]

I cannot change any of the settings of my flash. Pressing the buttons only turns on the light of the screen, but I cannot change anything. Pressing the +/- button doesn't highlight the power of my flash, it is impossible for me to change it. Are my settings locked? Holding down the Menu button does nothing either.

[@Strobepro]

Hi Kieren, Does your flash say "locked" along the bottom of the screen? If so, you can press and hold 'right' on the directional dial to unlock it.