Introduction

Viltrox previously released the retro-styled, fully manual Vintage Z1 flash. Now the company has followed it up with a significantly improved model that adds features such as High-Speed Sync (HSS) and support for both Manual and Auto TTL modes.

Let’s have a look at this new flash.

I tested this flash on a Fujifilm X-S20.  Macros with a Raynox DCR-250 attached to a Viltrox 56mm f/1.2

Sample Images

Specifications

Buy from: Viltrox Store, Amazon $60

Disclosure

Viltrox kindly provided a flash for review purposes.

Handling

The Viltrox Flash Z1 is a compact unit made—like most flashes—of hard plastic.

It works in both Manual and Auto TTL modes for Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Fujifilm cameras, though you’ll need the correct version for your camera system.

On the rear are a control wheel, power button, ready light, and LED display.

Clicking the control wheel switches between Manual and TTL Auto modes. In Manual mode, turning the wheel adjusts flash power from 1/1 to 1/64 in 1/3-stop increments. In TTL Auto mode, the same wheel controls flash exposure compensation in 1/3-stop increments.

The flash-ready light turns green when the flash is ready to fire and red otherwise. It also functions as a test flash button; pressing it fires the flash.

On the left side of the flash is a switch for selecting S1 or S2 triggering modes, along with a USB-C port for charging the built-in battery. According to Viltrox, the battery is rated for up to 350 full-power flashes or 10,000 bursts at 1/64 power.

The flash can be triggered either directly via the hot shoe or wirelessly through the built-in optical sensor using another flash. S1 mode synchronizes the flash to fire with the first burst of the master flash, while S2 mode ignores the pre-flash used in TTL setups and synchronizes with the second burst instead. Note that the wireless modes work only in Manual mode.

The flash head has no tilt or swivel capability. However, a snap-on white diffuser is included to soften and diffuse the otherwise harsh direct light.

Field Experience

I enjoyed using this flash in many situations. Comparing the specifications with the previous model reveals the many improvements in this new flash. The biggest new feature is the High-speed sync (HSS), which enables you to use the flash at any shutter speed, not only up to 1/60 s, 1/125 s, or 1/250 s, but also at up to 1/4000 s.

Just for comparison, here is an image taken with a flash without HSS support at 1/500 sec:

Let’s start with some of the positives. The flash is as small as the previous flash, which makes it easy to carry around. For example, I use a shoulder bag that fits two cameras with lenses attached, but leaves no space for extra lenses. Even so, I was able to slip this little flash in and carry it comfortably during a full day of walking and shooting.

The flash can be very useful for macro photography.

It’s quite powerful for its size, which is a real plus. The built-in battery is good, rated for about 350 full-power bursts and about 10,000 bursts at its smallest power, so in a real-life normal situation, where you use it at different power, it should last for a couple of thousands busrts—more than anyone would realistically need. Charging takes a little over an hour (around 70 minutes), which is quick. You can also shoot with a power bank attached, effectively multiplying the number of flashes. This setup saves you from having to buy and carry external batteries, swap them when they run flat, or deal with disposing of used ones after long periods of storage.

It has manual mode, which is useful in many situations, and many photographers prefer it for full control. It can also be used off-camera wirelessly, triggered by the burst of another flash. When used off-camera, it can be triggered in S1 and S2 modes, for triggering by the first flash and by skipping the first flash of many speedlights that have a pre-flash.

Here is the same scene with the flash on the camera

The connection to the camera has a wheel-style lock, which is very sturdy; none of Nikon’s own flashes are locked this tightly on the camera.

It can be used as a small main flash, as a fill flash, and as a macro flash. TTL works quite well in most common situations.

But it’s not all roses—while vastly improved, it still has some limitations.

When it comes to the diffuser, don’t expect it to significantly soften the light. All it really does is reduce the light’s intensity and spread it in all directions in front of the camera. To truly soften flash, the light source itself has to become larger—something this diffuser doesn’t do.

Another common technique is bouncing the flash off a ceiling or wall. In that case, a diffuser can help by spreading the light, allowing the reflected surface to become the larger light source. Unfortunately, since this flash can’t tilt or swivel, that option isn’t available here.

However, in a room with a white ceiling and light-colored walls, the light can become slightly softer because the diffuser spreads light beyond the direct path of the flash. If there’s enough space between the flash and the subject, some light will bounce off the ceiling and walls before reaching the subject, though it’s still far less effective than tilting the flash upward with a diffuser attached.

Here is the same scene in a small room with white ceilings and walls, using TTL (with and without exposure compensation), both with and without the diffuser.

One more thing worth mentioning is the recycling time. I can’t measure it precisely with some fancy setup connected to a chronograph, but I can get fairly close estimates. At full power, the flash takes a little over one second to recycle.

When I used it with the mechanical shutter on the Fujifilm X-S20, which shoots at 8 fps, the flash could not keep up with continuous shooting, as expected. Here is a summary of how often it could fire at different power levels with the battery about half full:

• 1/1 (full power): fired on every 9th frame (frames 1, 10, 19, 28, …), that works out to just over one second between flashes (≈1.125 sec).
• At 1/4: It could fire on every 5th frame (1, 6, 11, 16, 21,..)
• At 1/8: Every third frame (1, 4, 7, 11, …)
• At 1/16: Every third frame (1, 4, 7, 11, …) that works out to just over 333 ms per recycling (≈0.35 to 0.40 sec)

I tested the 1/16 power even at a rate of 3fps and got the same estimates.

While those numbers may look bad at first glance, they are actually about what you would expect from a standard hot-shoe flash. Full-power recycle times are typically between 1.5 and 3 seconds, while this Viltrox managed roughly 1.125 seconds, which is very fast for its class. The best-in-class flashes can recycle in around 0.9 to 1.5 seconds at full power and roughly 0.1 second at 1/16 power.

Of course, there are exceptions — beasts like the Canon Speedlite EL-1, Profoto A10 / Profoto A1X, or Godox V1 Pro / Godox V860III can do much better. But then we are talking about much larger units with price tags that are 4 to 20 times higher than this flash.

Conclusion

This is a compact flash that fits almost anywhere and takes up very little space in your bag. It’s useful in a wide range of situations: as a fill flash during the day, for backlit subjects, to freeze fast action in low light, in macro photography, for nighttime shots of nearby subjects without a tripod, to illuminate faces in dim environments, or to counter harsh shadows from overhead lighting, ceilings, or street lamps.

It’s also quite powerful for its size, offers good battery performance, and can be triggered wirelessly off-camera via the built-in optical trigger. The biggest advantage is High-Speed Sync—a feature normally found only on much more expensive professional flashes.

Of course, it does have limitations, as mentioned earlier—most notably the fixed head, lack of radio-frequency wireless triggering, and absence of a zoom head. A flash without these compromises would cost considerably more, and if you plan on doing serious strobist work, you’ll likely want to look at more advanced options.

That said, considering its size and price, this flash offers excellent value for money, with features typically found only in much more expensive professional flashes—and is arguably the best flash Viltrox has made to date.

Alternatives

Viltrox Vintage Z1
You can see the specs and compare it with the reviewed flash, but it is the predecessor with neither HSS nor TTL. Although it can also be set at different power levels, but only be set in full stop increments.
Buy new: Viltrox Store, Amazon $45 (Affiliate links)

Viltrox Spark Z3
Another flash from Viltrox, with TTL, but no HSS. Power levels and TTL flash compensation in full stop increments, a very good flash.
Buy new: Viltrox Store, Amazon $55 (Affiliate links)

Nikon SB-400 (for Nikon Owners)
This is an older flash for Nikon cameras, about the same size and weight. The given guide number is 20, but in practice, I have estimated it to be about 14 or 15, so it is more powerful. Its other advantages are that it has a tilt head, but it can be tilted upwards only for softer light. It has rear-curtain sync, slow-sync, and red-eye reduction mode. It uses two AA batteries to power the flash. On the other hand, the Viltrox has an internal battery, is less powerful, can be triggered remotely, supports HSS, and has manual control levels.
Get it at: eBay.com, eBay.de from $70 (Affiliate link)

Godox iT30 Pro
A tiny flash, smaller than the Viltrox, which also supports HSS and can be triggered via built-in 2.4 GHz radio (both as master and slave). It is a little more powerful as well (GN15 vs Z1 Pro’s GN 12), but at a higher price.
Buy: Amazon $80 (Affiliate link)

Godox TT350
While compact, this is a larger and heavier flash than the reviewed Viltrox. It is powered by two AA batteries, which last for about 200 flashes. It is a much more advanced flash than the Viltrox and Nikon, though. Its head is both rotatable and swivel-capable. It, like the Viltrox, has an optical sensor for wireless operation, but it can operate in TTL in that mode. In addition to that, it also has a Radio frequency trigger and can be operated both as a slave and a master flash. It also has manual mode, and in that mode, you can control the power between 1 to 1/128 in 1/3 EV steps. It also has first/second curtain sync and high-speed sync. It also has a zoom head that automatically adjusts for 24 to 105mm; the given guide number is 36 at ISO 100 (head at 105mm position). It is more expensive, though, at about  $76.
So, much more advanced, but larger, heavier, and more expensive.
Get it at: Amazon, B&H for $76 (Affiliate link)

Sample Images

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.

Further Reading

1. What camera gear and accessories do I use most frequently?
2. REVIEW: Viltrox Spark Z3 Flash
3. REVIEW: FotoPro Origin Plus Travel Tripod
4. Review: Walkingway Effect Filters: Black Mist, Streak, Star, Prism, and Soft Filters
5. Review: TTArtisan Dot Sight

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Martin

Martin M.H. lives outside Stockholm, Sweden. He is a M.Sc. in Computer Technology but he has been a passionate photographer for over 50 years. He started his photographic adventures when he was thirteen with an Agfamatic pocket camera, which he soon replaced with a Canon rangefinder camera that his mom gave him in his teenages. After that he has been using Canon SLR, Nikon SLR manual focus and Autofocus, Sony mirrorless crop sensor, Nikon DSLR and Nikon Mirrorless. He has photographed any genre he could throughout the years and you can see all kind of images in his portfolio. During the later years though it has been mostly landscape, nature, travel and some street/documentary photography.

Latest posts by Martin (see all)

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