Photography lens and accessory brand Viltrox has launched a new lightweight flash – and it looks like it could be an ideal companion to retro compact cameras. After teasing the flash on social media last month, the Viltrox Vintage V1 flash is now available for shipping.
The Viltrox Vintage Z1 is a lightweight, affordable flash designed for beginners. I’ve long been a fan of retro cameras and, with the leather-like wrap and mechanical dial, the flash would look perfect on the top of a retro camera.
The Vintage Z1 is a lightweight flashgun that, as the name suggests, embraces the trendy retro look. The flash has a pebbled leather-like wrap that reminds me of the silver cameras with a black wrap, like my own Fujifilm X-T4. But the retro style isn’t just about looks. A retro mechanical dial at the back of the flash controls the flash’s intensity.
Viltrox describes the flash as lightweight and made for beginners and, as such, its feature list sits more on the entry-level side. The flash has just 7 levels of intensity, from a 1/1 or full power to 1/64 on the lowest setting. The flash has a guide number of 12 and a 23w/s rating at full power.
The flash doesn’t appear to have the tilting ability of a traditional hotshoe flash to bounce the light off the ceiling, but it does come with a diffusion dome to soften the light a bit. Although with that retro style, the harsher direct flash look could help create more retro-styled images.
While the Viltrox Vintage Z1 is more beginner-oriented, it does have the ability to trigger a second flash wirelessly for off-camera lighting when using two units together. The company says the recycle speed is about 0.2 to 3.5 seconds.
The Z1 is also designed to be compact. It measures 6.8 x 5 x 7.4 cm and weighs 116g / 4 oz. Viltrox says the built-in battery lasts anywhere from 400 to 10,000 flashes, and recharging via the USB-C port takes about 50 minutes.
Viltrox announced the Vintage Z1 on Weibo last month and on April 24 opened up orders for the flash. The Viltrox Vintage Z1 sells for $49.99 / £47.99 and is available directly from the manufacturer's website.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 28 and updated with availability and pricing on April 24.
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Not sure about the Z1? The Godox Lux Master or the smaller Lux Cadet are retro-styled flashes available now. Or, browse through our favorites for the best camera flashgun or strobe.
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