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.
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 flash 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, a social media platform popular in China. The company has not yet shared information on its website, so details like the ship date, price and availability outside China are unclear.
But, Viltrox is known for affordable accessories, which means the Vintage Z1 could be an enticing choice for budget shoppers.
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Don't want to wait for 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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