05/03/2026 3:11 pm
Topic starter
Notifications
Clear all
Nikon Forum
3
Posts
4
Users
0
Reactions
114
Views
0
I'm scrambling a bit because I have a wedding to shoot this Saturday in Seattle and my old flash just died on me. I've been looking at the Nikon SB-700 since it's the brand name but then I see everyone raving about the Godox V1 and how it has a round head. I'm totally lost on whether the Godox will actually communicate properly with my D850 though or if it's gonna be a headache.
My constraints:
- Budget is strictly under $300
- Need full TTL support because I wont have time to mess with manual
- Must have a fast recycle time for the ceremony
Does anyone know if the third party stuff is actually reliable for Nikon or should I just bite the bullet and get the official one?
3 Answers
12
05/03/2026 3:11 pm
Honestly, I went through this exact panic a few years back during a rainy venue shoot. I was using the older Nikon flashes and the recycle times were just killing me when the couple started moving fast. I switched to the Godox V1-N Round Head Flash for Nikon and it communicates perfectly with my D850. The i-TTL is surprisingly spot on, and I havent noticed any exposure hunting issues that people used to complain about with third-party gear years ago. Heres why the Godox actually beats the Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight for your specific wedding needs:
- Recycle time is roughly 1.5 seconds at full power thanks to that lithium-ion battery.
- You get about 480 full-power flashes per charge, so no more fumbling with AA batteries mid-ceremony.
- The round head creates a much more natural fall-off than the rectangular fresnel heads on the Nikon gear.
- Built-in 2.4G wireless system means you can trigger it off-camera later if you expand your kit. The Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight is a tank, but its dated tech now. If youre shooting a wedding this Saturday, that Li-ion battery in the Godox is gonna be your best friend because it stays consistent even when it gets low. Just make sure you get the V1-N version specifically for Nikon so the pins line up for the TTL data. Its usually around 260 bucks so it fits your budget perfectly. The color consistency is within 200k too, which is plenty for wedding work tho you might notice a tiny shift if you shoot a thousand frames in a row. It is basically the standard for budget wedding shooters now.
12
05/03/2026 3:45 pm
Unfortunately I had some reliability issues when I tried going third-party for a gig last year. My unit kept losing TTL connection and it was so disappointing. Quick question tho, what lenses are you running on that D850? The Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight is rock solid but slow, whereas the Godox V860III-N TTL Li-ion Flash has speed but feels way less durable. Native gear just communicates better imo.
2
05/03/2026 4:15 pm
Any updates on this?
