We Review the Viltrox Vintage Z1 Pro Retro Style On-Camera Flash

There are probably as many portable flash options on the market now as there are roads that lead to Rome, and just as many reasons to use one. But if we are talking about one that has a classically inspired design, is portable, and delivers professional functionality with studio-grade lighting, we might just have a reason to get one. We are talking about the latest release by Viltrox, the Vintage Z1 Pro Retro On-Camera Flash.

Build Quality 

Although it looks like it's made out of metal with its silver finish, it is actually constructed with plastic and does feel very much like that. If you look past it, the major selling point for the Vintage Z1 Pro is probably its physical footprint, measuring 68.5 mm x 72.8 mm x 49.9 mm and weighing approximately 136 g only. It is remarkably lightweight considering what it is capable of doing. And most importantly, it does not shift the center of gravity of your camera when mounted, which is crucial for those who use their camera handheld a lot. The flash head is built into its flash body, and it is not rotatable, so bouncing the flash is not an option here, though it does feature a slight recess at the front to protect the bulb from scratches. Underneath the front flash tube is where you can also find an optical sensor for slave functionality. There is also a detachable plastic diffuser for you to fit at the front of the flash tube.

While the physical size is considered small, the squarish design does add some bulk to your overall setup, especially when mounted on a small camera and lens setup—making it look somewhat awkward. Other than that, based on what I see, I would imagine it also does not provide enough height clearance for the flash to fire and might cast a shadow when using a longer lens. There is also no weather sealing mentioned in the spec sheets, so do be cautious in wet environments. Overall, I do like the leather-textured and silver-accented exterior finish that echoes the aesthetics of classic cameras.

The back of the Vintage Z1 Pro is where most of the controls are located. In the middle is the sliding on-off switch and a flash test button. On the left, you will find a rather big physical dial which can be used to control the flash power in 1/3 stop increments directly. A single press on the dial switches between TTL and M mode, while a double press gets you to the sync mode (High-Speed Sync, Front and Rear Curtain Sync) settings. You can also long-press on the dial to adjust the screen brightness. Personally, I find the physical dial nice to use for performing immediate adjustments to all the flash settings. At the same time, it does feel a little finicky as the dial is quite loose. From my usage experience when documenting an event with two cameras hanging over my shoulder, I did find that it is pretty easy to bump into the dial and find myself shooting with a wildly different flash setting and mode. I would imagine removing the mode settings from the dial and setting the dial in by 1 mm to shield it with the outer casing would solve this issue entirely. The dial is also one of the only moving parts that controls the flash power. I would be concerned for its long-term durability if you are a heavy user.

Alternatively, you can use the newly designed round touchscreen that you can find on the right for more controls. But you should be aware that currently, there is no way to adjust the power settings with it yet. Other than that, the touchscreen is very responsive with no lag and can only be used to adjust flash modes and curtain mode settings. Over here, I think it is intentional that Viltrox did not include any controls that required tapping on the screen, to prevent any accidental adjustment of the settings with your forehead, especially when you are sweating and shooting with the viewfinder.

Features 

Despite its pocketable size, it does pack quite a lot of practical features, making it a tool that could be used on an actual professional shoot. First of all, it packs a 3.7 V 800 mAh battery in the flash itself, so there is no need to juggle external rechargeable batteries. Though that also means the flash unit lifespan is tied to the battery's health, because it is not recommended to disassemble the flash unit due to the flash capacitor. It charges through the USB-C port on the left of the flash and takes about 70 minutes to charge from 0 to full, and will last you for about 350 full-power flashes and up to 10,000 flashes at lower power, which is more than enough for most shoots. In case you run out of power during extended shooting sessions, the Vintage Z1 Pro does support charging while in use, so you can plug in an external power source and keep using it without worrying about the battery life. Just make sure to follow the 5 V/0.8 A charging protocol.

The Vintage Z1 Pro is capable of outputting 24 Ws when firing at full power. While it is still relatively low power when compared to a standard speedlight, which typically sits around 70-76 Ws, it is important to remember what the Z1 Pro is designed for—to act as a simple fill-light flash while being a pocketable size. The flash itself also has a relatively short refresh time of 1 second, even when firing at full power, allowing users to shoot continuously even in a rather demanding situation. The flash duration at T0.5 is measured at 1/3000 s to 1/5000 s, which might not sound impressive, but is definitely sufficient to freeze a normal subject's movement. Color temperature is rated at 6000 K ±200 K, which is fairly neutral and close to daylight. The flash head is not zoomable and is a fixed 28mm focal length coverage head. This makes perfect sense for those who are using it for street and lifestyle shooting, as 28mm is a rather common focal length used for these applications. From my testing, you can still comfortably use it for any focal length from 24mm to 85mm. Just beware of the length of your lens—a longer lens might cast a shadow onto your image because of the position where the flash sits.

Similar to its non-pro sibling, the Z1 Pro retains its slave functionality: S1 for synchronous trigger mode and S2 for pre-flash suppression trigger mode. Simply put, in S1, the flash fires the moment it detects the master flash firing. In S2 mode, it ignores the master flash's low-power TTL pre-flash and only fires on the main burst. In practice, the S2 mode is a common way to prevent subjects from blinking and to ensure that the flash is in sync with the shutter, rather than firing prematurely. Now to the more exciting part. Viltrox has added TTL mode to the Vintage Z1 Pro for a more intuitive flash power control. And on top of that, they have also included the advanced High-Speed Sync (HSS) to further bring the functionality of the flash even further. Having HSS here is great, as it opens up the possibility for you to shoot at wider apertures even in brighter ambient conditions. However, if you understand how HSS works, flash power will be drastically reduced as it achieves HSS by pulsing the light. But as long as your subject is close enough, this should work fairly well.

Real-World User Experience 

Before diving into the practical usage, I should clarify my usual photography approach. By trade, I am a hospitality photographer accustomed to highly polished setups where direct flash on portraits is minimal. While I did use the Vintage Z1 Pro recently for some event documentary work (the results of which I unfortunately cannot share), I will approach this review primarily through the lens of the street documentary and casual photography applications I do on the side. Getting the flash ready is quite snappy as the startup takes about a second, completed with a quirky blinking eye animation on the screen to keep you entertained. It also features a sleep mode that kicks in after 15 minutes of inactivity to prolong the battery life. Though I hope this was better implemented. For example, waking up the flash by pressing the test button instead of needing to restart the entire device.

When it comes to actual light output, we need to manage expectations with the 24 Ws rating. A 24 Ws flash typically translates to a Guide Number (GN) of 12 measured at ISO 100. If we use the standard flash formula (Distance = Guide Number ÷ Aperture), the practical working distances become clear. Assuming you are shooting at ISO 100 and f/2.8, you get a maximum range of about 4.2 meters (14 feet). Stop down to f/4, and that drops to 3 meters (10 feet), and at f/8, you are looking at just 1.5 meters (5 feet). If you bump your ISO to 400, your Guide Number effectively doubles to 24, giving you twice the working distance. Power can also be dialed down all the way to 1/64 -0.7, which is low enough for a subtle fill in a dark environment.

The inclusion of High-Speed Sync (HSS) is certainly worth talking about, but you have to understand the physics of it. As we discussed previously, at 24 Ws, it simply isn't powerful enough for all situations. HSS works by rapidly pulsing the flash between the fast shutter curtains, and as a result, drastically weakens the effective output. Unless you are shooting wide open, it's best to keep your subject within a 2-meter distance. It's also worth noting that in HSS mode, the lowest power is capped at 1/64, whereas in non-HSS modes, you can drop down that extra 0.7 stops. As for the flash duration itself at T0.5, it is decent, but not exceptionally fast, meaning it can be a little difficult to perfectly freeze fast-moving subjects.

While the Vintage Z1 Pro’s compact size is great, the flash head does sit quite low and near the camera body. If you are shooting with a larger wide angle lens, the lens barrel will inevitably cast a noticeable shadow into the lower portion of your frame. Based on my testing, the widest you can go with is 24mm, and it is highly recommended to shoot somewhere between 28mm to 50mm if possible. A longer lens won't really work either, as the flash is not powerful enough and does not feature a zoom head unless you are in a darker environment. Having a fixed flash head also means that there is no way to bounce the light, and I can't help but feel that having a rotatable head would have added immense usability to this unit.

On the performance side of things, the recycle time is quite impressive. Firing at 1/4 power and below refreshes almost instantly. At 1/2 power, there is a slight delay, and at 1/1 full power, it only takes about a 1-second delay to be ready again. The TTL metering is reliable and consistent throughout my testing, though if I am being honest, I rarely use it, as I do prefer manual control. But if you are in a high-stress situation, you are likely to benefit from the TTL functionality. Power anxiety is also completely removed thanks to the continuous USB-C power support. This is a crucial feature since the internal battery cannot be swapped. Also, if you are planning to use this flash on a non-native mount system, it will fire perfectly fine via the center pin; just bear in mind that TTL functionality will not work.

Finally, a pocketable flash that features an optical sensor to support S1 and S2 trigger modes greatly expands its usability. Because the Vintage Z1 Pro is so small, I actually found myself bringing it along to commercial shoots, and occasionally using it as a backup off-camera flash to add some fill to my larger setup. Just a word of warning: if you are using it mounted on top of your camera at a busy location, remember to switch the slave function off. Otherwise, you will find your exposure going completely haywire as other photographers' flashes trigger your unit.

Summary

What I Liked

• High-Speed Sync and TTL support.
• Continuous USB-C power removes power anxiety.
• Touchscreen interface for quick setting.
• Aesthetic design, pocketable size, and lightweight.
• Relatively fast refresh rate and switch on-time.
• Slave functionality expands its usability.

What Could Be Improved

• Adding a zoomable head for usage with a longer lens.
• Rotatable flash head for those who prefer to bounce their flash.
• Better dial implementation, as it is pretty easy to accidentally bump into the dial and change the flash setting and mode.
• Flash duration at T0.5 could be better.
• A faster refresh rate and better flash power are always welcome.
• Better sleep/wake implementation.

Final Thoughts 

In my opinion, the Viltrox Vintage Z1 Pro is a rather niche tool designed to cater to the needs of photographers who are always on the go. It is designed to be lightweight, intelligent with external power support, supports HSS for outdoor shooting, and most importantly, still looks cool aesthetically for your daily carry. For those who are interested, you can get yours for $59.99.