Godox iT30Pro - A Nice Compact Flash

In this short blog, I’ll give a brief overview of the Godox iT30Pro mini flash, and add provide some of my initial thoughts. I received the flash a few days ago, so I haven’t gotten the chance to use it extensively yet, but I have some first impressions. First off, I picked this flash up for fun, and I’d like to highlight that right away. If you want a tiny flash you can take to parties for shots of your friends, this is perfect. That was my number one motivation for buying it, but not the sole reason. To quickly summarize what I’ll talk about, I’ll touch on:

• Build Quality & Ergonomics

• Battery life & Performance

• Lens Shadow Tests

• Value/Overall Thoughts

Godox iT30Pro Flash for Sony Cameras

Build Quality & Ergonomics

This little flash is built well, it doesn’t feel cheap in the hand, but it’s not quite bulletproof either. Funnily, I found it to feel similar in both weight and quality to a Sony NP-FZ100 battery. The physical controls (Dial on top and lever for the diffuser) are a little light for my taste, not quite giving a tactile response. I like clear steps and audible clicks, so it loses a few points in that regard, but that’s personal preference. The ergonomics however are a little confusing. The top dial, buttons, and lever for the diffuser are all on the right side of the flash. It would’ve been great to have the controls on the left so they could be operated with the free hand. Again, this isn’t a dealbreaker, but a quality of life improvement I think could be made.

This section sounds a bit critical, but I am overall a fan! These are really the only complaints I’ve had so far.

Battery Life & General Performance

Godox put a 900mAh battery rechargeable via USB-C in this flash, and they claim that'll put out around 560 flashes at full power. So far, I have no reason to doubt that number, and honestly the built-in battery is a huge plus for me, especially being rechargeable via USB-C. This can however be a downside in some cases, as it lacks the ability to swap out freshly charged batteries. At this point, most of us probably have USB-C cables scattered throughout our lives throughout the house, car, bags etc. I’m pretty sure I have at least four in my vehicle right now. I mentioned earlier that I got this flash pretty much for candid shots of friends during nights out, and it’s reassuring to know that even if I forget to charge it, somebody’s probably going to have a compatible charger. It’s also great for minimalist travel kits if that’s what you’re after.

Recycle time is about 1.5 seconds at full power according to Godox. For what it is, this flash is powerful, but I think I’d recommend limiting expectations a bit. It’s great for quick on camera flash portraits and travel, but if you’re looking for a workhorse, I’d steer you in a different direction. A major reason for this is there’s no way to tilt this flash, it faces forward and that’s it, so there’s no opportunity to bounce the light in this case. The built-in diffuser is good, but again, it can only do so much.

Also, a big upside if you already own other Godox products is that this flash can be used as a trigger.

Lens Shadow

The source of the light from this flash sits close to the hot shoe, meaning the light is coming from almost directly above the EVF. Depending on the size of lens and camera body you’re running, this could cause lens shadow. If you’re using a body like the A7C or A7CR, this will definitely be more prevalent. Also keep in mind that if you buy 82mm filters and use step down rings to adapt them, the added diameter of the filters may put them in the way of the flash and cause shadow as well. I personally only have the A7RV and A7IV to test with, but so far with no filters and no lens hood I get zero shadow using the following lenses:

• Sony 20mm f/1.8 G

• Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM

• Sony 50mm f/1.4 GM

• Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8

• Sony 85mm f/1.8

Lenses that I have observed shadow with no filters and no lens hoods on include:

• Sony 16-35mm GM II

• Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 DG DN Art

• Sony 70-200 GM II

Unfortunately, with 82mm filter’s adapted, shadows are visible with all the previous lenses using this flash. As stated earlier, I did my testing with the A7RV and A7IV. From what I can tell, a lens roughly the size of the 50mm f/1.4 GM is probably the limit. Bodies like the A7C, A7CR, FX30 etc. will show lens shadow much earlier/with smaller lenses.

I’d also like to note I did my tests at roughly the distance I’d usually photograph another person at, anywhere from 2-5+ feet from me. This post from Reddit goes over a few of the lenses I mentioned and a few I didn’t, but tested at their minimum focusing distance. Below are some examples of lens shadow, specifically the results I got from the Sony 16-35 GM II with no lens hood or filters.

Example of Lens Shadow displayed by the Sony 16-35 GM II when fully retracted, from approximately 5 feet.

Example of Lens Shadow displayed by the Sony 16-35 GM II when fully extended, from approximately 5 feet.

Value So Far

I can’t quite give a definitive review of this flash yet as I’ve only had it a few days, but so far I’m a fan. It’s compact, feels reasonably well-built, and is easy to use. At this stage, I wouldn’t be scared to recommend giving it a go. I particularly like that it’s pocketable. Over the last few months and perhaps the last year, I’ve become a lot more conscious about dead weight and gear that I often throw in my backpack and never touch. This has led to me more often than not simply packing a sling bag with one body and a lens or two, along with some peripheries like filters, mics and a color checker if I’m planning to film a video. This little thing is a great option if you (like me) just want something portable that you can bring along in a sling on nights you might put it to use.