Godox ML100 and ML80 Bi Review: The Best Value Portable Lights?
Prefer to watch instead of read? Here’s the full breakdown on YouTube:
I've been a Godox fan for a long time. The SL60W was the first Bowens mount light I ever bought, and that light was fundamental in building my production business from the ground up. So when Godox reached out and asked me to test the ML100 and ML80 Bi, I didn't hesitate.
These two lights have genuinely surpassed my expectations — both as a YouTube studio setup and on real client productions. Small, portable, powerful, and priced well below most comparable lights on the market. Here's the full breakdown.
Godox ML100: Small Body, Serious Output
The ML100 is the slimmer of the two. It's a fan-cooled 120 watt portable light with a bicolor range from 2800K all the way up to 6500K. Dimming runs from zero to 100 in 100 individual steps, and it carries a 97 CRI rating — meaning the color accuracy coming out of this light is excellent for both video production and photography work.
It also has built-in lighting effects. Strobe, lightning, TV simulation, fireplace — the kind of practical effects that have gotten genuinely useful in smaller portable lights like this.
Power Options
The ML100 can be powered two ways: the included 20 volt DC connector, or a portable battery pack over USB-C. Godox also offers a dedicated battery handle accessory for this light, which means you can take it completely off-grid for location work. That level of flexibility at this price point is hard to find elsewhere.
Accessories and the Bowens Mount Adapter
This is where Godox is doing something smart. The ML100 uses a non-standard mount size — but instead of leaving you locked into a closed ecosystem, Godox made the MLGB adapter. This lets you attach a standard Bowens mount to the light, which means any parabolic softbox, lantern, or modifier you already own will work with it.
I used this exact setup with a lantern softbox on a recent client shoot and the results were genuinely impressive. You're not leaving your large studio lights at home and compromising — you're bringing a compact alternative that actually delivers.
Godox ML80 Bi: The One With a Trick Up Its Sleeve
The ML80 Bi kit I tested came with a zoom reflector instead of the standard reflector included with the ML100. That reflector lets you adjust the beam from wide to focused — a genuinely useful feature when you need to control where the light falls without pulling out a snoot or barn doors.
On that same client shoot I mentioned above, I used the ML80 Bi to throw a spotlight behind the subject to separate him from the background. Clean, controllable, and done without a second person holding a light.
Built-In Battery
This is the feature that separates the ML80 Bi from most lights at this price point.
The back plate of the ML80 Bi removes and comes with an included portable battery. At full brightness the battery runtime is one hour. At 60 percent brightness — which is where most practical shooting situations land — you're looking at roughly an hour and a half. For a run-and-gun production setup, that's meaningful.
If you already own V-mount batteries, Godox also makes an adapter for the back of the ML80 Bi that lets you run it off your existing battery ecosystem. That kind of cross-compatibility is exactly what working filmmakers need from their gear.
Godox App Control
Both lights can be fully controlled through the Godox app. For solo shooters who need to adjust output without touching the light itself, that's a practical quality of life feature that's easy to overlook until you actually need it on set.
Are the Godox ML100 and ML80 Bi Worth It?
If you don't currently own any lights, yes — absolutely and without hesitation.
The ML100 is currently around $79. The ML80 Bi kit, which includes the battery and the zoom reflector, sits at around $229. For what you get in terms of portability, output, color accuracy, and ecosystem compatibility, both prices are genuinely difficult to argue with.
But here's what I think is the more interesting point: even if you already own expensive lighting gear, these lights have a place in your kit. I'm planning to drop both of them in a Pelican case as a permanent on-location backup. Whenever I'm on a shoot and I need an extra light, I have something with me that can actually do the job.
That's the real value proposition. Not just a budget option for people starting out — a legitimate addition to a working professional's kit.
Links to both lights are in the description of the video below. If you have questions about how either performed in specific situations, drop them in the comments.
If you want to see my full breakdown, the full video is available HERE
