Best External Flash for Ricoh GR IIIx
The GR IIIx is a 262 g APS-C compact with no pop-up flash. The shoe is Pentax P-TTL. The shutter is a leaf: Ricoh documents flash at every speed, and does not support HS (high-speed sync) mode. For bounce and camera-metered fill on this body, the flash is the Pentax AF201FG.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
Reviewed August 2026 · Matched to Ricoh GR IIIx · P-TTL shoe · leaf shutter · no built-in flash
GN20 P-TTL bounce on Ricoh’s own compatible list. Two AAA, 141 g. The protocol this shoe actually speaks.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓GN12 optical Auto plus manual 1/1–1/64. Looks like the camera. Not P-TTL — and on a leaf shutter, that is usually enough.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓45 g, USB-C, lock pin, magnetic gels. Godox TTL for GR III / IIIx. Keep Manual as the fallback if TTL hunts.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Comparison Table
| Product | Protocol / power | On a 262 g GR | Leaf-shutter catch | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentax AF201FG | P-TTL · GN20 · 2× AAA | 141 g · bounce head | P-TTL to 1/2500 s · no HS mode | ~$150–$200 | Check |
| Godox Lux Junior | Optical Auto + M · GN12 | 130 g · retro brick | Fires at 1/2500 s — not a 1/200 flash | ~$55–$70 | Check |
| Godox iT20 R | Godox TTL for GR III/IIIx · 1/1–1/32 | 45 g · USB-C · lock pin | No bounce · ignore marketed 1/8000 HSS here | ~$59 | Check |
| Ricoh GF-2 | Firmware distance mode · GN3 at 1/1 | 19 g · no lock | GR IIIx firmware 1.60+ · skip as default | ~$120 | Check |
| LightPix FlashQ X20 | Brand-specific TTL transmitters | Detachable radio | Wrong foot for P-TTL — skip as default | ~$90–$130 | Check |
How We Picked These Flashes
- The body: Ricoh GR IIIx is 24.24 MP APS-C, 26.1 mm F2.8 (40 mm equivalent), 109.4 × 61.9 × 35.2 mm, 232 g stripped / 262 g with DB-110 and card. No built-in flash. Hot shoe: P-TTL Auto Flash. Modes: Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye, Slow-speed Sync, Slow Sync+Red-eye. Flash exposure compensation −2.0 to +1.0. Shutter 1/4000–30 s, limited by aperture: F2.8 max 1/2500 s, F5.6 or smaller 1/4000 s.
- Leaf shutter, not HSS: Ricoh’s GR III family FAQ (same flash architecture as IIIx) states X-sync is the full shutter range, that HS mode is not corresponded, and that P-TTL on a compatible unit works as fast as 1/2500 s. At very short times the flash pulse can outlast the opening, so the frame can go darker — slow the shutter, do not enable a Godox “1/8000 HSS” flag this camera will not use. The 2-stop ND in the lens is the other daylight lever.
- What Ricoh will talk to: Firmware notes list P-TTL for Pentax AF540FGZ / AF540FGZ II, AF360FGZ / AF360FGZ II, AF201FG, and AF180FG. GF-2 is a separate path: GR IIIx firmware 1.60 or later adds [GF-2 Flash Mode], tube fixed at full dump, camera exposure pulled from AF/MF distance. Wireless shooting with AF540FGZ II is documented as unavailable. A Sony or Fujifilm TTL foot is the wrong protocol.
Best External Flashes for Ricoh GR IIIx: Detailed Reviews
Pentax AF201FG View on Amazon View on B&H
| SKU / ASIN | AF201FG · B00TF6TQPA |
|---|---|
| Guide number | 20 (ISO 100 / m) |
| Modes | P-TTL leading / trailing curtain · Manual 1/1 and 1/4 |
| Bounce | Down −10° · up 0–135° (no swivel) |
| Power | Two AAA alkaline or Ni-MH |
| Size / weight | 65 × 72.5 × 31 mm · ~141 g without cells |
Why it fits the GR IIIx. This camera has no pop-up. The shoe is P-TTL with FEC on the body, not a Sony or Fuji TTL pinout. Ricoh names AF201FG on the same compatible list as the bigger FGZ units. GN20 and a real bounce head are what daylight fill and indoor ceiling bounce actually need on a 40 mm-equivalent F2.8 compact. Two AAA cells keep the stack shorter than a V1. Weather sealing on the flash is nicer than the GR body deserves; the reason it is Overall is protocol and bounce, not drip-proofing. The previous Overall was a LightPix X20 sold in Sony and Fujifilm TTL versions. That is the wrong conversation for this shoe. AF180FG is the smaller P-TTL cousin if you can still find one; AF201FG is the one still in the channel.
Skip this if the camera must stay jacket-pocket with the flash mounted — iT20 R or GF-2. Skip AF540FGZ II unless you already own it; Ricoh will not run its wireless commander mode on this body, and it dwarfs 262 g.
- On Ricoh’s P-TTL list, with bounce and GN20
- Camera FEC −2.0 to +1.0; 1/2500 s P-TTL, no HS needed
- Taller than a 35 mm-deep GR; AAA recycle is not lithium
- No swivel — bounce is vertical only
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Godox Lux Junior View on Amazon View on B&H
| SKU / ASIN | Lux Junior · B0B6HTK5P6 |
|---|---|
| Guide number | 12 (ISO 100 / m) · ~6000 K |
| Coverage | Fixed ~28 mm (full-frame); fine on 40 mm-eq GR IIIx |
| Modes | Optical Auto · Manual 7 stops · S1/S2 |
| Weight | ~130 g · 73.8 × 50.2 × 71.8 mm |
Why it is Value, not Overall. Center-pin fire, a front sensor for Auto, and seven manual stops. That is not P-TTL, so the GR cannot run FEC into the tube. On a leaf-shutter compact that already syncs at 1/2500 s wide open, optical Auto plus a 2-stop ND is most of the daylight-fill job without a $190 Pentax. Godox’s own listing warns about 1/200 s black bands — that warning is for focal-plane bodies. Do not stop this camera at 1/200 s to humour it. It is Value because GN12 and a sensor are cheaper than AF201FG bounce. The new Lux Junior II TTL SKUs are Canon / Nikon / Fuji / OM / Sony shoes, not P-TTL — do not buy those for this body.
Skip this if you need the camera to meter the flash — AF201FG. Skip Lux Senior if the point was pocketability.
- GN12 Auto/Manual at GR money and GR looks
- Leaf shutter lets you ignore the usual 1/200 speedlight ceiling
- Not P-TTL; no bounce head
- Two AAA; Auto is a sensor, not a pre-flash
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Godox iT20 R View on Amazon View on B&H
| SKU / ASIN | iT20 R · B0GWD9TNGD |
|---|---|
| Output | 1/1 to 1/32 · magnetic spreader + CTO gels |
| Battery | Built-in Li-ion · USB-C · ~700 full-power pops · ~1.5 s |
| Weight | ~45 g |
| Note | Ricoh’s P-TTL list does not include this SKU |
Why this mini. Godox built iT20 R for GR III / GR IIIx, with a lock pin the GF-2 does not have. Forty-five grams is the first flash that does not fight the 262 g body. Listings advertise TTL and sometimes 1/8000 s HSS. Ricoh does not support HS mode on this camera; treat HSS copy as marketing. TTL from a third-party GR foot is also not the AF201FG path — if exposures wander, switch to the six manual steps and walk GN by eye. That is still a usable pocket fill at $59. It is Budget because it is not bounce, not GN20, and not on Ricoh’s list.
Skip this if you needed reliable camera-metered bounce — AF201FG. Skip the non-R iT20 if you wanted even the attempt at GR TTL. Skip iT20 R on Pentax DSLRs; the R foot is a GR-III-family SKU.
- 45 g, lock pin, USB-C, gels — the pocket pick
- Manual 1/32–1/1 still works if TTL is uneven
- Not on Ricoh’s P-TTL list; no bounce; modest output
- Marketed HSS does not apply here
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If You Need Something Else
These two are not cheaper AF201FGs. One is Ricoh’s GR IV brick with a firmware workaround. One is the old Overall pick with the wrong TTL foot.
Ricoh GF-2 View on Amazon View on B&H
| Guide number | 3 (ISO 100 / m) · 6 at ISO 400 |
|---|---|
| On GR IIIx | Firmware 1.60+ [GF-2 Flash Mode] · tube at 1/1 |
| On GR IV | ISO Auto Flash · 1/1 and 1/4 manual |
| Catch | 19 g · no lock · ~2 s recycle · ~$120 |
Ricoh designed GF-2 for GR IV. On GR IIIx, firmware 1.60 or later adds an exposure mode that pulls ISO/shutter from AF or MF distance while the tube dumps at full power. It is not P-TTL. There is no lock pin. The camera cannot tell if the flash is off, and will still expose as if it fired. Wide converters vignette it. Buy it if you want the GR IV brick and will live in that mode. Do not buy it as the default IIIx flash — AF201FG meters, Lux Junior is cheaper fill, iT20 R actually latches.
Skip this if you wanted P-TTL, bounce, or a lock. That is AF201FG or iT20 R.
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LightPix Labs FlashQ X20 View on Amazon View on B&H
| What it is | GN20 compact with a detachable 2.4 GHz transmitter |
|---|---|
| Retail SKUs | Sony, Fujifilm, Canon, Nikon TTL feet |
| On GR IIIx | Wrong protocol — not Pentax P-TTL |
The X20 is a clever off-camera idea: the transmitter stays in the shoe, the tube walks away. The units you can actually buy are Sony / Fuji / Canon / Nikon TTL. This camera’s shoe is P-TTL. A Fuji X20 on a GR IIIx is not “innovative wireless.” It is a mismatched foot. If you already own a center-pin Q20-class unit and fire it as a dumb manual flash, that is a different product. It is not the 2026 Overall pick.
Skip this if you needed P-TTL or a lock-pin mini. That is AF201FG or iT20 R.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will a Sony or Fujifilm speedlight work?
The center pin may fire the tube as a manual flash. Fujifilm TTL, Sony P-TTL/ADI, and Godox F/S feet will not talk P-TTL here. Buy AF201FG for camera-metered flash, or a center-pin optical-auto unit such as Lux Junior.
Is there a 1/180 s or 1/200 s sync cap?
No. Ricoh documents flash across the shutter range. P-TTL on a compatible unit is specified to 1/2500 s. HS / HSS mode is not supported. If a fast shutter darkens the frame, the pulse outlasted the leaf opening — slow down, do not hunt for HSS.
Is GF-2 the official GR IIIx flash now?
It is the official GR IV flash. GR IIIx firmware 1.60+ adds a distance-based exposure mode with the tube at 1/1 and no lock pin. P-TTL still belongs to the Pentax AF list. Treat GF-2 as a pocket brick, not a replacement for AF201FG.
Can I use old thyristor flashes?
A low-voltage center-pin unit can fire. Unknown vintage trigger voltage is a body-risk, not a style choice. This page does not recommend random film-era guns on a 24 MP GR.
Final Verdict
The GR IIIx has no pop-up, a P-TTL shoe, and a leaf shutter that syncs without HSS. Buy AF201FG for bounce P-TTL Ricoh actually lists. Lux Junior if you want optical-auto fill that looks like the camera. iT20 R if the flash must stay in a jacket. Skip FlashQ X20 as the default (wrong TTL feet), skip GF-2 as the default (GR IV brick, 1/1, no lock), and ignore speedlight “1/200 s” warnings on this body.