Nissin i40 Four Thirds Flashgun for Camera

Already owning the equivalent Panasonic FL360L, I was keen to see if this unit would improve on some of the frankly idiotic oversights that blight the Panasonic.Straight out of the box I was impressed by how small it seemed. It's only 20mm shorter than the FL360L but it feels so much smaller (and the FL360L is pretty small already). It definitely sits nicely on top of a G6 in a way that the FL360L doesn't. It's quite well built, definitely not nasty plasticy, but its small size makes it quite delicate all the same. Definitely won't stand being banged around. And it comes with a diffuser! TAKE NOTE PANASONIC!!!Functionally, it does everything that the FL360L does, including wireless and dumb slave modes, with two exceptions: it can't be used as a wireless master, and the video LED has no auto mode. I think the flash is less powerful overall, but you'd only notice that when using full power flash, which is practically never.I *really* like the fact that the most of the functionality is built into just two wheels and it does make it easier to adjust than the Panasonic which uses a combination of poorly performing, tiny, over-elaborate multi-way buttons and an LCD. This is a massive plus point. But… But… . You can't see the wheels in the dark, and they're too easy to knock off setting. Darn it. On the back of a flash you need fisher-price knobs that you can see in the dark, not something that requires delicate adjustment. The multi-colour LEDs are very clever and help to confirm which mode you're in, but illuminated wheels would be a huge bonus.A real annoyance of the Panasonic is the way it pulses the LED when in slave mode. A completely unnecessary and stupid feature. Guess what - the Nissin does this too. Seriously!?Another annoyance of the Panasonic is the difficulty in adjusting the brightness of the video light while recording. It can be done, but boy is it tedious. It is straightforward on this unit - just twirl the dial. Unfortunately this is rather moot as the LED isn't powerful enough to be much use. Also as I mentioned earlier, the LED has no auto mode, so you have to switch it on before recording and you have to turn it off manually when you stop. While that's no biggie, something slightly more important is that the FL360L allows the LED to act as a focus assist when photogaphing in very low light - this doesn't seem to be available on the Nissin.So anyway, despite these shortcomings, I was pleased with the unit's small size and relative ease of operation and was happy enough to keep it until I noticed a fault that can't be ignored - its light output is rather blue. Used by itself in non-critical situations, this probably won't matter, but used in conjunction with other flashes that are correctly calibrated, well, it’s a non-starter. Firing white light is a pretty fundamental requirement!So overall, it's a really good stab at the perfect m43 flash, but no banana. If they could whiten the flash output, illuminate and beef up the dials, brighten the video LED and stop it flashing in remote mode, we'd be really getting somewhere…

This flashgun is fully compatible with my Panasonic FZ330 camera, whereas almost all non-Panasonic ones are apparently not; moreover, it is much lighter and neater than any other, including the Panasonic options. It comes in a neat case along with a useful little stand and a diffuser cap. There are many options, so the on-line manufacturer's guide is essential, and generally fairly helpful, although I had to use the camera's own guide as well to find out how to set up the camera with the flashgun, for using off-camera without a wire connection. Having done so, the i40 performed well, and will be easy to use.the reason I did not give 5 star rating is that the first TWO that I was sent were faulty, in different ways. Amazon was as usual very helpful, immediately dispatching a replacement and making the return process easy and free. Third-time lucky, I now have what seems an excellent gun.

if it seems odd to give a four-star review to a product I returned, that's because in over all form an function this is a superb flash. It's tiny, in proportion with Micro four thirds camera bodies and even Panasonic's LX-series compacts. It has a bounce/swivel head, auto zoom, super FP high-speed flash sync, and a guide number 7 points higher than the excellent but rather larger Nissin DI 466 I was using before.With Amazon selling these for £20 quid less than other retailers, it was an irresistible bargain - trouble is, my copy fell prey to a known problem with early batches of the Micro 4/3rds version of this flash, namely, the decals on the two rear dials flake off really easily. Since the rear dials are the only way to control the flash, you've had it once they go.I'm thus reluctantly returning the flash - and I do mean reluctantly, it's otherwise terrific. Not sure whether to pay £20 more from another supplier to see if that gets me a problem-free example, or go for something like a bulkier and more powerful Metz 52 AF-1, which goes for only a little more elsewhere.

Full frame cameras are heavy enough with pro-sized lenses and other ephemera, (EOS 6D etc.)so I searched for a compact flash to fill a slot in the camera bag to replace my Canon Ex430 flash. I was ideally looking for a travel flash, small but still fully functioning away from home. The Nissin Di466 seemed ideal until I noticed its brother, the Nissin i40 and realised for a bit more money I could get a higher spec and greater functionality squeezed into a lighter, smaller package. I was not to be disappointed. Delivered quickly by Amazon, the flash was soon in use having found a small pocket in my holiday camera bag, and what a delight it has been being able to use the built-in diffuser, bounce-card and supplied soft box. Having the ability to swivel the head pretty much in any direction has been so useful. Manual dials are old-school, but simplicity has its advantages; power control at the twist of an easily-read dial, choice of function also at the twist of its second dial. There is a LED video/modelling light also provided, but have not used that yet, but can double-up as a torch if you are short on light . I owned a Nissin flash in the seventies and was impressed then, forty years later Nissin still deserve my admiration. If this all sounds a bit twee and happy I think that would be about right as it's just one of those pieces of kit that puts a smile on my face.