REVIEW: First Impressions of the Nissin i40 Flashgun for the Fuji X-Series

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Nissin i40 
Last week I received the new Nissin i40 flash for the Fujifilm X-Series cameras from Cambrian Photography, a superb customer focused independent photographic retailer located in Colwyn Bay, North Wales.  

 One of the criticisms of the X-Series has been the lack of a credible flashgun for the system.  While Fujifilm have produced three flashguns (the EF-42, EF-20 and EF-X20), these have been lacking in the flexibility that professional and enthusiast photographers have been demanding. I bought the EF-20 for my X100 in early 2013 and while this is a great little flash, it doesn't allow me to get very creative due to it's limited controls.  

 The EF-42 Fujifilm flash is more flexible with manual overrides and user settings.  I did look at this flash when I bought the X-T1 but the size of the unit was a deciding factor and the plastic construction wasn't to my liking either.  The dimensions of the EF-42 are - 116 (H) x 64 (W) x 102 (D) mm weight - 260 g compared to the Nissin i40 - 85(H)x61(W)x85(D)mm weight - 203g.

 Fujifilm have hinted that a new flash is on the way in 2015 but in the meantime Nissin have stepped up to the plate and delivered a Fujifilm compatible version of its award winning i40. 

 NOTE:  Before we go any further this is not a technical review, this is my initial impressions on a product that I use as a working photographer.  I am not paid by Fujifilm or Nissin, so my thoughts and conclusions are my own.
Comparing the sizes - Metz 40AF-4N / Nissin i40 / Fujifilm EF-20
The first thing you notice when you take the i40 out of the box is the size.  It is 50% smaller than a 'normal' DSLR flash and I have photographed the i40 alongside an old Metz 40AF-4N that I had for my Nikon set up and kept for use as a manual flash.  This clearly demonstrates the difference in size but the Nissin has the same Guide Number as the Metz (GN40).  The i40 also feels well made and is certainly not 'flimsy' in it's construction.
Comparing the sizes - Metz 40AF-4N / Nissin i40
The Nissin includes a softcase, a hotshoe stand for placing the i40 away from the camera when using it in slave mode, soft box adapter and a carabiner for attaching the softcase to a belt or strap should you wish.


The i40 has six modes - TTL, Auto, Manual, Slave Digital, Slave Film, Video Light.  Now I haven't had chance to test all of the modes fully but that will come in a future blog.  So far I have used TTL, Manual and Video and the results have been good to excellent.  

 The good news is the i40 is very easy to use straight out of the box and because everything is set by dials, the i40 isn't intimidating like some of the big professional flashguns from other manufacturers with LCD panels and lots of menus.
The easy to use controls of the Nissin i40

On the right dial you can set the exposure compensation in TTL or the power level in manual. This dial is also used to vary the brightness of the Video Light when using the i40 for filming.
Video light on the i40
The flash head also moves through 360 degrees and also from the horizontal to the vertical enabling the photographer to use any surface to bounce the flash. 

The i40 also comes with a built in bounce card and a wide angle diffuser which are both easily extended and then tucked away after use.

Mounted on the camera hotshoe the i40 didn't feel big or make the kit 'top heavy'.  However I do use the battery grip on the X-T1, so this does balance camera.  I tried the i40 on the X-Pro1 and the X100, which also works in all modes.  

 The set up with the X-Pro1 is a little more unbalanced but not overly so. With the X100 I think I would prefer to use the EF-20 but, again, the i40 / X100 combo is not unusable and, of course, with the X100's leaf shutter, the camera syncs right up to 1/4000th second.

One of the other useful features of the i40 is the ability to set the zoom head manually.  This is done by pressing the power button for 3 seconds and the indicator light changes colour to show the zoom setting.



I carried out some test shots on a coin I brought back from my trip to the USA using the X-T1 and the 60mm f2.4 macro.  The flash was set to TTL mode but I used the i40 off camera using the FC-311 flashgun cable.  

 The first shot I took was bouncing the flash off the wall behind the coin - 

The second shot was using the softbox directly over the coin to diffuse the light -

The third shot was taken with direct light from the top left to produced some harsh shadows -

 I have also used the i40 'in anger' when I attended the FIA Awards Gala in Doha last Friday.  I had to make sure I shots of the FIA World Endurance Championship drivers for my pre-prepared press release and for the official website / social media feeds.  After the awards were handed out I grabbed my drivers and set up the shot on the stage using the i40 with the softbox fitted and set to TTL mode.  

 Here are some of the results -



 Shiny trophies can cause a camera using TTL flash to under expose when the light bounces off the surfaces, However in this case the exposure was spot on every time.

 Conclusion
My initial thoughts on the i40 are very positive.  This small flashgun packs a hefty punch and has plenty of overrides to allow the photographer to get creative if they wish.  For editorial type shots using the flash onboard in TTL mode the X-T1, the i40 was faultless.  

 I still have to experiment with the slave modes and I will report on this in a later blog.  

 The Fujifilm EF-20 flashgun which I already own is an excellent TTL flash that slips into a jacket pocket.  However the Nissin i40 is in another league and it is a welcome addition to my ever growing Fujifilm X-Series outfit.  At £169 the i40 is great value for money.
Size Comparison - Fujifilm X-T1 fitted with the Fujifilm EF-20

Size Comparison - Fujifilm X-T1 fitted with the Nissin i40

Size Comparison - Fujifilm X-T1 fitted with the Metz 40AF-4N

CLICK HERE for more information on the Nissin i40

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Comments

  1. Anonymous13 December 2014 at 10:39

    I have also recently got the i40 for my X-T1 and think it is an ideal companion. The size, power, features and bundled accessories all make it a winner. Works extremely well in slave mode and the TTL gives consistently good exposures. 10/10 to Nissin.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous20 December 2014 at 11:03

    Do you have TTL when using as wireless slave?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macsport17 January 2015 at 22:10

      The short answer is 'it appears not', I have tried but it doesn't seem to work but then I only use off camera flash in manual anyway.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous19 July 2015 at 20:59

    You mention Softbox fitted in TTL capturing the drivers. Which softbox did you use?
    My understanding is that since you were in TTL the i40 was on-camera and I am wondering what softbox can be used in this situation.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macsport19 July 2015 at 22:34

      The soft box is the one supplied with the i40 and is pictured with the flashgun in the first image on this blog. I hope this helps? Thank you for reading this blog.

      Delete

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