Anyone using Nissin i40 Flashgun on Leica M?

[robbeiflex]

Hello All,

I am interested to know if any of you have tried the Nissin i40 on either film or digital Leica M, or both:

http://www.nissindigital.com/i40.html

If so, what do you think of it?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[robbeiflex]

Someone? Anyone? Anyone? Beuler, Beuler?

Perhaps it us not shipping yet. I forgot to look into that. I use a 622 for Canon on my 7D, and one of the reasons I bought it is for the manual mode and multiple triggers (shoe, pc cable, 1/4"). It works great with my Leicas but is very unbalanced and top heavy.

 

[yossarian123]

Looks interesting - the price is around $260 here which is a bit more than I'd want to spend if it was only going to be used on a Leica.

If you're shooting u43 and Leica the FL600r is a good choice, it's small, packed with features and costs about the same as the Nissin.

 

[drew.saunders]

Although it doesn't exactly answer your question, here's a review of the i40 on a Fuji X100:

http://www.colinnichollsphotography.com/fuji-blog/2014/11/29/the-nissin-i40-flash-for-fuji-review

 

[robbeiflex]

^ Thanks Drew. You're right, it doesn't exactly answer my question, but it gives a good overview of the size, balance, features, recycle time, and controls for the similarly sized fujis so it certainly helps.

 

[swoop]

It's a lot of money ($270) to spend on a flash that's really only usable in manual or auto aperture mode. You can get the same function from a $100 Metz 36-C2 if you're just using it on a Leica.

 

[BCMielke]

I have the i40 for my Nikon and have put it on the M shortly after I received it. I remember it working fine in Manual Mode and the video light also working in manual on the M when filming a video. I don’t do much flash work with my M so that was as far as I took it. I will get it out and play with it this weekend. I really like the size and it’s pretty powerful for such a small flashgun.

 

[sleepyhead]

It's a lot of money ($270) to spend on a flash that's really only usable in manual or auto aperture mode. You can get the same function from a $100 Metz 36-C2 if you're just using it on a Leica.

I have the i40 flash and I've been using it on a Leica M9 for the past couple of months. The flash DOES NOT work in auto aperture mode on my camera. There is no way to tell the flash which aperture the lens is set at, and it won't even fire on my camera when set in TTL or A mode.

So, it's an ALL MANUAL flash for me. I like it, and will continue to use it on the M9 (I'll write a more detailed response later when I have more time), but for now, I whole heartedly agree IT IS AN EXPENSIVE FLASH FOR BEING ONLY MANUAL on the M9. If I had know that before buying I wouldn't have bought it, but now that I have it, so I'm taking the opportunity to learn more about lighting by doing everything manually.

By "everything" I mean I set the shutter speed manually to give the desired ambient exposure, and I set the aperture and flash power to get the flash effect and depth of field I desire.

More later with what I like and what I dislike about the Nissin i40 when I have time...

 

[robbeiflex]

Thanks for your input. I found a deal and I ordered one in Canon TTL version. First priority is to have a full featured compact flash for my Canon 7D. I have used the Nissin 622 as full manual on the Leica M-E, and it works fine but is top heavy and I don't like the controls. It is also too large and heavy for the Canon according to my better half. The i40 will only be part time on Leica duty but I hope it works out well for that (in full manual mode of course), and will likewise report back later.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[sleepyhead]

I found a deal and I ordered one in Canon TTL version. First priority is to have a full featured compact flash for my Canon 7D. I have used the Nissin 622 as full manual on the Leica M-E, and it works fine but is top heavy and I don't like the controls. The i40 will only be part time on Leica duty but I hope it works out well for that (in full manual mode of course), and will likewise report back later.

Cheers,
Rob

Hi, well if you're used to all-manual flash on the M-E then you probably won't mind the absence of Auto. The size and weight of the Nissin i40 on the digital Leicas is good. The flash is well made. I like the built in sliding bounce card - it adds a nice highlight twinkle in peoples eyes.

Are you sure that the Canon version will work on a digital Leica?

 

[robbeiflex]

^ Based on my experience with the 622 I'm pretty sure the centre hot shoe contact will work for any camera when the flash is in manual mode. If not, I will return it immediately!

 

[robbeiflex]

It arrived faster than expected, and I find it just the right size for the Leica. Here it is on my M-E:

[/url]
Leica M-E & Nissin i40 by robsomogyi, on Flickr[/IMG]

It works fine in manual mode, and the dials make it easy to use. Some quick mental math to gauge the exposure, and then see the LCD and adjust plus or minus if I'm wrong. After a little practice I'll give it a try on the M6. It works fine in TTL mode on my Canon 7D, as expected.

Cheers,
Rob