Initial impressions of the Nissin i40

Nissin kindly sent me one of their much talked-about flashes – the i40 – to test out. I plan to write a full review of the flash in mid-February but before then I just wanted to share my initial thoughts. This is only going to be brief as I wanted to get this up as soon as possible as I know a lot of people are interested in this Flash for the X-Series.

Unboxing

Straight out of the box it is very nicely presented, coming with a great little case, a stand and even a diffuser (not always the case with other manufacturers).

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Usage

So what else is there to do when you get a new flash and live seemingly in the middle of nowhere…. Selfies obviously! I set up the X100s with the TCL-X100 attached on a tripod and had the i40 flash on a light stand with a little softbox attached. The camera and flash were connected by a TTL (through the lens metering) cable so allowing TTL. I moved the flash around a little bit and I’m pretty impressed with the flash (the same can’t be said for the model, what’s up with the constant smirk!).

The first image was taken with the camera exposure compensation set at 0ev. With the flash to the left of the camera and slightly higher. 2015/01/img_0699.png
The next two images were taken with the camera exposure compensation set at -1ev. You can see that the background is much darker compared to the above images. 2015/01/img_0704.png
For this image the flash was moved closer to the camera and a little higher so the flash was falling straight down onto my face. 2015/01/img_0705.png

Conclusion

As mentioned before, I will put together a more comprehensive review of the flash in mid-February once I am back from Romania, where I will be putting this little flash through it’s paces, photographing an Ice Hotel for Untravelled Paths.

Until then I have to say that I am very happy with this small but powerful flash. It looks a great addition to the X-Series with the flash balancing well with the cameras.

Where to buy

Click here to see retailers selling the Nissin i40 Fujifilm fit

Illumination Part 5 of 5 – Location Portraits using Flash and Natural Light

We’ve been working with professional portrait photographer Damien Lovegrove to bring you some videos that will inspire you to get more from your camera and help you take your photography to the next level.

Part 5 of 5

Damien finds that the available natural light in the garden is enough for close up portraits of Claire, but decides to use a flash system to brighten up some wider shots and provide some more “sun light”.

We hope you enjoy and please feel free to share with other people who might also like it.

About Damien

Damien Lovegrove is a renowned photographer and lighting guru. He specialises in portrait and beauty photography and teaches professional photographers his craft across the world.

Read more

Illumination Part 4 of 5 – Location Portraits using Flash and Natural Light

We’ve been working with professional portrait photographer Damien Lovegrove to bring you some videos that will inspire you to get more from your camera and help you take your photography to the next level.

Part 4 of 5

Damien goes down into a darker basement to make use of the ambient light to create some wonderful portraits.

We hope you enjoy and please feel free to share with other people who might also like it.

About Damien

Damien Lovegrove is a renowned photographer and lighting guru. He specialises in portrait and beauty photography and teaches professional photographers his craft across the world.

Read more

Illumination Part 3 of 5 – Location Portraits using Flash and Natural Light

We’ve been working with professional portrait photographer Damien Lovegrove to bring you some videos that will inspire you to get more from your camera and help you take your photography to the next level.

Part 3 of 5

Damien takes his model Claire to the edge of a field and tries different compositions and usage of the natural light to produce very different images.

We hope you enjoy and please feel free to share with other people who might also like it.

About Damien

Damien Lovegrove is a renowned photographer and lighting guru. He specialises in portrait and beauty photography and teaches professional photographers his craft across the world.

Read more

Illumination Part 2 of 5 – Location Portraits using Flash and Natural Light

We’ve been working with professional portrait photographer Damien Lovegrove to bring you some videos that will inspire you to get more from your camera and help you take your photography to the next level.

Part 2 of 5

Damien takes his model Victoria outside to a magnolia tree and shoots into the light using an X-T1 and XF56mm.

We hope you enjoy and please feel free to share with other people who might also like it.

About Damien

Damien Lovegrove is a renowned photographer and lighting guru. He specialises in portrait and beauty photography and teaches professional photographers his craft across the world.

Read more

Illumination – Location Portraits using Flash and Natural Light

We’ve been working with professional portrait photographer Damien Lovegrove to bring you some videos that will inspire you to get more from your camera and help you take your photography to the next level.

In each of these videos, Damien talks you through his thought process when shooting portraits with different available light. He provides you with examples of his work and describes how and why the shot was taken in that way.

Part 1 of 5

In our first video in the series, Damien shoots some mid shot portraits of Victoria in a well-lit classic English country house – typical of the type you might find in a UK wedding venue.

We hope you enjoy and please feel free to share with other people who might also like it. Make sure you subscribe to be notified as parts two to five are also released.

About Damien

Damien Lovegrove is a renowned photographer and lighting guru. He specialises in portrait and beauty photography and teaches professional photographers his craft across the world.

“I’m inspired by beauty and as I have matured as a photographer I’ve learned to see beauty in just about everyone and everywhere. It’s not what I look at that matters to me, it is what I see.”

“I love people and I suppose women in particular. I love their mannerisms, fashion, style and beauty. I love photographing women. I also get a buzz from teaching.”

Read more

See more like this

Although the above video was completely free, you can also purchase “ILLUMINATION –
The ultimate training video experience in lighting portraits on location”
from Damien’s website. You get the following:

  • Full HS 1080p
  • 19 chapters
  • 115 minutes
  • Speedlights
  • Big flash
  • Natural light

Click here to learn more about this Lovegrove Training masterclass presented by Damien Lovegrove.