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Nissin Air Commander for Micro Four Thirds

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William Russell

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Just a heads up that I just was notified that the Nissin Air Commander for Micro Four Thirds has just shipped from Adoroma. They also currently have some in stock. I will be using this with the Nissin i60A flash. Bill
 
I have the combination yet working here (one Nissin Air 1 + 2 x Nissin 60 for mFT) - it works perfekt in all modes !!

The only hint is, that until now the Nissin Air R is not released - so you cannot include Olympus or Panasonic flashes into such a system. But if you have any Canon flash for ex., which is able to work in Highspeed, you also can intergrate it into your mFT system.
 
William Russell said:
Just a heads up that I just was notified that the Nissin Air Commander for Micro Four Thirds has just shipped from Adoroma. They also currently have some in stock. I will be using this with the Nissin i60A flash. Bill
Click to expand...
Kinda funny that a company known for their speedlights would make a radio transmitter that prevents you from mounting a speedlight on the camera.

Makes it pretty much useless for event work.

--
The way to make a friend is to act like one.
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos
 
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Jacques Cornell said:
William Russell said:
Just a heads up that I just was notified that the Nissin Air Commander for Micro Four Thirds has just shipped from Adoroma. They also currently have some in stock. I will be using this with the Nissin i60A flash. Bill
Click to expand...
Kinda funny that a company known for their speedlights would make a radio transmitter that prevents you from mounting a speedlight on the camera.

Makes it pretty much useless for event work.
Click to expand...
 
daddyo said:
Jacques,

What would prevent you from using a bracket mounted flash?

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God Bless,
Greg
www.imagismphotos.com
www.mccroskery.zenfolio.com
www.pbase.com/daddyo
Click to expand...
In a word, bulk. I have two Stroboframe StroboFlip CH2000 flash brackets, and these are among the more compact brackets. I shoot with three MFT cameras. The brackets on multiple cameras greatly increase bulk, making the cameras unwieldy, and they tend to whack seated diners on the back of the head as I'm squeezing my way between tables at an awards dinner. In addition, it requires "dual"-type sync cords that have a hotshoe at the flash end and a pass-through hotshoe at the camera end (for the TX). I have found such cords (Neewer? They're unmarked and I don't remember) made for Canon (similar pin layout to MFT), but good ones are hard to find and some that I've tried do not work properly or are unreliable. Nobody makes such cords expressly for MFT, AFAIK. In addition, the cords are long enough that I have to wrap them around the lens to keep them from dangling.

The brackets and cords I have work, but I don't like working with them - it's just an unwieldy setup. The whole point of going MFT was to reduce bulk.

Sadly, AFAIK, nobody makes a TX with a hotshoe on top that 1) fits in my Panasonic hotshoes and 2) has an MFT TTL pass-thru or even a single-pin pass-thru. Phottix' Strato for Canon used to work in my old G3, but the foot is too thick to go into a modern Panasonic hotshoe. Go figure. I tried a Yongnuo 603C, but the pass-thru is wonky on MFT. What I really want is for Godox to make a TX with single-pin or TTL hotshoe for MFT, or a small flash for MFT that has a built-in transceiver. Godox' new V350 looks ideal, but it's only for Sony at the moment. If they make one for MFT, I'll buy three to replace my two FL360Ls.

Optical slave range is too short and unreliable for me. I know you do similar work. What's your solution for simultaneous on- and off-camera flash use with MFT?

--
The way to make a friend is to act like one.
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos
 
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CecilT said:
Jacques Cornell said:
William Russell said:
Just a heads up that I just was notified that the Nissin Air Commander for Micro Four Thirds has just shipped from Adoroma. They also currently have some in stock. I will be using this with the Nissin i60A flash. Bill
Click to expand...
Kinda funny that a company known for their speedlights would make a radio transmitter that prevents you from mounting a speedlight on the camera.

Makes it pretty much useless for event work.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Could you please keep us posted on how you get on with that Bill. I have been looking at the i60/Commander combination (& many other solutions) and have been putting off the decision whilst i just try to perfect optical slave with my current gear. However, in the tight spaces i am trying to shoot the slave does not always see/fire, so i do wish for a radio solution.

I do-not want the hassle of an additional 'pair' of triggers (+batts etc) and this solution at-least does away with one item. I am also too impressed by the results i achieve with TTL to only use manual mode (the FlashQ has been an impressive little distraction). However, i still view the commander unit itself as a bit of a needless extra and i would also like to have the option of a small fill-flash above or contained within a commander type unit. The commander to a grouped pair of flash units might solve that?

Hence i may just persevere with optical whilst dreaming of my ideal solution (the radio embedded in a Panasonic body!) ...meanwhile i am still considering this combination thanks?
 
You and I simply shoot much differently -- surprise, surprise. I am absolutely a minimalist regarding gear -- have been since my early days of shooting weddings. I absolutely hate camera straps (don't have one on any of my cameras) and I tend to shoot events carrying one camera with a couple extra lenses on my belt in 'Think Tank' lens pouches.

If I am shooting an awards dinner or general session with speakers, I will set up one E-M1 on tripod off to the side (out of harms way) with my Oly 50-200mm mounted and set up for ambient shots. All of my flash shots are done with the one camera I am carrying around with me. I use a Custom Brackets 'Folding S' Model (if you haven't tried one, you really should check these out -- well made, and fold up in compact fashion for transport.

Since I generally shoot Jpegs I have no problem what so ever using the Digital Teleconverter with my lenses - so my 12-40mm really becomes a 12-80mm with the quick press of one assigned button. I generally carry my fisheye in a small pouch and my Pany 35-100mm f/2.8 in another. No worries about banging chairs or dinner guests with dangling cameras. With the DTC that Pany 35-100mm becomes a very sharp and fast 70-200mm f/2.8 (140-400mm f/2.8 in 35mm)

Back to the question at hand, maybe I'm having a senior moment, but since the Nissin i60 with the Air Commander functions with wireless TTL, why would you need a TTL cable for bracket shooting? What am I missing here?
 
daddyo said:
You and I simply shoot much differently -- surprise, surprise. I am absolutely a minimalist regarding gear -- have been since my early days of shooting weddings.
Click to expand...
I think of myself as a minimalist, too. But in my case, three little GX7 bodies with three little primes and no flash brackets is "minimalist".
daddyo said:
I absolutely hate camera straps (don't have one on any of my cameras) and I tend to shoot events carrying one camera with a couple extra lenses on my belt in 'Think Tank' lens pouches.
Click to expand...
I love my OpTechUSA Dual Sling for this. Two of my cameras hang under my sportcoat, and I don't have to worry about straps slipping off my shoulders. The third camera, with the tiny 20/1.7 pancake, rests lightly on my chest on a narrow neoprene neck strap. This way - TADAAAA! - almost no lens swapping. Plus, my shots are spread out over three SD cards, which gives some protection against camera or card failure.
daddyo said:
If I am shooting an awards dinner or general session with speakers, I will set up one E-M1 on tripod off to the side (out of harms way) with my Oly 50-200mm mounted and set up for ambient shots. All of my flash shots are done with the one camera I am carrying around with me. I use a Custom Brackets 'Folding S' Model (if you haven't tried one, you really should check these out -- well made, and fold up in compact fashion for transport.
Click to expand...
This seems very sensible.
daddyo said:
Since I generally shoot Jpegs I have no problem what so ever using the Digital Teleconverter with my lenses - so my 12-40mm really becomes a 12-80mm with the quick press of one assigned button. I generally carry my fisheye in a small pouch and my Pany 35-100mm f/2.8 in another. No worries about banging chairs or dinner guests with dangling cameras. With the DTC that Pany 35-100mm becomes a very sharp and fast 70-200mm f/2.8 (140-400mm f/2.8 in 35mm)
Click to expand...
So, you're effectively delivering 8MP images? That's efficient. I used to downsample to about 8MP or 10MP for clients' ease of downloading.

But, I shoot RAW. Processing has gotten easier now that I've moved to DxO Optics Pro. My processed images look so much better than OOC, I just couldn't deliver JPEGs unless I were working under entirely controlled conditions, which never happens.
daddyo said:
Back to the question at hand, maybe I'm having a senior moment, but since the Nissin i60 with the Air Commander functions with wireless TTL, why would you need a TTL cable for bracket shooting? What am I missing here?
Click to expand...
Huh. Well, duh. I guess you could attach the flash to a RX and put that on the bracket. I gather some triggers don't work well if the TX and RX are too close together. It means buying more RX units, but if they're cheap, def worth not wrestling with the coiled snake.

--
The way to make a friend is to act like one.
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos
 
Last edited:
Jacques Cornell said:
Jacques Cornell said:
Presumably this is because the only way to communicate with the camera is through the contacts on the hot shoe. An L-bracket should solve the problem.
Click to expand...
Could you explain to me how an L-bracket would allow me to attach an on-camera flash and the TX at the same time?
Click to expand...
You need to purchase a TTL cord that has a TTL pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera connection module, like

Loading…

www.ebay.com

Place the TX into the pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera while simultaneously placing a flash on the cord's opposite end. Both will trigger at the same time (as long as the TX is not trying to activate any type of TTL functionality, the camera cannot handle 2 units trying to communicate that way at the same time. You may need to tape over the extra pins on the TX, leaving only the center trigger connection, if that happens)
 
dinoSnake said:
Jacques Cornell said:
CecilT said:
Presumably this is because the only way to communicate with the camera is through the contacts on the hot shoe. An L-bracket should solve the problem.
Click to expand...
Could you explain to me how an L-bracket would allow me to attach an on-camera flash and the TX at the same time?
Click to expand...
You need to purchase a TTL cord that has a TTL pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera connection module, like

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322122120044

Place the TX into the pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera while simultaneously placing a flash on the cord's opposite end. Both will trigger at the same time (as long as the TX is not trying to activate any type of TTL functionality, the camera cannot handle 2 units trying to communicate that way at the same time. You may need to tape over the extra pins on the TX, leaving only the center trigger connection, if that happens)
Click to expand...
Ah, I think you mean a flash bracket, not an L-bracket. An L-bracket is for mounting a camera in portrait orientation on a tripod.

I have flash brackets and cords as you describe. The config works, but I hate the bulk and unwieldiness. They just get in my way. I work with three cameras at once. What I want is a TX that lets me put a flash (in TTL or auto mode) on my camera, or better yet, a flash with a built-in TX. Cactus v5 or v6 seem to be the only solutions at present. V6 would give me TTL on-camera. V5 would work with on-camera in auto mode. However, v6 is expensive (I need at least 6 units), and neither one lets me remotely adjust output of my off-camera manual Godox flashes. Remote adjustment and battery-less receivers were the features that drew me to Godox in the first place. I'm leaning toward v5 with on-camera flash in auto mode and a Godox FT-16 TX in my pocket for remotely adjusting output power of my off-camera manual Godox flashes. It's a messy solution, though, and I'm back to managing lots of batteries for lots of triggers. If Godox makes an MFT version of its new V350 small flash (which has trigger built-in), I'll be in flash heaven.

Thanks for the input, though.

--
The way to make a friend is to act like one.
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos
 
Last edited:
Jacques Cornell said:
dinoSnake said:
Jacques Cornell said:
CecilT said:
Presumably this is because the only way to communicate with the camera is through the contacts on the hot shoe. An L-bracket should solve the problem.
Click to expand...
Could you explain to me how an L-bracket would allow me to attach an on-camera flash and the TX at the same time?
Click to expand...
You need to purchase a TTL cord that has a TTL pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera connection module, like

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322122120044

Place the TX into the pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera while simultaneously placing a flash on the cord's opposite end. Both will trigger at the same time (as long as the TX is not trying to activate any type of TTL functionality, the camera cannot handle 2 units trying to communicate that way at the same time. You may need to tape over the extra pins on the TX, leaving only the center trigger connection, if that happens)
Click to expand...
Ah, I think you mean a flash bracket, not an L-bracket. An L-bracket is for mounting a camera in portrait orientation on a tripod.

I have flash brackets and cords as you describe. The config works, but I hate the bulk and unwieldiness. They just get in my way. I work with three cameras at once. What I want is a TX that lets me put a flash (in TTL or auto mode) on my camera, or better yet, a flash with a built-in TX. Cactus v5 or v6 seem to be the only solutions at present. V6 would give me TTL on-camera. V5 would work with on-camera in auto mode. However, v6 is expensive (I need at least 6 units), and neither one lets me remotely adjust output of my off-camera manual Godox flashes. Remote adjustment and battery-less receivers were the features that drew me to Godox in the first place. I'm leaning toward v5 with on-camera flash in auto mode and a Godox FT-16 TX in my pocket for remotely adjusting output power of my off-camera manual Godox flashes. It's a messy solution, though, and I'm back to managing lots of batteries for lots of triggers. If Godox makes an MFT version of its new V350 small flash (which has trigger built-in), I'll be in flash heaven.

Thanks for the input, though.
Click to expand...
 
john isaacs said:
Jacques Cornell said:
dinoSnake said:
Jacques Cornell said:
CecilT said:
Presumably this is because the only way to communicate with the camera is through the contacts on the hot shoe. An L-bracket should solve the problem.
Click to expand...
Could you explain to me how an L-bracket would allow me to attach an on-camera flash and the TX at the same time?
Click to expand...
You need to purchase a TTL cord that has a TTL pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera connection module, like

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322122120044

Place the TX into the pass-through hot shoe on the top of the camera while simultaneously placing a flash on the cord's opposite end. Both will trigger at the same time (as long as the TX is not trying to activate any type of TTL functionality, the camera cannot handle 2 units trying to communicate that way at the same time. You may need to tape over the extra pins on the TX, leaving only the center trigger connection, if that happens)
Click to expand...
Ah, I think you mean a flash bracket, not an L-bracket. An L-bracket is for mounting a camera in portrait orientation on a tripod.

I have flash brackets and cords as you describe. The config works, but I hate the bulk and unwieldiness. They just get in my way. I work with three cameras at once. What I want is a TX that lets me put a flash (in TTL or auto mode) on my camera, or better yet, a flash with a built-in TX. Cactus v5 or v6 seem to be the only solutions at present. V6 would give me TTL on-camera. V5 would work with on-camera in auto mode. However, v6 is expensive (I need at least 6 units), and neither one lets me remotely adjust output of my off-camera manual Godox flashes. Remote adjustment and battery-less receivers were the features that drew me to Godox in the first place. I'm leaning toward v5 with on-camera flash in auto mode and a Godox FT-16 TX in my pocket for remotely adjusting output power of my off-camera manual Godox flashes. It's a messy solution, though, and I'm back to managing lots of batteries for lots of triggers. If Godox makes an MFT version of its new V350 small flash (which has trigger built-in), I'll be in flash heaven.

Thanks for the input, though.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
The double bracket vendor says,

"Also can trigger other types of speedlite and camera, such as for Nikon / Pentax / Olympus.(Don't support TTL function)"

Does this mean TTL wouldn't work for 2 Oly flashes on the bar, or an Oly flash and a manual radio slave control?

We've seen in the past that Canon flash cables maintain TTL for Olympus cameras and dedicated flashes. Is the vendor's statement simply wrong?
 
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