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Nissin MF18 Ring Flash any good? Alternatives?

Started Jan 17, 2021 | Discussions thread
AKRover Regular Member • Posts: 289
Re: Nissin MF18 Ring Flash any good? Alternatives?

I have the Nissin MF18 and I really like, but I don’t use it much. Nissin makes great flashes and this one is no exception. The menus are straightforward (so much better than my Canon flash) and the unit is well built. The control on it is impressive. It provides control over the two halves of the ring at very precise levels and down to very minimal light output levels. It is in that very minimal lighting range that I typically operate which makes me wonder why I have such a big powerful device. I think I used it a few times at higher light levels doing studio work using it as a trigger for a second flash, but mostly what I need it for is to add just a little bit of light to live macro subjects. It seems like there should be a better lower power solution, but I haven’t found one. My primary complaint (well, other than price) is that it is just a bit big and makes carrying the camera complicated (won’t hang from the neck strap nicely). If I did more dedicated macro field work, I probably wouldn’t have that complaint, but usually macro is something I do as a subset of wildlife photography and my big lenses take priority on most days over having a dedicated macro setup. Below are some examples using the flash that show the ability of balancing the two halves to create shadows and using the low power levels to prevent hot spots on the subject.

 AKRover's gear list:AKRover's gear list
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Canon EOS 1200D Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II Canon EF 100mm f/2.0 USM Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM +8 more
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