Nissin i40 or Panasonic FL-360L

[tkbslc]

Coming from a 60D with a Speedlite 430EX and want something similar in function for the GX7. Looks like the FL-360L is the default choice, but I also hear a lot about the new NIssin i40. I just have a hard time paying $40 more for a third party flash, even if it is an inch shorter. Anything else I should look at?

This is just for indoor bounced flash family pics. I do plan to use it via wireless E-TTL occasionally on an umbrella stand.

 

[wjiang]

Coming from a 60D with a Speedlite 430EX and want something similar in function for the GX7. Looks like the FL-360L is the default choice, but I also hear a lot about the new NIssin i40. I just have a hard time paying $40 more for a third party flash, even if it is an inch shorter. Anything else I should look at?

This is just for indoor bounced flash family pics. I do plan to use it via wireless E-TTL occasionally on an umbrella stand.

You can get the FL-360L for less than the i40? By all means get that one then. It can act as a wireless commander whereas the i40 cannot (it only does slave). The i40 is a smidgen more powerful (by 2 about GN, close enough not to matter) and is smaller, but that's about it.

 

[BobbyTan]

The main advantage of the Nissin over the Panasonic is the reach (24-105 vs 24-85) … and it has a higher guide number, so more power.

I am not familiar with the Panasonic but the i40 is really user-friendly. I sold my Olympus FL-600r in favor of the i40 because it's smaller and so much easier to use.

 

[tkbslc]

You can get the FL-360L for less than the i40? By all means get that one then. It can act as a wireless commander whereas the i40 cannot (it only does slave). The i40 is a smidgen more powerful (by 2 about GN, close enough not to matter) and is smaller, but that's about it.

In the U.S. the FL360L is on sale for $227 new and the Nissin i40 is $270, So, yeah.

Would the pop up flash on the camera be the wireless commander? That's how it works on Canon anyway.

 

[Paul80]

Hi

Also worth a look is the Olympus FL-36R slightly less power but quite a bit smaller as it only takes 2 batteries but works well and has all the wire less functions and can be had for around 50 second hand and like most second hand flash guns most have had virtually no use.

Paul

 

[barry]

In the U.S. the FL360L is on sale for $227 new and the Nissin i40 is $270, So, yeah.

Would the pop up flash on the camera be the wireless commander?

Should be; Olympus works that way (and iirc Pana is the same).

 

[tkbslc]

Hi

Also worth a look is the Olympus FL-36R slightly less power but quite a bit smaller as it only takes 2 batteries but works well and has all the wire less functions and can be had for around 50 second hand and like most second hand flash guns most have had virtually no use.

Paul

That a nice budget option to look at that still has full functionality. Thanks.

I did look at the specs, and it is not smaller, though. So the two batteries just means it recycles much more slowly. (7 seconds vs 2 seconds!)

FL36R : 67 (W) × 108 (H) × 95 (D) mm (2.6 × 4.3 × 3.7 in.)
FL360L: . 62 (W) 104 (H) 98 mm (D)
Nissin i40: 61(W) x 85(H) x 85(D)mm

 

[inkista]

The main advantage of the Nissin over the Panasonic is the reach (24-105 vs 24-85) … and it has a higher guide number, so more power...

Uh. No. It just has more "reach".

B&H gives the guide numbers as:

i40: 131.23' (40 m) ISO100 at 105 mm position
FL-360L: 118.11' (36 m) ISO100 at 42 mm position

The "at 105mm position" and "at 42mm position" render this utterly and completely NOT an apples-to-apples comparison.

The zoom basically just means how far back into the head the bulb can be placed. The farther back it can go, the more tight and focused the beam is, and the higher the guide number gets.

Canon's flashes are named by their guide number (in meters, at iso 100, zoomed to their tightest setting).

So, the 580EXII has a guide number of 58.
The 600EX-RT has a guide number of 60.

But they're actually exactly the same power because the 580EXII is measured @105mm zoom, and the 600EX-RT is measured @200mm zoom.

Speedlights.net measured the 580EXII @35mm zoom, and came up with 39m.

Just saying. To my mind, the i40 really isn't more powerful than a 580EXII, and probably isn't more powerful than the FL-360L, and may actually be slightly less powerful. But until someone with a light meter chooses to actually measure both of them at the same iso and zoom setting on the same camera, chances are we'll never know. Just understand that manufacturers "cheat" the guide number all the time by zooming to the tightest setting.

 

[wjiang]

Uh. No. It just has more "reach".

B&H gives the guide numbers as:

i40: 131.23' (40 m) ISO100 at 105 mm position
FL-360L: 118.11' (36 m) ISO100 at 42 mm position

The "at 105mm position" and "at 42mm position" render this utterly and completely NOT an apples-to-apples comparison.

The zoom basically just means how far back into the head the bulb can be placed. The farther back it can go, the more tight and focused the beam is, and the higher the guide number gets.

Canon's flashes are named by their guide number (in meters, at iso 100, zoomed to their tightest setting).

So, the 580EXII has a guide number of 58.
The 600EX-RT has a guide number of 60.

But they're actually exactly the same power because the 580EXII is measured @105mm zoom, and the 600EX-RT is measured @200mm zoom.

Speedlights.net measured the 580EXII @35mm zoom, and came up with 39m.

Just saying. To my mind, the i40 really isn't more powerful than a 580EXII, and probably isn't more powerful than the FL-360L, and may actually be slightly less powerful. But until someone with a light meter chooses to actually measure both of them at the same iso and zoom setting on the same camera, chances are we'll never know. Just understand that manufacturers "cheat" the guide number all the time by zooming to the tightest setting.

Yeah, except Nissin publish a table of guide numbers for the i40, more than what B&H shows. It lists GN 38 at the 42mm mark.

 

[inkista]

Yeah, except Nissin publish a table of guide numbers for the i40, more than what B&H shows. It lists GN 38 at the 42mm mark.

Ah. That's better, then. I couldn't find it looking at the Nissin website. I can only see 27m at 35mm.