Nissin Di622 Mark II Review (available for Nikon and Canon)
After releasing the first Nissin Di622 flash gun (click to see the review), the Nissin Di622 has been a popular first flash unit for many DSLR owners due to its high performance and value, full E-TTL/i-TTL compatibility, good build quality, and most of all, affordability. However, one major issue that forced buyers, particularly strobists to think twice is its inability to be triggered by standard radio triggers due to its non-standard contact pins on its hotshoe.
While Nissin released a firmware upgrade for the Nikon variant about six months after its release, the Canon version never had an official workaround for this problem. The availability of cheap China alternatives such as the YongNuo 560 ETTL flash unit also made budget-conscious users think twice before considering the Nissin, despite the Nissin’s better build, warranty, and value.
Now, the Di622 finally received an upgrade – the Nissin Di622 Mark II.
The Nissin Di622 Mark II version may look similar to the original version at first glance, but look closer and you’ll find some subtle changes that solved many of the previous version’s shortcomings. Let’s look at the specifications as published by Nissin Japan.
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Nissin Di622 Mark II Specifications
- Usable camera : CANON digital camera, NIKON digital camera
- Guide Number : 44m, 145ft. (ISO 100), 62m, 205ft. (ISO 200)
- Illumination coverage : 24-105mm (16mm wide angle diffuser)
- Turning head : 90 degree upward, 90 degree to left, 180 degree to right
- Power source : 4 X AA or equivalent Mi-MH, lithium
- Number of flashes : 200-1500 flashes by fresh alkaline batteries
- Energy saving system : 2 minutes to stand-by mode, 30 minutes to shut down after the power on or the last use of flash unit
- Recycling time : 5 sec., with fresh alkaline batteries.
- Flash exposure control :
- E-TTL and E-TTL II for Canon cameras
- i-TTL for Nikon cameras
- Manual(Variable power) :
- 6 levels : Full – 1/2 – 1/4 – 1/8 – 1/16 – 1/32 powers
- Wireless mode :
- SD: Slave Digital (with 6 level)
- SF: Slave Film (with 6 level)
- Wireless TTL remote Channel 1 Group A (Controlled by master flash)
- Flash Power Lock:
- FE lock (for Canon) / FV lock (for Nikon)
- My TTL Setting
- AF Assist light : Infrared LED for distance of 0.7 to 6 meter.
- Color temperature : 5,600K (same as daylight)
- Flash duration : 1/800sec. to 1/20,000sec.
- Camera contact : Hotshoe , X-contact, External Synchro socket
- Accessories included : Shoe stand, pouch
- Dimensions : 77(W) x 130(D) x103(H) mm / 30(W) x 51(D) x 40(H) inches
- Weight : 315g (without battery) / 11oz
Box Contents
The box looks almost exactly like the old Di622, with an addition of “Mark II” and a blue ribboned area near the bottom. Nothing flashy here (pun intended).
Inside the box, you’ll find the flash unit, a stand, a velour pouch, a mini-CD containing the PDF user manual, and a quick guide. You’ll be happy to discover that both the printed quick guide and the PDF manual are quite useful. Incidentally, you can also download the user guide on Nissin’s website.
Nissin does not supply batteries with the flash unit.
Exterior Details and Functions
The exterior of the Nissin Di622 Mark II looks very similar to the first version, however, you’ll notice a few differences right-off-the-bat if you’ve owned/used the first one:
- The red plastic lens is now an inverted trapezoid with some beveled edges
- Visible side port cover which houses a mini-jack and a PC-sync port.
- New rear panel featuring a small Mode button and power adjustment switches (more on this later).
The weight and size is identical to the first version.
The flash head zooms with any compatible zoom lens and covers the range from 24mm to 105mm. For wider cover, the flip-down wide-panel diffuser offers 16mm coverage.
Note that the Nissin Di622 Mark II doesn’t calculate for sensor size differences, so when you zoom your lens to 24mm with a crop sensor, the light beam will cover a 24mm (35mm full-frame equivalent) area, not 15mm (24mm / 1.6 crop factor).
The head also tilts up 90-degrees, and swivels 180-degrees to the right, and 90-degrees to the left. It does not offer a negative angle tilt. I still like the non-button approach of Nissin when it comes to tilting/swiveling compared to the OEM brands. When mounted off-camera or when tilted/swiveled, the flash head zooms to 50mm automatically.
You cannot manually change the zoom of the flash.
The hotshoe mount is made of sturdy plastic and doesn’t seem to be fragile. It also glides in VERY smoothly compared to Canon units (regardless of metal or plastic shoes).
Nissin supplied a flash stand as well for off-camera use.
The battery compartment still feels a bit thin compared to Canon/Nikon’s offerings, but snaps in tight and doesn’t accidentally open when you’re gripping the flash carelessly.
Naturally, the main difference between the first version and the Nissin Di622 Mark II would be the additional slave options available and the ability to use the flash off-camera with normal triggering devices.
Power and Recycling
The Nissin Di622 Mark II is rated at Gn44 at ISO 100, however, the zoom coverage isn’t specified with this guide number, I’d assume it is measured at 50mm coverage. Through an incident flash meter, the Nissin Di622 Mark II has roughly the same power output as the Canon 580EX II and the Nikon SB-900.
Here are full 1/1 output comparison between the Nissin Di622 Mark II and the Canon 550EX.
Nissin 1/1 output
Canon 1/1 output
Recycling at full power drain takes about 4-5 seconds with fully charged, high-performance NiMh batteries. Recycling is fast under normal (non-full power) shooting.
Finally, Nissin has improved the power management of the Nissin Di622 Mark II. In the previous version, the flash annoyingly shuts down (enters stand-by mode) rather quickly (in 5 seconds!) in slave mode and you have to press the power button to wake it up.
The Nissin Di622 Mark II waits for a full 120 seconds (2-minutes) of non-usage before entering stand-by mode, and even if it did, it can be reactivated using the camera’s shutter button. No more need to physically press the power button on the flash! The flash completely shuts down after 30-minutes of non-usage.
Exposure Accuracy
Out of the box, the Nissin Di622 Mark II tends to underexpose slightly, about 1/3 of a stop (0.3EV), here are the comparisons between the Nissin and the Canon flash, camera settings are identical, flash compensation set to 0EV.
Nissin Di622 Mark II (out-of-the-box) Flash Compensation “0″
Canon flash Flash Compensation “0″
Fortunately, the Nissin Di622 Mark II offers ‘hard-coded’ calibration called MY TTL adjustment, if necessary. You can compensate for any flash metering discrepancies on the flash unit itself and set it as default so you won’t have to manually compensate every time you turn on the flash. You can recalibrate the flash’s 0EV metering output by +/- 0.75EV (3/4 stops) in 0.25 (1/4) stop increments.
The instructions are in the manual, but I’ll just mention it here as well.
With the Nissin Di622 Mark II still off, hold the pilot button and the power button simultaneously for 2 seconds or until the flash turns on. From there, you can nudge the power adjustment switch either to the left (reduce output) or to the right (increase output). Each light indicator reflects a 0.25EV adjustment.
When you’re done, just turn off the flash and turn it back on again. Your flash will now default to that new calibrated value.
My unit underexposes between 1/3 to 1/2 of a stop, but since the Nissin Di622 Mark II can only adjust in 1/4 (0.25) stop increments, I set it to +0.25 as it’s a closer to the accurate flash exposure than the next increment (+0.5).
After +0.25 Calibration (Compare with previous Canon image
You can see that it’s still slightly underexposed compared to the previous Canon-exposed image, but it’s much closer than the original.
Once you properly meter your flash exposure (in this case, the flash should have a +3/4 flash exposure compensation due to the light background), the exposures on both flashes are less pronounced.
Nissin output – proper flash exposure (set in cam)
Canon output – proper flash exposure (set in cam)
Rear-curtain (slow-sync) mode is available as well.
Wireless Modes
This is the part of the review most strobists are waiting for, whether the Nissin Di622 Mark II can be triggered using standard radio triggers such as a Pocket Wizard.
The Nissin Di622 Mark II offers FOUR (4) slave modes to choose from, and as mentioned, sync ports are now supplied on the side of the flash’s body, allowing you to trigger the flashes with PC-sync or mini line-in cables.
You can select the flash modes using the small round button above the power level indicator. By default, it should be unlit, meaning, it’s on full auto TTL, on-cam mode. Succeeding presses will toggle you between:
- Full Manual Mode – Red indicator light. Use this mode when using a sync cord, IR trigger, or radio trigger. I’ve tested it to work with standard sync cables, YongNuo RF602, CTR-301, Cactus PT-04, Flashwaves, and Elinchrom Skyports.
- Slave Digital (SD) Mode – Green indicator light. Use this mode when you’re using your pop-up flash or other TTL flash as a trigger device. The Nissin will ignore the pre-flash emitted by the triggering flash. The Nissin’s flash output needs to me manually set using the power adjustment controls on the flash itself.
Flash placed camera right, triggered by pop-up flash at -2 flash exposure compensation (low-power)
Setup shot
- Slave Film (SF) Mode – Blue indicator light. In this mode, the Nissin will trigger as long as a light pulse is detected, just like a plain optical slaved flash. Use this mode when matched with non-TTL, non-pre-flash main lights such as studio strobes or other full-manual flash units. Do not use this mode when you want to trigger using your pop-up flash as most pop-up flashes emit a pre-flash and the Nissin will fire before the exposure is taken. The Nissin’s flash output needs to me manually set using the power adjustment controls on the flash itself.
- Wireless Mode – Purple indicator light. Use this if you have a Canon/Nikon master/commander flash unit. Your master flash sends out TTL signals to obtain the proper flash exposure and sends the signal to the Nissin wirelessly. The exposure will always be consistent regardless of flash-to-subject distance.You cannot adjust the power of the Nissin in this mode as the flash computes for the exposure automatically at 0EV. The Nissin is hard-coded to use Channel 1, Group A.
Wireless Mode In Practice
For more information about how wireless TTL system works, visit these pages for Canon Wireless ETTL and Nikon Creative Lighting System.
The Nissin Di622 Mark II’s Wireless Mode defaults to exposing for midtones, and since you cannot adjust the exposure of the flash in Wireless mode, you can only change the flash output of your other flash units (including the main flash). In the following example, a Canon flash is mounted on-cam as a master flash device and the Nissin is placed off-cam, right side of the frame lighting up the edge of the subject’s face.
On-cam flash set at 0FEC
On-cam flash set at +3/4 FEC
On-cam flash set at -2FEC
You can see that the side light from the Nissin gives you identical/consistent exposures regardless of main flash setting.
If you have multiple Nissin units, you can place one as your main light and place other units as rim lights. However, they will all have identical exposures so you can’t set one as a subtle fill while the other as a main, for example.
Last important note, the Nissin tends to underexpose (or not expose at all) when you set your camera’s flash metering mode as “AVERAGE” instead of the default “EVALUATIVE”. I don’t know the exact reason why at this point, but if I use the flash with a portable softbox, for example, the flash underexposes severely in AVERAGE metering mode, or not even register an exposure (but it fires). In Evaluative flash exposure mode, the flash works just fine.
Camera
Camera
Optical/Wireless Mode Sensitivity
Having optical and wireless slave modes may be great, but it’s useless if it’s not sensitive enough to use in real-life situations. Fortunately, the Nissin Di622 Mark II slave sensors are EXCELLENT in this regard. All the samples below are shot using the SD (Slave Digital) mode, which should be the least reliable among all modes since it only relies on pre-flash/pop-up light to trigger.
Note that all of these examples are taken indoors, so there are other surfaces for the main trigger light’s output can bounce off. While some may complain that it’s not that useful outdoors, there are no known optical system that works equally well indoors and out anyway. When outdoors, it’s always better to use radio triggers especially if you’re working with distances beyond 10-15 feet anyway.
Nissin Di622 Mark II placed BEHIND the subject and inside the softbox, triggered by on-cam flash
Here are some more challenging scenarios. The distance between the camera and the flash is approximately 40-50ft (about half a basketball court), except for the last shot (flash in light receptacle). Note that there are a lot of obstacles in between, particularly those shot inside the bedroom as the trigger light (just a pop-up flash at -2FEC!).
Shot THROUGH bedroom door, several pillars and other obstacles – Approx 50ft away
Shot approximately 40ft away, Nissin flash placed INSIDE the baby stroller, no direct line-of-sight
Flash placed INSIDE light receptacle, no line-of-sight, sensor facing wall
As you can see, that’s pretty impressive especially if you consider the fact that we rarely shoot subjects with:
1) A pop-up flash over a long distance,
2) Indoors 40-50ft away
3) Using only a weak (lowest power) trigger
4) With the slave flash not within line-of-sight.
It’s a very flexible and sensitive system especially if you don’t need to buy anything additional to trigger it. It fires reliably as well.
Here are some images shot using the Nissin Di622 Mark II either as a main light or as an auxiliary light.
Remaining Issues
The Nissin Di622 Mark II isn’t perfect however, there are some issues that are still not resolved and should be improved, and I believe it wouldn’t cost too much for Nissin to implement these changes.
1) Better AF-assist coverage. Like the first version, the AF assist light of the Nissin is just a single bulb with no pattern, worse yet, the emitted light is quite small, covering only the upper-center part of most DSLR AF sensors. The AF assist light is almost useless in pitch-dark conditions and not using the upper AF point. This is a big deal for event photographer.
This is the biggest disappointment of the Nissin Di622 Mark II.
2) Sensor-size detection. Most buyers of the Nissin Di622 Mark II will not be full-frame DSLR users, so why not design the flash to cover APS-C field-of-view in its zoom head?
3) Retain mode and power selection when turned off. I find it quite annoying to re-enter any of the slave modes and set power all over again every time the flash is turned off. It’ll be easier if it just retain whatever previous settings you’ve made instead of resetting to full-auto TLL everytime you turn on the flash.
4) Manual zoom head control.
5) High-speed sync. I’m not sure how difficult this inclusion is compared to the other issues above, but it’d be nice to have HSS as well.
That’s not a lot to criticize, apart from the AF-assist light issue, the rest are rather minor and not really critical for a flash to do well.
Conclusion
The Nissin Di622 Mark II flash is a well-built flash with very good light output and recycling time. The price is cheap compared to OEM and other 3rd party offering sans China branded units and the wealth of off-camera triggering modes make this one of the most flexible flash system you can buy if you like off-camera lighting.
While Canon and Nikon units will offer more wireless TTL control when used off-camera (such as multi-channel grouping and power adjustments), they do cost twice as much, if not more.
You’ll have a hard time finding a Nikon/Canon flash in the used market that can match the price of a brand new Nissin Di622 Mark II, not to mention most low/mid-end flashes do not offer sync ports and optical slave triggering as well.
Apart from the nearly-useless AF-assist light, the Nissin Di622 Mark II is an excellent flash unit for first-time flash buyers as it allows you to keep using the flash as your skills improve.
When you’ve moved past using the flash on-camera, the off-camera modes allow this flash to exist in your camera bag until it finally breaks down.
The main point is, the Nissin Di622 Mark II is a good buy because it does what all basic flashes can do (manual power, variable sync triggering options) but still offer modern flexibility such as ignoring pre-flash slave modes and wireless TTL modes.
As I’ve mentioned in my Comprehensive Flash Buying Guide, the Nissin Di622 Mark II meets most of my criteria as a good flash unit. I do not hesitate recommending the Nissin Di622 Mark II to anyone.
Nissin Di622 Mark II Options
I’d like to thank Nissin’s Singapore distributor, for providing the flash.
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About David L. Tong
Hi David, great review thank you. I have the Mark 2 version and use it with a Nikon D90. Great kit. Used it 3 times and then it would not light up, even with re-charged batteries, and new standard batteries. My local dealers are excellent and replaced it. Has anyone else had similar issue?
Hello sir David.
I have a Canon 60D as well as the flash in this review. I am trying to use the Di622 as a slave unit with the built in flash of the 60D as the trigger. The flash works fine, however, the built in flash of my camera also fires. Is there a way to disable the built in flash of the camera?… i tried disabling the built in flash within the menu, however, the Di622 fails to fire.
I tried slave digital as well as the wireless modes of the flash, to no avail. I've read somewhere that the built in flash of the camera can be configured not to fire, while still triggering the Di622, however, i cannot recall where i've read that one…
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much :)
Hi Chris,
You might like to refer to my reply to Mina above (about 6 posts before yours). The pop-up flash HAS to fire otherwise there's no signal sent to your remote flash. The pop-up fires BEFORE your shutter opens so it has no impact/exposure on your final image unless you tell the camera to use BOTH flashes (pop-up and remote) to register an image.
You cannot trigger ANY external flash unit via built-in TTL without it firing, the only diff is, will the 'master' flash fire as the shutter opens or will it fire before the shutter opens. If it's the latter, all your built-in flash is doing is sending a signal to the remote flash, not to create an exposure.
Dave
Hi, I am considering to buy Nissin MK2 and the Sunpak PZ42X TTL? which one you will recommend for it? Both the price are more or less the same… Some how people tell me Nissin got a lot of technical problem. Always need to send back to factory. Is that true?
Hi Wai Kit,
I'd take the Nissin for these reasons:
1) The very flexible slave modes, the fact that I can use the flash regardless of what camera i'm using is a big plus.
2) Technical problem – remember something about the internet, you'll hear about complaints a lot more often than compliments. Given the fact that the Nissin outsells the Sunpak by a wide margin in most market, you'll most likely hear news about the Nissin more than Metz and Sunpak.
3) If you purchased your Nissin from a local dealer, then you can always send it to the authorized distributor for repair. Where are you based?
Hi,
It is great to hear from you that. I am in Penang, Malaysia. I have ask 2 local dealers regarding the flashes. Both giving different opinions. The first dealer as like you will encourage me go for Nissin whereas the 2nd dealer told me that every week or month he need to send back the nissin flash for services while sunpak has no this kind of problem…
But I am prefering the Nissin, i look for the review here and there. The comments are mostly positive and easy to use. I am the first time buyer for the flash. Thats why i am wondering whether the choice i made is correct or not.
Thank you very much for your kind sharing.
I suggest you hit the internet forums in your local area instead. Stores are biased based on their inventory and commissions with products. They\’ll push or bash certain items simply because of margins or the need to clear out stocks. Don\’t put too much faith in salespeople\’s recommendation hehe.
As for the ease of use, the Nissin\’s pretty much plug-and-play. A lot simpler to use than any of my Canon flashes sans the 220EX hehehe.
According to Nissin themselves, Schmidt (same company in Singapore) is the authorized distributor in Malaysia as well. You might want to give them a call and ask what stores carry local warranty units (authorized retailer) as many stores import their Nissin flashes from Hong Kong – Here\’s their phone number – 603-7954-2169
Hi, fyi I have just bought the Nissin Di622 Mark 2.. Thanks for your information and kindness. Would like to keep in touch more so that i can learn from you
Thanks
You are more than welcome to drop by and ask any questions you wish. :) Have fun with your new flash. BTW, I strongly advice you try the new Sanyo Harmolattice rechargeable batteries BTW,
Dave
The flash quite nice to be used. Still learning in the process. Regarding the battery, Sanyo Harmolattice rechargeable battery can only be cycled for 500 times whereas Eneloop AA can be cycled for 1500 times. Which one do yo think i should take? Both are the price are more or less the same. Besides, Harmolattice is 2500mAh and Eneloop is 2000mAh. What make the difference between this 2 voltage? Will it affect much of it?
Thanks
mAh is the amperage, not voltage. They both have 1.2V only, the amperage dictates how long you can use the battery before it drains. The higher the mAh, the better.
I wouldn\’t be too concerned with the recharge-cycle life to be honest, I sincerely doubt any of us will recharge these batteries long enough until they stop charging anyway. That figure also assumes a FULL DRAIN recharge, not partial recharge. So unless you actually drain all four batteries to near zero and recharged it 500x, you don\’t have to worry about that spec at all.
Think of it this way, there\’s 365 days in a year, assuming you actually CAN drain your batteries daily, that\’s still close to two years worth of usage before you need to buy another set! :D
Thanks a lot for your information. I am thinking to buy a CPL filter for my 50mm lens. Do you have any recommendation? Have you heard about CITIWIDE brand filter? It sells quite cheap in ebay. A full set kit with 1 UV filter, 1 CPL, 1 ND2, 1 ND4, 1ND8, and 1 SOFT FILTER. It only sells AU$ 24.75. Do you think is it worth to buy? Or shall i go for other brand?
Thanks
Hi Wai Kit, that\’s a bit off-topic to our thread here (about Nissin), can you repost this question on the Canon 50mm f/1.8 Review thread instead and I\’d be glad to answer you there.
Thanks again.. I post to there already.
Thanks
Awesome review mate…really interested on this product and really glad i found ur article..Just nid confirmation tho,does it support 600D/60D wireless flash control? means can trigger the Di622 MK2 wirelesslly without any extra accessories? Thanks…
Hi Naziem,
Yes, the 600D and 60D both support wireless TTL master control via pop-up flash.
However, if your only concern is triggering the Nissin (no ETTL support), then any camera with a flash will do.
hi David can i ask how to do this (wireless triggering w/o using any device like pocket wizard) because until now i cant figure it out because my canon 600D cannot detect my Nissin GI 622 Mark II, I go to setting on Canon under the External flash C.Fn setting & on my nissin under the Channel 1 group A (violet LED) & still cant detect my Nissin & it tells me that "This menu cannot be displayed. Incompatible flash or flash`s power is turned off"…. please help me…. Thank you & nice review on this product …
Hi Mykel:
The Di622 MKII has 3 total wireless modes, as explained in the review.
The \”digital slave\” mode is where you\’ll be using your DSLR\’s pop-up flash to trigger the Di622MKII. The Di622MKII will ignore the initial pulses of light from your pop-up flash, then fires in unison as the shutter opens. It\’s still a manual power-adjustment mode for the DI622MKII.
What you need is the purple mode, ETTL slave mode. Where it actually meters the subject using its own pre-flash before firing .
First the DI622MKII, just leave it on \”purple\” mode. That\’s all you need to do.
For the Canon 60D:
1) Menu >> Flash Control
2) Flash Firing – Enable
3) In the Wireless Function menu, set to the icon with the flash firing
4) Channel – 1
5) Firing Group – All
That\’s all you need to make it work.
Make sure the DI622MKII\’s sensor can \’see\’ your pop-up flash. So you might want to turn the flash head all the way around so that the Wireless Flash Sensor (the red LCD in front of the flash) faces your camera.
Check page 140 onwards in your Canon manual for more info.
thanks Dave it was a big help :) can I ask another issue?? its about my flash seems start to not firing at all. I use a rechargeable battery (sanyo eneloop 1,900 mAh) and every time a power on the Nissin GI 622 Mark 2 the red light stay as a red light & never turn to green which i can manually test the flash & even i mount the flash on my slr (Canon 600D)… I dont have the same issue before when i first buy this flash, it only happen recently… thanks a lot Dave in advance :)
Isolate the problem first… Check the batteries, they could be defective. Remember that the batteries run in series, if one cell is damaged, the power \’grid\’ won\’t work. Test each of your batteries to see if they hold charge (use a battery tester or voltmeter if you have one). You can also test the batteries by sticking it to another flash unit to see it fires.
I\’ve had the same issue in the past when my Canon flashes starting to not work (light stays on \’recycling\’) and won\’t fire (but powers on)… A battery change fixed the problem. Try using some fresh new disposable AAs to test.
Beautiful, thanks mate :)
Chime back when you get them, I\’d love to publish your review of those new triggers :)
Dave
Thanks mate. I had a look, and I'm still not 100% sure which would be best for me. I'm struggling to find one that states its suitable for the 60D (they list every camera except the 60D?) … And I'm not sure if this product (http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Sets-Yongnuo-RF-603-Radio-Flash-Trigger-Canon-C3-/140565511059?pt=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item20ba5b7b93) will trigger 3 flashes at once. Would you mind telling me if this is suitable for me (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230552281314&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) Or could you please post a link to something that will work for me.
Thank you, sorry to be a pain.
- Nick
They're merely triggers, Nick, and all of them work the same.
The RF603 are TRANSCEIVER units, meaning, each unit can work either as a TRANSMITTER or a RECEIVER. So the 2-kit set you posted will work just fine for you (mount one on the camera, the other 3 on the flashes).
Hey mate, if It's not too much trouble would you mind looking on eBay for a set of 3x receivers plus 1 x trigger to suit my Canon 60D plus 3 x Nissin Di622s? (I'm pretty inexperienced at this and it's taking me weeks to find something) I would appreciate it a lot.
Cheers, Nick
Not a problem Nick, I usually buy my ebay electronics stuff from this seller. You can find both the 602 and 603 packages (multi-units).
thephotogadget | eBay http://bit.ly/iYdKVk
Dave
Thanks for the reply mate, that clears things up fine :) I will post a link to the RF602s on eBay, would you mind telling me if this system will work fine with my Canon 60d plus three Nissin di622 MKII's? (if you have any other recommendations for other flashes or anything that might be a better situation for what I'm planning on using then please let me know)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&…
- Nick
The RF602 works fine, I've tested it myself on my units, but I suggest you check out the newer units like RF603 as well as offerings from Phottix as well.
Dave
Hi there, In your review you mentioned this…
If you have multiple Nissin units, you can place one as your main light and place other units as rim lights. However, they will all have identical exposures so you can’t set one as a subtle fill while the other as a main, for example.
Well I just want to confirm if thats true? I have one Nissin di622 and was thinking of getting another two and triggering them with the Yongnuo RF-602, but I want to be able to control the different exposures from each flash??
Hi Nick, welcome to the site as well.
You read that correctly but it doesn't apply to your scenario. The statement I made was only valid for the Wireless TTL function (purple mode).
Since you'll be using RF602 (or any radio manual triggers), you're free to adjust the power of each flash unit independently just as you would with any other flash with power adjustment.
You can most definitely put one Nissin Di622MKII at 1/8 power and another at full power, for example when you're using a radio trigger.
Hope that clarifies things.
Regards,
Dave
Hi Dave,when using it with the green light (sd mode) or the manual one and even the blue light mode,its ok. But for the wireless one,wherein the the flash should pop even if my camera is not open with its pop us flash,it really is not working even with all the configuration I use. Yes,I might be making my trip again to the shop to check with them. thanks dave!
Hi again: What exactly do you mean by "…even if my camera is not open with its pop us flash"
Is you camera's built-in flash "up" (meaning, you did press the little 'flash' button next to the lens mount) when you're trying to shoot wirelessly?
The pop-up flash needs to be on and popped-up for the camera to send a signal to the Nissin. The pop-up flash needs to fire in order for the Nissin to receive a signal, just like in SD (green) mode. You cannot leave the pop-up flash closed as no signal will be transmitted from the camera to the Nissin.
Hope I'm understanding your predicament.
Hmm, your best recourse now would be visiting AWF again and see if their other units are doing the same. If not, exchange it while you still can (is it a local warranty unit?) It's strange that it's not popping, have you tried aiming the red lens part of the flash (where the AF assist light is) directly at the Canon's pop-up and see if it fires? It could just be a line-of-sight issue.
Hi Dave, the nissin flash is doing ok but when it comes to using it wirelessly,it doesn't flash at all. I'm beginning to be very frustrated about it already. I tried the config you gave me and even watch youtube/canon videos on how to use but I still can't. :( Hmm,I'm only in Raffles area during weekdays so maybe if out time permits I can meet you up as well. :) Anyway,thanks for all the great info Dave! I have learned a lot with this blog yours! Keep it up!
Mina:
Hmm, does the Nissin fire (pop) at all or it fires but won\’t register an image?
Technically speaking, there\’s no \’connection\’ per se between the pop-up flash trigger and the Nissin, it\’s just a series of light pulses that translate into a \’command\’ for the Nissin to meter and fire according to the camera\’s internal setting.
If you want and have the time to drop by the Tanjong Pagar area, I\’d be glad to check it out for you during weekdays, just let me know ahead of time if you\’re in the area anyway.
Dave
Hi Mina,
First of all, may I know what mode the Nissin was on when you were trying to shoot off-cam? Was it Green (SD) or Purple (Wireless TTL)?
If it's green, you have no choice as the Nissin fires only when the pop-up (or main flash) pops at the same time. The pop-up flash will register an exposure on your subject as the shutter opens the same time your flash(es) are fired.
If it's PURPLE (Wireless TTL) mode, you need to set your 60D's wireless transmitter menu to act as a TRIGGER ONLY and not register an exposure on the subject. Just choose "FLASH CONTROL >> WIRELESS FLASH FUNCTION >> Choose the THIRD option, the one with the external flash illustration (no pop-up flash icon).
(You might find this video helpful: scroll to 2:30 mark)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-in23ZXErM
Hope that helps,
Dave…
Hi Dave,thank you so much for the wonderful reply! Yes,thats exactly what I did for my camera (the wireless function TTL MODE) but eventhough i change the settings,the flash is still not firing. I feel that there is something wrong with its wireless connection…the green mode,blue mode and the manual are all ok except for the wireless one. Anyway, I'm still thankful you gave me tips on this. :) i'll go and check with artworkfoto again, Thanks Dave!
Hi David! This is such a nice review! Actually,i just recently bought my Nissin Di622 Mark II for my 60d but I think there's a problem with regards to its slave mode. I am not sure whether my config for both are incorrect but I can't seem to use the flash without opening my canon flash. What I am trying to say is, I dont want the flash pop up to be triggered,i only want the nissin flash. I think my question is almost the same as Hanif? :) I have been unlocking for the past few days but i cant seem to see the config for the two. Hope you can help me. Thanks a lot David!
Hi Dave,
I'm looking to buying my first flash for my 500D and budget is one of my concern and I found Nissin 622 MK2. But my friends advised me to get Canon 430EX II for compatibility and reliability reasons. I believe I will be using this flash off shoe more than on the hotshoe.
But in your opinion, what features does 430EX II have that is worth that almost double in price over Nissin 622 MK2? I find it hard to pull of that kind of $ to buy a 430EX II but at the same time, I fear of compatibility and reliability issues my friends mentioned.
Rgds
Hi John.
I'd always advice getting the same brand of item with the camera, they're just designed to work with each other from the ground-up compared to 3rd party items that resort to reverse-engineering.
Let's address your concerns first:
1) Compatibility – The Nissin works just fine, you can even control the flash from the camera body (40D upwards). I've read a few 5DII users having issues with the Nissins, but honestly, if you can afford a $3K camera, why would you even bother with a 3rd party flash, right?
2) Reliability – I'd agree that the Canon would be more robustly built, but in terms of functionality, they're not that far apart. Honestly, how often will you drop a flash unit to the ground, right?
3) Off-shoe – The Nissin wins over the 430EXII but not the 550/580EX. The Nissin works with just optical triggering (via pop-up or other flash) as well as ETTL slave modes and 'normal' off-camera radio triggers. It's just a more flexible system.
4) Price – Tough call, honestly. I'd say 'no' because the Di622 is so flexible and more powerful than the 430EX, easier to use too as sometimes you just don't want to have too much buttons to press, particularly off-cam. The Canon quality and support is still worth something though, and could easily go either way.
I've used the Nissin Di622 MKII both casually and paid gigs, it works mighty fine and I find it very predictable, flexible, and reliable. Of course, visually, a "Canon" flash would look nicer on a camera than "NISSIN", that has nothing to do with the flash' functionality though.
I'd rather buy 2 Nissin Di622 MKII than one 430EXII, if you ask me. But I'd plunk down the $ for a 580EXII over 3 Nissin Di622 MKII for serious work as I tend to collect flashes quite a bit and having identical units make life easier for me.
Dave
Many thanks Dave, for the detailed explanation. I believe I will go on with Nissin 622 MK2. I doubt I will be going for the 580EX anytime soon or yet (I can bear with the 5 sec recycle time as compared to 1-2sec of 580EX).
btw, is the color temperature of the flash consistent over so many of your shoots? Or it gets warmer/cooler after some shoots.
Cheers
The color temp is consistent at around 5000/5500K range, I don\’t see any discoloration at all, but I\’m sure as it ages, the light will become a tad warmer, but that applies to ALL flash units. Two of my 550EX have yellowish lenses already and their light is closer to 4500 :D
As for recycling, at full power, the 580EX II can take between 2-6 seconds as well, depending on batteries. They\’re not that different in field use, besides, we rarely shoot at 1/1 power anyway unless you only shoot at 100 ISO or small apertures all the time.
Many thanks once again :)
My pleasure John.
I am an amateur who only take picture of my kids. i am using canon 40d and nissin 866. can i fire the 866 remotely? do i need any additional hardware? thank you.
wished i had read your site before i pursued fast lens and iso thinking they are the cure all for low lighting. now i don use my camera unless i brought along my flash.
great site you got here!!!!
Hello. I've one question. I'm planning to get a Nissin Di622 mark 2 for my nikon d80, and I also want to buy a phottix flash trigger, but not quite sure if it compatible with this lens. I read on one of the forums that it might be compatible after installing some software update for the flash, but not quite sure. Thanks!
Hi, I\’m not sure what\’s the correlation between the flash and a lens though, was that a typo?
The Nissin MKII works with all standard radio triggers, as far as I know. It only uses the standard center pin firing. Can you post the forum where you saw that claim so I can check?
Dave
While I was looking for the info on trigger compatibility, I found this post, where one guy from Nissin product support said that Nissin mark2 can be triggered by regular radio flash triggers. So, planning to order one for myself.
Here it's http://www.reddotphoto.com.sg/forums/showthread.p…
Here it's http://www.reddotphoto.com.sg/forums/showthread.p…
Yes, as I mentioned, it can be triggered with practically ANY flash trigger in the market, including optical ones. :)
Hi David,
Thanks you for your awesome review. I ordered one (Mark II) for Canon and received today.
I have Canon 500D/T1i and Nikon D80, I found one thing, when I set up "SD" mode(green light), by using the pop-up flash on both T1i and D80, the DI622M2 can be triggered flasing ! It means I can use it for Canon and Nikon cameras.
Is this normal?
Thanks.
Alan
Any mode other than full auto TTL (no mode light) and TTL wireless (purple mode light) are generic, meaning, it can be triggered by anything, hence the great flexibility of this MKII unit. The SF mode basically can be triggered even by studio flashes, for instance, while the SD modes can be triggered by any P&S cams as well, even your camphone if it does use a flash and not a constant beam of light.
Hello Mike.
I honestly haven\’t tried it with the PW TT, however, I\’m a bit curious because if you can afford PW TTs, I don\’t think you should bother looking at 3rd party flashes anymore as the PW are designed with original equipment in mind…
As for whether or not it works with the Canon EX flashes (or ST-E2), the Nissin works just like a 430/550/580 in slave mode – minus the stuff that I mentioned in the review such as stroboscopic, group B ratio, etc.
To summarize it a bit, if you can afford a 580, get that instead of the Nissin, but if you have the budget for a 430EX, the Nissin offers more power and more flexible (no-cost-added) remote firing features than the 430EX (I or II). Remember that the Canon flashes cannot be triggered optically as well, unlike the Nissin that offers 3 different ways of triggering right out of the box.
The fact that the Nissin is much faster and simpler to operate and cheaper in price makes it a very appealing first-flash purchase if budget is a concern.
I don\’t have any reservations using this for a paid gig, for example, it works just fine, buying 3 Di622MKII is still cheaper than getting two 580EX II, so if you\’re an aspiring pro who needs multiple flashes but lacking in funds, the Nissin is a great choice.
Hi David,
I'm curious about this new mkII unit and would like to know if Di622 mkII's ETTL works with Pocket Wizard TT5.
Would appreciate any response to this.
Also, will it work in ETTL mode when triggered by a 580ex master (no PW)?
I've never tried 3rd party flash units yet.
Thanks.
p/s: Your review and images were the most comprehensive I could find on the internet, thanks.
Hello David
thanks for the answer. I understand it and it helped a lot. i buy this flash today and it work brilliantly!. i happy with my purchase and also thanks for ur review that help me make a correct choice.
smiles!
Glad to hear that… The remote functions are really quite useful, especially when you won't need an extra piece of equipment (triggers) to make it work. Enjoy.
hello peter, i need an answer from u.
1 is this nissin can plug an play on canon dslr or i must set the flash exposure manually. because i read some user comment although it use ettl ii, but u cant use it really and must set to manual then.
2.i am canon user, how can i use di622 as a slave and use pop up flash as a master BUT i dont want pop up flash light appear. in other word, i only want to see light from my slave flash, and not my pop up flash when i see the picture.
hope u understand then cause my english is bad. waiting ur answer.
thanks!
sorry, i mean i need answer from this site owner, which is sir david tong.
sory for the typo.
smiles!
Hi Hanif:
1) I'm sorry, but I don't understand your first question/issue. ETTL wireless surely works (as you can see above) but it stays at 0EV and cannot do ratio.
2) You can't unless you're using a newer camera like the 7D, 60D, 600D where the pop-up flash can work only as a non-firing master trigger.
Hope that helped.
Should be:
Note that the Nissin Di622 Mark II doesn't calculate for sensor size differences, so when you zoom your lens to 24mm with a crop sensor, the light beam will cover a 24mm (35mm full-frame equivalent) area, not 15mm (24mm / 1.6 crop factor).
nice catch Jesper. amended.
Hi Dave,
This is an EXCELLENT review. I have been waving between buying a second flash canon 430EX II and this one. I have a 5DM2 and a master flash canon 580EX II and would like to add a second flash for indoor photography. I like to do burst of 3 photos (and have used it) with YongNuo wireless timer trigger (excellent product and price) with about 4 sec delay between shots (Of course, the faster the better but that is is limited by the flash recharging time). So what is your real world test/observed results of charging times for 430EX II and Di622 m2?
I live in USA and have found a good price ($155) from an eBay dealer in HK. My concern is that something is wrong with the unit, I will have a hard time to get it fixed under warranty. Not sure how Nissin USA handles this.
Again, I find that your review is very comprehensive and excellent with lots of technical details and test shot supports. Keep up the good work and we do appreciate your time and effort to help everyone here.
Hi Chipaul:
The NissinMKII recycles just as advertised in the specifications with good batteries (baseline standard, I use Eneloops for testing). It's about the same as the 430II, if not better due.
I strongly suggest you get a local unit instead. With electronics, there will always be a slim chance that something will go wrong within the warranty period, the peace-of-mind of having local support will be worth the small premium (if it is a small, <15% difference).
Thanks for the visit and I appreciate the comment/question as well.
Cheers!
Dave
hello peter i need your help…my speedlight doesnt work..i dont know why….the pilot button is red color..why ar??
Farz: What batteries are you using? Try it with a fresh set of batteries.
Hi Peter,
Regarding the coverage, you're correct, the 16mm is WITH the diffuser flipped down. The standard zoom range is still 24-105mm (full-frame, not crop adjusted).
If you're using a Canon 10-22, your effective 35mm focal length field of view would be 16mm so you will need to flip that diffuser down every time (or use a stofen/diffusing bounce card).
I strongly suggest you get the MKII rather than the MK1, the MKII is just a LOT more flexible and useful than the MK1.
Dave
brand new eneloop and sanyo 2700mh batteries fully charged… the camera detects the flash, the AF assist is working. it won't turn green on all modes.
Hmm, that\’s strange… I\’d be inclined to ask you to check if you\’ve turned off the \”flash firing: on\” setting on your camera first, but regardless of camera settings, the light should turn on when the capacitors inside the flash are ready to fire. You may need to send the unit back for replacement.
Yes, camera flash firing is on. I could hear the charging sound when i turned the flash on. I also notice that my GE air condition remote control could trigger the flash on one of the modes.
I found one user who encountered the same problem as mine, he posted it on flickr Jan. 25 this year.
I emailed Nissin Digital 2 days ago and received their reply 5 hours ago. Here's the response:
Thank you for email and purchasing Nissin Di622.
According to your description, we presume your flash is defective.
Please contact our distributor in Philippines for repair.
* JT photo world
TEL 63-2-536-6590
Manila Office&Photo Lab.1132 Pedro Gil St., Paco Manila 1007
Thank you very much.
Nissin http://www.nissindigital.com
*sorry, green not red
What batteries are you using?
Bought it 2 weeks ago and use it about 400 shots for 3 days, now the Pilot lamp won't turn red.
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this subject. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with additional information? it’s extremely useful on behalf of me.
i just order my nissin di 622 mark 2 , it will be my first Flash i'm so exciting i can't wait ,,, but i have a question ,,, is it compatible with "YongNuo RF-602/C1 wireless flash trigger and remote shutter release" ?
Yes, I tested it with the RF602. :)
thank you so much …………. i'll order it now ……..
sorry i have another question ,,,,, from your experience , i want your advise . if i wanna buy a rechargeable battery witch brand you will suggests to me ?????
Depends on how often you shoot. Personally, getting the usual reliable brands like Ansmann, Sanyo Eneloop, Imedion, Sony, etc will be pretty much fool-proof. For convenience, those slow-discharge models are better than the traditional high-capacity ones, I tend to stock up on the low-maintenance ones instead of worrying about charging all the time. Again, depends on your usage frequency.
The key thing is to get a good charger, one that charges each battery individually and monitors the state of each battery instead of those time-based ones. Maja and Ansmann chargers are two of my recommendations (I use the former).
Hi david I wonder if you can help, do you know if the Di622 Mk2 is compatable with a canon G12, I appreciate many of the features associated with DSLRs will not be available, but will it provide TTL flash metering and compensation and operate as a slave unit using the on board flash (manual or not)
I e-mailed Nissin Japan (no reply from UK importers) but they replied that it was 'just mainly made for DSLRs'
Regards John
Hi John,
Yes, this Nissin works just fine with a G12. I\’ve used this with a G10 on-cam and off-cam. You just need to use the SD slave mode for off-cam use (or use radio triggers in Manual slave mode).
Do remember that in PowerShot G-series, when you\’re shooting in Manual (camera setting) mode, your flash (any flash) will not be using ETTL and power adjustments have to be made manually.
David: The newer batches in Singapore are of the 'dark green ' colou already.
Cheers,
Jon from Red Dot Photo
Thanks for the update Jon :)
Hi David, thanks for the input for the 622. Now I'm quite certain to pick one up one of these days. Also note that the MkIIs box sold here in the Philippines are darker and without the sticker.
Really? Thanks for the info. The boxes here are identical for the MK1 and MKII (even the 866 and 466).