Nissin Di622 MARK II (For Canon) Flash

I bought this flash to start doing strobist work with my Canon EOS 1100D. I considered the Canon Speedlite 580 EX II, 430 EX II the NISSIN Di866 M2 and Di622 M2. After a lot of research the reasons why I picked this flash are:

- It's as powerful as the Canon 430 EX II (actually just a wee bit more powerful)
- Costs 60% of the 430 which is about the same price as the 866, and it's 40% of the 580 EX II
- TTL and it's an optical slave
- Does everything the 430 EX II can except High Speed Sync (which I don't need)
- It's compatible with the Pixel King for eTTL wireless use if I want to go in for that later (much cheaper than the Pocket Wizzards)
- The build quality is good (It's not as good as the Canon but I find the build quality to be more than sufficient, you will not feel it is cheap, except for the battery door)
- It rotates 180 degrees to the right and 90 to the left which is great for shooting portrait (the 430 seems to go the other way)
- Perfect for bouncing light of walls/ceilings
- The recharge really isn't noisy the way some of the reviews claim.

The disadvantages of this flash, which were not deal breakers for me (they might be for you) are as follows:
- Doesn't have the rock solid build of the Canon
- Can't use an external power source (only the 580 and the 866 do)
- Doesn't rotate 180 to the left
- No High Speed Sync
- The build quality of the battery door is pretty crap (but the rest of the unit is fine)
- It doesn't detect APSC sized senor glass so if you're not using a full frame (and most of us do not use full frame sensor cameras) it will not automatically recalibrate itself to the 1.6 crop factor. Only the Canon Speediltes do that (though it's fairly easy to compensate for this in my opinion so really a non issue)

Overall tough I'm very happy with it and I feel it will be a very useful flash going forward as well. The built in diffuser and bounce card (I love the bounce card) are great bonus.

I bought a set of 2500 mAh batteries with this which are great, but in retrospect I would recommend the Sanyo Eneloop batteries. They hold a charge for much longer even thought the overall capacity is a bit lower. That way you don't need to worry about ensuring you charge them right before you use them each time.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Got this piece from a local vendor in bangalore as I was in a hurry. All my doubts cleared the moment I started using this with my Canon 550D.

The build quality is fine. Should last good.It has retractable diffuser and white reflector. Can rotate 270 and swivel 90. The controls are simple. Has 4 modes for Auto, Digital, Film and Slave. Also you can setup manual levels too.

This lens is ETTL compatible and works well with my stock 18-55 canon lens. After using it for nearly 700 shots I feel this flash is perfectly suitable for casual use. Indoor photos look great. But in out-door, it shows its limitations. The light fill is bit in-adequate. This is the only con I found with this piece.

Other than this, I did not find any cons. You can use this as digital slave, making a fantastic companion. Oh last but not least - with 4 eneloop 2000 mAH batteries this baby lasts for upto ~350 shots!

Works great and is cheaper than the similarly spec'd canon speed lights. Even illumination and the ability to work as a slave flash is awesome. Can be easily controlled from the menu in the 60D and the buttons in the back are intuitive enough without a display - with the LED color change depicting mode of operation.

The head can be turned 90deg in either side, cannot be turned all the way around which can be done with some canon models. This though is not a deal breaker as I think we can use it as a slave pointing backwards.

initial testing shows that the flash can illuminate a small toy placed in a dark room, nearly 25 ft away from where i was seated.

it is slightly noisy in focus and recharge but i can live with that. it is well built for the price.

Powerful flash, more than the rated Guide Number 44 (ISO 100) at 105mm, though slightly noisy, providing an audible cue.

Sturdy construction. Essential buttons with coloured LED indicators, no LCD panel, that can be seen clearly in the dark and from a distance. Doesn't detect nor adjust for sensor size, i.e. APS-C.

In digital slave mode, synchronises with the Canon's every time. No other attachments required.

For 8000 it is the best flash available for canon slr's with E-ttl.
Automatic mode is so efficient that u dont have to do anything explicit except attaching flash to camera.
Build quality is great.
Check out all the reviews available on internet u wont be disappointed. :D