No Wasted Moves

A few years ago I bought a Nissin 30iZ flash.

The manual was next to useless in terms of explaining how it worked as far as adjusting the power output went. My lack of knowledge at the time lead me to pretty much give up on it except for when I wanted lots of light.

Tonight I had another look at it, chucked in some rechargeable batteries (thanks Aldi, $10!) and tested it out. Turns out it’s not as sucky as I first though.

This thing has three slidey switches. The top two, DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. They are purely cosmetic, adjusting only the ‘display’ on the back.

The bottom switch is the good one. It has four positions, marked O, M, [green] A, [red] A. Useful huh? No, not really. But here’s the thing. This switch is the power adjuster. Here’s what it should be labeled:
Far left, O: OFF
2nd from left, M: Full power – 1/1
2nd from right, [green] A: Half power – 1/2
Far right, [red] A: Quarter power – 1/4

A quick relabeling with the Sharpie, and I’m in business. I have my 2nd battery powered, adjustable power strobe all ready to go.

Awesome!