Flash use on the Nikon Z7

Since the Z7 is a fairly new camera model, not only for me, but for every other Nikon Z7 user also, the knowledge about how well it works with different flashes and triggers is limited. I decided to test my flashes, not because I don't trust Nikon, but because I have a two non-Nikon products also and I don't know how well they work with the Z7. These two are the JY610N, which is a sort of SB-400 clone, and a Meike MK-14EXT ring flash. Both of these worked perfectly on the D800 I had before, and both showed up in the EXIF data as if they were an SB-900 flash.

There are no surprises regarding the original Nikon flashes I have, the SB-700 and the SB-900, both of them work as described in the manual of the Z7. What I need to see is how well the cloned products behave on the Z7, and here I found out a few surprises.

The image to the left was used as reference image to test the exposure to see if iTTL works as it supposed to be.


All the pictures are all clickable if you want to see a larger image.

The Nikon SB-700 and SB900

As said before, both of them work individually, or in any combination just as described in the manual of the camera. The only thing that is not working is the AF assist LED, but this is known and is as expected.

It seems also that the SB-700 and the SB-900 together with the Yongnuo YN622N kit seems to work well in all modes, iTTL and manual, single or dual flash, compensation and so on. Once again, the only thing not working is the AF assist LED which is built in the Yongnuo YN622N kit units, but again, this is as expected.

The EXIF of the image always shows that the SB-900 is used, even with the YN622N-TX.

The JY610N is not working in iTTL mode. It worked on the D800 but not the Z7. The flash fires at full power all the time, no TTL pre-flash, and the flash is not showing up in the EXIF. As a consequence, images taken with it are overexposed, unless switched to manual mode.

So, if you consider a small flash to be kept in your pocket just in case you need one, don't bother buying this one.

The Meike MK-14EXT ring flash works also only in manual mode, which I think is sad because it is my only ring flash. I don't understand what is happening, because the flash is not firing at all in iTTL mode. In manual mode it works perfectly well, so I can still use it, but it is annoying that it is not working in iTTL mode.

Using any flash in manual mode is pretty easy, but of course, many times iTTL is an advantage, especially for people who don't have a flash meter or must change shooting distance often.

How to fool the camera

The Z7 can be fooled to believe that these flashes are also SB-900 flashes if the flash is placed in the YN622N trigger and triggered with the help of the YN622N TX.

This combination works with the JY610N, just as the SB-900. The only thing is that using the flash this way is sort of pointless because it is no longer a pocket-able small flash so I might as well use the SB-700 or the SB-900. Never the less, it works well this way.

The Meike MK-14EXT ring flash can also be used in full iTTL mode if the flash is on a YN622N trigger.

This is a usable, but an inconvenient alternative because whenever I want to use it I must add also a bracket to be able to hold everything and to be able to handle the camera at the same time. This is OK, though I would prefer if it was not needed. But at least I know how to use it in TTL mode if I want to.

Of course, in all cases when the YN622N is used, the flash information in the EXIF still claims that it is an SB-900, regardless which flash it is triggering. This doesn't really matter as long as it works in iTTL mode.

My older flashes are all made for film cameras, and they work just like they worked on my old film cameras.