Review on 📸 Nikon Macro Ring Flash: MEKE MK-14EXT-N I-TTL Compatibility, LED AF Assist Lamp by Ryan Person

I've just finished my first session with Nikon's MEKE-MK-14EXT-N I-TTL Macro Ring Flash. I've read that it's best to buy the version designed for your camera and the flash seems to work great with the lens. I can see an indicator in the viewfinder showing that the flash has been detected. By the way, I use a Nikon D850 with a Tamron 180mm macro lens. The first thing I shot was a tropical fish through glass with some algae in it. When the fish were close to the glass the dirty glass was clearly visible in the photos, but when they were further from the glass the camera seemed to focus perfectly and the flash was automatically set for the correct exposure. Use the automatic settings on both the camera and the flash. Then I went outside to photograph some small flowers. Again, the flash did what it was supposed to, evenly illuminating the subject with white light (not blue, not yellow). The menus and controls are easy to use without looking at the manual. The left/right adjustment is awesome. You can install more flash on one side or the other. And the lamp setting includes two spot LEDs to help you focus when shooting in low light. The downside is that the rings that connect the flash to the lens are fairly soft plastic and probably not perfectly formed, so I used a 72mm ring. It was very difficult to line up the streams. Be patient and don't force it. There are rings for different filter sizes, from small (maybe 52mm to large 77mm), and the flash itself is only slightly larger than 72mm, so on my 77mm (24-120mm lens with a 77mm filter ring size), the flash caused black corner rings (looks like Vining) for all focal lengths less than about 100-120mm. (I just checked again, I see rings starting around 90mm at F22). My 180mm lens with a 72mm filter thread worked great. Another downside is that the flash clip that connects to the threaded ring isn't very tight. If you want the flash to stay in a certain position, you have to struggle with the elasticity of the coiled cable between the flash and the control unit on the hot shoe. Once it comes loose it should be fine, but I want it to tighten up.