Nissin MF18 II Ring Flash for Dental Photography and Medical Photography (Dentistry and Medical Photo Applications)

Dental Macro Ring Flash


Why Use a Ring Flash for Dental Photography or Medical Photography?

Ring flashes are powerful lights that produce illumination evenly around the camera's lens.  When a ring flash is used for close-up macro photography, such as intra oral dental photography and medical photography, it produces a flat, balanced light that eliminates unwanted shadows by illuminating the teeth from every direction. 

Ring flashes also produce the power required to illuminate a patient’s mouth while maintaining the depth of field necessary to keep a patient’s teeth in sharp focus.  Depth-of-field refers to the depth of area in a photographic image that appears to be in sharp focus. 

In other medical photographic applications, ring flashes provide a bright, flat and even light that illuminates the entire photographed area with high detail.

Why Not Use an LED Constant Light/LED Constant Ring Light?

A ring flash, such as the Nissin MF18 II, produces a short burst of light that is more powerful (emits more light) than a constant LED ring light, and the Nissin MF18 II delivers 12 f/stops (+1200%) more light than a typical LED ring light.  The additional power provided by a ring flash allows for the smaller camera/lens apertures required to produce better, sharper images of all the teeth in a subject's mouth.

While LED ring lights are good for video applications where lower light output it acceptable, they emit only a fraction of the light necessary to photograph a patient’s mouth.  LED ring lights are simply too weak to use for intra oral photography where small apertures (f/22 or f/32) are required to produce sharp in-focus images of a patient’s teeth. 

The Nissin MF18 II is a "ring flash" not a "ring light" (which usually refers to a constant LED ring light).

Why Choose the Nissin MF18 II Macro Ring Flash?

Cross Polarization Filter with Snap-On Magnetic Mount

Nissin's Cross Polarization Filter is a single-piece accessory for the Nissin MF18 II Ring Flash, combining a polarizing filter for your lens in the center with polarized glass surrounding it for the ring flash itself. This dedicated cross-polarization filter set delivers excellent glare suppression, eliminating blown-out highlights to faithfully reveal your subject's true textures and details.

Diagnostic-grade clarity — Cross-polarization eliminates the glare and hot spots that saliva and enamel create under direct flash, so you capture true tooth shade, texture, and surface detail for accurate documentation and case presentation.

Built for intraoral precision — The fixed 90° polarization pairing is optimized for close-range clinical photography, cutting through reflections in tight, wet environments where standard flash falls short.

Fast, reliable chair-side use — The one-piece, pre-aligned design attaches with a snap-on magnetic mount and includes a safety strap, so it's ready to grab between patients with no setup or realignment needed.

Camera Compatibility/TTL System Compatibility

Nissin MF18 II macro ring flashes are available with full TTL metering support for Canon, Nikon, and Sony camera systems. Use our camera compatibility search to confirm your camera model's compatibility.

Ease-of-Use

The Nissin MF18 II Macro Ring Flash is extremely easy to use in Auto or TTL mode.  Simply slide the controller into your camera's hot shoe and clip the ring flash to the adapter ring on the camera's lens. You're ready to start shooting and get consistently accurate exposures.

Power

With a guide number of 16 (meters) the Nissin MF18 II is the most powerful macro ring flash in its class. For intra oral dental photography, where the greatest depth of field is required to produce sharp in-focus images of a patient’s teeth, the MF18 II delivers the power you need to shoot at f/22 or f/32 with industry standard 85mm or 100mm macro lenses.

Control

The Nissin MF18 II’s accurate TTL metering, precision manual control, well diffused and balanced light, and consistent 5600K color distinguish it from less powerful macro ring flashes and LED ring lights.  For those who want fine control over the MF18 II's light output, the following TTL and manual adjustments are available:

  • TTL compensation -3.0 to +3.0 in 1/3 EV steps
  • Manual power from 1/1 to 1/64 in 1/3 EV steps
  • Fine Macro power from 1/128 to 1/1024 in 1/6 EV steps
  • A:B (left:right) adjustment in Manual or TTL shooting modes

Premium Professional Build Quality Supported by Nissin's Limited US Warranty

Every version of the Nissin MF18 II Macro Ring Flash, including the Sony multi-interface shoe version, features a durable metal hot shoe. 

Nissin Digital and ExpoImaging support the Nissin MF18 II with a 1 year limited US warranty.

More information about the Nissin MF18 II Macro Ring Flash is available on the Nissin MF18 II product page.