5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Flash — Powerful, Easy to Use, and Super Convenient

2026-02-28    -Paige Turner

I’ve been using the ZA12 Camera Flash Light on several shoots now, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite accessories. For the price and performance, this flash is hard to beat.What I Love:Great power and consistency: The flash output is impressively bright and reliable. It fires consistently from shot to shot, and I’ve gotten excellent results in both indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.Dual-dial control: The intuitive dual-dial setup makes adjusting power levels fast and easy. I don’t need to dig through menus — just twist the dials and go. Perfect for fast-paced shooting.Lightweight and portable: This flash is very lightweight and compact, so it doesn’t weigh down my camera bag or rig. It’s easy to carry all day on events or weddings.Single-contact hot-shoe simplicity: It slides right onto the camera and works instantly — no complicated setup, just reliable performance.USB-C charging is amazing: Having Type-C charging built-in means I never have to deal with bulky spare batteries or chargers. A quick charge and I’m ready to go again.Good battery life: The internal battery holds up well through long sessions, and I haven’t experienced any drop-off in power even after many flashes.Minor Observation:Honestly, there’s very little to complain about at this point. If anything, I wish it had a bit more advanced customization (like zoom head control), but at this price and performance level it’s really a minor wish list item — not a flaw.Summary: This ZA12 flash is highly capable, user-friendly, and portable — everything you want in an on-camera light. It’s powerful enough for most photography needs, very simple to operate, and incredibly convenient with USB-C charging. I’m genuinely impressed and would highly recommend it to both hobbyists and pros looking for a reliable flash they can count on.

5.0 out of 5 stars ⚡ Compact Manual Camera Flash with Creative Control

2026-02-08    -Photoid

🟢 First impressionThis flash immediately feels like a modern take on a classic idea. It’s compact, lightweight, and surprisingly powerful for its size. Everything needed is included in the box — a charging cable, a soft carrying pouch, and a diffuser — which makes it feel complete and ready to use right away.⭐ What stands outOutput is impressive for such a small flash and easily competes with larger units in many everyday shooting situations. The built-in rechargeable battery is convenient, charging via USB-C in about an hour, and removes the need for disposable batteries.The most interesting part is the control concept. Instead of a traditional single power scale (full power down to 1/64), this flash uses three control parameters: aperture (f-stops), flash duration, and ISO. There is no physical aperture in the flash itself, of course — f-stops are taken from the camera settings and manually matched on the flash. Flash duration and ISO are adjusted separately, with ISO copying the camera value, which is why this mode is referred to as “automatic.” It’s an unusual but creative approach that encourages thinking about flash exposure in photographic terms rather than just power levels.⚙️ Room for improvementThis is a fully manual flash, and the control logic may feel unconventional at first. Photographers used to simply dialing flash power from full to fractional levels may not immediately see a practical advantage to the f-stop–based system. The learning curve is not steep, but it is different, and some users may prefer the simplicity of traditional power control.🎯 Bottom lineA compact, powerful, and thoughtfully designed flash that offers a fresh approach to manual control. Solid output, fast USB-C charging, and a complete accessory set make it very appealing. The three-parameter control system won’t be for everyone, but for photographers who enjoy hands-on exposure control, it’s an interesting and capable alternative to conventional flashes.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice compact flash, perfect for a backup, may be tricky to learn to use

2026-01-19    -Just Larry with my 2 cents

I received this camera flash so I could give it my honest review. My initial thoughts are-- it’s very small for a flash-- the dials look retro and somewhat confusingI have several Canon DSLR’s and a number of external flashes, including one very good flash that is several times larger than this one. So I was looking forward to seeing what this flash can really do. This flash could easily fit in a shirt pocket as an extra flash (in case something happened to the main flash) or easily carried as a second flash in a camera bag.I took it out of the box and immediately powered it on, it came with a good charge, then pressed the test button to see a bright flash right off. I pressed the button several times in a row and got a quick flash each time. The dials on top are easy to turn and understand, at least at a basic level. The instructions give a little more information, but could certainly be better as people who do not have experience with manual flashes would find this hard to understand.I connected it to the hotshoe of one of my cameras and it flashed without a problem when I took a picture. It has been many years since I used a manual flash but once I dialed it in, the pictures came out nice and bright.I am very impressed by the strength of the flash, for such a small unit. I do not believe this will light up a room, like some larger flashes can do, but this is plenty good enough for portraits and group shots or even action shots within, by my estimate, 15-20 feet.I like that this is a rechargeable flash using a USB-C cable. My main flash uses 4-AA batteries and on more than one occasion those batteries have died (which is why I now carry extra in my bag). I will carry this as my backup flash in my camera bag now.The flash comes with a small diffuser that fits snugly over the flash face and does a good job softening the flash if it’s too sharp for your needs.The only drawback that I can find, which may be a big one for some, is the use of the dials to set the strength of the flash. It is based on the F stop (Dial 1) and strength (Dial 2). When using the black numbers this would be the ISO setting of the image being shot. Setting these two values is considered “Auto” mode (not truly automatic when compared to many modern flashes). On the ISO dial there are red numbers which is the strength of the flash (from FULL power down to 1/64th power) and is considered “Manual” mode.Another potential problem is that there is no lock for the flash to hold it in place on the hot shoe. For a flash this small, it may not be required like larger flashes but sure felt strange to not have one after using flashes for over 40 years.I will give this a 4/5, primarily because it’s so small and bright but can be confusing with the dials as well as slow if the light is changing around the image being shot.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Flash — Powerful, Easy to Use, and Super Convenient

2026-01-05    -Paige Turner

I’ve been using the ZA12 Camera Flash Light on several shoots now, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite accessories. For the price and performance, this flash is hard to beat.What I Love:Great power and consistency: The flash output is impressively bright and reliable. It fires consistently from shot to shot, and I’ve gotten excellent results in both indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.Dual-dial control: The intuitive dual-dial setup makes adjusting power levels fast and easy. I don’t need to dig through menus — just twist the dials and go. Perfect for fast-paced shooting.Lightweight and portable: This flash is very lightweight and compact, so it doesn’t weigh down my camera bag or rig. It’s easy to carry all day on events or weddings.Single-contact hot-shoe simplicity: It slides right onto the camera and works instantly — no complicated setup, just reliable performance.USB-C charging is amazing: Having Type-C charging built-in means I never have to deal with bulky spare batteries or chargers. A quick charge and I’m ready to go again.Good battery life: The internal battery holds up well through long sessions, and I haven’t experienced any drop-off in power even after many flashes.Minor Observation:Honestly, there’s very little to complain about at this point. If anything, I wish it had a bit more advanced customization (like zoom head control), but at this price and performance level it’s really a minor wish list item — not a flaw.Summary: This ZA12 flash is highly capable, user-friendly, and portable — everything you want in an on-camera light. It’s powerful enough for most photography needs, very simple to operate, and incredibly convenient with USB-C charging. I’m genuinely impressed and would highly recommend it to both hobbyists and pros looking for a reliable flash they can count on.

5.0 out of 5 stars ⚡ Compact Manual Camera Flash with Creative Control

2025-12-23    -Photoid

🟢 First impressionThis flash immediately feels like a modern take on a classic idea. It’s compact, lightweight, and surprisingly powerful for its size. Everything needed is included in the box — a charging cable, a soft carrying pouch, and a diffuser — which makes it feel complete and ready to use right away.⭐ What stands outOutput is impressive for such a small flash and easily competes with larger units in many everyday shooting situations. The built-in rechargeable battery is convenient, charging via USB-C in about an hour, and removes the need for disposable batteries.The most interesting part is the control concept. Instead of a traditional single power scale (full power down to 1/64), this flash uses three control parameters: aperture (f-stops), flash duration, and ISO. There is no physical aperture in the flash itself, of course — f-stops are taken from the camera settings and manually matched on the flash. Flash duration and ISO are adjusted separately, with ISO copying the camera value, which is why this mode is referred to as “automatic.” It’s an unusual but creative approach that encourages thinking about flash exposure in photographic terms rather than just power levels.⚙️ Room for improvementThis is a fully manual flash, and the control logic may feel unconventional at first. Photographers used to simply dialing flash power from full to fractional levels may not immediately see a practical advantage to the f-stop–based system. The learning curve is not steep, but it is different, and some users may prefer the simplicity of traditional power control.🎯 Bottom lineA compact, powerful, and thoughtfully designed flash that offers a fresh approach to manual control. Solid output, fast USB-C charging, and a complete accessory set make it very appealing. The three-parameter control system won’t be for everyone, but for photographers who enjoy hands-on exposure control, it’s an interesting and capable alternative to conventional flashes.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice compact flash, perfect for a backup, may be tricky to learn to use

2026-02-09    -Just Larry with my 2 cents

I received this camera flash so I could give it my honest review. My initial thoughts are-- it’s very small for a flash-- the dials look retro and somewhat confusingI have several Canon DSLR’s and a number of external flashes, including one very good flash that is several times larger than this one. So I was looking forward to seeing what this flash can really do. This flash could easily fit in a shirt pocket as an extra flash (in case something happened to the main flash) or easily carried as a second flash in a camera bag.I took it out of the box and immediately powered it on, it came with a good charge, then pressed the test button to see a bright flash right off. I pressed the button several times in a row and got a quick flash each time. The dials on top are easy to turn and understand, at least at a basic level. The instructions give a little more information, but could certainly be better as people who do not have experience with manual flashes would find this hard to understand.I connected it to the hotshoe of one of my cameras and it flashed without a problem when I took a picture. It has been many years since I used a manual flash but once I dialed it in, the pictures came out nice and bright.I am very impressed by the strength of the flash, for such a small unit. I do not believe this will light up a room, like some larger flashes can do, but this is plenty good enough for portraits and group shots or even action shots within, by my estimate, 15-20 feet.I like that this is a rechargeable flash using a USB-C cable. My main flash uses 4-AA batteries and on more than one occasion those batteries have died (which is why I now carry extra in my bag). I will carry this as my backup flash in my camera bag now.The flash comes with a small diffuser that fits snugly over the flash face and does a good job softening the flash if it’s too sharp for your needs.The only drawback that I can find, which may be a big one for some, is the use of the dials to set the strength of the flash. It is based on the F stop (Dial 1) and strength (Dial 2). When using the black numbers this would be the ISO setting of the image being shot. Setting these two values is considered “Auto” mode (not truly automatic when compared to many modern flashes). On the ISO dial there are red numbers which is the strength of the flash (from FULL power down to 1/64th power) and is considered “Manual” mode.Another potential problem is that there is no lock for the flash to hold it in place on the hot shoe. For a flash this small, it may not be required like larger flashes but sure felt strange to not have one after using flashes for over 40 years.I will give this a 4/5, primarily because it’s so small and bright but can be confusing with the dials as well as slow if the light is changing around the image being shot.