I have a Fuji X-T1 and just came into possession of two PocketWizard Plus IV transceivers.
I don't yet have a flash and was wondering if the Nissin i40 will work with the PocketWizards? If not, what are some recommended flashes under 300 USD?
I don't need TTL and am fine with manual triggering.
You should be able to use the PocketWizards to fire the Nissin i40 using your Fuji X-T1. The only wireless capability you will have is to "fire" the flash. You'll need to set power and zoom directly using the flash's control panel.
You will only be able to use the i40 flash in manual mode with the Fuji when you are using radio triggers. It is also not capable of being optically triggered in TTL mode like the Canon, Nikon, and Sony versions of the i40 are.
The i40 is a fairly small flash and you may find its low power rather limiting, especially with wider lenses. The guide number at 35mm (23mm lens with an APS-C sensor such as the XT-1) and ISO 100 is only 27m. At 105mm (70mm lens for APS-C) and ISO 100 the GN is 40m.
You might also want to check into a replacement for the Fuji EF-X8 that should have been supplied with the XT-1 when it was bought new.
The PocketWizard IVs are manual-only triggers, and ISO-compatible, so you should at least be able to fire an i40 in sync with the camera shutter. Whether the group/zone settings will work is unknown. And you won't have any remote control over the flash settings, such as zoom or power.
However, if you're fine with manual-only, you don't have to get an i40. The i40's virtue is that it can perform TTL (and HSS) on a Fuji X hotshoe. But if you just want to fire a flash manually off-camera, there are a number of more powerful, cheaper, manual-only options. A LumoPro LP180 at the high-reliability end of the spectrum, down to the super-cheapies like the Yongnuo YN-560IV or Godox TT600.
Many of today's manual-only flashes also have remote power control built in, if you use a same-brand transmitter on-camera (e.g., LP180R+Phottix Odin; YN-560IV+YN-560-TX; TT600+X1). But since you already have the Plus IVs, that may be a moot point.
