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Speedlight Recommendations
Dec 27, 2019 10:57:38 #
If you are going to replace the SB600, I'd look at any of the Nikon Speedlights. They are worth it.
--Bob
--Bob
pico wrote:
I have a Nikon D7200 and the SB 600 speedlight. The ongoing problem with the speedlight is the misfiring every 10-15 seconds. I doubt it is worth repairing but am interested in thoughts from any photographers who have had similar problems. I am researching other brands but so far I have not found one that I am comfortable purchasing because of related problems. Thanks for your help.
Dec 27, 2019 12:07:18 #
tcthome wrote:
Are you talking about the time it takes to recharge in between fires/shots? You could check out the Godox line of flashes but, check the specks. If your using full power, see what the recharge time between shots before purchasing. You might have to go for a more expensive flash to get fast recharge times. Good luck.
Ditto on Godox! Excellent Flash. Very well made and for a lot less than you would expect for something this quality!
Dec 27, 2019 12:35:33 #
I’m with bkyser on this one. I have two of the Yongnuo YN685s. I have the SB700. The Nikon is the backup.
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Dec 27, 2019 12:38:19 #
mas24
Loc: Southern CA
CurleyB wrote:
Not the same problem but I have an SB700 and left the batteries in too long. They leaked and it was toast. I sent it into Nikon. For $120 it came back like new, at half what it would have cost me to even buy a used one.
You made out on that lesson learned. Only $120 for a repair to make like New. I think everyone has had battery leaks at one time in their lives. I was able to save a good 3-cell D sized batteries, flash light. Because of leakage. It was a tedious task. It has been mentioned on this forum, at least twice, of photographers leaving AA batteries in their flash units. And excessive leakages were discovered. If that had been a Yongnuo, Godox, or Neweer, it would have been toasted. Permanently.
Dec 27, 2019 13:03:01 #
sandiegosteve
Loc: San Diego, CA
What do you mean by misfiring every 10-15 seconds? It sounds like you are hitting it pretty hard. Are you doing a lot of high power images back to back? TTL? Off camera? What is your trigger? You might just be at the limit of the flash.
The cheap ones are great, but they have limits. If you are up in flash power (say, above 1/4), and you are firing them fast, they will overheat. All flashes are at risk.
I suppose my point is to look at how you are using them to get miss fires at that rate. If you are off camera, going to a studio strobe might help as you will be at a much lower power level. I've become a big fan of the AD200's and AD400's. Depending on what you need to solve, there could be
The cheap ones are great, but they have limits. If you are up in flash power (say, above 1/4), and you are firing them fast, they will overheat. All flashes are at risk.
I suppose my point is to look at how you are using them to get miss fires at that rate. If you are off camera, going to a studio strobe might help as you will be at a much lower power level. I've become a big fan of the AD200's and AD400's. Depending on what you need to solve, there could be
Dec 27, 2019 13:06:00 #
mas24 wrote:
You made out on that lesson learned. Only $120 for a repair to make like New. I think everyone has had battery leaks at one time in their lives. I was able to save a good 3-cell D sized batteries, flash light. Because of leakage. It was a tedious task. It has been mentioned on this forum, at least twice, of photographers leaving AA batteries in their flash units. And excessive leakages were discovered. If that had been a Yongnuo, Godox, or Neweer, it would have been toasted. Permanently.
... and for LESS than $120, you would have an actual NEW flash, not a like new flash. LOL.
People can spend what they want on what they want, and much like the Nikon Vs. Canon, Mac vs. PC, or JPEG vs raw, I don't think we are going to change each other's minds. I made up my own mind, and that works for me.
Dec 27, 2019 14:35:05 #
If any of you have followed any of my posts about speedlights, I must apologize for sounding like a broken record (or a CD with a scratch) but as a guy that used to be in the flash repair business (part-time) I have performed many postmortem examinations on dead a half-dead flash units of various makes and models and have come to the conclusion that most of the current "speedlights" are pretty much the same- give or take a few features.
With the exception of one particular German-made model, I think they are all imported from China and it seems that the models carrying the brand names of our favorite Japanese camera makers have also been outsourced to factories in China. Sometimes I get the feeling that they are ALL made in the same factory but I have no actual proof- just a suspicion. This is not a political or prejudicial statement about China or Chinese-made products. They are what the are- some are quite decent and there have been vast improvements over the years. The last made in Japan speedlights I still own are a few Viviatars and they seem to be unsophisticated but indestructible.
So...in moderate general use, most of the popular brands will probably last for a very long time. If you are an anti-flasher (that's like an anti-vaccer) and only use your flash in a dire emergency, it will probably die of old age due to deformed capacitors rather than hard usage- so save your money and buy a less expensive unit.
If you buy a name camera brand Speedlight, you may be paying a bit more to cover the national advertising OR there might be a bit more quality control (at the outsourced factory) or a slightly better circuitry design. The Godox units seem to have garnered a good reputation among users. If you buy from a reputable dealer, you will have a reasonable warranty and there is some domestic service available on some of the imported units.
If, however, you are a serious flash user consider this. First the broken record part: All the popular Speedlights have a small linear flash tube in confined housing. The poor ventilation will cause premature flash tube failure in heavy use-especially rapid sequence firing and in high speed-sync modes. Obviously, the tube in non-user changeable which also precludes bare-bulb techniques. Most of these units average about 80- watt. seconds, so they derive their effective power from the use of highly polished metal or mirror-Mylar type reflectors. The lighting quality, unless modified, is fairly harsh and unnatural.
Speedlight are nifty gadgets, for what the are. They do offer some great exposure automation when dedicated to the cameras the are designed for. Here's my argument: If you are a serious flash user, before spending between $300 to $500. for a good Speedlight, consider one the portable models with user changeable flash tubes, interchangeable reflectors, more power, longer duty cycles and between charges.
The road 4" parabolic reflector makes quite the difference in lighting quality and is better suited for "feathering", partial bounce techniques and even direct flash usage. When use wit a modifier in, bare-tube mode, more effective light emanates for the sides of a helical or U-shaped flash tube than for the top or for a small linear flash tube.
Traditionally, the units I am describing here were and still are made my Lumadyne, Quantum, and Norman, however, they are in a much higher price bracket. They are worth the investment if you are a serious and heavy user (flash, not narcotics) My Lumadyne units have to be running in heavy usage since 1980. We are now testing the one shown in the attached image for our wedding shooters. They are presently selling in Canada for around $400. (on sale) and probably less in the U.S. There is TTL dedication for Canon and Nikon cameras. Our old Norman and Ascor wide-angle and telephoto reflectors can be adapted to fit the lamp-heads. Somethings to consider!
We have 2 units in for testing. In the Spring and Summer, we will press them into hard use alongside our older units and see how they hold up. In testing around the studio, they are working well.
With the exception of one particular German-made model, I think they are all imported from China and it seems that the models carrying the brand names of our favorite Japanese camera makers have also been outsourced to factories in China. Sometimes I get the feeling that they are ALL made in the same factory but I have no actual proof- just a suspicion. This is not a political or prejudicial statement about China or Chinese-made products. They are what the are- some are quite decent and there have been vast improvements over the years. The last made in Japan speedlights I still own are a few Viviatars and they seem to be unsophisticated but indestructible.
So...in moderate general use, most of the popular brands will probably last for a very long time. If you are an anti-flasher (that's like an anti-vaccer) and only use your flash in a dire emergency, it will probably die of old age due to deformed capacitors rather than hard usage- so save your money and buy a less expensive unit.
If you buy a name camera brand Speedlight, you may be paying a bit more to cover the national advertising OR there might be a bit more quality control (at the outsourced factory) or a slightly better circuitry design. The Godox units seem to have garnered a good reputation among users. If you buy from a reputable dealer, you will have a reasonable warranty and there is some domestic service available on some of the imported units.
If, however, you are a serious flash user consider this. First the broken record part: All the popular Speedlights have a small linear flash tube in confined housing. The poor ventilation will cause premature flash tube failure in heavy use-especially rapid sequence firing and in high speed-sync modes. Obviously, the tube in non-user changeable which also precludes bare-bulb techniques. Most of these units average about 80- watt. seconds, so they derive their effective power from the use of highly polished metal or mirror-Mylar type reflectors. The lighting quality, unless modified, is fairly harsh and unnatural.
Speedlight are nifty gadgets, for what the are. They do offer some great exposure automation when dedicated to the cameras the are designed for. Here's my argument: If you are a serious flash user, before spending between $300 to $500. for a good Speedlight, consider one the portable models with user changeable flash tubes, interchangeable reflectors, more power, longer duty cycles and between charges.
The road 4" parabolic reflector makes quite the difference in lighting quality and is better suited for "feathering", partial bounce techniques and even direct flash usage. When use wit a modifier in, bare-tube mode, more effective light emanates for the sides of a helical or U-shaped flash tube than for the top or for a small linear flash tube.
Traditionally, the units I am describing here were and still are made my Lumadyne, Quantum, and Norman, however, they are in a much higher price bracket. They are worth the investment if you are a serious and heavy user (flash, not narcotics) My Lumadyne units have to be running in heavy usage since 1980. We are now testing the one shown in the attached image for our wedding shooters. They are presently selling in Canada for around $400. (on sale) and probably less in the U.S. There is TTL dedication for Canon and Nikon cameras. Our old Norman and Ascor wide-angle and telephoto reflectors can be adapted to fit the lamp-heads. Somethings to consider!
We have 2 units in for testing. In the Spring and Summer, we will press them into hard use alongside our older units and see how they hold up. In testing around the studio, they are working well.
Dec 27, 2019 15:54:40 #
pico wrote:
I have a Nikon D7200 and the SB 600 speedlight. The ongoing problem with the speedlight is the misfiring every 10-15 seconds. I doubt it is worth repairing but am interested in thoughts from any photographers who have had similar problems. I am researching other brands but so far I have not found one that I am comfortable purchasing because of related problems. Thanks for your help.
I am a portrait photographer and as such I spend most of my time in a studio setting. I shoot both Fuji and Nikon. (D750)
I have used Yongnuo Speedlites for the last four years. I use totally manual flash, so I use the Yongnuo
560-iii. I have 6 of these units. I use the Yongnuo YN560-TX to control them. I have also shot many events with these units and never had a problem. IMO they are really bullet proof!
There are also others on this forum who use Neewer or Godox with very good luck. Hope this helps.
Thanks,
Boone.
Dec 27, 2019 16:42:03 #
pico wrote:
I have a Nikon D7200 and the SB 600 speedlight. The ongoing problem with the speedlight is the misfiring every 10-15 seconds. I doubt it is worth repairing but am interested in thoughts from any photographers who have had similar problems. I am researching other brands but so far I have not found one that I am comfortable purchasing because of related problems. Thanks for your help.
---------
I have had good luck with both Godox and Altura speedlights.
Dec 27, 2019 20:59:01 #
I have a Canon OEM flashl but wanted another flash for travel so I bought a GODOX from BH for under $100 as an experiment to see if something that inexpensive could cut it. Since it worked so well, I bought the more expensive GODOX for about $150, also from BH. Both have served me well. At a shoot I interchanged them and there was little discernible difference between the two ... except price.
Dec 27, 2019 21:52:55 #
I changed to flashpoint(Adorama warranty) because I didn’t want to use just speed lights, got ad360, 860....
Still have sp700-it’s an easy to use flash, wish Nikon build in the 2.4Ghz remote.
If I would use one light I would stick with sp700.
Still have sp700-it’s an easy to use flash, wish Nikon build in the 2.4Ghz remote.
If I would use one light I would stick with sp700.
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Dec 28, 2019 07:05:48 #
Thank you. I also had the leaking batteries' problem. I used a pencil eraser to clean the contacts but now I am wondering if that is why I am still having misfires?
Dec 28, 2019 07:07:53 #
Dec 28, 2019 07:15:33 #
Thank you for your extensive review of speedlights based on your extensive experience. I am not a heavy user of flash photography but the misfires on my SB600 tend to make my subjects "nervous" so to speak. One must be careful of walking in front of the camera. From what research I have done on the internet with various brands (made in China as you so describe), there appears to be many that have similar problems based on the low ratings that I have read. Again, thanks for your information. Not broken record for me!
Dec 28, 2019 07:17:20 #
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