Vick I Loc: Texas

If this has already been answered, could someone please point me to the link?

I am planning to buy my first speedlight. Calumet and others have recommended the Nissin 622. Others have strongly recommended staying with a Nikon brand.

My question is this: are there features on a D5000 that I won't be able to use with a Nissin that are available to me with a Nikon brand? I don't think the D5000 is programmed for CLS.

Thanks for your input!

treadwl Loc: South Florida

I shoot Nikons----the main reason I chose Nikon over Canon was because of the flash system that Nikon employed. i thus opted for the dedicated nikon flash units to go with my cameras, I have never regretted it.

I also buy good glass instead of cheap 3rd party lenses. The glass is more important the the camera body---they go out of date quite fast---good glass is always good glass.

In the end this makes all the difference in the world.

Larry

Vick I Loc: Texas

I am still trying to understand the complexities of flash. What makes Nikon so great, and what will it do for me that a third party flash will not do? Thank you for your input.

treadwl Loc: South Florida

OK---this is going to get to be advanced stuff. BUT, I think it is better to know up front and then not have to buy gear twice. First, if al you want is to put a flash on a camera and get a perfect exposure of the kids at cousin Rick's wedding, then any flash will do.

i rarely shoot like that.

To save whites from being blown out, or open up shadows I often am setting my camera's exposure compensation to either plus or minus and thus engaging the camera;s on board internal computer to get correct exposure.

Now comes the flash part. Every Nikon flash made since the digital age began (this opened a whole new world and set of problems due to the type of sensors in the digital cameras) that has a TTL setting will work perfectly at every setting with any modern Nikon camera. I rare use flash at full power (that usually produces the "deer in the headlights" result. The trick is to use flash to make the exposure look completely natural. This means that I may be setting the flash to a negative 2 compensation and asking the camera to expose at a different setting to get the light balance I want. By using all fully compatible great Nikons) everything communicates perfectly--with no extra fuss from me. I want to keep things simple (for me) to get the result I want and my Nikons allow me to do this. Much of my photography is wildlife which often lives in shadows and dense foliage and twilight. I've posted many photos on UHH that have been balanced with flash---no one can tell. That is the result I want. It all looks natural. The same thing works when I shoot a wedding. I don't want a blast of light---but a subtle "kiss" to create a mood. I c an use multiple flashes each at different settings to let me dictate the mood I want---and all my units work together perfectly.

So there you have it---a long story, which I'm sure created a great deal of confusion.


Larry

barryb Loc: Kansas

I ended up with my first digital Nikon because of a set of pictures I saw, and asked him, "how did you do that?' Recently I had a mentoring session and the "Canon" pro was asking which remote device I used to set off the slave unit, and I responded, I don't need another device, I shoot Nikon. As Larry commented, Much of the time you want you want fill light, to balance the other light in the room, instead of a massive blast that lights up everything in its path. I'm almost certain you can get the result you desire with your Nikon, with practice, and the beauty of digital is you can shoot as many shots as you desire, at no cost! One thing to consider, if you are thinking of adding a second flash sometime in the future, get your first flash with a commander mode, a 800 or 900 unit, and then you can set any other flashes output on the 800 or 900 on the back of it, in seconds. When you start being able to do that, that's when you are beginning to go from taking snapshots to pictures that wow others, and people start asking you to come take pictures of them! You probably already know what you like in your pictures, and by looking at the histogram, you can dial up or down your light in every picture, to get just the right balance of light you desire. I do have some pros I follow on Facebook that I love their lighting, and one of them even draws diagrams to show how it sets up his shots. I've learned a tremendous amount from that! Happy shooting!

checkmark

What makes nikon great or any brand for that matter is if your using a brand to start with, its designed for any-said equipment. Example I've git a nikon D-90 the 600,s I've got will fire remotely from the built in flash mounted on the flash.
Although if money is a option then search for the best you can afford, at sometime you'll gone a need, or want it too do the things you want to do.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

It's not necessarily the BEST way but it's the easiest to get started....buy the matching brand for your camera.

In this case Niconn.

It's just easier to sort out when you are a beginner and later on the Niconn's will be great as well when you are doing "strobist" stuff!

sbesaw Loc: Boston

I have two Nikon D3s with Nikon Flashes SB900, 2-SB700, and SB800 and an SB600.

That said I have used the Nissan Di 622 and the Di 866. Make sure that you are buying the newer "Mark II" model. The Nikon version of these are less money, easier to use, fully support Nikon's TTL metering and can be triggered remotely. Wireless Sync uses Wireless Remote Channel 1, Group A so if you need multiple Wireless groups (used to fire different flashes at different out puts) then you should go Nikon. If money is no object buy the Nikon otherwise, save the money, Nissan makes a top notch unit and you won't notice any difference.

Vick I Loc: Texas

The nikon's are just such a lot of money to bite off for someone who is just a hobbyist.

Do you have any comments on the Nissin 622 versus the 866? I know the 866 is more comparable to the SB900. 622 doesn't have high speed sync, but the 866 has a slower recovery time. Any input there?

sbesaw Loc: Boston

According to specs published on Nissan website
Di866 Mark II Recycle Time : 0.1-5.5 sec. (Alkaline, NiMH)
Di622 Mark II Recycling time : 5 sec., with fresh alkaline batteries.

Recycling times vary based on what power the flash is putting out. The 866 is actually faster but at full power, since it puts out more light. GN on 866 is 60m whereas it 44m on 622.

Wouldn't worry about recycle, 866 is more powerful than 622 so it takes longer to recycle at full power. My Nikon SB-900, around $ 420, recycles quickly (Approximately 2.3 seconds - 4.5) but if you rapid fire with it the flash overheats and shuts down. So much for a quick recycle/

The Nissan would be a great choice. Plus it's easy to use and set up. If you want to chat send me a PM with your phone number and I'll give you a call. Let me know what time zone you are in.