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Controversial Flash Question

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Cedarhill

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I used to have an SB-600 flash and I really liked it. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I need to replace it. I am looking for a replacement that offers better value and similar capabilities but a little more power. Does anyone have a recommendation?
 
The SB700 should do a good job for you. I hear of aftermarket units, but have no experience with them.
--

'A man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.'
Winston Churchill
 
My question is controversial because there are a lot of members who feel that Nikon is the only brand that should be used with a Nikon camera. I used to think that about lenses until I finally bought the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and decided it was a far better value than any of the Nikon offerings for essentially the same optical qualities.
 
I am not one of those that think Nikon is the only answer. But, with flashes, I hate to stray from Nikon. Nissin (D622) makes a pretty good flash as does Metz. I have a friend that swears by Metz (Mecablitz 50). The Nissin is a little more powerful than the SB600.

I like the little SB600. It is easy to use and does not add too much weight or bulk to a D90-sized camera. It recycles quickly and works beautifully with the Nikon dSLRs. I've never had an issue where I wanted more power so it makes me wonder what you shoot that requires the extra oomph.
Cedarhill said:
My question is controversial because there are a lot of members who feel that Nikon is the only brand that should be used with a Nikon camera. I used to think that about lenses until I finally bought the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and decided it was a far better value than any of the Nikon offerings for essentially the same optical qualities.
Click to expand...
--
OK, not so purely a hobby.
 
Cedarhill said:
I used to have an SB-600 flash and I really liked it. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I need to replace it. I am looking for a replacement that offers better value and similar capabilities but a little more power. Does anyone have a recommendation?
Click to expand...
I've been using some Sunpak flashes that date back to the dinosaurs, I think. They suit my needs perfectly. I have no idea if their new flashes would have the features you desire, but I would check them out if I was in the market for a new flash.
 
Hi,

At one time I thought my SB800 was dead and I've been looking for alternative, from what I remember the Nissin Di866 was the only one for which I didn't readed incompatibilities or problems.

I also readed that the metz flash (from my old SLR time I owned and loved a lot the Metz flash) problem is that their flash speed is rather slow at full power (not good for freezing subjects).

Finaly my flash was working again so I didn't tried the Nissin, but I think it's the same price than the sb600 but with the sb800 specifications
 
If you need more reach for long lenses, try the Better Beamer flash extender. Many birders (including me) use this device to put some light on our subject, even though we are shooting relatively long distances with flash.

SB600 is very hard to beat for the price. That Nissan model is the only one that I have seen that comes close.

--
Catallaxy
 
I bought a secondhand SB26 off Ebay as a Christmas present to myself for GBP£50. It is not iTTL CLS but - and this is very unusual - it will work together with the pop-up flash or a SB600/SB800 which can be in iTTL mode. I mean to write a longer post about this but have not got round to it yet.

In its day the SB26 was a flagship product. It has 8 auto ranges and its exposure estimation is very good. It has a guide number of 36m @ ISO=100 @ 35mm.

David
Cedarhill said:
I used to have an SB-600 flash and I really liked it. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I need to replace it. I am looking for a replacement that offers better value and similar capabilities but a little more power. Does anyone have a recommendation?
Click to expand...
 
Way back in my days of film Sunpac flash and Nikon cameras worked great. I still have a few that are no longer used. I have found no 3rd party flash that tripped my trigger but others have. My SB900 was way over priced but the SB 600 a great value. Now there is talk the 600 may be discontinued since the more expensive SB 700 arrived. I'm closely watching prices as I will add another SB 600. The 600 works great on the 4 Nikon DSLRs I own. It also works well off camera. Watching the D90s too as I want 1 more of those also.
 
I would stick with the SB-600

Back in the late 70's and early 80's about the only real advantage to the camera makers flash units was generally build quality, you actually got more features and power out flashes by third party makers like Vivitar, Sunpak and Metz. Almost all of the flash units were thyristor controlled and as long as you purchased a "name" brand unit it was usually very good.

As manufacturers have added features and communication between the camera and flash, I have found that generally the camera makers own flash usually works better than the third party. Third party flash units usually do not support all of the functions that the original equipment does. If you do get one that supports all of the functions it's going to be priced very close to the original so why not just get the Nikon flash.

Please make note that I say generally because there are exceptions to every rule.

As for third party lenses, there are some really excellent one's available at lower prices. I have no qualms about using third party glass. I just think that when it comes to speedlights the camera brand is usually a better choice.
--



In god we trust, all others are suspects
 
There is no question I would take the SB-26 over the SB-600.

Besides more power, it has non-TTL auto and slave functions, which are not found on the SB-600. Given the price, I really think those functions should have been included.

I would take the SB-800 over both, though ;-)
David Lal said:
I bought a secondhand SB26 off Ebay as a Christmas present to myself for GBP£50. It is not iTTL CLS but - and this is very unusual - it will work together with the pop-up flash or a SB600/SB800 which can be in iTTL mode. I mean to write a longer post about this but have not got round to it yet.

In its day the SB26 was a flagship product. It has 8 auto ranges and its exposure estimation is very good. It has a guide number of 36m @ ISO=100 @ 35mm.

David
Cedarhill said:
I used to have an SB-600 flash and I really liked it. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I need to replace it. I am looking for a replacement that offers better value and similar capabilities but a little more power. Does anyone have a recommendation?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Patco
A photograph is more than a bunch of pixels
 
... which mirrors my own! Happily I have a SB800 as well and, joy of joys, the SB26 and SB800 can be used together very successfully.

David
Patco said:
Besides more power, it has non-TTL auto and slave functions, which are not found on the SB-600. Given the price, I really think those functions should have been included.

I would take the SB-800 over both, though ;-)
David Lal said:
I bought a secondhand SB26 off Ebay as a Christmas present to myself for GBP£50. It is not iTTL CLS but - and this is very unusual - it will work together with the pop-up flash or a SB600/SB800 which can be in iTTL mode. I mean to write a longer post about this but have not got round to it yet.

In its day the SB26 was a flagship product. It has 8 auto ranges and its exposure estimation is very good. It has a guide number of 36m @ ISO=100 @ 35mm.

David
Cedarhill said:
I used to have an SB-600 flash and I really liked it. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I need to replace it. I am looking for a replacement that offers better value and similar capabilities but a little more power. Does anyone have a recommendation?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Patco
A photograph is more than a bunch of pixels
Click to expand...
 
The apparent lack of a specific recommendation to the Nikon products from a very satisfied user makes me wonder whether a good alternative exists.
 
I got a Sunpak PZ40x flash for X-mass. This is my first flash and it works great. It zooms with the lens, works with iTTL, and it has a manual mode that works well. The recycle time is very slow with regular batteries, but improves greatly with Ni-MH. The build quality was higher than I had expected. I am very satisfied.

-EK
 
SB900, the best flash for CLS.

I have a couple of them and a Sigma 530Super which is a decent unit that will work with the wireless TTL features of Nikon but at a price about the same as the lower power SB600. If you are serious about speedlights however, the SB900 is the way to go.

--
Stan
St Petersburg Russia
 
Patco said:
There is no question I would take the SB-26 over the SB-600.

Besides more power, it has non-TTL auto and slave functions, which are not found on the SB-600. Given the price, I really think those functions should have been included.

I would take the SB-800 over both, though ;-)
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what camera is OP using but, to clear few things:

1. SB600 does have slave function that works perfectly fine with modern Nikon cameras and/or flashes that have "master" function.

2. SB26, as good as it is, will work as a slave with modern Nikons BUT it's exposure can not be controlled from the camera
3. SB26 will not do TTL with modern Nikon cameras. Only manual or auto.

In other words, unless OP is really experienced with flashes, IMHO, SB26 would be bad choice for him.

--
Andrew Kalinowski
Photography: http://www.FotoCanada.ca
Maps: http://www.CanadianMaps.ca
GPS hobby: http://www.GPSNuts.com Recreational
 
GPSMapNut said:
Patco said:
There is no question I would take the SB-26 over the SB-600.

Besides more power, it has non-TTL auto and slave functions, which are not found on the SB-600. Given the price, I really think those functions should have been included.

I would take the SB-800 over both, though ;-)
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what camera is OP using but, to clear few things:

1. SB600 does have slave function that works perfectly fine with modern Nikon cameras and/or flashes that have "master" function.
Click to expand...
It has neither a "dumb" slave function, nor an SU-800 slave function.

It can be used as AWL remote, but only with master flashes (SB-700/800/900) and the built-in flash on cameras (D70 & higher) that support this function.
GPSMapNut said:
2. SB26, as good as it is, will work as a slave with modern Nikons BUT it's exposure can not be controlled from the camera
Click to expand...
It can work as a slave to any flash, and does its own metering. The advantage here is no metering pre-flash, which causes many "blinkers" to have their eyes closed when the photo is taken.
The pre-flash annoys animals, as well ;-)
GPSMapNut said:
3. SB26 will not do TTL with modern Nikon cameras. Only manual or auto.
Click to expand...
Nope, no TTL, but as mentioned, it has non-TTL Auto.
GPSMapNut said:
In other words, unless OP is really experienced with flashes, IMHO, SB26 would be bad choice for him.
Click to expand...
Possibly, possibly not - I used non-TTL Auto (and manual) for many years.
It's not that difficult.

--
Patco
A photograph is more than a bunch of pixels
 
Patco said:
GPSMapNut said:
Patco said:
There is no question I would take the SB-26 over the SB-600.

Besides more power, it has non-TTL auto and slave functions, which are not found on the SB-600. Given the price, I really think those functions should have been included.

I would take the SB-800 over both, though ;-)
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what camera is OP using but, to clear few things:

1. SB600 does have slave function that works perfectly fine with modern Nikon cameras and/or flashes that have "master" function.
Click to expand...
It has neither a "dumb" slave function, nor an SU-800 slave function.
Click to expand...
You are right. SB600 does not have "dumb" slave function. It has a smart slave function that allows it to work with controllers like SU-800 and controllers build in many the cameras. BTW. SU800 does not have a slave function. It's a master controller and it controls SB600 very well.
Member said:
It can be used as AWL remote, but only with master flashes (SB-700/800/900) and the built-in flash on cameras (D70 & higher) that support this function.
Click to expand...
or with an SU800 controller.
Member said:
Member said:
2. SB26, as good as it is, will work as a slave with modern Nikons BUT it's exposure can not be controlled from the camera
Click to expand...
It can work as a slave to any flash, and does its own metering.
Click to expand...
"it's own" is not the same as TTL and far away from BTL
Member said:
The advantage here is no metering pre-flash, which causes many "blinkers" to have their eyes closed when the photo is taken.
The pre-flash annoys animals, as well ;-)
Click to expand...
To avoid pre-flash, one can go to manual mode and SB600 does it. No different than the build in flash.
Member said:
Member said:
3. SB26 will not do TTL with modern Nikon cameras. Only manual or auto.
Click to expand...
Nope, no TTL, but as mentioned, it has non-TTL Auto.
Member said:
In other words, unless OP is really experienced with flashes, IMHO, SB26 would be bad choice for him.
Click to expand...
Possibly, possibly not - I used non-TTL Auto (and manual) for many years.
It's not that difficult.
Click to expand...
Going that route, using manual setting is also no rocket science and I'm sure you also know how to use it. Still, it's not a replacement for a TTL or BTL.
Member said:
--
Patco
A photograph is more than a bunch of pixels
Click to expand...
--
Andrew Kalinowski
Photography: http://www.FotoCanada.ca
Maps: http://www.CanadianMaps.ca
GPS hobby: http://www.GPSNuts.com Recreational
 
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