Buying my first flash, recommendations?

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Sevenup

Senior Member
I've been looking at adding an on camera flash. Are there benefits to staying with Nikon for flash? Budget is in play so if I were to stay with Nikon I'd be looking at used. Locally I was recently looking at a used SB800 for about a hundred and twenty less than a used SB910.

I'd just like some opinions on this!
 
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SteveH

Senior Member
I just bought a Yongnuo 565ex II for £75, and I am very happy with it - Much lower cost than the equivalent Nikon SB700 (£220 - ish).
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Another Yongnuo 565EX user here. Love it. Plenty of power (SB700 level), all the cool bells and whistles, it's well built and costs a fraction of what a Nikon branded flash would.

....
 
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carguy

Senior Member
Sevenup said:
I've been looking at adding an on camera flash. Are there benefits to staying with Nikon for flash? Budget is in play so if I were to stay with Nikon I'd be looking at used. Locally I was recently looking at a used SB800 for about a hundred and twenty less than a used SB910.

I'd just like some opinions on this!
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What is said budget? People often confuse the word 'budget' with low-cost or cheap.

If you can afford the Nikon models, go for it. If not, look at Yongnuo :)

Plan to use it on camera (TTL required) or off camera in manual? Makes a difference as well.
 
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Sevenup

Senior Member
I would say $250.

I was debating the fact I could get 1 used sb800 or two Yongnuos... Trying to decide without experience now what I will be happy with in the future is hard!
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a SB-800, except maybe the price, which was $325 before they were discontinued. I have a couple nine years old, still going strong, still my favorites.

Budgets are a different story, and if money is tight right now, the Yongnuo YN565EX is unimaginably good for its $98. It is no Nikon, there are a few minor rough edges, which don't matter much, but it delivers performance, and it is an unbelievable deal for $98. See Review of the Yongnuo YN565EX Speedlight, for sort of a comparison with SB-800.
 
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RocketCowboy

Senior Member
WayneF said:
Budgets are a different story, and if money is tight right now, the Yongnuo YN565EX is unimaginably good for its $98. It is no Nikon, there are a few minor rough edges, which don't matter much, but it delivers performance, and it is an unbelievable deal for $98. See Review of the Yongnuo YN565EX Speedlight, for sort of a comparison with SB-800.
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Wayne ... what are your thoughts if comparing the Yongnuo YN565EX to the SB-700 (instead of the SB-800)?
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
My first thought is the SB-700 price will buy three YN565. :)

Second is that the YN565 is about 1/2 stop stronger - like the SB-800 (except SB-700 DX mode will equalize them, but only for direct flash, which is not a factor for off camera use).

The SB-700 offers Nikons polish, and a few more features, commander mode and GN flash mode, and of course, a warranty and after-warranty service. First two are probably not main line interests, and the YN price makes it sort of an expendable commodity. :)

And I forgot, SB-700 does HSS FP mode. YN565 does not, but 568 does.

Either ought to do almost all jobs expected.
 
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rangioran

Senior Member
When I got my first Nikon DSLR I bought a SB-700 to go with it. I swapped camera's but kept the 700, just bought another to pair it. Yes - you can get cheaper, but you didn't buy a cheap copy camera so why buy a cheap copy flash?
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
I have one YN565EX, one YN560 III, one YN560-TX, 2 Yongnuo RF 603n II triggers, and I wouldn't part with them for anything! I'll even be adding another YN560 III at the end of the month, I like them that much! I had an SB-700 at one time....sold it. :)
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
Geoffc said:
Wayne

Excuse my ignorance but what is the DX mode advantage you are referring to?
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My statement may not have been the most clear possible. :)

If we put a 50mm lens on a FX camera, then it sees the wider field of view width we call 50mm equivalent (equivalent to FX).

If we put same 50mm lens on a DX camera, due to the 1.5x crop factor, then it sees a cropped (more narrow) field of view we call 50 x 1.5 = 75 mm equivalent (DX with 50mm lens is equivalent of field of view of a 75 mm lens on FX).

It is still the same lens, still obviously 50mm, but with the same lens, the cropped DX sensor sees a smaller area, like a FX sensor would see with a 75 mm lens (called equivalent, meaning field of view).

With a zoom lens, as we zoom in to a more narrow view with the lens, the flash with zoom follows it, same zoom values, to concentrate the beam into a smaller but brighter beam. The flash need not cover a wider area than the lens can see.

Some flash models (SB-700 and SB-910 for example) also have a DX mode. So basically, then when using this 50 lens on a DX camera, they can zoom the flash to 75mm (a smaller concentrated beam that is a bit stronger). That will still cover the smaller scene area that the cropped sensor sees.

So my meaning was, on a DX camera, this concentrated DX beam could "equalize" a weaker but concentrated flash (SB-700 that has DX mode) with one a bit stronger that did not do the extra DX zoom. The SB-700 is a bit weaker flash, but on a DX camera (for direct flash), it can be a bit stronger.

Not always true, for example, if the opposite... if we zoomed the DX wider to see the same FX view, then this advantage is lost. This would seem more usually the case, instead of the first case. So maybe not a valid DX/FX comparison, but the DX zoom does help the flash on a DX camera (direct flash). Specifically, it uses the FX 24mm flash zoom on the DX lens 16mm zoom setting.

I think the Yongnuo YN565EX is supposed to have the DX mode... it has the DX menu, but which does not work on my Nikon version, simply is not implemented. I am guessing perhaps the Canon version has it?
 
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