Which flash should i buy ?

Shahed1

Senior Member
I m newbie in terms of Flash ... I cant afford Nikon flashes due to high price ... can u suggest me cheap price flash for my D7100 ?


.Thanks In Advance
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Look at Yongnuo flashes. I have the YN568EX which has pretty much all of the capabilities that the D7100 can utilize without using radio triggers. Yongnuo also has some nice radio triggers if you get deeper into your flash interests and want to use multiple flashes.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
What about the warranty issues on Yongnuo flashes I read about on the internet. The Yongnuo US distributor only warrants equipment purchased directly from them, saying to contact the seller for warranty issues. B&H says to contact the manufacturer for warranty issues. Yongnuo apparently requires the customer to pay shipping costs to and from China (lots of money, plus a long turnaround).

Are there any good Nikon replacement flashes NOT made in China?
 
There is a good Yongnuo dealer in the USA. http://yongnuousa.net/ He has a great reputation and is willing to help people with any questions thry might have. I think he has been on this site before. The guys name is Tim Payne if I remember correctly
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
What about the warranty issues on Yongnuo flashes I read about on the internet. The Yongnuo US distributor only warrants equipment purchased directly from them, saying to contact the seller for warranty issues. B&H says to contact the manufacturer for warranty issues. Yongnuo apparently requires the customer to pay shipping costs to and from China (lots of money, plus a long turnaround).

Are there any good Nikon replacement flashes NOT made in China?
Heh... Well it's not like Nikon's customer service/turn around time for warranty repair is any kind of Gold Standard, I assure you. Shipping? They might pick it up. And just because your item was sent it in while still under warranty does not necessarily mean you get a free repair. Oh no. Not by a loooong shot.

Combined with the fact I can buy three or four Yongnuo flashes for the price of one lower-end Nikon unit, it's a risk I'm willing to take.
 
Heh... Well it's not like Nikon's customer service/turn around time for warranty repair is any kind of Gold Standard, I assure you. Shipping? They might pick it up. And just because you sent it in while still under warranty does not mean you get a free repair. Oh no. Not by a loooong shot.

Combined with the fact I can buy three or four Yongnuo flashes for the price of one lower-end Nikon unit, it's a risk I'm willing to take.


I bought the Nikon SB700 first because I did not know any better BUT my second speedlight was a Yongnuo. The price I paid for the SB700 would have bought The Nikon SB700 is $325 My Yongnuo YN-565EX was $81. I could have bought 3 of the YN-565 plus the radio triggers for the price of the 1 Nikon SB700

Don't get me wrong the Nikon is a very nice flash but I really can't tell the difference in the results between the 2 flashes.
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
I really haven't had any issues with my flash under very limited use, but for the much lower price than Nikon even if there wasn't a warranty I feel I would be money ahead. Many on here are using Yongnuo flashes and have not had any problems. I feel it is a very good product with it's performance history and for the price. As [MENTION=6277]Don Kuykendall[/MENTION] stated, Tim Payne is very helpful and knowledgeable. He has the Yongnuo site and a FB page.

When I was looking for a flash, I also looked at Neewer VK750II (I think that was the one). @WayneF had a great write up on in it in the Flash sub-forum here.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Don't get me wrong the Nikon is a very nice flash but I really can't tell the difference in the results between the 2 flashes.
Pretty much my story as well... We have at least one SB-700 at my place and yeah, it's a nice unit, certainly no complaints. That being said, we simply find the Yonguno flashes easier to work with and the output appears just as good as the SB-700.
 

Danno

Senior Member
I have to agree with the Yonguno Flashes. I have been very impressed with mine and the price is difficult to beat. It will be the next one I buy, when and if I need a replacement or addition.
 

Osantacruz

Senior Member
I have a Yongnuo 568 but unfortunately after a couple months, the flash no longer works properly. It shoots at full power on TTL and manual. No change seem to affect it anymore no matter what settings I use. I would probably look at the newer YN685 since it's still quite inexpensive and is a full featured flash. If you want a good 3 light system, I'd highly recommend the yn-560 IV and tx. That setup has been very reliable for me though it is manual only. Not an issue in a studio environment.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Yongnuo is hard to beat, even by Nikon.

Some Neewer is good, but Neewer is a mixed bag, importing flashes from different manufacturers... I returned a Neewer NW-985N (actually a Triopo TR985N), it had mulitple poorly done features (HSS mostly poor, some Commander). Basic TTL and Manual worked OK.
But the Neewer VK750 was a very pleasant surprise, very decent, well worth its low price. It is made by Meike. Reviews at signature link below.

The major thing I miss on third party flashes is that Nikon flashes blink a warning or beep when the TTL power capacity is insufficient (underexposure). This tells you increasing compensation cannot work, you need to adapt to the situation. I have not seen that on third party flashes (probably a communication issue, perhaps proprietary?)

And sometimes little features are not there, for example, third party flash may not blink the viewfinder ready indicator...
Or Manual distance scale only shows meters, etc. Nothing we can't live without.

But most of the third party I've seen are very capable flashes. I really see no reason to look beyond Yongnuo.

One feature they don't have, which is a good thing, is that they don't respond to TTL BL metering reducing the flash level when the dumb D-lens reports grossly wrong distance information. Nikon designs their flash system that way, but their zoom lenses cannot report accurate distance info. They use it anyway. Hard to fathom... So Nikon flashes are pitiful about that, but the third party flashes don't do it, no problem. Here is one discussion about it:
Non-Nikon brand flashes bypass the TTL BL Zoom Problems
 
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I didn't hear anybody mention the Nissin Di866? It's got basically every feature that the SB-900 has and you save quite a bit. Radio-controlled right from the D7100 and it has optical too. Both good for off-camera or on-camera. One thing I like a lot, is it has a 'fill-flash' on the front that the Nikon units don't have. My first one died on me, but B&H replaced it right away free of all charges and this one has been working great. The menu system is easier to use than the Nikon units too.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/765549-REG/Nissin_ND866MKII_N_Di866_Mark_II_Flash.html
 
I was packing up all my gear for a shoot this weekend. I was telling the favorite wife that she would be shooting at the reception along with me and show her the speedlight she would be using. I have a Nikon and a Yongnuo. I told her they both do the same thing and work the same way. virtually no difference except I could buy 3 of the Yongnuos for the price of 1 of the Nikons.

Will be using the GaryFong on both of them Saturday. Going to look good
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Several days ago I sent an email to Yongnuo USA asking them:

If I buy a Yongnuo flash from you, how is the warranty handled?

1. You replace the defective unit immediately
2. You repair the unit locally
3. You send the unit to China for repair. If this is the case, what kind of shipping is used, what is the average turnaround time, and who pays the shipping?

To date have not received a reply. So tonight, I just sent them one again. We will see!
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Several days ago I sent an email to Yongnuo USA asking them:

If I buy a Yongnuo flash from you, how is the warranty handled?

1. You replace the defective unit immediately
2. You repair the unit locally
3. You send the unit to China for repair. If this is the case, what kind of shipping is used, what is the average turnaround time, and who pays the shipping?

To date have not received a reply. So tonight, I just sent them one again. We will see!
If you're THAT concerned about getting a dubious one-year warranty just pay three or four-times what you need to and get a Nikon-branded flash from the start.
 
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