high end 3rd party flashes-so many to choose from

rocketman122

Senior Member
Looking to spend between 200-250. for wedding use.
yongnuo/oloong/nissin/phottix- no metz/sunpak/sigma/vivitar
looking for a unit that can do CLS (if possible) to work with SB800. high speed sync for outdoor shooting. metal foot would be desirable. good recycling times at full power. wide angle diffuser.

No nikon. like the grips they sell, I think they just ask way too much money. thats my opinion though. please dont recommend or bring the better build/reliability. I simply dont want Nikon. if they lowered the prices then yes. not bad mouthing Nikon, but I have different priorities.
thank you
 
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Fred Kingston

Senior Member
You want compatibility with Nikon. You want their quality, but you don't want their price. And you want someone else to tell you what that is???

Are you a Democrat ?? :triumphant:
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
slow down with your personal comments. it serves no purpose to the thread. I didnt say anything about quality. please read first, then comment. and yes, today, you can get quality and performance for a great price. I think Nikon put there noses up in the air too high and are overcharging for their flash.

imo, no need to dish out $550 for a great quality flash. I dont think it offers twice the performance than a 3rd party mfr. not today. including grips which are very successful in sales. I could use that $300 for something else.

many people having success with 3rd party flashes. if someone owns one then I would like to hear their opinions. I dont think I asked anything unreasonable. If I said I want a high end 3rd part flash with nikon quality and all their features for $100, that would be something else. but in todays economy people have different priorities and flash is not on my list.

no, im not democrat, or republican.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
You want compatibility with Nikon.
Like this is a tall order? It's not like Nikon strobes run on unicorn tears.

You want their quality, but you don't want their price.
Nikon strobes are ridiculously over-priced and finding a third party strobe that equals its Nikon counterpart, for a fraction of what Nikon charges, is not difficult. Personally, I'd give up a limb before I'd let go of my Yongnuo YN468-II.




.
 
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rocketman122

Senior Member
When I did wedding a few years ago (2007ish), I was using sb28's and they sold for $270. I come back to find out top tiered flashes doubled in price. now I understand there is new tech inside, but thats the evolution of products and technology. just like new phones sell for the same as their predecessors and other tech as well. the 900 sold for $500, and now $550 for a top end flash? its just getting higher and higher. add in inflation, and I can understand them going up to $400, but $550? theyre simply crazy.

Im glad theres competition for them. with the grips and flashes and now Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 for $800, which will make a killing in sales. in this economy you dont need to take out a mortgage to have quality gear.
 

John P

Senior Member
I would recommend Yongnuo.
I do have an SB-800. But I also have 4 Yongnuo YN-560II units. 2 just came in the mail today.
After buying my first Yongnuo a couple of years ago. I will NEVER buy a Nikon unit again.

Mine have been trouble free. I have radio poppers for them. But they also slave just fine.
The two that came today cost me $135 for both units shipped to my door through Amazon.
Pretty hard to beat.
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
Thanks John

I ordered their top end flash yesterday. the 568EX for $166 shipped. better than $550 for the SB910. thats a ridiculous price for a flash. theyve gotten too greedy NIkon. so here they lost a sale. 2 counting you. and its only going to get worse for them.

4 things they need to fix in the next version. 1 commander mode, 2-add "A" auto mode (auto thyristor) 3-wider than 24mm flash coverage, and 4 is an external battery pack option connection.
other than that, its what I need.

if it was $350-400 for their top end fine, I would have prefered to get a Nikon flash but not with those prices. they are sniffing some good glass powder there. the economy is bad and people should be getting more for their dollars.

grips are way too expensive. I just bought 2 grips, 1 for my d300s and the other for my d700 and both cost $120 shipped. sure the build quality might not be on par with the METAL nikon (dont know till I try them)but it isnt worth 5 times the price. no way in hell. If I had extra money, I still wouldnt buy it. I rather invest in lenses. and also there I think nikon has gotten way too greedy over the last few years. I am no longer the diehard hardcore nikon fan I used to be. I no longer believe in them like before. there was something special about nikon compared to canon. they were a small modest company who did things better. the F5 was something from the future. not anymore. theyve gotten too greedy and stopped being unique. and way too many QC issues.

pocketwizard is another one whos feeling the loss of sales. with the yongnuo 622 full ittl transceivers, and PW minimum investment of $300, people are thinking twice when you can get a set for $80 shipped! if I like what I see with the flash I ordered then I will get 3 sets to use with 3 off camera flash to supplement lighting in my weddings. cause right now, I will be shleping studio flashes.

im seriously considering selling my 17-55 and 70-200VR1 for the sigma 18-35 f/1.8 and the new tamron 70-200. I just want to wait for more review to see what they can do. not sure about the Tamron, but the Sigma lens is looking like an amazing performer.

I started with sigma lenses. when I was shopping for lenses, I saw the newly launched 28-70AFS and the price of $1500 and saw the sigma for $500 and thought "wth is up with this price difference, im getting the Sigma" I didnt want to go with variable aperture lenses as they are a compromise. I wanted to get the best I could right away. the lenses were great when stopped down from f/4 but always lacked the quality wow look. then someone sold me an 85 f1.4 AIS for cheap, and it was game over. I understood why the Nikon was so much more. it was something that shocked me. I then sold everything I had, took a small loan, bought the 80-200 AFS and the 28-70AFS and it gave me a "push" to take my photography to another level. there is a reason why the nikkor pro zooms are expensive but the price jump for the 24-70/85/70-200VR2 are overpriced in every way. I wanted to kill the person who bad mouthed nikon. but today they are just a company whos tools I will use to make money to pay my bills. no more Nikon. and when a customer loses faith in your company and isnt loyal to you, you have lost.

I want more for my money. im not a blind nikon slave anymore handing my cc over blindly.
 

John P

Senior Member
I also have the opinion that too many people are blindly brand loyal.
I will ALWAYS shoot nikon bodies. But not always their accessories.
 
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rocketman122

Senior Member
Yeah, I would have bought the 900/910 if it was reasonably priced, but I have the 800. getting my gear together for my comeback to wedding photography.
 
Hi

Guys I am having the same debate, I own a Nikon SB 700 Flash and need the extra kick of power, so I am settling for the following : Yongnuo YN 568 EX II.....Phottix Mitros +.....Or wait for it Nikon 910....I am really confused and need help......I do know Nikon Charge a lot but the reason for this is research and development, while the third parties just strip and re-create from Nikon or Canon. so any one with experience on these flashes, or any flashes you guys recommend I am buying online and shipping so the warranty wont really help me, so the flash needs to be really reliable. thanks
 

SteveH

Senior Member
Holy necropost batman!
Welcome to the forum, Juan - You'll find lots of people here use the Yongnuo flashes, me included. The 565 & 568's are very popular - The 565 is cheap and powerful, but does not have HSS (High speed Sync) whereas the 568 does have HSS - Check first that your camera supports HSS (D7000 and onwards only).
 

Osantacruz

Senior Member
I second the 568EX. It's a great flash that has all the features you're looking for. I will buy another one some day but I'm eyeing the Phottix Mitros next since I already have Phottix gear (Odin transmitter, receiver, Indra 500) and because I'd like to use my Indra 500 battery as the 568EX doesn't have a external battery pack port.
 

Osantacruz

Senior Member
Hi

Guys I am having the same debate, I own a Nikon SB 700 Flash and need the extra kick of power, so I am settling for the following : Yongnuo YN 568 EX II.....Phottix Mitros +.....Or wait for it Nikon 910....I am really confused and need help......I do know Nikon Charge a lot but the reason for this is research and development, while the third parties just strip and re-create from Nikon or Canon. so any one with experience on these flashes, or any flashes you guys recommend I am buying online and shipping so the warranty wont really help me, so the flash needs to be really reliable. thanks

I love the 568EX and have used a Mitros (but for Sony). Both are great flashes. Unless you're buying into more Phottix gear in the future, you could just get the Mitros instead of the Mitros+ and save $50. Only difference is the + has built in Odin for control of other Phottix flashes/strobes. The 568EX is plenty good but if you need an external battery port, go for the Mitros.
 

SteveH

Senior Member
I think the 568ex is the only Yongnuo not to have external an battery connector, I know that my 565's do. It all depends on what you want the flash for...
 

egosbar

Senior Member
what about the godox tt685 , i can get it for 168 aud , x1n trigger is made but it isnt on ebay yet been waiting for it to be available all week , it has radio reciever built in , ttl , hss , pc sync port , external battery port , just no lithium battery or it would of been even better but they must of went away from lithium for some reason as it was on their previous model , most comments about the lithium battery i read were they rock , anyone had any experience with godox , compared to the shanny 910ex which is very expensive on ebay although i just got them down to 163 aud a piece if i buy two but add 30 dollars each for freight , so $193 each , trigger is being made for the shanny apparently , so is it shanny or godox or wait for yongnuo to release a radio recived flash , dam they all miss something
 
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