Im selling all my nikon flashes- I prefer chinese flashes over nikon.

rocketman122

Senior Member
I sold 1 of 4 nikon flashes I have SB700 2x SB800 SB900. I own 4 other chinese flashes. I ordered 2 more. shanny SN600n. Im selling the 3 nikon flashes and getting 2 more shanny flashes. Im through. as a pro who works in the field the nikons dont give me anymore than what my chinese flashes can do. I like the nikons. feels familiar. but the quality of the chinese (yongnuo 560 III and shanny SN600N) are so good, I dont feel like im compromising. there are quicrks and things I dont like about it but the same with the nikon. I can justify owning these flashes anymore. I had to replace the bulb on the SB900 and the front external lens has melting spot on it and if it fires 2-3 full power shots in succession then there is a burn smell and minute sizzling/bubbling of the glash which costs another $50 to replace. im through with nikon flashes..for now.



IMAG0809.jpg
I was too lazy to get the other 2 flashes from my other bag. but planning to have 8 flashes total. 3 YN560III and 5 shanny SN600n. the shanny recycle faster than all the nikons and 1/3 stop less than the SB900 which makes it irrelevant.
Im sad its gotten like this that chines flashes that sell for less than $100 shipped offer excellent performance..and not because its $90 shipped. because the nikons cost way too much. in the photographer groups I frequent on facebook, its the same. people not wanting to spend $550 for a speedlight. its ridiculous. I dont believe you get what you pay for here.on both sides.
900 3 copy.jpg
 

Bill16

Senior Member
I would love to have your sb-800s buddy.or 2-3 sb-910s! But I have to somehow get a wheelchair ramp built for my wife's wheelchair, so cost is now an issue.
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
I know about your wife and when I read it, I became white from fear. my stepdad was in the same situation. thoughts and prayers to you, your lady and your family buddy. big big hug!
 
Early on I bought my first flash. I got the Nikon SB700 at around $325. That was a lot of money for a flash for me since I only used one occasionally then. The last flash I bought was the Yongnuo YN-565EX I-TTL at $81

If I had known what I know now I could have bought 3 of the Yongnuo flashes AND triggers for about the same price as the Nikon.
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
Early on I bought my first flash. I got the Nikon SB700 at around $325. That was a lot of money for a flash for me since I only used one occasionally then. The last flash I bought was the Yongnuo YN-565EX I-TTL at $81

If I had known what I know now I could have bought 3 of the Yongnuo flashes AND triggers for about the same price as the Nikon.

the nikon flashes are great. it feels special in the hand. it doesnt feel like a 3rd party alien product. but thats not enough for me to pay that premium. the 3rd party flashes are of high level today. I asked myself what I lose when going to my bag and grabbing the shanny or the nikon. I was worried it wouldnt be able to deliver. but I leave the nikon and take the shanny, over and over. I use the nikons as off camera flashes and that ridiculous. and finally I come to the realization that the yongnuo and shanny flashes do exactly what I need. the nikon has lcd brightness control and DX/FX compatibility but I use FF so its not relevant. the lcd and ui is just as annoying as the 3rd party. both have annoying head tilt lock release buttons I hate. locking foots are both excellent. springed door hinge on the 3rd party is a godsend. and it does ttl very well. I would even say better than the nikon at times and this is ridiculous which is what made me finally switch. the most important part of the flash (ttl) is very accurate, including power output and recycle speeds

never owned a Nikon flash..... never care to own one. Doing just fine with my YN's!

there were times in the pocket wizard era and film when there wasnt reliable radio slaves. they were odd companies, mostly asian, cheap but not too cheap. they werent proven in the field in demanding situations. the same with flashes. they were odd flashes. they looked and felt cheap. weak and slow to recycle. you can see it with older yongnuos
YN460-YN460-II-YN560_800.jpg

but not today. look at whats offered:
PIXEL_X800C_4_d1560 copy.jpg

they have it all and at a fraction of the cost, except the nissin which is a premium price and sells for more than the nikon SB910. worth it? I dont know. but I wouldnt pay more than $200 for any 3rd party flash. there isnt a need to. there are very good options and you get reliability and durability and features and theyre great flashes, and not because of the price.
 

carguy

Senior Member
Yep. When I bought my SB-700 ($326) I had no idea what the 3rd party had to offer. Shortly after I learned of Yongnuo and they have continued to get better. Hindsight, I'd have gone Yongnuo.

Checkout Tim Payne, US retailer - Yongnuo USA
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
I've been very impressed with the Yongnuo flashes, consequently have more of those than I do Nikon units. On camera, and particularly outdoors, I do tend to prefer my Nikon flash more. I'm not sure if it's just an emotional thing, but on camera when using TTL, the Nikon unit seems to perform a little better. Off camera, TTL or not, either flash mounted on a trigger seems to perform the same. Since I figure off camera there's also more opportunity for the flash to get damaged, I'm really okay with using the cheaper units. :)

I'm curious though, @rocketman122 I know you do a lot of off camera flash work ... have you noticed any difference in performance relative to which flash you have on camera?
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
I keep killing my Nikons (something about outside when wet/raining) I know the chinese ones will also die but it will be cheaper :)

do you use yours outdoors in the rain?

I've been very impressed with the Yongnuo flashes, consequently have more of those than I do Nikon units. On camera, and particularly outdoors, I do tend to prefer my Nikon flash more. I'm not sure if it's just an emotional thing, but on camera when using TTL, the Nikon unit seems to perform a little better. Off camera, TTL or not, either flash mounted on a trigger seems to perform the same. Since I figure off camera there's also more opportunity for the flash to get damaged, I'm really okay with using the cheaper units. :)

I'm curious though, @rocketman122 I know you do a lot of off camera flash work ... have you noticed any difference in performance relative to which flash you have on camera?

hey Rocket, I understand 100% what youre saying regarding using cheaper flashes off camera. ive had my stands blow over many times. the umbrella usually takes the bulk of the blow and the spines inside needs rebending. better it better a $100 than the nikons. the 568 was not such a great performer on camera. the accuracy for ttl wasnt so accurate. the shanny is very nice. even better the 900 by a bit at times. but the hardest part is the dance floor. the lights gets crazy and the flash metering is working crazy overtime. I only use either the SB900 or the shanny for a long time now. and as of late dont even reach for the SB900 and it makes me wonder over and over, wth its in my bag of flashes if I prefer using the 3rd party ones and use nikon flashes for off camera flash every wedding now.
the SB700 and the 800 are for off camera work so here I am wondering why the hell hold on to them. the 800 doesnt play nice with the YN622n trigger on camera. basically it wont fire at all. and ive had many issues with the nikons flashes not firing when used off camera. I now use a pc sync cord when its mounted with the 622n to not have issues. so having such expensive off camera flashes like the nikons doesnt make sense to hold.

now regarding your question. did you mean what flash I prefer on camera? the Sb700 isnt strong enough at times but recycles quite quickly. and the Sb800 doesnt play nice with the 622 on camera so the 900 is left and since I prefer to use the same flash with both cameras, the 900 either sits in the bag or gets used off camera and its just too expensive to be an off camera flash. atm the shanny deliver in everything I needs. recycle power and reliability. it overheats just as much as the 900. so thats a minus. but since I plan on having 8 flashes total, I dont have an issue unmounting, throwing in the bag and grabbing another and recyling them till they cool.

I apologize if I didnt answer correctly what you asked. let me know. cheers
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
I apologize if I didnt answer correctly what you asked. let me know. cheers

Exactly what I was looking for, and thanks for the detailed response!

So you've noticed a difference with TTL and the 568s too, so that's not just me. At least that confirms I'm not completely crazy. :) We're both using the same triggers, so that helps too ... I wasn't aware of issues between the 622 and SB800.

Thanks!
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
I sold my last nikon flash on friday. my mint sb800 I got from my brother. im now with 6 asian flashes and 2 more on the way. why so many? cheap! $90 is a throw away flash if anything goes wrong.

I shot a wedding yesterday and the first time I dont use a nikon flash. actually the last few months I havent used any nikon flash as an on camera flash for all of the weddings. and that when wonder was why do I need to hold such an expensive off camera flash in my bag. the reason is the flaws of the nikon flashes. the SB800 flash doesnt work at all with the 622n on camera. the SB900 overheats all the time. ive replaced the bulb on the flash twice already in the 5 years ive had it. and the SB700 is a good flash but its weak vs all my other flashes and it has no sync and ive had issues with it not firing on my 622n and I have to use an adapter to get a sync cable going to connect to the 622n and thats a waste of my time.

I also had worries that selling them and then not having them should the asian flashes not deliver. Ive used 2 shanny SN600N flashes since around may last year and ive shot a lot of weddings since and it slammed to the floor 2 different times and keeps working well. the other point is that for a while now, I dont use any nikon flash ON camera. thats a big deal. all pros wont mind using any flash off camera but the majority (including me till I switched) feel on camera flash unit should be OEM because its more accurate which is not true at all. if I already use an asian flash as my main light for weddings that means im more than happy with its performance. my workflow is faster since they are all the same flashes and have the same power and recycle times.

I found the shanny SN600n because the nikon flashes were not delivering. the SB800 doesnt work on camera with the 622n at all. the SB700 isnt strong enough and the SB900 overheats and im tired of the repairs. so I did my research. I had the 568 and I had the 565. decent flashes but they lack good build and fast recycle. heard about a new company coming out with some new flashes through flashhavoc.com specs on paper looked nice but paper isnt real life. in a facebook group im in a strobist like me bought one and reviewed it. he said fantastic. so I bought one, just because its only $90 and I can use it as an off camera flash if it sucks as ttl on camera. ironic as I now shoot in manual mode in weddings completely. although ttl is excellent with the shanny. the problem is that ttl (no matter the brand/make) is not accurate enough. on the dance floor there are MANY lights and the ttl is fooled. people wear dark clothes and light clothes and the metering gets thrown off and doesnt get it right. with manual I get consistent results because I know the power level im at and know the distance I need to the subject. if there are more people and I need to go back, I just either up it or open the aperture a bit. easy peasey

I have to say that this is a new time were in when people have excellent gear thats at least on the same level as oem for much less money. in the film times, there werent excellent flashes as alternatives. there were the sunpak flashes, the metz and even sigma flashes. they all sucked and were not as OEM. the situation is different today. sigma and tamron lenses bring excellent gear. many outperforming nikon, grips selling for 1/5 the price and batteries as well. and the same with flashes.

I dont see any reason to use a nikon flash so as of now im nikon flash free and very happy.
 
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