I hadn't thought of that. Interesting!
I can't afford a SB-700 Speedlight atm. Any other makes good or not?
- Thread starter paul_b
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I hadn't thought of that. Interesting!
FWIW, I dont see, and cannot imagine, much difference to TTL from a softbox. I don't have much of a softbox for a speedlight, but it's the same as umbrellas or bounce, the metered preflash has to deal with the same indirect path as the the full flash. That's the beauty of TTL. I think speedlight softboxes are too small to do much, but try it, it should work.
Get metz 52-af1. It's more powerful than SB-700 but can be had for a lot less.
I have a SB-900 along with the metz flash and the metz can do everything SB-900 can aside from "A" mode.
Here's a shot from recent outdoor session. SB-900 shot through umbrella and the Metz shot through its built in WA diffuser. Both were on TTL Slave, triggered by built in camera flash:
Lady in Red by luwindo, on Flickr
I have a SB-900 along with the metz flash and the metz can do everything SB-900 can aside from "A" mode.
Here's a shot from recent outdoor session. SB-900 shot through umbrella and the Metz shot through its built in WA diffuser. Both were on TTL Slave, triggered by built in camera flash:
Lady in Red by luwindo, on Flickr
Thanks for the advice luwindo. I will be buying a flash after Christmas. Just spent £80 on tickets for a show for my family, only for my 3 year old to go down with earache during the show and we all had to leave early. I couldn't help wishing I'd spent the money on a flash instead, lol.
Will post back here when I've bought my flash. Thanks.
P.s A pretty girl in the photo. To me she looks pretty, gentle & kind and maybe even fragile. Very sweet. Nice capture
Will post back here when I've bought my flash. Thanks.
P.s A pretty girl in the photo. To me she looks pretty, gentle & kind and maybe even fragile. Very sweet. Nice capture
Thanks for the advice luwindo. I will be buying a flash after Christmas. Just spent £80 on tickets for a show for my family, only for my 3 year old to go down with earache during the show and we all had to leave early. I couldn't help wishing I'd spent the money on a flash instead, lol.
Will post back here when I've bought my flash. Thanks.
P.s A pretty girl in the photo. To me she looks pretty, gentle & kind and maybe even fragile. Very sweet. Nice capture
Thank you
I think another alternative if you can live without TTL is Yongnuo flashes. Very powerful and has wide variety of features but just missing TTLThank you
I'm going to be purchasing the YONGNUO YN-568ex, this model has TTL and can be used used as a wireless slave. From everything I read and was told it is a great flash. A bit overkill for my 3100. But, I'll be moving to the next level someday.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
You have chosen well. I also wouldn't call it "overkill" for your '3100; a great flash is a great flash... Period. I'd also suggest one of these diffusers for it. You can find them on eBay for around $2, or Amazon carries them for about $10 or so.
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Thanks for the info.I didn't think about getting a diffuser. I'll pick that up as well.
Where are all the Yongnuo people when we need them?
I have never used a Yongnuo flash, but they seem very popular, and "cheaper" is the right word.
Does your camera have a Commander? If so, the model more or less comparable to the SB-700 is the YN-568 for $180
Amazon.com: Yongnuo Professional Flash Speedlight Yongnuo YN-568EX Wireless TTL Flash Speedlite for Nikon Camera Nikon cameras: Camera & Photo
If you only need TTL and Manual (no Commander), look at the YN-565 for $107
Amazon.com: Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Nikon: Camera & Photo
This ^^^
rocketman122
Senior Member
no, its not about money being tight, its about people feeling theyre paying too much for nikon flashes. SB28's used to cost $270 when they came out. now a flash is $550. sure, one can say that theres more tech inside but technology evolves. like smartphones..but last years model sold for the same amount this years model cost so it shouldnt cost so much. if they sold for $400 I would buy nikons but crap for $170 I get almost everything I need.
as far as model goes, I would recommend 2. either the 565 or the 568. the 565 has a battery port on it, is as fast recycling and as powerful as the flagship 568 but no HSS if youd ever like to use it outdoors for fill flash. not the 565 nor the 568 will work as a master to control off camera flash models as slaves. they can only be as slaves themselves but if the camera you use has a built in flash, its pretty certain that it can be a master (through the menu) and fire them of. the 568 flagship has HSS to 1/8000 shutter speeds and is as fast and powerful as the SB-910. very good flash.
heres the BEST part of the flash that I love. the head doesnt have a dumb locking button you need to activate before turn the head. for me and shooting weddings, its just wonderful. also when you open the door it opens on a spring like the memory card door in our cameras. so you pull it down and boom it hinges out and holds open. VERY nice when im fumbling with batteries I need to change. the nikon hinge is loose and even the diagram on how to place the batteries is more legible on the yongnuo. on the dance floor when its dark you have to angle the flash so you can see the diagram which is inside the battery cavity. the yongnuo have a very bright white sticker on a flat panel that makes it oh so easy. small thinsg that make my stressful work a little less.
it has a locking wheel vs the turn to lock dial. I myself still prefer the locking wheel compared to the flip switch nikon uses which gets a bit loose over time because I can tighten it a bit more. my sb700 and sb800 are both loose and you cant do anything about it. even on my new D600 and new yongnuo 622 slaves (all 4)
something that I dont like about the 568 (my flash specifically) the bounce card comes out of its place. it was embarrassing but its happened a few times in critical situations I was under stress to shoot. you just make sure not to pull it out quickly.
not affiliated with them and even had a fight with them in the past but I bought my 560II 568 and 4-622n slaves from the thephotogadget.com all prices include shipping I think. 565 for $110 and the 568 for $170.
the day they come out with the 568 mark II for nikon (they have a MK II for canon) I will buy 4. it must have a battery port. usb port for firmware, better lens zoom range and must be able to run as a master. it would be great if they included the 622n slaves built in. I know specifically there are so many wedding photographers who buy yongnuo flashes. I know that they have some fantastic flashes for canon. I think its a matter of time
if you want a complete and fully featured flash that has everything the SB910 has and for $300 with 2 years warranty (compared to nikons 1) look at the phottix mitros. I was going to buy2 but the flashes are not compatible with yongnuo's 622n slaves. I thought it might be. if slaves that are on the same level as the 622 with the same price tag come out, I will buy those. just having too many issues as the 622n slaves arent running ttl with my d3. no reason to pay so much for manual only slaves. the sb800 doestn work with the 622n slaves as well.
hope that helps
I have the mets 58 AF-2. its a great flash but 5 things that will drive a person nuts are 1, slow recycle compared to newer flashes, and 2, pressing the buttons to change anything requires WAY to many presses. 3, when pressing the buttons, it also has a slow delay to it compared to other flashes. its minute but very noticeable. 4, start up time is too long imo. 5, and the locking wheel is too smooth and hard to deal with. not like the yongnuo that have tiny notches throughout the wheel. nice feature about it is the 2nd fill bulb. but just meh and way overpriced.
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rocketman122
Senior Member
for most people it is. for me its a worth thing. I want to get worth for my money. I can buy the 910 but I dont feel like im getting my moneys worth. I can buy 3 yongnuo 568 for a nikon flash. and they are very good flashes. im dying for them to release the mark II. ill buy 4 of them. even if they sold for $250-300 each. but it must have much more features.
rocketman122
Senior Member
these are the flashes I own. by summer I want to try and get it down to 5. 2 of them the same for the cameras and 3 the same for off camera. best setup would be 2 sb910 and 3 yongnuo 565 with battery packs off camera for my weddings. the worst of them all. the metz. the best, the SB700/800 follwoed very closely by the 568.
http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=a6BMdyuA/VyYjnJu1MiDEYh4l5k2TGxc
http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=a6BMdyuA/VyYjnJu1MiDEYh4l5k2TGxc
That's true with me as well.I always strive to get my moneys worth. I just do not feel the Nikon flashes warrant that sort of price. Hence my choice on what I'm getting.
rocketman122
Senior Member
That's true with me as well.I always strive to get my moneys worth. I just do not feel the Nikon flashes warrant that sort of price. Hence my choice on what I'm getting.
BRAVO BUDDY! WELL SAID! theyve gone crazy with the prices. last quarter took a 24% stock hit and the one before that 14%. theyre just crazy. its a crappy economy, people want worth for their hard earned cash.
Thanks for the write-up, few questions for you
How's the TTL accuracy of your Yongnuo's ?
How's the built quality ? I'm quite clumsy and occasionally drop my flash especially when the locking mechanism sucks.
And for Yongnuo flash if i read correctly only 568 mark II will be able to do TTL when mounted in camera hot shoe ? The rest only do TTL when triggered optically / sync cable ?
rocketman122
Senior Member
Very good accuracy. it was a concern for me as well. build quality is excellent. the plastics on the yongnuo are a bit better as they are a little more matte finish compared to the nikon which have a polished plastic look to it and with greasy hands its a pain. also, any scratches on the yongnuo will be less visible. scratches on the nikon are very evident and noticeable. have had the 568 and sb700 at the same time and its much more evident on the nikon.
my 568 slipped off the camera shoe when I had the POS yongnuo 603 slaves in it. these slaves are pure garbage and I was stupid to use them. they have no locking wheel to tighten it to the camera body so it simply slides in. lesson learned. the flash crashed to the floor. the red plastic in front came free and the top flash housing came loose and it doesnt lift and lower (not side/side) as tightly as it once was but very acceptable. it was very tight beforehand. I simply clicked the red plastic back in place and did some tiny mod to get the head back to work fine. still works though. the locking wheel is very secure btw. the red af assist beam is nice when im on the dance floor and its dark. better than the white one on bodies like the d7000/d600. they are too annoying.
they only have a 568 no 568II for nikon ...yet. it will do ittl no problem. will sync up to 1/8000 no problem. but it cant control other off camera flashes. you need a master for that. no yongnuo flash has that capability..yet. you can use a sb700 on the camer or an sb800 on camera or an 900 or 910 and have put the 568 into slave mode (youll see 2 flashing red lights on the front body under the red lens) and you use those camera flashes to fire off the 568, but you cant use the 568 on the camera to fire the others off. even the tiny flash built in the camera can be a master to fire the 568 off camera..and yes in ttl off camera..or manual if you like..u can also cancel the monitor preflash so it wont get trigger happy and fire off when using matrix metering. thats something else to talk about. hope that helps.
oh btw, another huge plus! with the yongnuo, if I want to lower or increase power, I simply press the button left or right. with the sb700, I have to press SEL first then play with the wheel and for me under stress at times, every second matters. small things that make a huge difference.
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Thanks, I don't really care about its ability to be a master flash since I can use my SB-900 or built in flash as commander.
How's the size/weight compared to SB-900. I might return the Metz 52 and get 2x Yongnuo 565 or 1x 568 instead. I bought the Metz 52 for only $230 so it's not a big price jump over the 568, but the touch screen is a bit tacky.
My idea of setup is SB-900 is strictly off camera flash and I want another lightweight flash to use on body for events, so bounce TTL reliability in body and size/weight are very important
How's the size/weight compared to SB-900. I might return the Metz 52 and get 2x Yongnuo 565 or 1x 568 instead. I bought the Metz 52 for only $230 so it's not a big price jump over the 568, but the touch screen is a bit tacky.
My idea of setup is SB-900 is strictly off camera flash and I want another lightweight flash to use on body for events, so bounce TTL reliability in body and size/weight are very important
Actually, for any iTTL flash, it is the camera that orders the preflash, meters it, computes necessary exposure shift, and programs the flash unit for that power level. The flash does have to perform that level accurately, consistently, reliably, etc (including preflash), but then all it has to do is to flash when triggered.
No.
1. The Nikon system only does iTTL on the hot shoe, or connected to it via a hot shoe extension cord (SC-28 cord), for only one flash.
2. Or for multiple iTTL flash, it only works Remotely using the Commander, which is wireless (and which the D3100 and D5100 family do not have).
Of these, only the 568 can do 2. The 565 or 568 can do 1 (any iTTL flash can do 1). If your camera has no commander, then you cannot use and do not need 2 at this time. Some future camera might use those features. Meanwhile, the 568 does anything the 565 can do.
Exception: You could put a flash on the hot shoe which does include a commander in the flash, for example, the SB-700 (or the SU-800 which is a commander without a flash). Then the D3100/D5100 families can use remote wireless TTL flash, because they have a commander then. However, they still do not have FV Lock, which is needed to prevent pictures of the subject blinking.
Likewise Auto FP HSS flash (fast shutter speeds) - of these Yongnuo flash, only the 568 has that, and only the camera bodies with Commander have That too. Again, both units must have it to work.
Any PC sync cable or optical slave is necessarily limited to manual flash mode. Any system with only one contact pin... So the vast majority of radio triggers are also manual flash only.
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