Selection of flashlight

[michaelkomodo]

hi all,

i'm newbie to DSLR, i just bought nikon D90 and now i'm looking for flash.. besides, Nikon Speedlight 900, any other suggestion?

[littlegenie]

hi all,

i'm newbie to DSLR, i just bought nikon D90 and now i'm looking for flash.. besides, Nikon Speedlight 900, any other suggestion?

Hello, welcome to the forum.

What would be your main uses for your flash?
and also most importantly, what would your budget like?

How about SB600 or the SB800?

[pk2]

hammerhead.. cheap and good... but big and heavy.. and have to buy from ebay.:cool:

[Lone Wolf]

He's a newbie so I won't agree. Of course, he should start with the best he can afford so as not having to keep upgrading but starting off with a hammerhead as the first flash? I think he might end up keeping it at home and buying another again.

[Joel]

hi all,

i'm newbie to DSLR, i just bought nikon D90 and now i'm looking for flash.. besides, Nikon Speedlight 900, any other suggestion?

Best to stick to Nikon's own SB series of speedlights IMHO, for ease of use and compatibility. Nikon's flash system is one of the better ones in the market so no worries. Just set a budget you're comfortable with and then select a model.
Last time SB600 & 800 quite good, now what new models I'm not sure as I can't afford Nikons :p

[madmacs]

if you can afford the sb900 then go for it, if not the sb800 is very good value at its current price.

[sORe-EyEz]

never state a budget hard to recommend. feature list oso quite important.

[ne2h8n]

what is the cheapest price that i can get the reliable flash ever? anybody recommend 3rd party brand too?

[jacob]

what is the cheapest price that i can get the reliable flash ever? anybody recommend 3rd party brand too?

no from me. if you're nikon, get sb800.

[KopiOkaya]

what is the cheapest price that i can get the reliable flash ever? anybody recommend 3rd party brand too?

The cheapest flashes aren't the most reliable. Even better flashes, such as those from Nissin (not the cheapest though), aren't reliable.

Once and for all bite the bullet and buy an used SB-800, or a new SB-600 if you are on budget.

[Stanley]

what is the cheapest price that i can get the reliable flash ever? anybody recommend 3rd party brand too?

If you are looking for 3rd party brand, than Nissin, Sunpack & Matz flash are quite ok! More important is you must know how to control the flash power! Than you will be able to get the correct flash exposure! All flash light are stupid in exposure! They don't know how to read the colour of black & white!

[TheChef]

no from me. if you're nikon, get sb800.

SB800 is not selling anymore, except probably in Serangoon. Get SB900 used from someone who seldom use it or get it new. A new piece costs $650. Use it 100 times and still can sell it used at $550. This means $1 per shoot. Better than renting.

[KopiOkaya]

SB800 is not selling anymore, except probably in Serangoon.

I know one guy who used his SB-800 until song song liao and sold it for $500. :knock1:

[TheChef]

I know one guy who used his SB-800 until song song liao and sold it for $500. :knock1:

This is why I always believe that it is not worth it to rent. The only time renting makes sense is if I want to try a super poisonous lens.

[KopiOkaya]

This is why I always believe that it is not worth it to rent.

I only rent flash when I need more than 2... :coolnod:

[jacob]

somehow i'm still looking for sb800 at $350......hehehehe.... cannot find......sigh.......:(

[TheChef]

somehow i'm still looking for sb800 at $350......hehehehe.... cannot find......sigh.......:(

Second hand price for SB800 is $480. If someone sells at $350, he might have used it for more than 1,000 times LOL. :rofl:

[KopiOkaya]

Second hand price for SB800 is $480.

Got people selling S$450...

[TheChef]

Got people selling S$450...

Good price.

[KopiOkaya]

Good price.

I prefer the SB-800 to SB-900. It is not only smaller, but also better firing range when using CLS.

[eurostar]

a noob question again......flash-gun can replace camera in-flash , and freeze motion in low night?
or it is to brigten the face when shooting in dark?

[KopiOkaya]

a noob question again......flash-gun

Flash gun??? Simi flash gun? External flash you mean?

An external flash gives more light power than the camera's built-in flash. Yes, it will brighten the subject's face, but never point the flash direct straight-on. Or else, the light will look harsh. Also, there will be dark shadow around your subject.

Yes, you can use it to freeze motion as well, but make your shoot at your camera's sync speed. If not, you will get shutter curtain lag. Meaning, at higher speeds, an increasingly narrow slit moves across the film plane, so a flash exposure would only expose a portion of the frame.

[eurostar]

Flash gun??? Simi flash gun? External flash you mean?

An external flash gives more light power than the camera's built-in flash. Yes, it will brighten the subject's face, but never point the flash direct straight-on. Or else, the light will look harsh. Also, there will be dark shadow around your subject.

Yes, you can use it to freeze motion as well, but make your shoot at your camera's sync speed. If not, you will get shutter curtain lag. Meaning, at higher speeds, an increasingly narrow slit moves across the film plane, so a flash exposure would only expose a portion of the frame.

ya..external flash I mean :coolnod:
I was taking picture on tripod to my friend, without camera flash
everything look ok ,just that face dark
so I need external flash to brighten the face?am I correct?

But u u mention do direct point the flash head to object, so mean to tilt 90deg up ? but outside think no where the flash can bounch right?

[KopiOkaya]

ya..external flash I mean :coolnod:
I was taking picture on tripod to my friend, without camera flash
everything look ok ,just that face dark
so I need external flash to brighten the face?am I correct?

But u u mention do direct point the flash head to object, so mean to tilt 90deg up ? but outside think no where the flash can bounch right?

You don't necessarily need an external flash. All you have to do is to use slower shutter speeds (since your camera is on tripod), or use a higher ISO setting. In fact, your camera's built-in flash should be sufficient for the task.

For outdoors, bounce your flash off a white card (a white cardboard will do). Even if your camera is tilted at 60 degrees, the fill-in light should be sufficient to brighten your subject. Remember to dial your exposure by +0.7 to +1.0 EV.