Upgrading to Nikon SB900

Logie-1

Hi Folks,

I am thinking of upgrading my Nikon SB600 to a SB900.

The question is: is it worth it?

It defiantly looks much better on paper.

Also, where is the best place to shop?


Thanks in advance.

Paul.

ImagenEstilo

Well, first off, don't upgrade to the SB-900, it is not being made anymore and you will get an SB-910 for just a little more and it is their latest top-of-the-line flash. It has little in terms of functionality over the older 900 but the big thing is recycle time and overheating. It is much more resistant to overheating which is a massive positive for me. The menus are a lot simpler to use too.

The SB-600 is like a fisher price toy in comparison to the 900/910.

If buying new then I recommend Amazon.co.uk. The 910 hovers around the £290 and with the exchange the way it is now you will be hard pushed to beat it.

It is the best flash I have ever used. Comes with 2 good gels and a nice little bag!

Logie-1

Thanks ImagenEstilo for the reply.

Because of this "The SB-600 is like a fisher price toy in comparison to the 900/910." I have just ordered a 910 from Amazon, lol.

I knew it is much better, I just needed a bit of encouragement to part with the cash,lol.

Again, many thanks for taking the time for your reply.

Paul.

dirtyghettokid

good on ya for the purchase. i had an sb600 and sb800 at one time, and even the 800 was great, cos it worked as a commander for the 600. let us know what you think of the 910 when you get it! :cool:

Ben D Bus

For those of us who survive with a couple of Yongnuo units off ebay, what is the measure of a good flash?

What makes an SB910 worth almost 5 times the price of the YN468's that I have?

ImagenEstilo

Logie-1 wrote: »

Thanks ImagenEstilo for the reply.

Because of this "The SB-600 is like a fisher price toy in comparison to the 900/910." I have just ordered a 910 from Amazon, lol.

I knew it is much better, I just needed a bit of encouragement to part with the cash,lol.

Again, many thanks for taking the time for your reply.

Paul.

No worries Paul, you will not be disappointed. It is a top piece of kit, so good that I bought three of them and sleep with them in my loving arms every night! Wife aint too pleased!

Ben D Bus wrote: »

For those of us who survive with a couple of Yongnuo units off ebay, what is the measure of a good flash?

What makes an SB910 worth almost 5 times the price of the YN468's that I have?

I've not used these Ben. Janine was mentioning these to me last week and I have to say, for the price, on paper certainly, they look excellent. I might get one at some stage and do a comparison. What is the top of the line Yongnuo for Nikon?

I've always lived by the old adage "you get what you pay for" and it has served me well. Something tells me that these Yongnuo units just wouldn't stack up. That said, I've not used them so I'll say no more.

dirtyghettokid

i'd say top of the line is YN-560II for nikon. i kind of regret not getting a II version for canon last october when i bought my second YN gun. it was only a tenner dearer!
you can't beat the nikon flashes IMO, but if you are a broke-ass like me, the YN guns are great value! i think my two YN-560 guns, two receivers, a transmitter & shipping set me back about €150! :cool:

edit: and i have my first YN gun for nearly two years now!

Logie-1

new 910 arrived today, I'm like a wee kid on Christmas morning:)

ImagenEstilo

Good man! What camera are you mounting it on? Start bouncing that flash big time. You have plenty of power in it to bounce off almost anything (ok, clouds are out!)

Dave

Logie-1

Hi Dave,

A D300s, a friend is doing a wedding on Friday and he has agreed to let me tag along, plus im covering a friends 50th birthday party Saturday night(thats if I get back from the rugby in a fit state,lol) so it should be well tried and tested over the weekend.

Yanu

Hi,

check if there are any issues with the sb900 mounting on a d300. I have an sb900 and I had to send my d700 to repair as the flash is a bit too heavy for the shoe mount. It seems to be a problem with my type of camera and other have experience it as well. Anyway, I'm still using sb800s and I'm happy out, might want to check on ebay maybe....

Hope this help

ImagenEstilo

I've had an SB-910 on a D700 for months now not a bother on it. I've had the SB900 on it before that which is more or less the same. I'm surprised at that as the D700 is a higher end camera and should be built for it. The D300s would be a top spec cropped frame so I would again expect suitable build quality to support their higher end flash units.

Dave

Yanu

ImagenEstilo wrote: »

I've had an SB-910 on a D700 for months now not a bother on it. I've had the SB900 on it before that which is more or less the same. I'm surprised at that as the D700 is a higher end camera and should be built for it. The D300s would be a top spec cropped frame so I would again expect suitable build quality to support their higher end flash units.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Last year the flashes have started flicking on both cameras, I have contacted the repair centre that I use and they told me about the hot shoes as soon as they heard problem. If you google d700 hot shoe problem you see plenty of people who have eperienced the same issue.

I got the hot shoes replaced, (fairly cheap) and not a problem with them since. The sb900 is only used as remote flash and I use the sb800s on camera.

The d700 is a semi-pro camera, not a pro. It still has the pop up flash that nobody in the business uses. Dont get me wrong, I have two of them and I'm very happy with them I just wanted to give the heads up to somebody based on my experience.

Anyway, if it works..... good, the sb900 is a great flash

ImagenEstilo

That is incredible and bad form on behalf of Nikon. How can they sell a semi pro camera that has a hotshoe that cannot support their flagship flashes? I would always be careful enough with the flash mounted but now I'll be more paranoid!

That is good to know Yanu, thanks for sharing that.
Dave