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Flash Gun


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5 replies to this topic

#1
Mr_Leeman

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Hi All

 

I'm at a point where I no longer want to rely (if I ever could) the pop-up flash. I have a D3200, and wondered if anyone had an opinion on a suitable flash gun. It's for general use, mainly people.

 

I was looking the SB700? They're going for about £200ish and that seems a lot to me, but perhaps I'm not seeing the bigger picture... (get it, picture?)... I must stop doing that.

 

Thanks in advance!



#2
nbanjogal

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Yeah, I'm not sure why they even put a flash on camera...it produces such hideous results. The SB-700 is a solid choice, but don't be afraid to go third party. You'll find that lots of people on the forum use other brands. They are generally quite a bit less expensive and yet still reliable. I use Yongnuo 560III flashes and 603 triggers and have found them to work very well. I only paid $75 (43-ish pounds?) for each flash and even less for each set of triggers. Pretty sure I got the whole setup for less than you'll pay for one SB-700. The YN 560s are fully manual, so it has been excellent for really learning how to use flash. Some people might find the fully manual aspect a turnoff, but I'm glad for it.

I'm sure others will chime in about other brands they use. I know over at Strobist.com they recommend Lumopro.

#3
Merco_61

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If you want to use the flash with i-ttl metering the value of the Metz 44 AF-1 is hard to beat. £140 or so for a flash that does everything that the SB-700 does except for multi-channel remote operation.

If, on the other hand, you want a manual flash that makes you learn how lighting really works the Yongnuo unit that Nicole recommended is equally hard to beat.



#4
Ron

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All things being equal, I think I would go with the SB-700. Not to put down the other flashes but when you're learning off camera flash, the fewer variables... such as learning how different brands handle certain functions, the better. However, Nikon flashes do tend to run to the expensive side, so if that's a problem I wouldn't be afraid to try one of the other brands mentioned. They're all solid performers. 

 

--Ron



#5
Merco_61

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Unfortunately wireless off camera flash the nikon way gets expensive fast with a D3xxx or D5xxx body that does not support cls master mode for the pop-up flash as you need *two* SB-700 upwards flashes to preserve metering.

Manual off camera flash can be used with a SB-700 in SU-4 mode if you reduce power to the popup flash and use it in manual. The Yongnuo setup is very much easier to use since SU-4 is line-of-sight only because of the reduced power on the triggering flash.

You can do very much with a single flash off-camera and a SC-29 clone from an e-bay vendor. The flash needs to support i-ttl fully to use metering. A SB-700 is a very good choice in this scenario, since it can be used for cls if money permits later.



#6
K-9

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I use Metz.  They are a little cheaper than the Nikon offerings, and just as reliable.  If you want to save even more cash, look out for the Gloxy GX-F990N or the even cheaper, Yongnuo YN-565EX.