Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR CamerasReviews: Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Batteries: 4 AA Binding: Electronics Brand: Nikon EAN: 0182080480764 Item Dimensions: Label: Nikon Manufacturer: Nikon Model: SB-900 MPN: SB-900 Publisher: Nikon Release Date: July 26, 2008 Studio: Nikon Features:
Rating:  - A nice improvement over the SB800I just shot a roller derby practice with this flash and didn't run into the thermal shutdown issues others have had. Perhaps they got touchy units. I love the different flash patterns. There are three: Even, Center-weighted, and standard. "Even" truly lights up the entire frame evenly. I really like the fact that this flash zooms to 200mm as that is my farthest reaching lens. My only complaint is that in FX mode, it will only expand to 17mm (with the wide angle filter out) and I have a 16mm fisheye. Needless to say, the corners are dark. My SB800 will accommodate down to 14mm. I will hang onto my 800 for that reason, plus the Nikon Creative Lighting System rocks! The more flashes in your bag, the better. Cameras used: D300, D700, and F100 Rating:  - shooting at a moderate rateI purchased the Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight after reading most of the reviews and comments here at Amazon and others on-line. I was a little concerned about the temperature problem, however the SB-800 is not available anymore. I shot a wedding two days after I received the flash and did not have a great deal of time testing it. I am an amateur photographer and agreed to doing the candits, but leave formal portraits to the studios. After shooting 107 pictures inside a church the flash over heated and it took me by surprise. It happend very quickly. I was aware of the problem and carefully selected batteries. The flash does not like rapid firing and the indicator on the LCD clearly shows the temperature increasing. It took an amazing 10 minutes to cool down. Afterwards I closely monitored the temperature indicator and slowed down taking pictures when the indicator reached the half-way point. That seemed to work for me and I took an additional 500 pictures in three hours. Still suffered overheating it one more time when the bride tossed the bouquet. I used the diffuser most of the time and I am very satisfied with the quality of the photos. I will need to take the time out and learn to run the flash with less energy output, adjusting it in the manual mode. I recommend packing an additional camera and flash when shooting a wedding or other time critical event. I still love the flash! Rating: - Thermal shutdown - fixed?I have an SB900 and agree with all the positive comments posted in other reviews, however I want to challenge those who are posting stories about thermal shutdown to supply some additional information about what situations really cause the flash to shutdown. I've been using my SB900 for several months now, and I've never experienced a problem with the unit shutting down, so I thought I'd try a simple test. I installed a set of brand new lithium ion batteries in my SB900, set it to full power manual mode, and hit the flash button manually as soon as the ready light lit - that's about one full-power shot every 1 or 2 seconds. I did this until the batteries were drained (that is, until it got to be about 10 seconds between flashes - that's a few hundred full-power flashes in a row). Never once did the thermal protection circuit kick in...in fact, the temperature display barely moved for the first 50-100 shots, and throughout the test, even when I could feel the batteries getting warm, it never went much above the 50% mark. My test was indoors at an ambient temperature of about 70 degrees. I tried other settings - repeat flash, flash with my D3 firing at maximum continuous speed, etc. But I could never even come close to driving the flash to shutdown. So perhaps Nikon fixed the issue, I'm just plain lucky - or it has to do with the type of batteries or maybe other accessories used. With this issue out of the way, I'm able to give the unit an unqualified 5 star rating as it's simply the most capable and easy to use unit I've ever owned. Rating: - SB900 Good and BadOverall, this is quite a nice piece of equipment. It is better than the SB800 in so many ways. Controls and adjustments are much easier to use, especially the Master/Remote setup. I like it and would buy it again. Only issue I have is that the unit can overheat if you try to click off a lot of pic's in succession - and will not flash. Seems to heat up faster than the SB800 and it cost me a few shots until I realized I had to pace myself. The SB800's work well as remotes and with the prices falling on them, it might be a good time to add a few and take full advantage of the Nikon Creative Lighting System. Rating: - The Truth About it's "overheating malfunction"...For all those of you, who are reading these reviews, and can't quite figure out why Nikon would make such a "deficient" product, as this SB-900, this review should forever put the debate to rest. It has been suggested that the SB-900 is a sub-standard unit, because it will "overheat" at times, causing it to shut down, until it finally cools off, allowing it to eventually resume operations. There are some reviewers on this site, that will lead you to believe that this "safety" feature is an engineering flaw and thus, all would-be buyers need to beware, and seriously look elsewhere. I recently purchased this flash and used it heavily during a conference this past weekend, in which I was one of two event photographers. Admittedly, I was a little cautious and reserved when I purchased this unit, secondary to several negative reviews regarding it's habitual "overheating malfunction". Reflecting on it's performance this past weekend, I am pleased to report that It was used heavily in all situations and it never "malfunctioned" - not even once. Obviously, there were a couple of times when I was too far from the subject, causing the unit to discharge at full power. But, as an observant user, I recognized that this was my clue that I (not it) was doing something wrong. Thus with minor and reasonable modifications, a good outcome was reliably achieved. Interestingly, the owners manual does state that if the unit is used too heavily, it can get hot and shut down temporarily, as a precautionary measure. But it must also be noted that the owners manual for both the built-in camera flash and the SB-800 say the very same thing! In other words, if ANY flash is abused, misused or in any way used in a manner that is inconsistent with its designed purpose, it will overheat and shut down. This is NOT a design error on the part of Nikon. The overheating will only occur if the flash is fully discharged upon multiple consecutive occurrences, on a subject that is too distant for the flash to appropriately illuminate. If the flash is found to shut down, it is a sign that one must move closer to the subject or add more flash units. Again, overheating and shutdown is NOT a design flaw, it more appropriately represents operator error. Additionally, the new design is truly welcomed! The controls are MUCH better placed and much easier to use. It recharges much faster and works very smoothly. I am very pleased with Nikon's new design and any logical user will feel the same. You will not go wrong with this unit and undoubtedly, will find it a pleasure to work with on a regular basis. In summary: Do not be mislead by those users who are using the unit inappropriately. If you have never caused your built-in camera flash or SB-800 units to meltdown or "freez-up" (pun intended), You will likely not experience any such event on the SB-900. It is a very well designed unit, is much easier to use, and functions much more smoothly than any flash Nikon has put out thus far. Enjoy! ----------------------- If you found this review to be useful, please place your vote, so others can benefit as well. Thanks! Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras ReviewsMore reviews:Buy Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Sale Reviews Deals
Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
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