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Category Archives: Nikon
Yongnuo YN-565EX for Nikon Available Now!
Finally, the long-awaited new Yongnuo speedlite for Nikon is here and available for purchase from the manufacturer store on eBay: Yongnuo’s Nikon YN-565EX costs around $170 in the US – that’s almost 50% less than the investment needed for Nikon’s mid-range flash SB-700 with a more or less comparable feature set.
Nikon users had to wait for a long time to see a new Yongnuo hit the markets. The latest model had still been the lower-powered Yongnuo YN-467 first introduced in 2009, and there were no news during the entire year of 2011, just until now.
Posted in Nikon, Updates, Yongnuo
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Nikon Speedlight SB-910 to Replace the SB-900 Flash
November 28, 2011: Nikon just announced the new SB-910 as an upgrade of their current professional hot shoe flash SB-900. The new SB-910 is expected to be available in mid December for around $550, and it will replace the current model, which is being phased out.
The SB-910 is a professional tool for photographers who don’t mind spending $550 on a new speedlight or for people who need rugged professional gear because that’s what they make their living with. For the normal user, the smaller and lighter Nikon SB-700 model is fully sufficient, and it can do everything that the SB-910 can.
Posted in Nikon, Updates
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SB-700 Battery Chamber Door Falling Apart?
SB-700 quality problems? The new Nikon SB-700 speedlight is a nice flash with a great user interface. I also wrote before that the new battery chamber is an improvement over previous Nikon flashguns.
Maybe I was wrong. See what happened last night when I was changing batteries during a recycle time test video – switching from alkaline to eneloop:
As can be seen at around second 5, the upper part of the battery chamber door separates from the base further than normal and then gets stuck. When trying to close it at second 30, it’s the same problem; the upper part does not slip back properly.
Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Review
With the SB-700 speedlight, Nikon offers a new middle class standard for flash photography, complementing the professional SB-900.
The new model replaces the old SB-600 from 2004. Priced at $329 it’s an expensive flash but it comes with a rich feature set.
The SB-700 flash even changes the rules of the game as it introduces the top-grade feature of a wireless master mode to the middle class. Yes, you can control other speedlights with this new flash, that’s something the precursor was not capable of.
Unboxing Nikon Speedlight SB-700
The new Nikon SB-700 arrived today with overnight express! The in-depth review will take some time, but here’s an unboxing video of Nikon’s new external flash and successor to the speedlight SB-600.
It shows the unpacking, installing of batteries, powering on, flash head adjustment, and finally size comparison with Nikon’s SB-900 and the predecessor SB-600 flash.
Nikon SB-700 – First Impressions
Some first impressions from the unpacking – there was no chance yet to test the SB-700 flash really:
- the SB-700 feels like an SB-900 in SB-600 size
Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Flash Available Now
SB-700 available now in US!
Update from 12/16: A few Nikon SB-700 are available today on eBay and amazon has them in stock.
Prices are around $350 to $370, which is higher than the official introduction price of $329. But they will still move fast, and it might take some time for the next batch to arrive? My local Best Buy expects the flash for January …
Check amazon, Adorama, B & H Photo and J & R for supplies and prices.
Nikon Speedlight SB-600 Review (Dedicated i-TTL Flash)
For the amateur photographer, the SB-600 has been the standard Nikon flash since the introduction of i-TTL.
The SB600 was released in 2004, one year after the professional SB-800. The SB-600 features the same essential flash modes as the SB-800 but leaves out some gimmicks like the Multi (stroboscopic) mode.
At almost half the cost you don’t give up a lot that would be needed for everyday photography. It’s lacking some professional features such as a PC sync port, a socket for external power supply, and its guide number is somewhat reduced (but still more than sufficient for all but the most demanding situations).
SB-700 Guide Number Details
The instruction manual of the SB-700 is available for download now from Nikon, and I could finally have a look at the guide number table. Before, all that was known was the GN at 35mm FX, and sadly that GN of 28 (m) is lower than the one of the SB-600 (GN30) it replaces.
But in contrast to the 600 there is sensor size detection available on the SB700 now, which means that it does not zoom to the 50mm reflector position when a 50mm lens is used with a DX camera like the D7000 or D90, but it zooms to around 70-75.
Nikon SB-700 Flash Specs vs SB-600 and SB-900
What are the new features of the SB-700 over the SB-600 that it replaces and how does it hold up against its big brother SB-900? Together with the specs (combined from various countries’ Nikon websites and now verified through hands-on testing) you’ll find here a side by side comparison post.
Nikon SB-700 versus SB-600
The SB-700 (shipping since December 2010) is the new mid-range offering from Nikon. It replaces the SB-600 which was introduced back in 2004 and itself replaced the SB-50DX from 2001. It features the same i-TTL technology as the SB-600 but drops all support for previous TTL generations.
Unboxing YN-467 for Nikon
My Yongnuo YN-467 has arrived today – super fast shipping from Hong Kong, I had bought it just 8 days ago from the manufacturer’s store on eBay! First impression is rather good, just like the other speedlites from the 460 series from China. I will start testing very soon, here’s an ‘unboxing video’ to kick the series off.
Go here for the full review of the Yongnuo 467 – there were some interesting discoveries during the tests.
