is this a good flash?

Village Idiot · Nov 5, 2008

jstuedle said:
If you were to pick up and examine say a $90 Sunpack 383 and a 6-10 year old Nikon SB-28 or SB-80DX for the same price you will be amazed in the vast difference in build quality and features. The Sunpack is very light and flimsy. It lacks a zoom head and standard PC connection. But, the Sunpack I believe a better value than the ebay flash mentioned here. It's just basic eco-101. You get what you pay for. A new SB-800 my be $350, but will out perform and out last cheaper flashes by a very large margin. Used high end flashes are a bargain for the Strobist shooter, and the SB-28 is one of the Strobist mainstays. A lot of value for the dollar even after the wear and tear of it's original owner.

You can get Vivitar 283's for about $35 on ebay. They're considered tanks and are very reliable and durable. Plus, they're putting out as much power as most modern speed lights iirc.

You get what you pay for also means you get a brand name that you pay for.

toofpaste · Nov 5, 2008

third_shift|studios said:
holy cow, i learned more watching that then the two semesters of photography i took...thank you very much!

This place is amazing. You will learn a crap load of information. Just isn't in any way as laid back as ls1

third_shift|studios · Nov 5, 2008

Alleh Lindquist said:
That one on ebay looks like junk. I would suggest a used SB-28 or 26 over that.

www.strobist.com learn to light

toofpaste said:
This place is amazing. You will learn a crap load of information. Just isn't in any way as laid back as ls1

lmfao....i thought i recalled your name! that's weird...never thought I'd see and ls1 memeber on another site that wasn't car related.

toofpaste · Nov 5, 2008

third_shift|studios said:
lmfao....i thought i recalled your name! that's weird...never thought I'd see and ls1 memeber on another site that wasn't car related.

Still LS related photography haha

Alleh Lindquist · Nov 5, 2008

third_shift|studios said:
is that b/c of lack of features, or does a flash have to be over $200 to constitute as "quality"

A Nikon SB-28 can be had on ebay for around $100 same as the junk ebay flash. I own 2 and use them all the time.

third_shift|studios · Nov 5, 2008

toofpaste said:
Still LS related photography haha

nice shot, bro!!! Is that a vette?

third_shift|studios · Nov 5, 2008

Alleh Lindquist said:
A Nikon SB-28 can be had on ebay for around $100 same as the junk ebay flash. I own 2 and use them all the time.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-SB28-SB-28-w-case-TTL-Flash-f672n_W0QQitemZ310090952193QQcmdZViewItem

thanks for the tip!!! how do i find a way to make work with my hot shoe?

Early · Nov 5, 2008

third_shift|studios said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-SB28-SB-28-w-case-TTL-Flash-f672n_W0QQitemZ310090952193QQcmdZViewItem

thanks for the tip!!! how do i find a way to make work with my hot shoe?

I doubt if you can, at least not with any dedication. But do stick to a known brand if you're not buying a Sony flash, like Metz and Sunpak. You also have to get a unit that's dedicated to your camera.
Try this! Someone is selling his whole outfit.
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/aka-ranma

jstuedle · Nov 5, 2008

Village Idiot said:
You can get Vivitar 283's for about $35 on ebay. They're considered tanks and are very reliable and durable. Plus, they're putting out as much power as most modern speed lights iirc.

You get what you pay for also means you get a brand name that you pay for.

I admit the Vivitar is a little tougher than the Sunpack. The 283 does have a rap of breaking off it's shoe foot, also older units can have a danderiously high trigger voltage that can fry a modern cameras inards. I still prefer the build and features of the SB series. A zoom head is a must for most of my work, and there durability is simply amazing. I prefer the SB-28 and 80DX for Strobist work. The SB-80DX has a slightly longer zoom range (out to 135 as opposed to 85) and can have the standby feature toggled off for use with Pocket Wizards. Otherwise the SB-28 and 28DX are just about identical. Still, for $25-35 used, a lot of light can be had by the Vivitar and Sunpack flashes.

Village Idiot · Nov 6, 2008

The Vivitars have zoom heads. It's manual zoom and it's marked wide, normal, and long, but they have the capability.

toofpaste · Nov 7, 2008

third_shift|studios said:
nice shot, bro!!! Is that a vette?

yezzir, 06 c6 pushing 450 rw

third_shift|studios · Nov 10, 2008

Early said:
I doubt if you can, at least not with any dedication. But do stick to a known brand if you're not buying a Sony flash, like Metz and Sunpak. You also have to get a unit that's dedicated to your camera.
Try this! Someone is selling his whole outfit.
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/aka-ranma

what about using a stretchy sync cable? I really never planned on putting the flash on the camera, actually just wanted to have somethign that I could attach with a sync cord and hold the flash out to the side for some directional light?

Early · Nov 10, 2008

third_shift|studios said:
what about using a stretchy sync cable? I really never planned on putting the flash on the camera, actually just wanted to have somethign that I could attach with a sync cord and hold the flash out to the side for some directional light?

If you can find one made for your hot shoe mount. Remember, it's different from the other brands. Even though I use the Maxxum system, I never looked to see if there was an adapter available. I've always made sure a camera had a PC contact before I bought it.