Nikon speedlight options

madisonofriel · Mar 22, 2015

hello! I have a Nikon d3000. As you know it comes with the dreaded 'pop up flash'. I am looking to buy my first flash for it. I shoot all out doors and will need it occasionally, and I can't afford too much... Can someone maybe give me some tips and suggest the best flash for my money? I really appriciate it! Thanks

tirediron · Mar 22, 2015

A lot depends on how much "not too much" means to you. Ideally I would recommend a Nikon SB700 as an excellent companion for the D3000, however if your budget won't stretch that far, Nissin and Yongnuo make some excellent third-party gear.

IronMaskDuval · Mar 22, 2015

Although it hasn't caught traction yet, insignia also makes a ttl flash for nikon. From what I've read, they are nice and only $60. If you want nikon gear, and you're budget is low, the sb600 is also a good option.

fjrabon · Mar 22, 2015

To me an sb700 is overkill because the d3000 can't do commander mode IIRC.

Unless you were willing to invest in a couple of flashes, there's no reason to worry about flashes that can do AWL. So basically, I'd recommend a flash that could do TTL and plain old slave and digital slave mode:
YongNuo YN-468 II

KmH · Mar 22, 2015

A manual flash is easier to learn how to use than a flash that can do auto/semi-auto TTL flash.

For just $60 you can get a
Yongnuo YN-560-II-USA Speedlite Flash for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, GN33, LCD Display, US Warranty (Black)

The $84 YN-468 II iTTL for Nikon has been discontinued but the is in stock as of now.

The YN-560 II has a guide number (GN) of 58.
The YN-468 II has a guide number of 33.

GN 58 is more powerful than GN 33.

fjrabon · Mar 22, 2015

KmH said:
A manual flash is easier to learn how to use than a flash that can do auto/semi-auto TTL flash.

For just $60 you can get a
Yongnuo YN-560-II-USA Speedlite Flash for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, GN33, LCD Display, US Warranty (Black)

The $84 YN-468 II iTTL for Nikon has been discontinued.

Is there a problem on a D3100 with it being discontinued though?

Derrel · Mar 22, 2015

A TPF member, WayneF, has a nice site with a lot of good educational articles he has written...information about flash and flash exposure, flash power, and so on...stuff that you can actually trust. Check his pages at Flash Photography Basics

Here's a new, low-cost flash he has reviewed. Review of the Neewer VK750 II Speedlight

You likely will not find better-written, better documented reviews of inexpensive made in China flashes than the stuff he hosts on his pages.

KmH · Mar 23, 2015

fjrabon said:
KmH said:

A manual flash is easier to learn how to use than a flash that can do auto/semi-auto TTL flash.

For just $60 you can get a
Yongnuo YN-560-II-USA Speedlite Flash for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, GN33, LCD Display, US Warranty (Black)

The $84 YN-468 II iTTL for Nikon has been discontinued.

Click to expand...

Is there a problem on a D3100 with it being discontinued though?

Of course not.
But availability in the near future, support, and parts longer term might be.
The problem the OP will have with the YN-468 II is learning how to use it effectively to get consistent results with iTTL functions.

fjrabon · Mar 23, 2015

Now, a consideration to make is where will you ultimately go with your flashes. If you think you'll only use one flash for the forseeable future, and you think you'll stick with a D3100 for a while, that's easier than if you'll use multiple lights in the very near future.

I like the Yongnuos. I think they're solid little flashes. BUT, I wouldn't buy them if I was going to do a multi-flash setup, because they will typically vary in the color of the flash from unit to unit. Some are blue-ish very slightly and some are more yellowed. This isn't an issue if you're just using one. Where it becomes an issue is if you are using multiple flashes together. Then you'll be able to see the difference in flash color. In these cases you probably want to stick to one of the higher quality brand families. Like all nikon or all phottix or all Metz. Those brands will tend to be more consistent in flash temperature from unit to unit.

But at the same time, don't but a $300 flash unit when you're using a camera body and lens that sell for about that same amount.

Solarflare · Mar 24, 2015

fjrabon said:
To me an sb700 is overkill because the d3000 can't do commander mode IIRC.

Its not overkill because when he buys his next camera that might have commander mode and he wants to use this exact feature, his flash already will already be able to do it.

fjrabon · Mar 24, 2015

Solarflare said:
fjrabon said:

To me an sb700 is overkill because the d3000 can't do commander mode IIRC.

Click to expand...

Its not overkill because when he buys his next camera that might have commander mode and he wants to use this exact feature, his flash already will already be able to do it.

Speaking as someone who was in charge of managing gear for a studio, this is a terrible philosophy. Buy a $60 flash now, save $300 that can better be used at this time and then buy the better gear when it's actually needed. Heck, by the time she upgrades, she might not even want to upgrade in the Nikon family

buying a flash unit that costs more than your lens or camera body is just silly.

IronMaskDuval · Mar 24, 2015

I have a D3000. The heck I'd ever buy an expensive flash for that thing. As a matter of fact, it was my first camera, and I bought a Youngnuo for it, and it served me well. The Chinese flash went with me to a D90 and then a D7100, which I then upgraded to an SB-600 back then, which the Youngnuo was more than enough for what I was doing at the time. I was shadowing a Fortune 500 corporate events pro at the time, and he told me to go buy a diffuser for the Youngnuo while I was using my D7100. He didn't knock it once and was impressed by its performance. He would have us shoot side by side with his 5d II and no one would know the difference.

If I was ever to shoot as a pro, I'd shoot top tier, branded gear, just because they've saturated the market, which allows all of us to understand their reliability better than the off brands. Heck, I'd shoot off brands if they sponsored me and gave me backups. But as an amateur, I would go with an off brand all day long if I was on a budget. I'm fortunate enough to buy what I want, and that's why I have an SB-910 and all Nikon gear. Does it allow me to take better photos than when I first started? Nope. I do photography as a love hobby (not as a pro or an amateur), so I will shoot personal events for friends, family, and strangers who are not fortunate enough to hire a professional who is truly passionate about photography, and the SB-910 carries me a long way on that end. I use to have people rent the gear for me for their shoots. Now, I can just charge in beer and liquor.

pixmedic · Mar 24, 2015

fjrabon said:
Now, a consideration to make is where will you ultimately go with your flashes. If you think you'll only use one flash for the forseeable future, and you think you'll stick with a D3100 for a while, that's easier than if you'll use multiple lights in the very near future.

I like the Yongnuos. I think they're solid little flashes. BUT, I wouldn't buy them if I was going to do a multi-flash setup, because they will typically vary in the color of the flash from unit to unit. Some are blue-ish very slightly and some are more yellowed. This isn't an issue if you're just using one. Where it becomes an issue is if you are using multiple flashes together. Then you'll be able to see the difference in flash color. In these cases you probably want to stick to one of the higher quality brand families. Like all nikon or all phottix or all Metz. Those brands will tend to be more consistent in flash temperature from unit to unit.

But at the same time, don't but a $300 flash unit when you're using a camera body and lens that sell for about that same amount.

really?
'cause i have 6 yongnuo 568EX flashes and have yet to have that issue with 2, 3, or 4 flash portrait setups.

fjrabon · Mar 24, 2015

pixmedic said:
fjrabon said:

Now, a consideration to make is where will you ultimately go with your flashes. If you think you'll only use one flash for the forseeable future, and you think you'll stick with a D3100 for a while, that's easier than if you'll use multiple lights in the very near future.

I like the Yongnuos. I think they're solid little flashes. BUT, I wouldn't buy them if I was going to do a multi-flash setup, because they will typically vary in the color of the flash from unit to unit. Some are blue-ish very slightly and some are more yellowed. This isn't an issue if you're just using one. Where it becomes an issue is if you are using multiple flashes together. Then you'll be able to see the difference in flash color. In these cases you probably want to stick to one of the higher quality brand families. Like all nikon or all phottix or all Metz. Those brands will tend to be more consistent in flash temperature from unit to unit.

But at the same time, don't but a $300 flash unit when you're using a camera body and lens that sell for about that same amount.

Click to expand...

really?
'cause i have 6 yongnuo 568EX flashes and have yet to have that issue with 2, 3, or 4 flash portrait setups.

Just my experience. It's not always noticeable, but I did notice it when I was shooting on a light grey backdrop. I then shot at a white seamless backdrop with each snooted simultaneously. Set a custom WB based a non modified impact light. Mixed the snoots and positions on the backdrop, I even switched out batteries between the units. Then I just measured the results. Two measured differing levels of slightly blue and one measured slightly warm. Trying to find the exact RGB values, I know I wrote them down somewhere.

After I noticed it the first time it became a lot easier to spot subsequently. It's not a game breaker, but I think it is something to consider. It's less of an issue if you're shooting outside, but for me it does become an issue if I'm shooting inside. Part of the issue was solved by simply marking them and using the one warm unit in a way that deemphasized the difference. Making it the hair light, for example. If it *really* is an issue it can mostly be fixed with a quarter cut of gel, though then I have to compensate for the loss in flash power, which isn't major, but is an annoyance.

These days I'm rarely ever shooting multi flash inside (or really I'm rarely using multiple flash setups at all) so it's whatever. They're still incredible values for the money, and I don't regret buying them. This is also probably more info than the OP needs anyway.

tim8287 · Mar 26, 2015

Derrel said:
A TPF member, WayneF, has a nice site with a lot of good educational articles he has written...information about flash and flash exposure, flash power, and so on...stuff that you can actually trust. Check his pages at Flash Photography Basics

Here's a new, low-cost flash he has reviewed. Review of the Neewer VK750 II Speedlight

You likely will not find better-written, better documented reviews of inexpensive made in China flashes than the stuff he hosts on his pages.