Whick Nikon speedlight for my D7200?

[Blind Bruce]

There are a number of speedllights from Nikon. Which ones work best with the D7200 remains a mystery to me. I cannot say that price is no object but I am willing to pay for a unit that can use all the features available on the camera. I plan on buying a softbox for portraits as well.

 

[jcdeboever]

SB800 or 900. I would wait for more experience though. I use a SB600 with an off camera bracket and it works great.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[KmH]

I am willing to pay for a unit that can use all the features available on the camera.

You are very unlikely to use all those features. There is also a pretty steep learning curve you will need to climb to understand which feature, and feature settings, to use in which shooting situation.

Plus in the various modes that have the camera/flash unit making decisions regarding flash power or other variable settings the program often makes choices counter to what you are wanting to accomplish. Or put another way when the camera/flash make decisions expect inconsistent results.

I would recommend starting with a manual flash because learning to use a manual flash is significantly easier than learning to use a flash unit having a bucket full of bells and whistles.
Yongnuo YN-560 II Speedlight Flash for Canon and Nikon. GN58.

 

[astroNikon]

I use SB-800s as my primary speedlights. I used to have SB-600s but I needed the Modeling Light (high speed flashes) to capture image motion in one shot.

But I always grab the SB-700 for ease of use. The menu system on that is far superior to the 800s. The 900/910 are awesome too but pricey.

You can always put the SB-700s (or others ) in Manual Exposure mode, which mine are most of the time unless I put the SB-700 on a bracket for roving.

So I recommend the SB-700s for ease of use and not the priciest.

There's also Yongnuo flashes but you want their 568 ( ?? their best model w/HSS). (edited to correct number from 685 to 586 .. at least I had the right numbers lol )

 

[cgw]

I'd get the cheapest TTL flash available for on-camera use. For off-camera use with light modifiers and "Strobist" lighting set-ups, older manual Nikon speedlights(SB-24/25/26) with cheap radio triggers can open up tons of creative options.

 

[jaomul]

Have a look at a Yongnuo yn 568. It is ttl, has high speed sync or fps in nikon talk, can be set manual also and is not overly expensive.

 

[wfooshee]

I used to have SB-600s but I needed the Modeling Light (high speed flashes) to capture image motion in one shot.

That's odd..... My SB-600 does the modeling light on my D7000, both in the hotshoe and under CLS control from the pop-up.


To the original question, to start out, I think the SB-700 is the way to go. Use it, learn what the flash can do, how the exposure works with automatic and manual flash settings, and when you bump into something that you wish it would do, then you think about some cash and a better unit like the 910.

The Yongnuo units are significantly less expensive, match the Nikons feature for feature, but the documentation is..... amusing. Also, the quality control is not the same level. not to say the Yongnuos don't work, but you are much more likely to get a unti that fails in a short time than you are with Nikon flashes. best bet with Yongnuo would be to find a Facebook group with a lot of people using them; you'll get it figured out that way a lot faster than trying to understand the translated Chinese "manuals."

 

[dannylightning]

this is not a nikon speed light but its I-TTL so it works with your nikon.. there are many comparisions i have seen vs this and the most expensive nikon speed light. most people say this is just as good. i have 2 of them and they are great on and off camera and they are affordable.... here is a link..

i dropped one of mine, fell off the light stand since i forgot to tighten it to the light stand.. it hit hard and bounced a few times, still working fine..

Amazon.com : Neewer VK750 II i-TTL Speedlite Flash with LCD Display for Nikon D7100 D7000 D5200 D5100 D5000 D3000 D3100 D300 D300S D700 D600 D90 D80 D70 D70S D60 D50 and All Other Nikon DSLR Cameras : On Camera Shoe Mount Flashes : Camera & Photo

also check this review here on the photo forum..

In Depth Comparison/Review: Neewer VK750II vs. Nikon SB700

 

[nerwin]

I had the SB-700 and I loved that flash, it worked for everything I needed it to and sadly..I sold it due to money problems at the time. I need to pick one up again...

 

[LWW]

this is not a nikon speed light but its I-TTL so it works with your nikon.. there are many comparisions i have seen vs this and the most expensive nikon speed light. most people say this is just as good. i have 2 of them and they are great on and off camera and they are affordable.... here is a link..

i dropped one of mine, fell off the light stand since i forgot to tighten it to the light stand.. it hit hard and bounced a few times, still working fine..

Amazon.com : Neewer VK750 II i-TTL Speedlite Flash with LCD Display for Nikon D7100 D7000 D5200 D5100 D5000 D3000 D3100 D300 D300S D700 D600 D90 D80 D70 D70S D60 D50 and All Other Nikon DSLR Cameras : On Camera Shoe Mount Flashes : Camera & Photo

also check this review here on the photo forum..

In Depth Comparison/Review: Neewer VK750II vs. Nikon SB700

A second vote for the NEEWER 750.

 

[ac12]

I recently bought a used Nikon SB-800.

Until then, I have been using older shoe flashes for years, similar to the strobist method; Nikon SB-24 and Vivitar 285HV.

• I had two SB-24s die on me, the zoom would go nuts, and not stop trying to set.
  
• The 285HV follows the KISS principle, no computer to die on you; dial to set manual & reflected auto modes, zoom is by physically moving the lens in/out.
  
• I also have two Sunpak 611 that I bought to do studio work, on the cheap. But then I got a Speedotron Brownline pack+head, so never got to use the Sunpacks.

I used both the SB-24 and 285HV in manual and auto mode.
Auto is using the flash sensor on the flash to determine exposure, not TTL.

 

[adamhiram]

Another vote for the SB-700 if you are looking for an OEM speed light. It is a little smaller and more manageable than its SB-910 big brother (or whatever the replacement is for the 910), while offering most of its features and power. TTL works great on-camera, and you can easily switch it to manual mode for off-camera.

If you just need manual flashes for off-camera use, I've been very happy with the Godox TT600 speed lights, which are also sold under the Neewer and Flashpoint brands. They are much more affordable ($65 vs. $327), and come with built-in wireless so you don't need to buy additional receivers. They have TTL versions for not much more if that's something you need. I've heard positive things about Yongnuo's offerings at similar price points, but don't have any first-hand experience with them, other than their wireless triggers.

 

[Dave442]

I was going to replace my SB-600 with the SB-700, so the SB-700 is my recommendation. I always liked using the Nikon CLS system.

Now I have two Yongnuo YN560 IV units with the YN560-TX Controller and a couple JJC model FB-1 battery packs that plug into the flash units. The battery packs have 8 each of the Enloop Pro AA batteries installed and each flash has four of these batteries plus the transmitter and a backup set for all, so 52 batteries and a good charger. These are easy flashes to use with a simple menu layout - and fast to change from using off camera with the Controller to using on-camera.

I think that it was better that I started with the Nikon flash, but what I have now came in less than the cost of just an SB-700 so I had to give it a try.

 

[greybeard]

For OEM the SB-700 or SB-910 are hard to beat but they are expensive. I have a pr of Yongnuo 565ex that I use with with small umbrellas that have never failed me. The SB-910 is big and powerful and is the standard by which all other Nikon compatible flashes are measured. The SB-700 is all you will probably ever need. And several models of Yongnuo will get the job done for a lot less money.