Thoughts and Opinions:
The SB-900 is a tank of a flash. It is very robust and very well designed. So far after having it for a while now, I am very impressed with it. Since my initial review, I have used it at around 4 shoots now. It has worked flawlessly all but once. However I will go into that in the Usage section.
I think Nikon accomplished a lot with this flash. And my opinion of this flash is very high which may be from my only comparison is the SB-600 which is not even in the same league. So the SB-600 is really not comparable to the SB-900. Sure they are both speedlights however the SB-900 towers over it in both size and functionality.
I still love the diffuser and gel holder that comes with the flash, as well as the ease of use in terms of the settings and such. The button locations are good and the flash is easy to use and navigating through the menus and settings is easier that the SB-600. I am still getting used to it but it is just getting it to be second nature.
This flash is good enough that I will probably sell my SB-600 and get another SB-900. The only thing holding me back is the SB-600 is small and compact. It fits in my Nanuk case and the SB-900 due to how much I already have in the case wouldn't fit right now. So the SB-600 still gets a lot of points for being lightweight and compact. The SB-600 is very good for starting out with since its does the minimum of what you need with a flash which is all you need if you are just starting out. I upgraded and got a SB-900 as another flash because I wanted another flash. I was thinking about the SB-700 or a used SB-800 however I knew that a year after that I would want to upgrade and get a SB-900 so I just decided not to have to upgrade twice. And I am very glad I did.
Usage:
I have, as I said, used this flash in I think four shoots now and it has performed almost perfectly. In my last post I focused on nighttime portraits and I almost exclusively used my SB-900 during that shoot. This was because the SB-600 started making a weird beeping sound which I assume was due to the cold temperatures. The SB-900 was fine and held its own. It worked just fine and produced some great photos.
The size of it does slightly effects usage just because I do have to take extra care not to smoke it off a counter or anything while it is on my camera. But that is what you trade for with you get the biggest flash Nikon makes.
I did have a weird experience with it while I was shooting outside. It was fairly cold so personally I was not worried about overheating the SB-900. I was not taking a lot of pictures quickly or at a huge power level I thought but the temperature gauge said it was too hot and shut off on me. Thankfully I had my SB-600 on me and switched to that for awhile which was fine. After a couple of minutes I switched back to the SB-900 after it had a chance to chill. It was weird because I felt the outside of the SB-900 when it claimed it was overheating and it was actually pretty cold. I think it was shooting in TTL that caused it to shoot at a high power and I guess that did it. Again I wasn't shooting that quickly because it was group shots so they took a while to decide how they were going to pose and such. Oh well, I guess that is why you have backups. I have not had this happen again since then and I have used it outside three other times since then and it has been fine. So I guess if you don't want to risk the chance of overheating just shoot in Manual. I believe I have also read or heard that somewhere else as well.
So it has not been perfect but perfect enough that I wouldn't want any other flash. Everything can behave strangely here and there so I am not to worried about it heating up too much in the cold that one time. There has been nothing to say is a major issue with this flash or any issue really. It is hard for me to describe how great it is since a lot of it is just how well and easy it works. So I hope I conveyed that here that it is an outstanding flash and just works amazingly for what it is and how much it costs.
Pros:
- Ease of Use (especially when you are used to it)
- Power
- Functionality
- Build Quality
- Zoom ability
- Accessories (Diffuser, gels and gel holder)
- Portability (Still better than a studio light setup)
- Versatility
Cons:
- Large (But that comes with the flash and compared to a studio light it's nothing)
- Heavier than a SB-600 (However again, very light compared to any studio light)
Sample Images:
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| Portrait - 50mm - SB-900 |
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| Portrait - 50mm - SB-900 |
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| Portrait - 50mm - SB-900 |
Conclusions:
This is a great flash hands down. I have it overheat once for what I thought wasn't a great reason but it has not done that since so I am not too concerned. The functionality and ease of use is great and the build quality inspires confidence. The usage thus far has been great however to be honest, it is only as good as my skill level. I am sure a better photographer than myself could get even more better lit photos. So the usage does come down to who is using it. But in terms of the flash itself, I wouldn't go to another flash. Almost so much I will eventually get 2-3 of these depending on my wallet and how much portraiture I get into.
All and all this is a awesome flash. If you have a SB-600 and want another flash and have the cash, get a SB-900. Or if you are looking for a first flash and have money to burn, then why not. But it is very obvious why this flash is #1 from Nikon.
Lastly I just thought I would touch on the fact I brought up studio lights a little in this review. When you compare it to an SB-600 it is a little unfair since as I said it is in a different league. Something that is more comparable is a studio light. The SB-900 is much more versatile than a studio light and way more lightweight and compact. So yes, against my SB-600, the SB-900 is larger and less compact however to something that is a better substitute (Since SB-600 are not often the go to lighting option for a studio), a studio light, it is still much better in my opinion.
If you are debating a flash, and a SB-900 is on the list... get it even if you have to save up for it longer.
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