I have both a Godox tt685 and Nikon sb900 speedlite. The Godox is fine for casual use, but the sb900 is my go to for event shooting where I need more power and quicker recycle.
That said (though I’d been warned of this) I hate how easily the sb900 goes into overheat protection mode with fast shooting, and how long it takes to get back into safe mode to shoot again.
Anyone have recommendations for a speedlite as powerful as the sb900, but with less aggressive overheat protection?
Definitely try the SB-910. One of its advertised advantages over the SB-900 was that it doesn't overheat as quickly as the SB-900. It does this in part by lowering output, but that may not be that big of an issue. Interesting video:
Apparently if you get the external battery pack, it stays cooler even longer.
If you want to stay with Nikon, either a SB910 or SB5000 would be a pretty solid choice, in particular since both have a built in overheating safety and also accept an external batterypack, the latter IMO a must have when shooting events etc
Yet although the SB910 has a better UI and the built in safety, I sold mine and keep shooting with my trusty old SB800's, even on my D850 despite losing some of the flash options options with that body
I do use my SB800's for intensive shooting, usually with external batterypacks like a SB8A or Propack 960
But while I in the past have at some point had them getting pretty hot (eg taking hundreds of shots during shooting catwalk with repeated short bursts) never had one of them melt down on me, although admittedly based on reports on the Internet (and images of melted front lens elements) I'm sure it's possible to do so
In my experience though that would/could only be if you try really hard, eg when shooting a SB800 or similar type speedlight lacking overheating safety constantly and repeatedly at (near) full power
But realistically you should wonder when you would ever do so
I never did nor do so despite having shot plenty of eg company events, weddings, catwalk shows etc, but then again also never adapted the shooting style where I kept, needed or saw the need for blasting away my speedlights at constant full power all the time
So yes, you can 'melt down' a SB800 if you use it constantly at full power during fast prolonged series
But in my experience that will under normal shooting conditions rarely be the case
After all if you do need to shoot your speedlight at full power all the time rather pushing a speedlight at its limits all the time, better get a higher GN, higher capacity alternative
Plenty of hardly any bigger then a SB910 Godox, Elinchromes alternatives etc around nowadays
So realistically speaking the odds of melting down an overheating safety lacking speedlight during normal use (including weddings events etc) are pretty small and nothing to get all worked up over all the time
And IMO rather the result of over enthusiastic/unrealistic abuse by some users then a under normal use to be expected inevitability
Thanks! And thanks to others that responded with your insight.
I’ll give the sb910 a try (I already have a sb960 pack which is awesome albeit a little bulky). When I’m using on camera flash during weddings it’s typically during the reception, and I’m upping my ISO to around 2000-3200 so I can maximize speedlite battery life and keep my recycle time down to a minimum. If I have to do anywhere near full power with a speedlite for a job, I’m not using the right tool (at least for how I shoot). I have nothing against overheat protection, but compared to canon and Godox flashes (which do have overheat protection as well) the sb900 kicks in way sooner and isn’t very predictable in terms of when it’ll be operable again.
Paul_K wrote:
If you want to stay with Nikon, either a SB910 or SB5000 would be a pretty solid choice, in particular since both have a built in overheating safety and also accept an external batterypack, the latter IMO a must have when shooting events etc
Yet although the SB910 has a better UI and the built in safety, I sold mine and keep shooting with my trusty old SB800's, even on my D850 despite losing some of the flash options options with that body
I do use my SB800's for intensive shooting, usually with external batterypacks like a SB8A or Propack 960
But while I in the past have at some point had them getting pretty hot (eg taking hundreds of shots during shooting catwalk with repeated short bursts) never had one of them melt down on me, although admittedly based on reports on the Internet (and images of melted front lens elements) I'm sure it's possible to do so
In my experience though that would/could only be if you try really hard, eg when shooting a SB800 or similar type speedlight lacking overheating safety constantly and repeatedly at (near) full power
But realistically you should wonder when you would ever do so
I never did nor do so despite having shot plenty of eg company events, weddings, catwalk shows etc, but then again also never adapted the shooting style where I kept, needed or saw the need for blasting away my speedlights at constant full power all the time
So yes, you can 'melt down' a SB800 if you use it constantly at full power during fast prolonged series
But in my experience that will under normal shooting conditions rarely be the case
After all if you do need to shoot your speedlight at full power all the time rather pushing a speedlight at its limits all the time, better get a higher GN, higher capacity alternative
Plenty of hardly any bigger then a SB910 Godox, Elinchromes alternatives etc around nowadays
So realistically speaking the odds of melting down an overheating safety lacking speedlight during normal use (including weddings events etc) are pretty small and nothing to get all worked up over all the time
And IMO rather the result of over enthusiastic/unrealistic abuse by some users then a under normal use to be expected inevitability...Show more →
Have you thought about using one or two slave flashes on a tripod which fire at the ceiling just to help you out with the lighting a little? (Assuming the ceiling is white.)
sungphoto wrote:
I have both a Godox tt685 and Nikon sb900 speedlite. The Godox is fine for casual use, but the sb900 is my go to for event shooting where I need more power and quicker recycle.
That said (though I’d been warned of this) I hate how easily the sb900 goes into overheat protection mode with fast shooting, and how long it takes to get back into safe mode to shoot again.
Anyone have recommendations for a speedlite as powerful as the sb900, but with less aggressive overheat protection?
1. The SB-800 is as powerful, if not more so, and will keep shooting until it cooks itself. This is what Photozack81 was talking about. My wife has used SB-800 Speedlights, for many years, though she never fried one, as her shooting was mostly at death scene.
2. The SB-910 is as powerful, and as it gets near the heat limit, throttles itself down a bit, rather than a total shut-down.
3. The Metz 64 AF-1 is a bit more powerful, probably better-built, inside and out, and has a very nice touch-screen menu. I have never used mine to the point of over-heating, so cannot address that part.
4. The Metz 76 MZ-5 is POWERFUL, built very well-built, has old-school manual controls, and can be further improved with an adapter that enables using a Quantum battery pack. I have just acquired mine, have not yet acquired the Quantum power pack, and have not yet tried to cook it.
Most of my fast shooting, with flash, has actually been done with Canon Speedlites, so I have no personal experience over-heating Nikon Speedlights. I carried two or more Speedlites, and switched them if I thought I was pushing them too fast.
Another way to lessen over-heating is to use more than one flash, at a time, if feasible, so each only has to provide a portion of the necessary light, as mentioned by michi098.
I have the workhorse SB-800 but wanted a second unit, and the SB-900 stories about thermal shutdown were frankly disappointing. Nikon screwed the pooch with that model, and I wasn't inclined to pay for an expensive firmware hack-job called SB-910. The real solution came with the SB-5000 for which I paid full retail and promptly deployed at a wedding with excellent results. I also use it in the studio and often at full energy: 70J doesn't go far when diffused @ f/22. The secret sauce of the SB-5000 is active cooling—still unique for a flash at this time. By active, Nikon means a fan serves to dissipate heat and it is controlled by a thermostat. Temperature of the unit is displayed on the back panel. Price is steep, but I like this flagship for the cooling feature, 2sec full recharge on AA, and the dead-silent thyrister (no high-pitch whine in your ear when charging). The fan is similarly silent.
sungphoto wrote:
Perhaps look at the posts below you from people that actually know what they’re talking about.
Excuse me for working with your poorly worded desires.
You said you wanted less aggressive thermal protection.
Your entire post is written in a way that suggests you do not understand what thermal protection is or why it is there.
What you probably should have been searching for is a flash that can handle more work before overheating than the 910. There are plenty of recommendations I could make there, the 910 being an easy one as others have suggested.
Then again if searching was a thing you understood, this thread wouldn't need to exist anyway.
I answered the question you wrote. Words mean things. Help me to help you.
Excellent suggestions, thank you for your detailed thoughts on them.
The Metz 64 AF-1 seems like a very impressive flash, and reasonably priced to boot. I also like that it works with the D850’s built in wireless trigger should I want to go off camera on a whim. It’s bigger brother however is a bit more flash than I need.
RexGig0 wrote:
1. The SB-800 is as powerful, if not more so, and will keep shooting until it cooks itself. This is what Photozack81 was talking about. My wife has used SB-800 Speedlights, for many years, though she never fried one, as her shooting was mostly at death scene.
2. The SB-910 is as powerful, and as it gets near the heat limit, throttles itself down a bit, rather than a total shut-down.
3. The Metz 64 AF-1 is a bit more powerful, probably better-built, inside and out, and has a very nice touch-screen menu. I have never used mine to the point of over-heating, so cannot address that part.
4. The Metz 76 MZ-5 is POWERFUL, built very well, has old-school controls, and can be further improved with an adapter that enables using a Quantum battery pack. I have just acquired mine, have not yet acquired the Quantum power pack, and have not yet tried to cook it.
Most of my fast shooting, with flash, has actually been done with Canon Speedlites, so I have no personal experience over-heating Nikon Speedlights. I carried two or more Speedlites, and switched them if I thought I was pushing them too fast.
Another way to lessen over-heating is to use more than one flash, at a time, if feasible, so each only has to provide a portion of the necessary light, as mentioned by michi098. ...Show more →
Hmm somehow everyone else in this thread comprehended what I wrote 😊. Your response was neither informative or helpful.
Bye
Photozack81 wrote:
Excuse me for working with your poorly worded desires.
You said you wanted less aggressive thermal protection.
Your entire post is written in a way that suggests you do not understand what thermal protection is or why it is there.
What you probably should have been searching for is a flash that can handle more work before overheating than the 910. There are plenty of recommendations I could make there, the 910 being an easy one as others have suggested.
Then again if searching was a thing you understood, this thread wouldn't need to exist anyway.
I answered the question you wrote. Words mean things. Help me to help you.
Thank you - the SB5000 does seem like the better bet over the SB910.
What I like about my old Canon flashes (having switched over to Nikon from Canon earlier this year) is that they throttle rather than simply shut completely off for an indeterminate amount of time (as does my cheapo Godox tt685, which has various issues aside from that though).
rico wrote:
I have the workhorse SB-800 but wanted a second unit, and the SB-900 stories about thermal shutdown were frankly disappointing. Nikon screwed the pooch with that model, and I wasn't inclined to pay for an expensive firmware hack-job called SB-910. The real solution came with the SB-5000 for which I paid full retail and promptly deployed at a wedding with excellent results. I also use it in the studio and often at full energy: 70J doesn't go far when diffused @ f/22. The secret sauce of the SB-5000 is active cooling—still unique for a flash at this time. By active, Nikon means a fan serves to dissipate heat and it is controlled by a thermostat. Temperature of the unit is displayed on the back panel. Price is steep, but I like this flagship for the cooling feature, 2sec full recharge on AA, and the dead-silent thyrister (no high-pitch whine in your ear when charging). The fan is similarly silent....Show more →
I use a few different setups depending on where I’m shooting, time of day, ceiling height and color (or no ceiling if it’s an outdoor reception).
When I’m either outdoors or in a room with high ceilings, I’ll typically go for a three strobe cross lighting setup using sturdy light stands that can be hiked up at least 10-12 feet. In those cases I’ll either use a my Godox AD200s and/or Ad600s or profotos B1s depending on how much power I need and how light I need to travel. This is probably my favorite setup as it gives a really dramatic light with great coverage of the first dance.
For smaller rooms with high ceilings, I’ll use a standard up-lighting configuration in 3-4 areas in the room to ensure adequate spread.
With rooms that have a standard height (not super tall) ceilings I’ll usually opt for just on camera flash bounced into the ceiling. Or if there’s obstructions or irregular or different colored ceilings in the room, I may opt for a rogue flashbender as a last resort.
I’m not averse to using off camera lighting - but as the saying goes, right tool for the job
Thanks for the suggestions regardless
michi098 wrote:
Have you thought about using one or two slave flashes on a tripod which fire at the ceiling just to help you out with the lighting a little? (Assuming the ceiling is white.)
They also have thermal protections, of course, but not an oversensitive one.
The SB800 btw is slightly stronger than the SB900/SB910.
I wouldnt recomment the SB5000 because its riddiculously expensive, but on the other hand made to lower standards. Its one of these areas in which Nikon now saves money.
I used to shoot the Metz MZ-5 it’s powerfull and if you ever buy into another system all you have to buy is a new SCA adapter.
Nonetheless I traded it for the Nissin Extreme MG8000.
The Nissin is powerfull (40m iso100 35mm) but allso it’s designed for continuous shooting while never overheating.
It’s an on camera flash and lets you do everything a SB900 does, really I-TTL compatible.
Firmware is upgradeable and it takes canon,nikon and nissin external powerpacks
Well the SB900 was available juli 2008.
Guess every SB800 still around is (heavily) used.
I’d buy one for a twenty.....Same I pay for a lotteryticket overhere
They also have thermal protections, of course, but not an oversensitive one.
The SB800 btw is slightly stronger than the SB900/SB910.
I wouldnt recomment the SB5000 because its riddiculously expensive, but on the other hand made to lower standards. Its one of these areas in which Nikon now saves money.
Still cheaper than a profoto A1 I'm happy to spend the money for something that's pro grade and meet my needs, but I have been a little disappointed overall by the quality of Nikon speedlites compared to Canon.
I'm happy to spend the money for something that's pro grade and meet my needs, but I have been a little disappointed overall by the quality of Nikon speedlites compared to Canon.