First Flash

[Tronhard]

I am not sure if the issue is the brand or the source of manufacture: Even if the flashes come with a European label, can you be sure they were not manufactured in China?

I got a Yongnuo flash unit for a fraction of the price of a Canon one, and it works perfectly.

If you don't want a flash from a Chinese company...

[Manfred M]

I am not sure if the issue is the brand or the source of manufacture: Even if the flashes come with a European label, can you be sure they were not manufactured in China?

I got a Yongnuo flash unit for a fraction of the price of a Canon one, and it works perfectly.

If it says Made in China, one can be quite sure of its origins.

The issue is not so much of origin, but rather of a quality process from design through to shipping the product. This has a lot to do with corporate philosophy.

Chinese made goods range from some extremely well made hardware to cheap knock-offs with dubious workmanship / design. Consistent good quality, backed by an easy to use manufacturer's warranty should something go wrong are all hallmarks of a company that stands behind its products. That is something that can only be established over time.

Metz and Nissin have been at it for a long time have have a brand to protect, just like Canon and Nikon do.

Companies that sell exclusively on-line on eBay or Amazon have a completely different business model and it is hard to determine whether they will be there to support the customers if something goes wrong. So far as Chinese makes, Godox is highly regarded. Yongnuo was a bit hit and miss even a couple of years ago and they appear to have improved in the interim. Companies like Cowboy and Neweer have some questionable products on the market.

Product development requires a lot of engineering know how. Making a knockoff, not so much...

[DanK]

The issue is not so much of origin, but rather of a quality process from design through to shipping the product.

Exactly. My iPhone was manufactured in China, and it very well made.

I no longer have the link, but the manufacturer of one Chinese-made flash brand posted a series of photos in which someone systematically disassembled their flash, a Yongnuo, and one other Chinese brand. They presumably functioned similarly out of the box, but their construction was dramatically different, with more cost-cutting shortcuts in some than in others.

I bought a Chinese-made off-camera flash cable on eBay that looked identical to the Canon that costs far more. I think I recall the brand, but because I am not certain, I won't mention it. However, it was not an uncommon brand. The internal contacts failed after a fairly short time; they apparent couldn't handle the pressure exerted when I extended the cable. I gave up and splurged on the Canon, and it has functioned without any problems for quite a number of years. I'm guessing that it too was made in China, but I just looked, and there are no markings indicting origin.

So my bottom line is that I try to find information on the quality of the product, not just its origin or initial functioning. Sometimes it's hard to get that information.

[ST1]

I gave up and splurged on the Canon, and it has functioned without any problems for quite a number of years. I'm guessing that it too was made in China, but I just looked, and there are no markings indicting origin.
.

I’ve got the Canon Off camera flash cord, having just check it mine says Canon Inc made in China.



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[Artshot]

Yesterday I found an almost new SB-910 for $100 less than I spent on the SB-700.
Mounted it on my camera, put in auto aperture mode, and the power level changes when I rotate my aperture ring.
Took a few test photos before reading the manual, and I'm already happy.

[dje]

Yesterday I found an almost new SB-910 for $100 less than I spent on the SB-700.
Mounted it on my camera, put in auto aperture mode, and the power level changes when I rotate my aperture ring.
Took a few test photos before reading the manual, and I'm already happy.

Good to hear Art. But do read the manual!

Dave

[shreds]

the SB-910 does not have the overheating problem that the SB-900 has, but that might not be an issue for you if you are using it primarily for macro work.

Whilst I agree the SB900 had some issues, I personally have never found it to have a problem overheating.

I rather think some spray gun wedding shooters made a big thing of this and the media jumped on board and condemned the unit, which Nikon fairly quickly resolved with the SB910.

Having said that, if you are not of the spray gun type, and the flash is ok, then you might well find the SB900 a relative bargain if you are prepared to take a risk. (I have two SB800s and a S900 amongst my collection of flash units and all are good).

I will say that the I have friends who swear by the Yong nuo units and just throw them away when they fail they are so cheap by comparison.


Finally, if photographing cold blooded live bugs, just bear in mind they will be fairly static until they warm up, so a very early morning start can sometimes capture them before they feel active.

[Manfred M]

Whilst I agree the SB900 had some issues, I personally have never found it to have a problem overheating.

I've definitely had the problem with my SB-900 and it took surprisingly few full power shots to shut it down, so I can attest that this is not just a problem found by the "spray and pray" set. I was using it for fill light during an outdoor shoot, so needed a lot of power to counteract the sunlight.

I've ended up buying a Godox Witstro AD-360 for my outdoor work. For normal run of the mill indoor shooting, I haven't run into that issue with the SB-900.