Flash Unit for D5100

[RItz68]

My husband recently got me a Nikon D5100. The only gear I have is the stock 18-55mm VR lens and a 50mm/1.8 lens. I'd like to add a flash unit. I'm not a pro by any stretch, but for being self taught, I think I'm decent. I must admit I need to acquire the "eye" for composition, and I know nothing about how to set ISO, and aperture on the fly. (That's what I'm hoping to learn in this forum).

That being said, I'd like to get a flash unit without breaking the bank. Can anyone give me any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

[mbrobich]

I have a few flashes, but by far my favorite for the money is the TTL Vivitar DF-283. I paid $79 for it.(and yes I used it on my D5100 too)

Vivitar DF 283 Series 1 Digital TTL Shoe Mount DF-283-NIK B&H

[OsmosisStudios]

SB-700, or a 600 if you can find it used in good shape.

[RItz68]

Other than compatibility, are there any other advantages to going with a Nikon flash versus a Amazon.com: Nissin ND622MKII-N Speedlite Di 622 Mark II Flash System for Nikon (Black): Crawford's Superstore or Amazon.com: Bower SFD926N Nikon i-TTL Power Zoom Flash: Camera & Photo

Since I'm just learning about all these settings I didn't know if going with a cheaper flash would allow me to still learn while spending less money. I know, I know...you get what you pay for, but just asking.

Thanks again.

[mbrobich]

You'd probably want to go with Nikon for the Commander mode control, but since the D5100 does not have Commander mode, you are just fine with a cheaper variant. The bower seems to get good reviews, not sure on the Nissin, maybe someone else can let you know. The biggest item is TTL, as the flash will power up and down as needed by the metering system.

[RItz68]

or even this other brand I had never heard of until I joined this group. The Yongnuo?
Again, I'm not a pro, but I'd like swivel & a fast recycle time. I don't know enough about "guide numbers" to know what's best.

[RItz68]

Thanks guys. still looking around a little more, but you've given me a little more peace of mind about going with a non-Nikon brand. I appreciate your help.

[lil red bird]

A few hints if I may.
Type strobist into your search engine of choice
2 books to read both by Joe McNally hotshoe diaries and the moment it clicks.
The suggestion that you get a flash unit that will work with your TTL or through the lens metering is so that much of the guess work about how much light to add is done by the camera.

[RItz68]

lil red bird: thanks for that tip. I'm looking at the Strobist blog right now. Very helpful.

[inkista]

Actually, just me, but the Tangents blog on neilvn.com is probably a better starting place than the Strobist. The gear multiplication accumulates quickly with the Strobist, and it's generally best to master a single on-camera flash before going into multiple off-camera ones.

The advantages in going with Nikon are mostly avoiding reverse-engineering: better future compatibility. Better feature set for the most part. But if you can't afford it, then 3rd party options are good, too. The Nissin Di-622 is a good choice, although the Nissin Di-866 will give you more features. Metz and Nissin have the advantage of upgradeable firmware, so that if Nikon does add features to their flash protocols, units can (hopefully) be updated to take advantage of them, without your having to repurchase a new unit.

Yongnuo are a Hong Kong manufacturer. Cheap and cheerful, but they have a reputation for variable build quality and copy consistency. It's improved over the last few years, but having to return a unit to Hong Kong can be more expensive than you bargain for. If you can find YN gear from a local/internet dealer with a return policy and warranty, it's generally recommended you go that route, rather than buying them on eBay from Yongnuo directly. (I used Amazon/Cheaplights to get my YN-560 and I'm deliriously happy with it.)

I wrote a post a while back that outlines some of the basic features of flashes and why you'd want them. (That's the Nikon version; the Canon version is over here).

Most people would recommend that (if you can afford it) going for a top-of-the-line OEM flash for your first speedlight is a good idea, because you'll have the best compatibility, the most features, and it can be used both on and off camera with equal facility. The mid-range flash is likely to be a good workhorse and worth the money, but off-camera usage might not be quite as nice, and you will bump up against its limits sooner than you would agains the limits of a mid-range lens. For second or third flashes, though, all-manual cheapies are a much better option, because a) you can only have one flash on the hotshoe at a time, and b) you're liable to be going Strobist with cheap all-manual radio triggers, and can't use all the TTL fancy-shmancy features anyway.

One last word of advice: be comfortable shooting in full Manual mode before you start in on flash photography. It will make the learning curve quite a bit flatter, and it doesn't take long to master.