Speedlight - Nikon or Nissin

[RecceDen]

Guys and Gals.

I need some advice.

As my kit and experience advance I am now looking at buying a flash for my D3000.

Although I am still relatively knew and bit wet behind the ears when it comes to photography, I do realize I need a Flash other than the built in one.

My question is this.

I have a few quid to spend (thanks to the lovely wife) and have come across these two flashes for roughly the same cost.

Nissin-Di866

Nikon SB600

Which of these would be the better buy? I would like to have some longevity and the ability to expand as my experience increases.

All help in this dilemma is appreciated.

Den

[inkista]

I think it's a pretty even choice.

The SB-600 probably has better build quality/consistency, and future compatibility, being OEM. The Nissin is higher-speced (it's basically trying to be a cheap sub for the SB-900), but has a few quirks that are inevitable with reverse-engineered equipment, and future compatibility--if Nikon changes flash/camera signals--is not 100% assured.

Here's a very detailed review on the Nissin you may want to read to get a better idea of what you're getting into, especially if you plan to use the flash for off-camera Strobist work.

I'd say you'd probably be happy with either one if you're sticking mostly with on-camera flash, but that you'd probably be happier with the Nissin going into the off-camera arena, as it has a dumb optical slave, PC port, and CLS master capability--things the SB-600 (and your D40x for that matter) lack.

[wannabephotographer]

Nikon, the SB-600 will work better and be more reliable.

[nicled]

Nikon is the way to go. The sb 900 which the Nissin is modeled after is highly sophisticate d for me to use. I have the sb400 which is simpliest. But its an old model. The 600 will be best if you ask me.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by inkista

I think it's a pretty even choice.
I'd say you'd probably be happy with either one if you're sticking mostly with on-camera flash, but that you'd probably be happier with the Nissin going into the off-camera arena, as it has a dumb optical slave, PC port, and CLS master capability--things the SB-600 (and your D40x for that matter) lack.

+1, just my opinion..

[pahowes]

I have a Canon version of the Nissin Di866 and now wish I had purchased a 580EX-II (similar to an SB900). The biggest complaint that I have is that the new PocketWizard stuff (Mini and Flex) do not work very well with this flash.

If you have a Mini on your camera, the Di866 will not work in the pass-through hot shoe. My 10-year-old 420EX works just fine mounted there. Also, The Di866 will not fire from a remote Flex in TTL mode. You have to set Av or M on the strobe, which negates the benefit of having bought the TTL-capable PW products.

Stick with strobes from your preferred camera vendor (Nikon or Canon). It Just Works.

[inkista]

Yeah, I'd say it's false economy to be using $450's worth of triggers on a $250 flash. But if you're going to be using $60 triggers, then, the Nissin probably makes more sense. The TTL PocketWizards are reverse-engineered to Canon equipment and so are the Nissins. Expecting them to work together is definitely a much higher risk than if you were using OEM equipment.

But for simple fire-signal manual-only stuff, I doubt it would make a huge difference. Everybody uses that central pin, and there's no TTL secret whispering to decode. It's a very simple circuit design to get the fire signal right.