sunpak...value or next month's book end

[affen_kot]

my inquiry has to do with third party flash manufacturers. despite

my being primarily a night-b/w enthusiast (mainly N80, tripod, cable

release), i've recently developed an interest in practicing more

with daylight fill flash. wanting quality and dependability, i

decided upon an SB-50DX speedlight; being a student, i ordered a

sunpak 355AF...

 

the guide number seemed to be sufficient for my purposes, it has a

bounce head, and it offers nikon dedicated TTL capabilities.

and/but, it was had for less than 50 euros delivered, which brings

me to my question:

 

product decriptions tend to downplay the negatives and accentuate

the positives, and the internet was surprisingly devoid of product

reviews for the sunpak 355AF. i'm not expecting more than something

that will provide beefier TTL fill flash than my N80's built in

system, but being that i will not be in the states to pick up this

unit for another three weeks, can anyone provide some

comparative/anecdotal/educated opinions on this particular flash, or

the sunpak line as a whole? B&H - from whom i ordered - seems to

promote sunpak heavily; which among other things, can mean that they

either see a huge market in selling cheapo flashes to those on a

budget, or that the sunpak line is a reliable third party

manufacturer. or both or neither.

 

any thoughts on the matter, or any third party flash recommendations

should the 355 not fit the bill? thanks in advance for your ideas.

cheers...affen.

[jim_gifford]

<< i'm not expecting more than something that will provide beefier TTL fill flash than my N80's built in system>>

 

The Sunpak will be fine.

 

<<they either see a huge market in selling cheapo flashes to those on a budget, or that the sunpak line is a reliable third party manufacturer. or both or neither>>

 

You left out the question of profit margin... third-party manufacturers can be good profit generators even with lower prices than goods with the major manufacturers' own name brands.

 

About 11 zillion people use Sunpak flashes, so don't worry that it will be a ripoff. It will not be a ripoff. It will be a nice flash unit.

 

The main reason to buy a Nikon-brand speedlight for a camera like the N80 is you get maximum assurance that the flash will be compatible with Nikon's wonderful 3D matrix balanced fill flash. But if you just want TTL flash for fill, you can get that with third-party options like Sunpak.

 

Be well,

[stephen_martin2]

I've had my sunpak 622 for 12 years and it has never failed. the only ploblem is sunpak does not offer a ETTL adapter. I found this out after buying my first 10D. but I still use it for off camera shoots useing a radio reciever.

[steve_hovland]

I have a 355 and a 422 and am quite happy with them.

[steve_levine]

Some companies arent 3rd parties,even if they dont make cameras!Sunpak,Metz,and Quantum make flashes that often surpass the camera brands in features & power.