SB-600 Mounted on D70 wobbles

[amir_jahanshahi]

I was just wondering if anyone has had experience mounting an SB-600

flash unit on their D70. I guess I should have asked this question

when all my equipment was still in warranty however I would still

like to know.

 

(The SB-600 has a new type of securing mechanism which a quick lever

as opposed to the older screw tight mechanism.)

 

When I mount the SB-600 on my D70 everything does work fine and when

you turn the lock the flash does lock on and is not able to be

accidentally pulled off. So in that respect everything is fine.

However the flash is never secured rock solid the way my older SB-24

is when you tighten the securing screw on that flash. Is this

wobbling of the SB-600 just a by product of the newer quick lock

mechanism or is my equipment not quite right and the SB-600 should

in fact still be secured rock solid in its connection to my D70 the

way my older SB-24 is?

 

Your insight would be appreciated.

 

Thank you

[ottocrat]

Well, I have an SB-600 with a D70 and it doesn't wobble.

[bernard_frank]

My SB-600 wobbles on my D2X. It's called "progress".

[ilkka_nissila]

Yes, wobbliness is related to sloppy engineering and it always increases as a function of time. It's known as Dr. Sloppy Wobble's first law of camera design.

[bwcombs]

I agree that the newer speedlights with their cam lever lock lack

the security the older screw-down type had.

 

I will say mine is fairly tight, but there is a degree of looseness.

 

What is a pain in the arse, is when using the 800 and 600

wireless on a strobe bracket with an umbrella rod. These

brackets are typically very loose, and I end up having to secure

the flash with a clamp or bungee. Especially if the angle of the

setup is severe, which it is most of the time. What also works in

this application is a dime or penny in between the strobe and the

aluminum hotshoe.

[lex_jenkins]

The SB-800 is slightly wobbly on my D2H but I don't care - it's secure and doesn't lose electrical contact. I have flash units with the thumbscrew that lock down tight but don't maintain contact so what's the diff?

[charles_sullivan]

I have an SB-600 that I use with my D70 and the mounting is rock solid. No wobble at all. You might see if you can take your D70 to the store where you bought the flash unit; then see if you can try another unit on your camera. If you find a unit that doesn't wobble perhaps you can make an exchange, provided that your SB-600 is still under warranty. I think the warranty period in the U.S. is one year. Good luck!

[amir_jahanshahi]

Thanks for all your answers. Yes the flash always stays in contact so I don't loose functionality. It just has a cheap feel about it as you move the camera around from shot to shot and it feels like it's going to fall off.

It's ok. I can live with it. :) It's just not the rock solid feeling I'm used to with Nikon equipment.

 

It's all out of warranty at this point so I can't do much about it anyway.

 

But I just had no way of confirming if this was normal or not. At least for my next flash units purchase I'll try a few out.

 

What's interesting is that most of you say your flash does wobble to some extent but a few say it's rock solid. So I don't know which style is the norm and which is one that's "different" from the manufacturer's norm? It seems like there is in fact a range of variance with regards to the solidity of connection between flash and camera.

 

No biggie I guess, as long as the flash keeps firing when it's supposed to like Lex says, that's the main thing.

 

Though I agree with you BW that on brackets the new lock style poses extra challenges. I'll try the tip you recommended. Thanks!