NIkon SB800 vs Phoenix DZBIS-112iTTL Digital Autofocus Flash for Nikon

[tm_photography]

When I worked with film I never quite mastered flash photography. I have a manual flash that I can mount on the

camera or on a bracket and it works with my D50. I am getting a D300 for Xmas and I really think I need to invest

in an external flash.

The SB800 looks great but it's over 3x the price of this third party flash. Has anyone used the Phoenix flashes?

Do they support triggering from a commander flash or the built in commander in the D300 for off camera flash use?

Are they as powerful. Phoenix gives a guide number of 112 but Nikon doesn't seem to give a guide number.? One

report says it's 125 at ISO 100 but I shoot at ISO 200 because that's the default for both the D50 and the D300.

 

Any comments or suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

Timothy

[Peter_in_PA]

Try an SB600, which may be all you need with a D300 (since you can control it from the built-in flash if you want to use it

remotely). iTTL is beautiful and I doubt that Pheonix will work properly with it.

[howard_m]

the only non-Nikon flashes that work w/ CLS are the Metz and *supposedly* one of the Sigma's.

 

Be aware that the SB800 is going to be discontinued in favor of the even more expensive SB900.

 

you can download the SB800 manual from nikonusa.com (under support). I think it doesn't give a GN because

of it's zoom head.

 

At ISO 200, the equiv GN is 174 (1.4x the ISO 100 value)

[Ed_Ingold]

Nikon flash units are tightly integrated with their cameras. It was good with the F5 and F100, and now even better with the latest digital cameras. The automation is so good you hardly have to give flash photography a second thought. Third-party brands are a poor choice by comparison.

[frank_skomial]

There is no "Digital Autofocus Flash for Nikon" - even Nikon does not make one.

 

The SB-800/600/900 they do have flash head beam width auto adjustment for compatible zoom lenses, that is called "auto zoom".

 

Flash just throws beam of light out, and adjusts the width of the beam if auto zoom is activated with apropriate zoom lems attached, and the camera iTTL/CLS system controls the flash amount of light produced as required.

 

Seems like someone in advertising is pooling your legs with the auto focus flash? - how does that work in your mind? What flash has to do to auto focus ? If you ever encounter such a ridiculous advertising, refer to your common senses.

[frank_skomial]

The only lens focus distance information that is used in the Nikon iTTL/BL flash mode is the one provided by a

compatible D lens. iTTL/BL also works without D information, though some people say not as well.

 

Otherwise focusing information, manual or auto focus, has no relation to the flash output.

[manish_nawani]

SB-800 is a great flash, I have not used Phoenix DZBIS-112iTTL Digital Autofocus flash but one of my friend told me that earlier he tried it at a showroom and found that many functions of wireless are not working fine with it.

 

Better buy an in-expensive SB-600 and enjoy rich features of Nikon great lighting system.

 

Nikon is famous for its lenses and also its lighting systems. So why not enjoy it...

 

Best of luck.

 

Mani

[clark_crosby]

<p>Tim: I an glad I am not the only one that had problems with film/flash, and "satisfactory" was probably the nicest thing anyone would say about my flash pixes. Since my D50 and SB 400, things have improved!<br>

Thank all of you who answered Tim's question. At present, I am considering buying a more powerful flash, to replace my SB 400, and although I have had good service from Vivitar and Sunpak in the past, it looks like the choices narrow down to the SB 600.</p>