Nikon SB-900

[tara_ratliff]

<p>I have only used my Nikon SB-900 flash one time for a wedding and it would work for about 5 minutes straight and then stop working sometimes for 8-10 minutes. I thought maybe it was the batteries, but I constantly put new ones in and it still would stop working. I was recently at a wedding and had mentioned it to the wedding photographer and he said there was some overheat thing you had to turn off in order for it to continuously work. However, I can't find it in the manual how to do so. Any suggestions or more information on this problem would be very much appreciated. Thank you.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The overly sensitive thermostat is a well known problem for the SB-900. There is a firmware update that is supposed to help; however, you can always switch off the thermostat to avoid this problem, but keep in mind that you need to be careful and not let the flash to actually overheat. I mentioned this issue in photo.net's Nikon iTTL Flash Review: <a href="../equipment/nikon/guide-to-ttl-flashes/">http://www.photo.net/equipment/nikon/guide-to-ttl-flashes/</a> </p>

<p>I have one SB-900 and two SB-800 flashes. While I am not regularly an event photographer, if I am shooting a long event, I would rotate among two or three flashes so that each one of them has proper time to cool off.</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>The flash has limitation on how fast and how many flashes you can make. If that limit is exceeded, or more acurately, if the flash gets overheated, then the flash camera overheat protection just turns the flash off, allowing the required coo down period.</p>

<p>Download the manual from the web, and learn how to disable the overheat protection, and at the same time possibly destroy your flash by shooting too fast:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/Speedlights/SB-900_en.pdf">http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/Speedlights/SB-900_en.pdf</a></p>

<p>You need second flash to use while the first one is cooling down.</p>

<p> </p>

[michael_krouskop]

<p>I like the SB900, but it is not designed for weddings or other situations which require quick and constant flashes. I carry two of them so that when one overheats I grab the other. The firmware update has nothing to do with the overheating problem. I keep it from overheating quickly by using higher ISOs and shooting in aperture priority with my aperture set wide open or close to wide open. The flash puts out less and stays cooler longer. I would not recommend turning off the sensor unless you want to melt your speedlight. Also if use a Fong Lightsphere or similar device, this will cause the flash too overheat quickly.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>The SB-900 merely enforces the policy Nikon has placed in flash manuals since the beginning of time. There are flashes rated for continuous duty, like Lumedyne and Quantum, but none have the sophistication of a dedicated Nikon flash.</p>

<p>A working solution is to raise the ISO to at least 400 (more if you can get good image quality), and open the aperture. That causes the flash to pop at greatly reduces power, and recycle almost instantly. You can then shoot as often as you want without overheating (and triggering the alarm).</p>

<p>The SB-900 still indicates the temperature, even with the shutoff disabled. Pay attention unless you want to let the smoke out!</p>

[tony_kukulich]

<p>I've had the same issue as everyone else regarding the SB900. I recently picked up the external battery pack (SD9) and shot a wedding with it for the first time yesterday. I'm assuming that use of the battery pack diminishes the build up of heat in the flash. Whatever the reason, it only shut down once all day. That's a significant improvement from my previous experience.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<blockquote>

<p>I'm assuming that use of the battery pack diminishes the build up of heat in the flash. Whatever the reason, it only shut down once all day. That's a significant improvement from my previous experience.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I would have guessed that the effect should be exactly the oppoiste. I assume that is a high-voltage battery that gives you really fast recycle time so that you can make mutiple flashes in quick succession. In that case heat should build up more quickly due to the more frequent flashes.</p>

<p>Perhaps that wasn't Tony's usage pattern?</p>

[richardsnow]

<p>I also shoot a SB-900 for occasional events and weddings and I have found that the external battery pack does, in fact, keep the flash from overheating as often. </p>

<p>Yes, the flash recycles faster, but the heat of the discharging batteries is no longer in direct contact with the flash head, which is why, I assume, the flash does not overheat as often. </p>

<p>When my flash head overheated prior to using the battery pack I found that removing the batteries allowed the flash to cool much faster then leaving them in the unit. It was this fact, (along with the reduced weight of the flashgun on camera), that heavily influenced my purchase of the SD-9 battery pack.</p>

<p>Hope this explains a bit...not sure if it's technically correct, it's just my experience.</p>

<p>RS</p>

[matthew_tyler]

<p>My SB-900 is a BATTERY HOG. I prefer using my 800 for that reason. <strong>OiNk!</strong></p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Richard, I always feel that the heat is coming from the flash head producing flashes. If the batteries heating up is the main issue, the simple solution would be changing your 4 AA batteries once in a while, say every 15 minutes or so. But I doubt that would solve any problems.</p>

<p>I haven't noticed any serious battery consumtion issue myself. What I don't like about the SB-900 is the large size.</p>

[norrellphotography]

<p>The thermal cut off feature of the SB900 can be turned off in the custom functions menu (page c24 of the English manual). Press 'OK' and hold for two seconds, then scroll down. But in my opinion, at least from my personal experience, this problem seems related to quality of batteries. I used my SB900 one day without a cut off doing lots of family portraits at a large family reunion. The next day I was taking a few nature shots in Yellowstone, and after having put in some lower quality batteries, the flash shut down after 7 or 8 shots. I'd done hundreds without a problem with the higher quality batteries. Others have told me similar stories. </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Greg, could you explain what exactly are these high and low-quality AA batteries you are referring to? Can you provide some examples, such as Duracell, rechargeable NiMH, Eneloop ...?</p>

<p>My SB-900 is from the initial batch as I bought it very early on, and I have never had any overheat problems. I always thought that is due to me never pushing the flash to any extremes, but perhaps it is the batteries I use that is making a difference.</p>

[norrellphotography]

<p>I use rechargeables with as a high a mAh rating as possible. In my experience Duracell's rated at 2650 mAh worked well but they only last a few months holding a full charge. I have some Energizer 2500 mAh and Kodak 2500 mAh batteries that still hold their charges and the flash doesn't overheat after many months of use. The batteries I used when my flash quickly overheated were RayOvacs without a listed mAh rating. I've seen elsewhere on the web some specialty batteries recommended for photographers, but I didn't recognize the brands. I know two other photographers in my area that swear by quality disposables, but the recycle rate on the flash is faster with rechargeables.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Greg, thanks for the info. I never thought that batteries would make a difference. I may experiment around a bit.</p>

[kevin_beretta]

<p>My battery experience is the same. Cheap rechargeables trigger the heat warning.</p>

[michael_krouskop]

<p>I don't see how the batteries could affect the heat sensor, since the sensor is attached to flash element. The batteries are in a totally different part of the flash. I'll bet you could use any type batteries and the flash will overheat. Nikon recommends not using a Quantum or other type of battery because the recycle times are too quick and the flash will overheat, so this leads me to believe that high quality batteries would actually be more of a problem.</p>