Nikon Speedlight Sb-900 flash review (and everything you will need to know)

Here is Nikons Blurb and My thoughts (in red)









Key features (after the break)
   

•Extended zoom range of 17-200mm (very handy)

•Improved booster circuit for high-speed recycling time (but has an over heat issue now boo!)

•New AF-Assist illumination covers 20-105mm focal range (very nice)

•Built-in thermal sensor to prevent overheating (never had a flash die yet from over heating but the sb900 dies stops after about 20 full power shots)

•Colour-temperature control via colour filter auto-detection (tiny bit useful but bearly ever used it)

•World's first flash unit firmware update function from the camera (great a flash that can crash!)

Now for some confusing power terms!
Guide number (20°C/68°F)

sb900
34m/111.5ft (ISO 100, m/ft), 48m/157.5ft (ISO 200, m/ft) (nikon d300 or d700 all have a base iso of 200 so work with the iso200 reading,  (but it is definitly not as powerful as the Canon 580ex2)

sb800
The older version the sb-800 has a power/guide number of 38m/125ft. (at ISO 100, 35mm zoom-head position, 20°C/68°F) and to confuse things with the zoom ability of the flash head that some how increases the guide number to 53m/174ft. (at ISO 100 and 105mm zoom-head position, 20°C/68°F)

But more powerful than the new sb-700
m/92ft. (at ISO 100, 35mm zoom head position, in FX format, standard illumination pattern, 20°C/68°F) to 39m/128ft. (at ISO 200, 35mm zoom head position, in FX format, standard illumination pattern, 20°C/68°F)

here is a better website giving a more understandable idea of the power
http://www.nikoncls.com/SB-ALL/sb689compare.html

To put it simply
sb900 =34  sb800 = 30 (so at the most a tiny 1/8th increase in power)


Here is an idea of the power difference



and here is an older version




Flash mode


TTL, Auto Aperture flash, Non-TTL auto flash, Distance-priority manual flash, Manual flash, Repeating flash

Other functions

Test firing, monitor pre-flashes, AF-assist illuminator, and Modeling illuminator




Multiple flash operation

Advanced Wireless Lighting, SU-4 type wireless multiple flash

Loads of videos on this




And here is the details about the recycle times regarding which batteries you use
 
Alkaline-manganese (1.5V) 4.0 sec. 110/4.0-30 sec.


Lithium (1.5V) 4.5 sec. 230/4.5-120 sec.

Oxyride (1.5V) 3.0 sec. 125/3.0-30 sec.

Ni-MH (2600 mAh) (rechargeable) (1.2V) 2.3 sec. 190/2.3-30 sec


 
and the updated version
 

 
 
Now there is an over heating issue that everyone should be made aware off and here is an explanation

 
Now another interesting use of the speedlights is the speed of the flash
 
Look at the flash duration (remember the more powerful the flash the longer the duration)
1/880 sec. at M 1/1 (full) output


1/1100 sec. at M 1/2 output

1/2550 sec. at M 1/4 output

1/5000 sec. at M 1/8 output

1/10000 sec. at M 1/16 output

1/20000 sec. at M 1/32 output

1/35700 sec. at M 1/64 output

1/38500 sec. at M 1/128 output

Now check out this amazing website for tips on using the nikon speed lights and how their speed is more advantageous than big powerful studio lights
http://www.scantips.com/speed2.html

It also has an FP mode where it can shoot faster than its normal sync speed usually 1/250th of a second and here is a video showing how much that sucks out of the power output