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I have previously written a review for the SB-900 flash. I have several using them for location work with studio modifiers, often using two or three together. I use PocketWizard TT5's to control the flashes remotely. My tendency is to run my speed lights at 1/2 power or less. This gives very short recycle times, extends the life of flash tubes, and reduces melting/fading of gels. When I need full power the recycle time drops to about 3 seconds with Eneloop NiMh batteries. Adding the SD-9 with 8 Eneloops drops the time to about 1 second. Further the concern about an overheat shutdown of the flash is substantially reduced. I have never experienced such a shutdown. The SB-900 has 3 internal heat sensors. All of them are close to the internal battery compartment. Adding the SD-9 removes the battery heat source. Be aware the SD-9 does not eliminate the need for batteries in the SB-900. The batteries internal to the SB-900 power the control circuits and the SD-9 batteries charge the flash capacitor. My disclaimer regarding the price is directed to the SD-9. New retail price from Nikon is very high. This last one I found used combined with the SB-900 flash. Alternatively I recommend and use Pixel TD-382 battery packs. They function just as well as the Nikon unit at about 1/4 of the cost. The battery tray of the Pixel is not reversible like the Nikon and the soft case is not quite as well made, and perhaps the plastic case quality is slightly less (haven't had any problems), but there is nothing cheap or shoddy in the Pixel units. I do not have experience with aftermarket speed lights. I stick with Nikon SB-600, SB-900, and SB-R200s and they all have served me very well with zero failures in a professional environment.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I have an SB900 and agree with all the positive comments posted in other reviews, however I want to challenge those who are posting stories about thermal shutdown to supply some additional information about what situations really cause the flash to shutdown. I've been using my SB900 for several months now, and I've never experienced a problem with the unit shutting down, so I thought I'd try a simple test. I installed a set of brand new lithium ion batteries in my SB900, set it to full power manual mode, and hit the flash button manually as soon as the ready light lit - that's about one full-power shot every 1 or 2 seconds. I did this until the batteries were drained (that is, until it got to be about 10 seconds between flashes - that's a few hundred full-power flashes in a row). Never once did the thermal protection circuit kick in...in fact, the temperature display barely moved for the first 50-100 shots, and throughout the test, even when I could feel the batteries getting warm, it never went much above the 50% mark. My test was indoors at an ambient temperature of about 70 degrees. I tried other settings - repeat flash, flash with my D3 firing at maximum continuous speed, etc. But I could never even come close to driving the flash to shutdown. So perhaps Nikon fixed the issue, I'm just plain lucky - or it has to do with the type of batteries or maybe other accessories used. With this issue out of the way, I'm able to give the unit an unqualified 5 star rating as it's simply the most capable and easy to use unit I've ever owned.Read full review
August 2015. The SB-900 has been out for quite a few years now and has been supplanted by the SB-910. I have found no need to upgrade to the SB-910 and find the SB-900s can be found at reasonable prices in the used market. Plus as I have several, it is advantageous to have all the same model although the SB-910 operation is nearly the same. My uses include applications with multiple flashes often in large modifiers. I have need for portable flashes with good power and on occasion extended session capability. The SB-900 is very powerful as speed lights go. The ability to accept an external battery pack like the Nikon SD-9 or the Pixel TD-382 (same function as the Nikon at 1/4 the cost) extends usefulness. I have read other reviews that complain about the SB-900 overheating and shutting down. I have never experienced this, and I have seven of them. However I almost never utilize my flashes at full power. They recycle quicker, are less likely to melt gels (if used), and the flash tubes last longer if run at slightly reduced power and lower. There are 3 thermal "fuses" (sensors) in the SB-900. Two of them are against the internal battery case and the third is on the main board close to the batteries. Clearly battery heat is a major source of shutdown issues which is easily mitigated by using an external battery pack. Note the flash still requires internal batteries to operate the control circuitry, the external batteries only charge the flash capacitor. I was an early user of the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) and the SB-900 can be used as a Commander flash to control other compatible Nikon remote flashes. Coupled with the Pocketwizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 controls, the CLS system comes alive with the extended range of radio control and reduction/elimination of preflashes. The built in CLS infra-red system is limited to line of sight or reflective environments and out of direct sunlight. If one does not require the Commander feature of the SB-900/910/800 flashes, or the ability to connect to an external battery, the Nikon SB-600 is nearly as powerful, significantly smaller and lighter, and available used at even better bargain prices. The controls on the SB-900 or simpler to use than the SB-800 and it is much easier to navigate through the settings. I have read reviews of the various third party TTL flashes and note there are some missing functions. With the reasonable used prices for the SB-900 I am more comfortable with staying within the Nikon line, with the noted exception regarding the Pixel TD-382 noted above.Read full review
Great flash! The SB 910 has plenty of power/light output, with fast recycle times. I use this mainly for indoor architecture type work where there is usually very little light. It works flawlessly with Nikon’s TTL Metering system resulting it accurate exposures even if I mess up the camera settings. I highly recommend it!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The SB900 is a great flash, I own 4 of them. It comes with a nice soft case and a set of colored gels. It is compatible with Nikon's CLS system (creative lighting system). It is large compared with the SB600 (I own one of those) but the menus are much better to navigate. It also features a "thermal cutoff" which shuts it down to prevent overheating. There is much over hype about this. What actually happens is during rapid full power flashes the batteries get hot so it shuts down to prevent overheating. This feature can be shut off though I don't recommend that and leave mine on all the time and have never had it kick in. Heck the 900 is Nikon's flagship / top of the line speedlight so of course its a great product. If you just need a strobe for off camera / manual lighting ala strobist you could go with much cheaper models like the Lumapro's sold by Midwest Camera Exchange, they are about 1/3 the price but are not ttl compatable, full manual only.Read full review
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