Performance Comparison Between Nikon SB-28 and Other Speedlights?

[JessFindlay]

Hi there,

Has anyone compared other Nikon Speedlights to the SB-28 in terms of standby performance? Clearly the SB-28 has become the gold standard for a reason, but I've heard that several other older models are well-suited to camera trapping too. Are there any differences in their sleep functions?

Thanks in advance for any insights :)
- JF

[Oki_]

I can share only some unscientific observation. Few weeks ago, I tested SB-24 stand-by mode indoors with freshly charged 2000 mAh AA batteries.. I left it for almost 2 weeks, with occasional flashing at 1/16 intensity. Then I measured voltage of the batteries and all of them were at 1.3 V, so more than half-charged I would say. I concluded that this is more than satisfying performance. Of course, in cold outdoors conditions, the battery life would be certainly decreased. But I hope such wide community of camera trappers has some more valuable data to share with us :)

[Pixel]

I use the Nikon SB-80DX which have a Standby-Time which is equal to the SB-28. I have these flashes for oder three weeks in the field. Currently I assume that I could leave them for two months in the field before changing batteries.

[ikeeisenhaur]

I solely run the SB-25s with external lipo batteries and get amazing stand-by/run time out of them (cold weather too).

[J Formstone]

Ive had the same experiences as above. I use Nikon SB24, SB25, SB28 and SB80DX all the time and dont see any difference in performance between them.
If there are any differences they must be negligible.

[ArthurV]

I managed to buy a lot (13) SB-800s at a government auction. They have been at least as reliable as my SB-28s.

[-jeff]

I have one SB-800 in the fleet. It works well.

[JessFindlay]

Really appreciate the responses. Thanks, everyone!

[wt_heck]

I'm using an older design of the Neewer 750II TTL.

I have 3 different Neewer flash, 2 of them are labeled as 750II, But the version with the slide on/off switch (no push in button), has a good sleep / wake up time.

My other 2 Neewer flashes just wont go to sleep, they will turn off after about 30 mins.

The cool thing is that Neewer flashes are very cheap even brand new, the challenge is that in the manual of all the flashes they say that the flashes have sleep mode, but apparently is a hit and miss feature.

[-jeff]

That's interesting. I have tried a couple Neewer flashes but neither had a good sleep function. Would it be possible for you to post a picture of the Neewer flash that sleeps?

[wt_heck]

Its the one with the layout shown on this article ( with the slide on/off switch )

https://www.photographypls.com/neewer-750ii-review/

It's called the 750II for Nikon, but they updated the design, even if you find it on amazon with the old design picture could be a try and error as they sent me a new design version.

I would recommend finding one on ebay or facebook marketplace with an actual product photo to make sure.

[-jeff]

Thanks. I found one on eBay. Can't wait to try it.

[-jeff]

I think we may have a winner. I received a Neewer 750 II with the manual on/off switch (not a push on, push off switch) a few days ago. Then, attached it to a Nikon D600 and let the camera and flash go to sleep for a couple days. When I pressed the shutter button, quickly going from metering to shutter, the flash fired. This is great news for the camera trapping community. Finally a second choice for a flash.

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[J Formstone]

Thats great news! It'll be interesting to see how well it performs in the long term.

[-jeff]

Thats great news! It'll be interesting to see how well it performs in the long term.

Yes, it's going out to the field tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be around 10F at night for the next few days. This should be a good test.

[-jeff]

Quick update......the flash has been in the field for one week. The batteries are four, six year old Eneloop rechargeable NiMh AA. So far it is still running.

[J Formstone]

Quick update......the flash has been in the field for one week. The batteries are four, six year old Eneloop rechargeable NiMh AA. So far it is still running.

Thanks for the update Jeff.... Looking good! :)