Nikon SB-900 TTL AF Shoe Mount Speedlight, Guide Number 132 - Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A.

2015-08-13T20:00:00

I have this flash and it fails under shooting situations because it overheats quickly and shuts down. I love Nikon products but this one is a FAIL! Nikon doesn't even acknowledge there is a problem here. Too much $$$ for something I had to replace in a short time. Don't buy the SB-900!

TexasPhotographer

Originally posted at

2014-08-11T21:00:00

I love this flash , it is very powerful with lots of different setting and out put if needed.The size is right for me I like a larger speedlight they look more like a pro light.I use for group shots and event photos I also have sb910 for wedding and sb700 for CLS remote and for backup but the sb900 is my use every day flash I use all Nikon gear I think they work or just talk better with each other than 3rd party products and have better resale plus they last longer so just get you a sb900 for your needs it's great.

Mack

2014-08-04T21:00:00

I am a pro photographer and use only Nikon products,this is a great flash to have .I also have the sb700,sb910 but use the sb900 most of the time when a flash is needed ,it equal my sb910 for power and have more power than sb 700. I have no over heat problem with my sb900 but I do not shoot full power back to back. I think Nikon flashes work best with Nikon cameras they just talk better with each other Don't worry just get one

MAC

2014-07-14T21:00:00

There is not much if anything bad you can say about this flash. It does everything you expect it to do and more. I have a wedding to shoot in August and I wanted to replace my less expensive, less feature full Sigma flash with something that will not let me down. From my brief testing this flash is incredible. BUT.... When I ordered over the phone they didn't tell me it was grey market, they said is was used with an E+ rating. The Flash came in and it was in perfect condition. The filters were still in their bag unopened. SO... Unbelievable Flash, but don't appreciate not getting told the truth. Norm

nbishop66

2014-05-29T21:00:00

I have been looking for a second flash for a while and when I saw this one that was refurbished, I couldn't help but get it. I use these for portraits and the SB-900 was the workhorse of the Nikon flash until the 910 was introduced. I don't do a lot of rapid fire shots, so I'm not concerned about the overheating issue known to this flash. The output is great, the menu is easy to understand and it works great with my Yongnuo TTL triggers.

John Y.

2014-05-26T21:00:00

I use this flash professionally for group pictures, Weddings and Class Reunions. Works great with Nikon cameras. It's a little heavy, but for all the power it's ok.

ROBERT R.

2014-05-04T21:00:00

I read a lot of reviews before buying the two SB900's. I did read that a couple of people did complain about over heating but most said it was not a problem. Well it is. I bought them a few weeks ago and didn't get a chance to put them to the test until last weekend. I set up a shoot for a friend's son. The first thing I noticed was a 10 second recycle time, even with new batteries. So I plugged them in to a SB-9 battery pack. This dropped the recycle time to about 3 seconds. I fired off 10 shots and then the first one over heated. Fired off another shot and the second one over heated. It took about 5 minutes to reset themselves and once they were ready I shot 3 shots and both over heated again. I like everything else about them but I can't use them if they over heat like they do. I did try them again the next day and had the same results. I am sending them back for a refund.

JOEL C.

2014-04-27T21:00:00

I use this for off camera flash and works great it came with every thing that you would get if you bought it new. I have to say the first flash that Adorama sent me did not work as it should but Adorama replaced it with one that is working fine you guy's rock.

ED V.

2014-04-04T21:00:00

I"m a hobbiest, aspiring semi-pro. I have an SB 700 too. I couldn't pass up the Nikon Refurb SB 900. The unit i received is like new. No flaws, works great! It has a lot more more power than the 700. The menu system is pretty intuitive and easy to use. I prefer the TTL, manual switch on the 700, but the menu is still pretty fast. I also like how it came with a small selection of color gels. I would recommend the SB 900 in Refurb. A $500 flash for a little over $300. Can't beat that.

RONALD J.

2014-03-30T21:00:00

I've already owned SB-900 and I wanted to expand my speedlight set (I use them wirelessly with the SU-800) controller. I was excited to see the deal for the used flash. I was first cautious, but buying used equipment from Adorama turned to be a great experience. The speedlight was in an excellent condition, I'd say it was in a better shape than rated by Adorama. It came with all the listed accessories, which were also in excellent shape. In fact, the flash came with more accessories than listed. I ordered my flash by phone. The sales person who helped me was very knowledgeable and courteous, without being too push with the sale. Overall, I was very pleased with the purchase experience and I'm very, very happy with my speedlight - it works perfectly, can't really tell it's second-hand.

Bear1976

2014-03-29T21:00:00

I bought a refurbished SB-900 a few months ago, and frankly I was a bit hesitant to buy an out-of-production, refurbished flash. After using the SB-900 along side of my SB-910, although there is not much difference, I actually like the SB-900 better. I'm not sure why Nikon discontinued the flash and I hope I can buy another before they disappear completely.

CARL M.

2014-03-24T21:00:00

Such a powerful, versatile flash for such a low price! I now have 2 SB900 refurbs. Both work perfectly as slaves to my D7000 commander mode. The most recent flash even came with the large set of color gels, which I bought previously for 20 or 25 bucks. If not pushed too hard, neither flash overheats. This is a great deal, as the SB900 does so much at such a reasonable cost. Use for everyday outdoor fill flash or with reflectors. Indoor possibilities are limitless; see some of Joe McNally's videos on You Tube. I highly recommend this flash for it's price, power, versatility.

Denny T.

2014-03-10T21:00:00

This is my 5th SB-900 unit. I also have several SB-600's. I use them in full size studio style modifiers much like others might use studio strobe units. In the larger modifiers I may use two or three flash units, usually paired with Pocketwizard Flex TT5's. This gives great control, no wires, no need for AC power, no limits on location,and no need to make adjustments on the flash unit. The SB-900 I received for subject review was a refurbished unit. It appeared brand new, although packed in a plain cardboard box. It was missing the auxiliary power cover but a call to Nikon got one on the way to me. Also my flash was missing the standard pack of correction gels. Instead included was the full SJ-3 set of gels (a new unopened package), a significant upgrade over the standard gels. All the other accessories were included (foot, diffuser, gel attachment, English manual), except no Spanish manual. I much prefer the SB-900 because of the better menus and controls over the SB-600. I rarely have use for the commander mode of the SB-900 (after setting up with Pocketwizards) but it is nice to know it is there should I ever need it. While I have no direct experience with SB-800's, my research indicates they have cumbersome controls. I cannot speak to the SB-700 in comparison. My understanding is the SB-910 is merely a modest upgrade of the SB-900 and see no need to change something that is already working for me. The SB-900 works well on recycle times in my usage. This is in part to my use of multiple flashes reducing the output requirements on all. On occasion I will add SD-9 battery packs to the SB-900's. FULL POWER recycle time is less than 2 seconds with Sanyo Eneloop batteries in the auxiliary battery pack. The availability to use external battery packs is another reason I prefer the SB-900, although they are also available for the SB-800 and SB-910. The flexibility of having TTL and manual controls is a necessity to my mind. I often run a mixture TTL (moving subject?) and manual (background). The cost of the Nikon unit is high compared to the some aftermarket units. However genuine Nikon units all will play well together with Nikon's Creative Lighting System and Pocketwizard's TT units. The aftermarkets might accomplish some simple TTL functions but I have doubts about them pairing up with radio TTL. I have never had an issue with the SB-900 shutting down due to overheating. Again, I use multiple flashes and rarely on full manual power. But I have had occasion to shoot many shots in rapid succession and not had a problem with overheating. My suspicion is those that have this experience are shooting in high ambient temperatures. I have seen damage to my gels wrinkling from heat. I recommend buying gels in 8"x10" sheets and cutting out your own. They are consumable items. On gels, the SB-900 has the capability of detecting and making adjustments for Nikon gels. This may be nice for some. I find this feature of little use as I do make my own gels and use either TTL or metered shots for the most part. The SB-900 has the capability of firmware upgrades. It requires use of later and higher end Nikon cameras. The firmware upgrade is downloaded onto a memory card and the connection is made via the camera. Since the SB-900 has been around for a while it is likely all the kinks have been discovered and there may be no need for further firmware upgrades. The firmware version on subject unit was verified to be the latest available. This was the best flash unit made by Nikon until supplanted (barely) by the SB-910. If all one does is mount a flash on a camera (nearly the worst place to have a flash) and shoot snapshots, it probably is overpriced. A used SB-600 or maybe SB-400 would do as well. But if the power and features come into play, the cost of the SB-900 is worthwhile, especially when available as a factory refurbished unit at a substantially lower cost.

KERRY S.

2014-03-04T19:00:00

Will use with my profoto speed lite adaptor ring and rfi octabox. It will allow me to shoot TTL in studio or on location. Haven't found any problems so far.

AL K.

2014-03-04T19:00:00

I have and SB900 and wanted another for CLS. This refurb looks new, functions like new and all at a great savings.

MATTHEW G.

2014-03-02T19:00:00

The many reviewers who have mentioned the overheating problem are correct. Do not buy this flash; you will be very disappointed the first time you use it if you take many shots. I cannot believe Nikon could put such a poor product on the market and not even offer to replace it to its loyal customers, of which I am one.

James

Originally posted at

2014-02-19T19:00:00

I have found that my flash over heats under heavy load, which interrupts shooting. For this alone, I have given this a lower rating than I would have otherwise.

MTR14

Originally posted at

2014-02-06T19:00:00

Received two refurbished SB-900s today. They appear to work just fine, both remotely and via the camera hot shoe. Instructions manuals, stands and filters all came neatly packaged with each unit. The cases, however, appear to be cheap knockoffs, not Nikon branded cases, which was a bit disappointing, but otherwise everything else appears to be in good order.

gvojtko

2014-02-04T19:00:00

Use on my Nikon D 7000. Has a great many features, but easy to use. Better than using the attached flash unit.

Mike

2014-02-03T19:00:00

I use it off camera

Randy R.

2014-01-27T19:00:00

Very effective flash. Not one you want to pull out every day but I am thrilled to have it available when I need it.

LEE T.

2014-01-04T19:00:00

Très bon flash. Depuis mon achat à plusieurs reprises il surchauffe. J'ai retourné ce flash et le centre de réparation mentionné qu'il est dans les normes.

Claude

Originally posted at

2013-10-14T21:00:00

I just upgraded from my Sigma flash and this is just far superior. Works wonders when shooting weddings in low light.

ALEXA K.

2013-09-04T21:00:00

I use four SB900s in just about every combination & configuration you can think of. Mostly for enviro portraiture and outdoor sports. I use them off-camera with SC-29, wireless remotes, IR commander/remote for HS and/or CLS, the occasional on-camera flash (ick), in TTL, manual, etc., and with various modifiers, large and small. I push them pretty hard - often to overpower sunlight, which they do well – especially when doubled. Am buying refurbs now since they're no longer manufactured. Never a problem with any flash except for one I bought used where the rotation stay (click-stop) locked and I had to force it, which broke the stay, but it's still 100% functional. All are always reliable, fast recycle time (faster with battery pack), long burn time (longer with 2700 NiMH batteries and with battery pack), light-weight, and easy to use. I do wish the ISO setting wasn't nested so deeply in the menu. But my only real issue is that the thermal cut-off threshold is too low for my needs. Once the internal temp is raised, the flash shuts down completely to cool off. The alternative is to turn off that feature and risk melting the head, or change the setup. It cuts out faster the more power you dial in, the faster the burst rate, the farther the head is zoomed and faster if dome diffuser or other unvented modifier attached, and sometimes keeping it in direct sunlight will heat it up faster. I tend to set mine the exact opposite and drive them hard, so I can't and don't expect them to not heat up, but it'd be nice if Nikon did some porting or heat sink work to improve this on future models. Despite what you might read online, I've learned from testing and experience that the cut-off is NOT from the batteries getting hot. My solution for this issue is to use two speedlights in IR and use commander flash to switch from A to B and back as they heat up and cool off. I also try to shade them with breathable, white fabric, and/or double them up at reduced power. But I'm looking into having an electronics geek friend of mine install a port or heat sink. I hear the 910s have improved the overheating issue, but I haven't heard/seen enough praise to ditch these for 910s.

KAY B.

2013-08-19T21:00:00

Still factory wrapped in the box! Adorama is very generous in its ratings!

J J.

2013-06-10T21:00:00

Flash overheats. If you want to use the a Nikon SB900 buy a SB800. In normal use as a professional photographer I got 20 shots in 1/2 power and the flash cut off because overheating. I just returned 2 of them.

CISE

2013-05-06T21:00:00

Takes time to learn the programming works well with DX and DX Nikon cameras

JOHN W.

2013-01-06T19:00:00

This flash has a lot of potental, plenty of flash power but use it to hard and it overheats fast. I aways have to keep an eye on the temprature gauge. I wish it had a small cooling fan to keep it from ovrheating. Also if you plan to use it much you will need to invest in an external power supply, it cooks the 4AA battries in minutes when you try to use it hard. I realy mean cooks them, the batteries get so hot you can't hold them. I use a quantum turbo battery pack and just keep an eye on the tempruture gauge and it does a great job. I also have a SB800 and the 5th battery makes a big diffeance I wish they had kept that on the 900. I would think a flash that is suposed to be for pro use wouldn't have these problems.

az l.

Originally posted at

2012-07-18T20:00:00

À répétition, ce modèle surchauffe. Je suggère donc le sb-910 si vous l'utiliser pour le mariage.

NikonManiaque

Originally posted at

2012-07-09T20:00:00

I use SB-900 AF for more than two years, is fantastic. Powerful, functional, a perfect "pictures partner"!

Dany

Originally posted at