Targus DP-38 Pro Tilt & Swivel Zoom Auto TTL Flash for Nikon Digital TTL, I-TTL & Film Cameras, Guide Number (ISO 100) 45 m / 148'

2012-02-01T19:00:00

As soon as I received the package in the mail, I opened it, installed batteries and tested the flash on my Nikon D50. Imagine my shock when my first few pictures were all black. No light. No flash. Applying experience from using computers, I "rebooted," i.e., I removed the flash and reinserted it into the hot shoe, doublechecking all my settings on the camera and on the flash, and even checking that I inserted the batteries the right way. Then I tried another test shot. Whew! To my relief, the flash fired. And it continued to fire for my next two or three dozen test shots. I have not taken very many pictures yet with the flash, so this review is based on my initial impressions, and may be updated if possible at some future time. The box gives this flash a "professional" designation, which I feel is based on the overall specs and capabilities built into the flash (built-in slave, fractional power settings, included diffuser/reflector, zoom capabilities, bounce/swivel flash head, back LCD information display, front or rear curtain synch, and TTL capabilities with the proper lens). I wish the "professional" designation also applied to the finished physical product, though I realize that at this price point I shouldn't expect OEM build-quality. My first concern is with the battery compartment. The cover is held on to the main flash body by a T-extension of the cover. It's one of those things that you'll have to see how well it holds up over time. The battery compartment itself is just a rectangular compartment with standard AA-battery contacts. There is no molded compartment to fit the shape of the batteries. Just put the four batteries in with the correct end in, and close the cover. The zoom feature of the flash worked with the standard 18-55mm zoom lens, and its range is 24-85mm. Not only could you see and hear the flash element zooming, but you can also see the readout on the LCD panel on the back of the flash. When using the flash directly for a forward close-up, there is some light cut-off on the bottom third of the picture (in horizontal format). So it would be nice if the flash head could point slightly downward in the forward position, but the flash head stops at 0 degrees, and can point directly up at 90 degrees with a couple of stops in-between. The flash head can also swivel to either side, up to 180 degrees to the left and up to 90 degrees to the right. Another work-around to the light cut-off problem is to use the slide-out diffuser or reflector, or to bounce the light off a wall, ceiling or white card. The flash fastens to the hot shoe with a tightening wheel, and some other reviewers raise questions about the sturdiness of the flash foot. Again, it seems this is another one of those features of this flash that we'll have to see how well it holds up over time. Flash recycle times seemed OK with fresh alkalines for the limited amount of test shots that I fired. A couple of my flash shots at night outdoors from about 20 feet away with the flash set at automatic were washed-out but others that I shot at the same time were properly-exposed. This is about the limit of my observations for now. Further observations pend further use of the flash. For those of us Nikon DSLR-users who occasionally need a better flash than what comes with the camera, this Targus flash does give us some of that extra capability in lieu of the much more expensive Nikon-brand flashes.

RAYMOND Y.

2011-04-14T21:00:00

I bought this because I did not want to spend the money on the Nikon sb-700 or 900 and didn't think there would be that much difference. There is. It does not work very well with the flash functions on the Nikon D90 and the output was inconsistent at best. I ended up buying the sb700 and I love it. I will keep this flash to use as a slave and a back up

Toby

2010-12-26T19:00:00

My camera is a Nikon D50 and the DP38 appears to communicate with it fine. Toggling between spot and matrix will switch the flash from i-ttl or i-ttl bl. Slave works nicely Zoom zooms, ( noisy but works ) Recycle good Battery life, good so far Bounce and swivel nice solid clicks I have a Promaster 7200, the DP 38 is a lot better, especially exposure. I like it. Had it for a short period of time, but impressed so far.

sparkey