Flash Gun Overheating

[gsums]

Hi guys,

Ive just bought a Nikon SB-900 and it is a good flash. The only problem i am having with it is if you are taking lots of photos it tends to overheat and i need to switch it off for around 5 mins. Now this is not ideal when you have got people waiting to have their photo taken and i need to tell them to wait. Is there anything in particular that causes this or anything i can do to prevent it? If it makes any difference i have the flash in manual mode.

 

[SamP]

Can't really do anything, I'm guessing you're shooting at 1/2 power+ constantly?

 

[gsums]

Yeah mate, it also goes through batts like they are going out of fashion, when i change them they are roasting hot so i take them out to cool down and leave the holder open also to let air into the flash but its not very good when you have people waiting ha.

 

[Tigger]

I use the same flash gun for photos in a nightclub every Friday & Saturday night without any problems.

Plus other occasional jobs on, generally I'm changing my batteries in the flash about once a week!

 

[dmundy]

I believe the new Nikon flashgun solves this issue. SB-910 if I'm not mistaken. Its a known fault that the SB-900 overheats.

 

[gsums]

Tigger thats what i use it for a nightclub every Friday for roughly 2-2 1/2 hours and it seems to overheat 2-3 times im taking roughly 150-200 pics and it just stops workng with a thermometer showing on the LCD!

 

[SamP]

I do club work and I've never worked a whole night and had any flash problems, I never really pass 1/4 power either? What style/settings you shooting to require that? 99% of the time the flash is just there for diffused fill as I'd rather the picture was colourfull with a mixed ambient?

 

[Tigger]

I use the diffuser dome all the time too - lots of mirrors and windows/glass doors about so prefer a soft spread out flash.
At first I went in and started using Aperture mode with the flash on TTL/BL

Now I tend to stick the camera in Manual, 1/40th and f8 ISO 800 with the flash on TTL FP mode and switch the flash mode on the camera to slow rear.

I'd like to get more ambient light or even more "motion" in the background and freeze the people in the shot but haven't quite mastered that yet

 

[capturedbyjames]

I've got a SB900 and a SB910.

The 910 handles the heat more effectively, instead of just stopping when it gets too hot, it slows down it's recycle time to allow it to cool between shots. The 900 just goes into thermal cut off far too quickly for me.

You can turn thermal protection off on both, but I can't promise it wont melt.

There are videos on youtube that show how to prevent it. But they're a bit pointless!

If it helps, my rechargeable batteries heat up quicker, and thermal protection kicks in earlier. Get an external battery back, and any heat from the batteries wont affect the thermal sensor by seeping into the flash. Or just get a 910 (which is what I did). Now I just use the 900 (and a 600) as backups.

 

[planetx]

As mentioned turn the Thermo switch off.
Used one for two years and hammered it, never missed a heartbeat - or though I prefer SB800 - much smaller.

 

[Derelict-UK]

I had the SB900 and used it for night club events, got sick of it and didn't really want to turn the protection off.

Sold it and went back to the SB800 I originally sold my SB800 for the 900 and the photographer who bought it said his 900 was useless.

Managed to buy an 800 for £160 basically new which was a steal. I think it's diabolical that the 'fix' to the heating that Nikon have done is to release a new flashgun and not bothered to fix the 900's making anyone you just wants to use a new flashgun that (works properly) and has already bought a 900 to fork out a further £300+ for one with a fix that should have been provided as a firmware upgrade for free!!

 

[Tigger]

You guys doing club work - what sort of settings are you rolling with?

 

[doccrx]

Now I tend to stick the camera in Manual, 1/40th and f8 ISO 800 with the flash on TTL FP mode and switch the flash mode on the camera to slow rear.

I'd like to get more ambient light or even more "motion" in the background and freeze the people in the shot but haven't quite mastered that yet

Hi Trigg, don't be afraid of slowing the shutter speed right down to something like 1 sec, 1/2 sec or something, the flash should freeze the subjects. As for the apature open it up a t bit to 5.6-6.3 and you should still get everyone in focus.

HTH, Matt.

 

[gsums]

You guys doing club work - what sort of settings are you rolling with?

I tend to use 1/60 F3.5 at ISO 400 sharp clear picture but for DJ shots or crowd shots like said before slow the shutter right down and have some fun get light trails ect….

As for the flash i got it for a very cheap price which is why i went with it the guy that sold it must have been laughing as he closed the door. Still a very good flash it is strong and does everything needed just when you have drunks posing for a photo and you have to explain the flash has overheated not a good situation to be in.

More of an inconvenience than a problem though.

 

[Tigger]

Get it checked out mate - mine only went "hot" once and that was at a stag-do in the bar I be in - his mates had a stripper in and my camera wasn't the only thing flashing

So I just grabbed the 2nd body and did a few fisheye shots + the onboard flash while it cooled

 

[SamP]

You guys doing club work - what sort of settings are you rolling with?

Depends how/where I'm shooting? Mixture of 3 settings all set on my custom functions.

Shooting for ambient - Aperture Priority, f1.4/iso3200 and 2/3rds underexposed.
Shooting with flash 1 - Manual, f7.1/60th/iso800/ttl.
Shooting with flash 2 - Manual, f7.1/.5seconds/iso400/ttl rear sync.


I control the exposure with the two flash modes by using FEC. That covers 99% of my shooting.

 

[Tigger]

Managed to get this in high speed burst

 

[SamP]

Crazy sunstar, you shooting at like F16/F22?!

 

[Tigger]

No higher than f8 usually :S

Leigh has probably emphasised the flash a bit in PP