Quantaray Flash for Nikon

Comments

• dwheeler Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner

  May 23, 2009 edited May 23, 2009

  rustic wrote:

  Hi All,
  
  The Ritz Camera next to my office is closing, and as such is ditching most of their stuff for 50+% off. I stopped in today and saw that they still have a fair number of Quantaray flashes.
  
  While I'm aware that they're not up to par with the bigger names, I'm thinking that if I can find something cheap, it might be better than what I have now (which, in terms of non-built-in flash, is nothing!).
  
  I'm just in this for fun at this point, and having just picked up a new lens recently, I can't really justify spend even a couple of hundred on a Nikon flash.
  
  My questions, then, are:
  
  1. Does Quantaray make any flashes that would be worth spending $50-$75 on? if so, any suggested models?
  
  2. Knowing very little about flashes, what do I need to look for to be sure that it would work with my D50?
  
  Thanks!

  
  The local Ritz has been going out of business as well. (this is the last week they'll be open)
  
  
  Anyway, a while ago, I picked up an xlf-50 and a pz40x-II, both i-ttl compatible. Both work fine with my D40. The little xlf-50 is pretty small, reasonably fast recycle, and does a good job filling small rooms and close ups. I think its a pretty good alternative to the SB400, especially if you get it at the deal I did. The little XLF-50 even has a few cute little features that the SB400 doesen't.
  
  There aren't any more xlf-50's in stock here, but the PZ-40x-II's are now exactly half of what I paid a while ago. Not fussed, $72 is still a heck of a deal for that.
  
  The PZ40x-II is larger than the XLF-50, but is still pretty small. It has quite a bit more power than the XLF-50 and a nice LCD and controls for manual mode(nice for radio triggers). Its reasonably well made, its smaller than the SB600, but has nearly the same amount of power. Its only real failing is the recycle time, which can be helped a lot with deep capacity nimh batteries. I wish it swiveled as well as bounced, but that would have made it physically larger. I can't complain at all considering it costed 1/3-1/5 what an SB600 would (depending on where and when you pick it up). If you were to compare it at suggested retail price (~$170) to the nicer made, much faster, nikon SB600 (now ~$230), it wouldn't compete, but at <$99 its a pretty fantastic bargain. At $36 its theft.
  
  I've been toying with going back and getting another PZ40, as it worked with my cheapo dealextreme radio triggers.
  
  Anyway, both seemed to work good with the i-ttl system, the exposures were pretty balanced. The IR assist works really well on the PZ40, it focused and shot a pitch dark room and the exposure was just right. I wished the smaller xlf-50 had an IR assist as well, but it wouldn't be nearly the cute little flash that it is.
  
  Anyway, I'm pretty happy with them.

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• ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,076 moderator

  May 23, 2009 edited May 23, 2009

  Dwheeler, welcome to the Digital Grin.
  
  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  ziggy53
  Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums

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• mud390 Registered Users Posts: 219 Major grins

  May 23, 2009 edited May 23, 2009

  The local Ritz is going out of business as well. I picked up a Quantaray (by Sunpak) QF30. List price was $130-ish, but I only paid $20 out the door. It is i-ttl, but only works on the shoe, no slave mode. It does a good job of filling the room and works great as a fill flash. It has a +/- 3 power adjustment. For $20, I'm happy with it. Recycle time is so-so to alright depending on intensity. It takes it about a minute to "charge up" the first time you turn it on.
  
  Kris

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• bandgeekndb Registered Users Posts: 284 Major grins

  May 26, 2009 edited May 26, 2009

  For any who are still looking, I believe everything closed on May 23rd or so. A number of my local ones are all closed up, guess everything is gone. :cry
  
  The deals sounded SO good though! Anybody pick up spares they're trying to get rid of? I'm looking for a flash SB-600 style and cheaper is better, so the Quantaray would have been nice at $40.
  
  Shoot me a PM if you're getting rid of any, or just list it in the Flea Market and somebody will grab it!
  
  ~Nick

  Nikon D7000, D90
  
  Sigma 18-50 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8
  Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 50mm f/1.8

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• dwheeler Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner

  May 28, 2009 edited May 28, 2009

  I went back a day too late and missed the 10 or so PZ40's they had left. They apparently blew out when they marked them down further. I guess we'll probably start seeing some of them show up on ebay soon.
  
  I did pick up 3 more flashes --not quite as cool as the others, but pretty cheap! I got a qbsz 370 (plain ttl) for $3.25, qaf6600 (cannon) $6, QB6500 (needs bottom module) $3.25, nikon ITTL module $7. --Haven't tried the ittl module flash on my D40 yet (its a pretty primative looking flash compared to the PZ40) I figured I'd just get some optical hot shoe triggers or more radio trigger recievers and fiddle with them. I'm thinking I might take them apart and see if I can hack a manual setting potentiometer into them. I also got more camera bags and straps than I'm likely to ever really use, but at $.80 for Tamrac neoprene straps, oh well...
  
  Anyway, the 3 extra I got probably aren't anything to get too excited about (I'd hold out for something like the PZ40x-ii or better), but you are welcome to them if you really wanted them.

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