Altura Photo Professional Flash Kit for NIKON DSLR - Includes: I-TTL Flash (AP-N1001), Wireless Flash Trigger Set and Accessories

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I love learning photography and thought of doing some experiments with high speed exposure photography. So wanted to get myself a wireless flasher with i-TTL functionality supporting my Nikon D7100. According to most Amazon reviews Altura Photo Pro Flash Kit AP-N1001 seemed a good choice. Another reason why I choose AP-N1001 was cos it came with wireless (and wired) trigger mode. In high exposure photography I knew it’d come handy. So, in short: Pros: - Works well as described - I even tried S1, S2 modes which also works well (In S2 mode you can use the wireless trigger to trigger the shutter of the camera & the camera’s flash will trigger the AP-N1001’s flasher) - Great wireless trigger when connected to the camera - Good battery life - Comes with the batteries for the wireless trigger set (but doesn’t incl. the batteries for the flasher: 4x AA) Cons: - None I can think of The manual this comes with is short but gives you all the necessary details in diagrams etc. If you’re even little bit tech savvy there wouldn’t be any issue of configuring as you need. I used regular Duracells and found can take hundreds of shots without needing to replaced. (I did shoot at lower flasher powers cos I was taking high speed expos. Most of the time I set around 1/32 or 1/64 power). It does take few seconds (didn’t measure but the description says 4secs, which I’d think accurate) to recycle and ready for the next shot. But never found it an issue. I’m very happy with the wireless trigger too, cos I can use it to trigger the camera (especially when I set the AP-N1001 flasher to S2 mode (slave) so it’ll go off as soon as it detects the camera’s (Nikon D7100 in my case) flash goes on. I have a very cheap wireless IR trigger I bought for the D7100 but it’s not very reliable, sometimes it’ll shoot as soon as I press it, but sometimes I need to press multiple times. But this wireless trigger (when connected to the camera) triggers as soon as I press it. Also this has the soft touch to auto-focus and hard press to take pic (just a shooting button in a camera). The pouch is a nice addition to take all the stuff with you. (Wireless trigger doesn’t fit in that though). High speed expos require lot of fine tuning of settings through experimenting at a certain environment and this flasher has all the configs I wanted. I’ve added a couple of pics I took using this and a cheap Neewer 24x36in reflector set. I’m fully satisfied with this flasher. If my review helped you in some way, please click the ‘Yes’ button below. Thank you!

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After pricing other flash kits for my Nikon D3300 I decided to purchase the Altura based upon its steady stream of positive reviews. At the price point I expected it to be of lesser build quality than some, but adequate to the task at hand. What I received met my expectations and exceeded them. I was able to quickly load the flash with (4) fresh AA batteries and connect it to the hot shoe on my camera. The included User Manual wasnt the easiest to figure out in terms of tweaking for perfect photos - at least not for a newbie, but the controls of On/Off are simple enough and it wasnt tough to quickly figure out the settings even without the manual. The ability to soften the flash with a plastic diffuser (included) and by user settings, was great. The flash worked perfectly with my camera and the included accessories were all as shown. I purchased this primarily for a fill light for outdoor portrait work. I think it will be great in this capacity offering up to 500 flashes on a full charge with inexpensive AA batteries. (Im sure rechargeable AAs would work well too.) The LCD screen is not bright green on the unit I received (as seen in the Amazon product photos). As a matter of fact its a little bit tough to see in a flat gray/green hue. Perhaps theres a brightness setting for the viewer Ive yet to discover, so I didnt take off a star for this issue. Overall, Im pleased with my purchase. I was able to install and use the flash within 10 minutes of unboxing it and I feel like it will provide me with the light I need at a fair price. NOTE: Photos included with this review are without any flash, with diffused flash and with the flash and no diffusion (the brightest with a setting of +2 on the flash).

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I have been using this flash for about 4 months now and I have to say i couldnt be happier with the results. The flashes are easy to set up and is much cheaper then other competitors. I have taken over 1k and I am amazed that I havent had to change the batteries once on these flashes. I purchased the two flash kit and have had no problems. It has allowed me to get some cool pictures as well, being able to control your lighting gives you tons of options on what you can do with your photography. If you are debating what to purchase, stop looking and make this purchase. I took my two photos with a flash on both sides of a fish tank filled with water and a black back ground with my Nikon d7100. 100% satisfied with theses flashes!

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The Flash unit is a really nice flash unit. But the Nikon D3400 does not have an accessory plug (shame on Nikon!). So the remote trigger will not work with the D3400. The transmitter does appear to work through the hot shoe for remote flash (non TTL as noted in other reviews). But, the remote shutter trigger does not work as it needs the accessory port...like on every SLR/DSLR that has ever been made...except the D3400...are you listening Nikon! So if you have the "new" D3400, and are looking for remote shutter trigger, buy the flash unit alone (not this kit) and spend the $10 you save on a ML-L3 IR remote to get remote shutter trigger capability. If you want remote flash this kit will work, but you will still need the IR remote for the remote shutter. And yes...I found this out the hard way..bought the kit and discovered the remote trigger does not work with the D3400:)

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Great lighting kit! picked this up as I was working with some pretty sad flashes and wanted better to up my game. After seeing all the positive reviews here I picked up a set. They came boxed up very nicely with 0 damage to anything and seem to have been handled with great care. After getting them in yesterday I ran around and took some test shots in all the possible configurations and heres what I came up with: 1: Very great TTL mode. if theres a lens attached to the camera the flash automatically adjusts to get a great shot, regardless of how far away the subject is. Occasionally there is a dark photo but Id have to say 90% of the time you get what you want out of it. If you wanna go pro and use manual mode its also just as good as any Nikon flash in my opinion as Ive worked with a few. 2: Wireless mode with the two flashes is as some others have stated. The flashes will work in TTL mode but its a consistently dim flash. This isnt all bad for me because generally if this is being done youll want them in manual to get the lighting that perfect anyways. Just having the two flashes go off and getting the lighting you need without cords or headaches (beyond the initial setup) is great for me. Manual mode is easy enough to use even for a beginner to pick it up within a couple minutes and figure out how to make the light brighter or dimmer. 3: Battery consumption... This is an area very important to me as ALOT of equipment now runs on AAs. The flashes themselves take 4 and last an average amount of time. pressing the trigger every 2 seconds I was able to get 85ish shots before my pictures became visibly dimmer from consumption and thats good in my book. Not the best Ive seen but for the price its right on par. The wireless trigger takes a standard old school camera battery though and Im unsure of how long this will last and the receivers take AAAs. this means I now have to go from carrying one type of battery to 3... Something Im not sure Im prepared to do. This is a slight markdown but not enough to loose a star as the price point makes the kit more desirable. Ill keep it for now and if it continues to perform well Ill edit this review so everyone can keep track. 4: Focusing in the dark. Probably the 2nd most important thing to everyone since thats what the product is for. in a darker room small beams come out for the camera to focus and for the most part they work well. I took pictures in my living room early in the morning while it was still dark and the camera still focused well enough for me to be able to read the words on my receiver from 15ish feet away. This is good for me as this proves whatever they put into this unit works and quite well. occasionally it will try to focus on the closest object but not enough to be bothersome. Overall this unit really cant be beat initially. The price is right on the money and you get all sorts of capabilities you wouldnt buying name brand. The bang for buck factor on this is extremely high and the flashes are of great build quality. Ill edit this review in a few months to update on performance and durability but initially... great product. Keep up the good work guys. UPDATE 22 July 2015: Had this kit for a year and so far everything has worked phenomenally! Ive even taken the extra step to get another set of these so that I can have 4 flashes set up for the remote instead of 2. This makes it much more practical to get the kind of lighting you need to take photos rather than have large softboxes everywhere. Its been a tricky art to master but with some practice and skill its really amazing what you can come up with :) Id highly recommend this product since its way cheaper than the Nikon brand and I feel like you get a much better product for the price.

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I appreciate sellers like Digital Goja who offer good products and fast delivery. I needed a flash for a new camera before a wedding shoot in two weeks, so I ordered in plenty of time. The flash arrived in just three days - and safe and sound. I am not new to photography having been around the business for over 30 years. Im not one to buy top of the line when something else will do the job just as well. I bought this I-TTL flash for a Nikon D5100 to use as a dedicated flash. The bottom line is, it works. I like the standard fold-out diffuser and deflector, the included diffuser cap is a great touch. The heavy duty, well-made protective nylon case is great and has an added feature of a compartment to store the diffuser cap. I had a Nikon SB-600 prior to this Altura flash and side-by-side, the resulting photos (which is what counts in the end) are equal. The big difference seems to be the price. This Altura costs hundreds less and performs as well, if not better. *** UPDATE *** I wanted to update this as I used the flash extensively this past weekend for a wedding. I took over 500 photos and fired the flash at least 400+ times. The flash never faltered once. It recharged between flashes in just a matter of a second or two (using 4 AA Sanyo Eneloop batteries - which didnt need to be changed once during the shooting). I left the flash in i-TTL mode (attached to my Nikon D5100) and it did a great job of illuminating the area. I used the included diffuser cap with the flash and got the best results with the flash angled at 45°. Im completely satisfied with this flash and highly recommend it.

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When I received this kit, I was amazed! I needed an affordable TTL flash for my Nikon D5200. The TTL function works very well; adjusting to camera changes in ISO, F-stop and zoom settings. You can see the changes real-time on the LED display. Test shots are properly lighted and not washed out. I do need to work more to understand manual settings and adjustments. The flash works as well as the expensive ($450) Nikon SB-600 flash! [Note: I borrowed a friends Nikon flash for comparison.] My Nikon D5200 built in flash will fire the flash units remotely (without a wireless receiver) using the S1 setting. The LED display makes changing settings easy and exact. I will admit there is tricky figuring out all the configurations and using the flash with the JJC wireless transceivers. The manuals are minimal but after connecting the units differently a few times, I was able to fire both flashes using the transmitter on my camera. You can also remotely fire your camera using a receiver and cable included in the kit. The soft diffusers work well if you dont have another way to deflect or soften the light. Each flash comes with a padded case large enough for extra batteries or small accessories. I can not be more pleased!

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Whether you are an amateur or professional photographer, most photographers want the best bang for their buck. Being a semi-pro photographer, I can relate to both groups. I understand the need for paying a premium for a name brand that has proven themselves with the test of time, while at the same time anxiously await for a 3rd party brand that will prove to be worthy of competition. In my quest to find the ultimate 3rd party speedlight for less than 100USD, I have purchased some of the best reviewed speedlights from amazon.com and put them to the test against the older, but very well respected Nikon SB 600. Will I finally find a speedlight that will defeat the ranks of this retired champion from the past? Read on to find out! In this showdown, I compared the following flash units in a series of important hands-on tests. ◦Altura (AP-N1001) ◦Neewer VK-750II ◦Nikon (SB-600) ◦Yongnuo (YN560-II) I decided to take a fresh approach and ignore the marketed technical specifications and objectively evaluate them myself. Please note that I paid for all of these flash units and I have no bias to one brand or another. This comparison was initiated only from my intellectual curiosity and my love to save as much money as possible. In the end, the losers were returned back to amazon.com. Maximum Power Bounced Off Ceiling For my first test, I used a Nikon D600 with a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens set to an exposure of 1/125s, ISO 100 zoomed into 75mm wide open (f/2.8). The room was dark with constant ambient light and an exposure at the settings mentioned without flash resulted in a black image. Each flash was zoomed to 70mm and pointed at the ceiling tilted 75-degrees towards the subject in manual mode set to 1/1 power. The speedlights were powered by identical batteries which were fully charged “Amazon Basics NiMH AA 1.5V 1900mAh”. In order to avoid any bad results caused by a cold-fire flash, each speedlight was warmed-up by firing each 3 times with the most luminous histogram selected as the image to be compared. Below were the resulting images and their related histograms. histo comp Figure 1 (Above) Products are listed in order from left to right, Altura AP-N1001, Neewer VK750, Nikon SB 600, Yongnuo 560II The Altura and Neewer flashes were pretty much identical while the SB600 had slightly more exposure with approximately ¼ stops more light. The YN560II clearly had the most power and beat the SB600 by over ½ stops! I had always known that the YN560II was respected for its power output, but it was hard for me ignore these surprising results. Recycling Time The next test was recycling times. For this challenge, I manually timed and averaged the recycling times for each flash after 3 full power firings. To be 100% certain, I used a brand new pack of freshly charged NiMH batteries (same band as previous test) for each unit. This time, the differences were less distinct and there was no significant difference between the Altura, Neewer, and SB600 (2sec)flashes. Not surprisingly, the recycling time of the YN 560II was slightly higher as it had the highest power output measured from the previous test. Overall, I believe that the battery quality will have a large influence on recharge time rather than brand of flash in the brands tested. Build Quality, Size, and Weight As one could imagine, none of the off-brand speedlights beat build quality of the Nikon brand. The Altura and Yongnuo brands finish in a tie at second place while the Neewer comes in last far behind the pack. Build quality is typically a reflection of the price paid for a product and there is no exception here. The Nikon brand simply has a more solid and professional feel. The Altura and Yongnuo, though not bad at all, feel cheaper and hollower than the Nikon. There is no other way to describe the build quality of the Neewer other than “it just feels cheaper.” I would expect that a couple of drops from a light stand to a concrete floor would send the Neewer straight to the trash while the other brands could sustain repeated blows. I did not have the luxury to test this in real life except for the Yongnuo which I clumsily dropped onto my basement floor. Other than the batteries flying out of the battery compartment, the speedlight showed no significant damage and functioned properly when tested immediately after. In regards to size, the Neewer is enormous and boxy. The Yongnuo is slightly smaller, but still large. The Altura is surprisingly small and comes very close to the compactness of the very compact SB600. The approximate weight of each unit without batteries is as follows: SB 600 10.6oz, YN560 12.6oz, Neewer 12 oz, Altura 11 oz. See picture at the top of this page to compare sizes. Additional Features The SB-600 is packed with additional features and casts a dark shadow over the competition. Some of the noteworthy features that are unique to this flash are the following: -High Speed Sync. This unit can achieve up to 1/8000 with the newer/higher end Nikon bodies. This is a huge advantage if you need the higher shutter speed for shallow DOF shots especially when using against a backlit subject on a sunny day. -Compatible with CLS. This Nikon feature is phenomenal and seamless with bodies with the integrated CLS commander bodies or bodies with the SU-800. -Lever locking system on hot shoe. Very easy to soundly secure to any Nikon hot shoe. The SB-600 does lack in its zoom range and is limited to 24-85mm, but has the quietest zoom motor when compared to the competition. With its extra features, the learning curve is a little higher and less intuitive with its smaller LCD back panel. Also, this flash unit also lacks a repeating flash / strobe mode which all the other competitors possess. One final drawback is its lack of an integrated bounce card so you may have to purchase a stofen or flash bender to lift the shadows from your subject’s eyes. All other units tested had all the above features for which the SB600 is missing. All of the flashes tested have a higher zoom range than the SB 600 with both the Neewer and Altura being able to zoom up to 180mm, while the Yongnuo zooming up to a modest 105mm. All flashes except for the YN560II have an iTTL mode and proved to be just as accurate as one another. The YN 560II is purely a manual flash and is an excellent back up or slave in my opinion, especially for the price. Conclusion As many product comparisons conclude, each flash is a great in its own unique way and is designed for different types of photographers. The SB-600 is no longer manufactured by Nikon, but can be found used in excellent condition for under $200. This is a real bargain if you are serious about photography and want a pro grade flash for cheap! If you need more power for bouncing off of high ceilings in wedding receptions or similar events, the SB800 is probably better, but is about $100 more used. I understand that $200 is still a lot of money, especially those who are just getting started with flash photography, so my recommendation would be one of the third party flashes tested in this review. In my opinion, the Altura flash is the best flash for the money. For $89.99 on amazon.com, you get good build quality, accurate TTL, fast recycle time, and a nice compact design. The Altura also comes with a diffusion dome (stofen type) and the nicest protective case out of the bunch. What this is lacking however is high-speed sync which is very useful for outdoor photoshoots during the day. The speedlight is “cell phone” easy and you can access all features without any complex multiple-button press commands like the SB-600 requires. One thing that is annoying about the Altura is that you have to hold the power button for 3 seconds just to turn on/off the flash unit. If your main objective is to find a budget unit for off camera flash, the best speedlight is the YN 560II by a long-shot. For under $60, you get a lot of power and a great slave sensor that is very reliable. I liked this so much that I bought 2! For on-camera flash, go with the Altura or SB600. If you are on a very tight budget and need TTL, then the Neewer will do, but I would not shoot a wedding without a couple of these for back up. My biggest gripe with the Neewer is its cheap case that it comes with. The case does not even have any padding and is useless in my opinion. The only things that it will protect the unit from are scratches. Don’t get me wrong, for 53 bucks, I could by 3-4 of these for the price of one SB-600, so the biggest strength is the price. If you are a pro, I would skip on these unless you need a large amount of slave speedlights for a portable studio or special project of some sort. I hope this makes your decision making process a little bit easier for you! Until next review…keep shooting!

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This review breaks down into two sections. First the speed light. I am using full-fledged Nikon SLR and DSLR cameras. My inventory also includes two SB-800 speed lights. Recently I bought a Nikon D-3300 for my wife who is serious to also become an advanced amateur photographer. I wanted a good speed light for her without having to spend a ton of money. I was looking for something that has the most important features of the SB-800 class, especially iTTL functionality. This Altura speed light fills the ticket quite nicely. It is powerful, reliable and it does exactly what I expected it to do. Wonderful! It does not have all the advanced features of an SB-800 or the likes. For this price you can hardly expect that. I tested it extensively on several Nikon bodies. It works flawlessly within its capabilities. Most of all, you cant beat it for the money. If my wife accidentally drops it or breaks it, I will simply replace it. One drawback, however. it will not work in iTTL mode with the NIKON CLS (Creative Lighting System). Some of my Nikons have built-in speed lights that can function as a commander only. This Altura does not respond to this in iTTL mode either. In manual mode, it gets triggered pre-maturely by the commanders signal flash. I still recommended this Altura speed light if you cannot or do not want to spend the bucks for a real Nikon speed light, as long as you do not try to use it as a commander or off-camera slave. You can use it off-camera by using a hot shoe off-camera cable. One end goes on the cameras hot shoe, the other end provides the actual hot shoe. Its like an extension cable. The bottom of the hot shoe end can be mounted either on a speed light stand or a tripod of the appropriate size. The wireless trigger set is a different story. The flash trigger works only if a speed light is set in the manual function, no iTTL. This greatly limits its usefulness. It also does not work with all Nikon cameras. The shutter trigger function requires the use of an included cable which does not work with all Nikon cameras either, especially the older ones, such as the D-200. This trigger set uses radio frequency rather than infrared. A direct line-of-sight is not required. It also has a much greater range than infrared equipment. This trigger set may have uses for some, but not for me. The one I received did not work at all. It quit after a few uses. I got angry and threw it in the garbage can. I did inform the vendor of this. Lo and behold, They actually refunded the $29.- without me having to send it back. That speaks highly of this vendor.

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This is an incredible package for the price. I think I received this after only 3 days from my order date. Ive been in photography for 38 years, and after taking several days to play with this system I’m thrilled with it. Im using this kit with a Nikon D3200, and it works wonderfully in TTL mode. Flash Zoom, aperture, ISO all respond to changes on camera settings. As you zoom the lens you can hear the flash zoom motor adjusting the internal reflector. Im using this primary as single flash to extend the range beyond that of the cameras built-in flash, and to use off camera with reflectors for softer lighting via the wireless remotes. Using the system off-camera requires some experience and knowledge of lightning powers and distance (using it in manual mode, no TTL off-camera). With a digital camera, trial and error is easy enough that even beginners should be able to set up a two-light modeling effect and come away with decent exposures with just a little bit of effort. The flash units can be manually adjusted in very tight power increments. The wireless receivers and the transmitter work beautifully. The remotes can even be used to trigger the shutter release on the camera for close-up macro work. Each flash also comes with a nice padded velcro/zipper bag (not shown in the main photo) with a battery storage compartment in the bottom and a little secret cup that fits the flash head as a hard transluscent diffuser. Ive not tried the soft fabric diffusers yet, but they fit the flash heads nicely and have black on one side to control stray light from the rear. A little bag comes with this kit full of connectors for just about any occasion. Some i have yet to figure out as to when id use them. The flash directions are the only weak point here. The english translation is a bit rough, but those with a photography background will understand. Directions for the receivers/transmitter set were okay. The best thing to do is plan a day to just play with this set and get familar with the settings. Get familiar with all the settings on your camera as well. I think most photographers will enjoy using this set greatly. I’d not hesitate to purchase another package of these.

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