The Best External Flash For Nikon D7100 Cameras!
The Nikon d7100 is an extremely popular DSLR camera from the Nikon range that just keeps on getting more and more popular within the photography community with each passing month. It is a solid upgrade from the entry-level Nikon d5100 and serves as a solid intermediate option before getting into the professional level Nikon camera models. Now, due to the massive popularity of the d7100, we are constantly seeing people reaching out for advice on various camera accessories for the camera.
One question that we have seen increasing in popularity is based around the best flash for Nikon d7100 cameras so we have decided to make this the subject of today’s article. As our regular readers will probably know, we always like to try and share as much information as possible based around the questions that we see asked on a regular basis. This allows us to try and help as many of our readers as possible and with the Nikon d7100 being such a popular camera, we are confident that a few of our readers may be looking to add a camera flash to their camera accessories.
Now, the thing about recommending camera accessories is that everyone has a different budget available to them so we always try to take this into account. That said though if you have a higher budget available for your camera flash and are an established professional level photographer then the Nikon SB700 is an excellent option. That said though, depending on retailer it currently goes for around $300 at the time of writing. Due to this, we will not be featuring the Nikon SB700 as our primary recommendation due to it being such an expensive flash. That said though, if you would like to know more about the performance of the SB700 then you can read over These independent reviews for more information.
Now, one of the main cavities that we often see people add to their question when asking for advice on a flash unit for their Nikon d7100 is that they are ideally looking for a sub-one hundred dollar flash unit. Due to this, we will be featuring the Neewer 750II as our primary flash recommendation for your d7100. Now only does it retail at around fifty dollars depending on retailer but it offers some excellent performance for its price point and can easily compete with flash units twice its price. It has a number of other Nikon d7100 owners who use it as their go-to flash unit of choice and also has an excellent reputation amongst photographers.
Due to this, we will be taking a more detailed look at the Neewer 750II throughout the rest of the article to go over our thoughts on the flash unit and why we feel it is an excellent option for the majority of our readers. We mentioned above though, if you are a professional-level photographer, it is probably worth considering the Nikon SB700 over the Neewer 750II due to your needs.
Performance And Functionality
The flash unit fully supports TTL, manual flash mode, multi-flash mode, slave one, and slave two operations to ensuring that you can use it as a stand-alone mounted flash unit on your Nikon d7100 or as a part of a multi-flash setup if needed. This ensures that you are getting maximum versatility for your money and that you can use your 750II in pretty much any situation that you can think of.
The flash also has a color temperature of 5600k allowing you to capture your photographs of your subjects with a daylight standard flash activation for that natural look. It also has a guide number of 58 as well as eight manual mode flash operations too. The manual mode flash outputs are 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, and 1/128 with ±0.3EV adjustments as required.
One thing that is often missing from flash units at this price point in the market is the fact that they can be a pain to use if you need to bounce your flash for whatever reason. Thankfully, Neewer have you covered with the 750II and it can provide you with 0-90 degree tilt functionality as well as 0-270 degree horizontal pan rotation too. If your flash is too harsh for your subject’s complexion or in external lighting then this ensures that you can bounce your flash off the wall to soften its effects. If you are involved in something like capturing photographs in a nightclub of people having a good time then this can be a great feature due to the varying lights in the club.
Now, we have seen a few people complain about the fixed three-second flash recycle time on the Neewer 750II but this is actually by design and is pretty standard for flash units around this price point. Fixing the flash recycle time is probably the easiest way for brands to offer some overheating preventing without having to hike the price tag of the unit up.
One of the main heat sources in a camera flash is a very short recycle time while capturing photographs in quick succession. By fixing the flash recycle time to three seconds, this problem is removed and ensures that you can keep on capturing photographs with your Nikon d7100 for extended periods of time without running into any issues with overheating. Now, if you do want to use a short recycle time then using something like the Nikon SB700 will be a better option as it has excellent overheating protection but just keep in mind that its price tag is currently six times higher than the price tag for the Neewer 750II.
The 750II provides you with around three hundred flash activations per set of charged batteries that you use with it but keep in mind that this will depend on the camera flash settings that you are using with the flash unit too. It needs four AA batteries for standard operation and we would always recommend that you use a set of decent AA batteries with the flash for optimal performance.
That said though, if you are working in a studio or set location then it also comes with a regular electrical socket for a wall-based power outlet. This lets you jack the Neewer 750II into a regular power outlet if required to prevent you from having to purchase new batteries or recharge any rechargeable ones that you may use with the flash.
The flash also comes with Neewers wireless remote control functionality as standard too and can be remotely triggered from up to twenty-five meters inside and fifteen meters outside. This may be useless for you depending on your photography niche but it’s always nice to have wireless remote control functionality and not need it than need it and not have it on your flash.
When you factor all of this in as well as the price tag of around fifty dollars at the time of writing depending on the retailer that you purchase it from, it is easy to see why the Neewer 750II has managed to grow such a massive customer base. In our opinion, it is the best flash unit at this price point in the market and it’s not surprising that so many photographers have chosen to post their own independent reviews of the flash unit that you can read for some independent insight into its performance.
User Interface And Control System
Unlike some other entry-level flash units on the market right now, the buttons on the Neewer 750II are very responsive and easy to press. We have seen some other cheap flash units that have problems with actually registering the button press but this is not a problem with the 750II. The directional pad on the interface is also very responsive and easy to use too ensuring that you can quickly and easily switch through the settings on the flash with ease.
The actual navigation menu on the 750II is also very easy to use too allowing you to quickly and easily tweak your flash settings to ensure that your flash photography with your Nikon d7100 is able to meet the needs of your situation. If you are brand new to using an external flash unit with your d7100 then the whole interface is very easy to use and pick up and we doubt that you will have any problems with it.
Build Quality And Design
On the flip side of this though, the heavyweight also means that it is very robust when compared to some other flash units on the market. If you are working in a flash photography niche where you will need to be hauling your photography gear around in a bad on a regular basis then this can be very beneficial. It ensures that your flash unit can take plenty of bumps and knocks while in transit without breaking helping to ensure that it will last you a long time.
We touched on the fixed flash recycle time earlier in the article but for its price point in the market, the Neewer 750II really is excellent when it comes to heat dissipation. We have not seen a single report from photographers who own the Neewer 750II mentioning any issues with overheating during use. Some compeating flash units can have a bunch of problems. The Neewer 750II has built-in overheating protection but with a safe working temperature of over sixty degrees and a regular working temperature of under fifty degrees you should have no issues at all.
The final point that we want to make is that the Neewer 750II also comes with a fully cast metal hot shoe mount. Although this may sound like a given, a number of cheap flash units have taken to using plastic-based hot shoe mounts to keep costs down. These tend to warp in shame quickly and become a total pain and can potentially cause damage to the hot shoe on your Nikon d7100. Thankfully though, the metal mount on the 750II prevents this and allows you to quickly and easily mount or unmount the flash unit as required.
Our Verdict
That concludes our article going over what we feel is the best external flash for the Nikon d7100. As we mentioned back at the start of the article, if you are a professional-level photographer or have a higher budget then the Nikon SB700 is probably the best option available. That said though, we feel that the Neewer 750II is probably the better option for many of our readers due to its solid performance and low price tag.
If you are still unsure then we would highly recommend our readers check out these third-party reviews of the 750II. They offer some great insight into the flash unit and its performance and can show just how much of an improvement to your flash photography the Neewer 750II can make if you add it to your collection of camera accessories.
