# DON'T BUY Yongnuo clones of SD-8A and SD-9 (YF-17 and YF-18)



## snowdog (Aug 18, 2009)

Hello, 

  Gradually becoming strobist junkie I have often times I have felt the need for quicker recycle times and more battery juice (I do a lot of outdoor location work and often times I have to fight the sun). The genuine Nikon SD-8A and SD-9 seemed the right options for my SB-800 and SB-900 but I have found their prices a rip-off (for what I then thoiught was just a plastic box and some wires). Hence, I ordered on ebay the much cheaper clones of both the SD-8A (Yongnuo SF-17) and the newer SD-9 replica (SF-18). Package arrived, pleased by the overall appearance. Time now for a little testing. In TTL mode and MANUAL mode everything went smooth, recharge times were as expected. However, my interest was to see them working in REMOTE mode. Put both flashes in REMOTE mode and BIG SUPRISE...THEY WOULD NOT RECHARGE ANYMORE, as the battery pack was not even connected. I checked and double checked all the wires and connections and battery polarity. Tried them with a new set of batteries and even borrowed other two flashes, but with no success. Finally I returned them and bought the genuine Nikons and everything works now like a charm. Even spoken to Nikon representative saying these packs are so much more than a box and some wires. They have really smart capacitors and voltage transformers inside them. So, unless you want to try this yourself, buy genuine stuff only. 


http://www.poze-studio.ro


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## KmH (Aug 18, 2009)

You're lucky, you found out the easy way. :thumbup:

Many people never figure out that the more expensive gear is usually the better deal in the long run and just keep throwing money at dubious, but less expensive, solutions. Ultimately, in their quest to save a buck, they spend much more overall. Tripods and heads are another great example.


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