Thursday 21 June, 2012   David A. Selby   Analysis, Flashguns, MeiKe, New releases   19 Comments

Spot the difference: 580EX II, SB-900 speedlight clones

The shanzhai manufacturers are at it again. This time, a Chinese manufacturer has created a pair of flashguns that are faithful replicas of Nikon and Canon’s previous generation of flagship speedlights. The MK580 and MK900, both products of Hong Kong MeiKe Digital Technology Company, are shameless copies of the Canon Speedlite 580EX II and Nikon SB-900 Speedlight, respectively.

MeiKe MK580 and MK900 speedlights

MeiKe have to be commended for their attention to detail, if not to intellectual property. As we will see, the MK-series flashes appear to imitate Nikon and Canon’s authentic designs almost perfectly all the way down to screen size, buttons and control layout. They don’t stop there, though. Even the functions inside match quite closely. Some of the seller listings show the LCD menus that have also been replicated. It’s not entirely clear to whom these devices are meant to be marketed, but they don’t seem to have skimped on the apparent feature set.

MeiKe MK580 (left) and Canon 580EX II

MeiKe MK900 (left) and Nikon SB900

Model
Canon 580EX II
MeiKe MK580
Nikon SB-900
MeiKe MK900
Guide number (35mm)36424042
Zoom range24-105mm24-105mm17-200mm18-180mm
Minimum power1/1281/1281/1281/128
Power increments1/3 stop1/3 stop1/3 stop1/3 stop
Recycle time2.0s5s / 2.5s*2.2s5s / 2.5s*
Manual modeYesYesYesYes
TTL modeE-TTL IIE-TTL IIi-TTLi-TTL
Optical slaveNoS1/S2SU-4S1/S2
Master modeE-TTL IIE-TTL IIAWL/CLSAWL/CLS
Slave modeYesYesYesYes
Stroboscopic modeYesYesYesYes
Non-TTL autoYesYesYesYes
External power inputCP-E4CP-E4SD-9ASD-9A
HSS / FP SyncYesNoYesNo

The most significant difference is a lack of high speed sync (HSS/FP Sync) capability in the clone products. There are other things we can’t really tell from technical specifications alone, such as build quality, output consistency and whether the brightness/GN has been exaggerated.

You can already find these copycat speedlights on eBay, both priced around US$180. The real Canon 580EX II and Nikon SB-900, meanwhile, have both been discontinued to make way for their respective successors, the 600EX and SB-910.

The factories of Shenzhen are already notorious for churning out clones of tablet computers and smartphones, with the practice well-documented on shanzai.com. In the photographic industry, though “knock-off” battery packs, grips and shutter releases are commonplace, more complex products such as flashguns and studio lights tend only to have a vague resemblance. What’s next? A counterfeit Nikon D4?

We contacted Canon but they declined to comment.

  • Juan

    I will love to find a Canon clone that can be power controlled by a Radiopopper JrX. Anyone ?

  • Stuart

    Some car companies license parts of old designs to others, could that be what is happening here?

    • Mike

      Knowing the track record of the Chinese with regards to respect for (or lack of!) intellectual property I somehow doubt it!

    • Lawliet

      Both C and N licensing to the same company? Across conglomerate borders, thats unlikely.
      Also flashes are accessories, you don’t keep less well heeled customers out of actual competitions clutches by offering them cheap.

  • CotswoldPhoto

    Where to draw the line? That is the IP (Intellectual Property) question. Someone makes a bolt, somebody else makes one that looks the same. No patent, no foul. YN560 versus the Canon 580. Similar but a lot different. No foul. But this? The design similarities for such a complex product as the Nikon SB900 or the Canon 580EX. This is plain out and out wrong. I suspect that if Nikon or Canon complained to eBay, these would disappear off pronto. There are shades of grey for simple, non patented products. But the SB900 and 580EX have so many patents and are such complex designs.

    I know there are those who would say that it is rich for me to say this as a reseller, but I won’t sell anything as blatantly a breach of complex patent-protected IP rights as this.

  • http://www.imagemelbourne.com.au Image Melbourne

    Juan – many old film era TTL flashes work beautifully with the JrX system. Modern clones tend to support digital TTL only so loose the ability to be controlled via the JrXs analogue power control system ( though they will still trigger). The same applies to Nikons SB700, 900 & 910.

    Trevor – yes these look very similar to the originals, but are not an exact clone as they lack HSS. The casing is probably close enough for eBay to remove listings if Canon & Nikon complain, it will be interesting to see what happens.

    As they are available 2nd hand on eBay for less than the clones and better built most people are happy buying old Canon or Nikon flashes for use with the JrX system.

  • http://www.theflasher.eu richard

    The canon 580 copy clearly has a high speed sync button (the one between MODE and ZOOM) so maybe it does have HSS ???

    • Luc

      Hi richard

      Sorry to disappoint you but it’s just to control the second-curtain sync, this button is a fake
      Documentation is ambiguous on this issue, it speaks of HSS
      on page 45: High-speed sync 0.5 – 15 m /1.6 – 49.2 ft. (1/250 sec)

      Cons:
      Build quality is not as good as the YN565EX

      most important IMO, Meike has not provided the ability to disable the auto-power off. Thus, the flash stops every 1.5 minutes! This is not a good idea for everyone who uses off camera flash techniques with radio tiggers. The only solution I’ve found is to put the flash in slave mode when I use it with a cactus trigger V5 (I use it via a pc sync cord).
      if you want FP sync, you will have to spend slightly more.
      The Nissin Di866 Mark II is very good for this

      also, IMO, this flash is not a good deal

  • GWB

    So does the MK900 fix the SB900′s overheating problem?

    Doubtful…

    • Jim Bob

      GWB: The Sb900′s behave themselves with a damp rag wrapped around the head :-) …Is this why nikon make them ‘shower proof’? lol.

  • Alex

    I d like to know how the auto focus light looks like, cheap flashes just create a blob & they also have a bad life time. My first cheaper flash just died on the first job, after 110 Flashes. The SB 910 can flash with M1/1 200times>> overhead look down.
    Probably the Color Temperature is not the same like the C & N flashes have.

  • http://www.product-photography-toronto.com/ Jules Design

    Do you think they can make a copy of the D800? :-)
    Maybe they can deliver faster than Nikon

  • gromit

    Saw these on Photokina 2010, and there is antother one, called Oolong, looks exactly the same as the one by MeiKe.

  • deny

    I think that Meike 580 canon flash will have HSS.
    Cited from http://www.linkdelight.com/013528-MK-580-Speedlite-Flash-Light-F-Canon-5D-MK-II-III-550D-60D-7D.html

    “Exposure Control
    Exposure control system: E-TTL II/E-TTL/TTL autoflash, auto/manual external metering, manual
    Effective flash range (with EF50mm f/1.4 lens 1.6-at ISO 100):
    Approx. 0.5-30m (normal flash); min. 0.5-7.5m, max.0.5-21m (quick flash); 0.5-15m (high-speed sync)”

    0.5-15m high speed sync :)

  • martin

    There is a great deal of speculation regarding the Mieke MK900 Flash. Having purchased one I did a number of tests in order to remove some of the conjecture surrounding the performance.
    I own four SB900′s and one SB910′s and the low cost of the Mieke was appealing, especially since I would only be using it (them) to compliment my existing lighting sources.
    For the test, I used a Sekonic L358 Flashmaster with a sync cable directly attached to the Flashgun being tested. The L358 provides an f number and 1/10th reading when applicable, hence the reading 1.47 is 7/10th closer to f2 than f1.4 i.e f1.64
    The Sekonic meter was attached to a tripod, and pointed directly at the Flashgun which was also attached to a tripod. The distance between the source and meter was 1 metre plus or minus a couple of millimetres.
    The test was conducted in a darkened room with non reflective walls.
    The batteries used to power the flashguns were swopped between the flashguns after each Manual power reading.
    The results of the test shown the Nikon SB900 to be an extremely accurate piece of equipment, as the power level was doubled the output increased by 1 stop . This was consistent between the 4 SB900′s I own. The same cannot be said for the Mieke MK900, the readings are somewhat erratic and between 1/4 and 1/2 power output levels there is a distinct tail off. The readings show the Guide Number to be less than declared.
    The Nikon is head and shoulders above the Mieke, but having said that, I am more than happy with the performance of the Mieke. The build quality of the MK900 is excellent , and will compliment the Nikon Creative Lighting System CLS, I will be purchasing 2 more Mieke MK900′s.
    In the table, the Nikon is on the FX setting whilst the Mieke is whatever it defaults to.

    Mieke MK900 set at 50mm Zoom Nikon SB900 set at 50mm Zoom
    Power
    Levels Reading f 1/10ths equiv Reading f 1/10ths equiv
    1/128 1.47 1.4 0.7 1.84 2.08 2 0.8 2.66
    1/64 2.83 2.8 0.3 3.21 2.89 2.8 0.9 3.90
    1/32 4.08 4 0.8 4.71 4.09 4 0.9 5.46
    1/16 5.65 5.6 0.5 6.91 5.68 5.6 0.8 7.58
    1/8 8.02 8 0.2 8.68 8.09 8 0.9 10.74
    1/4 11.4 11 0.4 13.23 11.9 11 0.9 15.57
    1/2 16 16 0 16.00 22 22 0 22.00
    1/1 16.6 16 0.6 19.82 22.9 22 0.9 31.14

    The sync voltage for the Mieke MK900 is 3.808v which compares very favourably with the 4 Nikon SB900s which have voltages of 3.642v 3.661v 3.665v and 3.696v.

    • martin

      I am sorry but the table showing a comparison between the Nikon SB-900 and the Meike MK-900, has arranged itself into a mass of gobbledygook. The guist of the table, was meant to display the accuracy of Nikon against the somewhat random output from the Meike.

  • Zesix

    The Meike Speedlite MK-580 Flash is not the same as the Canon Speedlite 580EX II.
    For sure it’s much better than Canon Speedlite 430EX/430EX II/550EX/580EX.

    I’ve purchased three of this flash and I am very happy with it.
    Then I later send two away for modification so I do not have to use 4AA. This way I can shoot in extreme long cold shooting when I am out in the fields & less weight holding the camera/flash/lens. Remember when your car won’t start out in the cold due to weak or not enough CCA on the battery?

    The service center told me that this has no Automatic Sensor (non- TTL Auto) whereas the 580EX II & SB-910 do. Even though the manual showed it has one, which is just an eye’s window with no Auto Sensor inside.

    And they provided me some very helpful information vs Canon’s.
    The flash head assembly is totally different from the 580EX II.
    Pushing & pressing the tap to move the head is not needed.
    The CN (Custom Functions) has only 2 while the 580EX II has more.
    You can not adjust the CN into Auto Sensor like you can on 580EX II.
    You can not set to HSS although the sign is shown on the back.

    Beside those limitations, the MK580 has good features over Canon.
    1. Has PC Sync Socket. None on 430EXs/550EX/580EX.
    2. Has HV Socket. None on 430EXs.
    3. Has audio tone. None on Canon.
    4. Has Master Modes. None on 430EXs. But you can use it with EX II & EX-RT.
    5. Has better Metal Hotshoe. Yes, better than 580EX II and 600EX-RT.
    6. Has wireless IR flash from any camera using or has a flash. Canon can not do.
    My Metz 60CT-4 with ATG Hasselblad H4D can trips the MK580 by wireless IR.
    And the MK580 can be set-up to disregarded the pre-flash. A major plus on this.
    7. If your Canon 580EX II has worn or ripped rubber hotshoe, rubber PC Sync, rubber
    Tripod, rubber HV Socket or burnt/melted Fresnel Lens- don’t pay high prices from
    Canon. Use MK580′s.
    8. If you can’t afford or need the Canon 580EX II or 600EX-RT has a Master to set
    wireless IR flash on your Canon 430EX II. Then these are my suggestions:
    A brand Meike Speedlite MK580 or a used Canon 550EX (which is most likely
    going to die on you) or a used Canon 580EX (same as 550EX & has no PC Sync)
    or used Canon 580EX II.
    9. For under $200.00 USD, why would you want to buy another 430EX II which you
    can’t do wireless IR flash (unless you have 7D, 60D and T4i)?
    10. Been using this flash on my 1D X and 1Ds Mark III and 7D without any problem.

    FYI:
    Using HSS will kill your flash very quickly. I don’t use this much.
    At the same time your flash will put out full power so you can get some correct exposures. That’s because you lose about 3 F Stop.
    It’s like using a quick battery charger. Harms your battery & shorten the life.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mark.fennes Mark Fennes

    I bought two of this Meike MK580: they are FAR AWAY from the power of the original 580ex and 580 ex II. I must always compensate 2 stops up. Maybe it’s a problem caused on APS-C sensor due the crop factor but other flashes comensate this thing. Maybe there are no problems on full frame but on my Canon 60D it works BAD.

    Comparing it to Yongnuo YN 565 EX the Meike is also LESS powerful. I am really not happy, seems just a bit more the pop-up flash. I hate to shot with 2 or more stops because this clone is “weak”. Nothing about officially declared on Meike website about GN. I contacted Meike several times asking about detailed specs but without any answer (I filled their online form with differents email per message).

    If I shot in ETTL, every picture results terribly under exposed. The solution are two: shot in muanual mode (bye bye ETTL) or compensate with 2 steps up the power of the flash (like I do, but I am so nervous for this that I would throw them in the wall)

    Conclusions are that this product isn’t a good product and the Meike isn’t serious enough to deserves our money. Estetically is the exact mirror of the original one, really well cloned. I confirm if feels solid too BUT that’s it! It is useful like a toy because I repeat, other clones like YN 565 EX are much better than this. If you need an original paperweight, you can buy the Meike MK580. If you need a flash… sorry but look away, this isn’t good! You are warned out: money thrown out the window. Not much money (about 140 $) but always thrown out the window.

  • jujo

    if the MK-900 supports AWL /CLS means that it can shoot at 1/8000s wirelessly???

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