Norman 400B's

[Don Shreve]

I bought two of these used a few months back. I knew one of the heads didn't work at the time & I got a pretty good price. The one head worked great for a while Since then, they've become a money pit. Four new batteries. Then trying to get the one head fixed. Been in the factory 4 times. Then the good head just quit. Finally sent the whole kit in yesterday ($70 shipping...)
Does anyone have these? Have they worked out for you? Please say yes, because there's no way I could recoup what I've spent. I really need them to work.

 

[Chuck Fry]

I've got a couple of 200Bs and the corresponding studio style packs and heads. They work fine so far. The only problem I had was self-inflicted - I took apart a pack to clean it and replace the decayed foam, and fried the output transistors, which in turn fried the card...

I haven't used them enough to know how they hold up in actual use, although my friends doing night auto racing photography hold them in high regard.

The weak link is the NiCd batteries. They're great when new, but they're very finicky. Several vendors sell lead-acid batteries to fit the Norman portables.

There are other shops that will service the Norman stuff. http://www.dasaga.com/ is a little closer to you, in OK, and does good work at a fair price.

400B stuff is compatible with other Series 500 flash gear, so you can mix and match to put together a field/studio kit without too much difficulty.