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Nikon Speedlight Info


MAYBEN

Which Speedlight to get  

6 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Speedlight to get

    • Nikon SB-400
    • Nikon SB-600
    • Other (name in thread)
      0


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Well, the other day, my Wife and I were in RI visiting my parents and my Father asked why I brought my camera.. I said it was a force of habit.. my Wife told him I don't use it that much, which is true, I haven't been using it much lately because I've been too busy to do anything needing pictures, lol

:worth:

 

anyways, my Dad mentioned buying it from me, which got me to thinking, I wouldn't mind upgrading to the D5100 from my D5000, I like the fact that you can still utilize the screen if on a tripod (for self/remote pics).. for what he offered combined with some BB store credit I have, it wouldn't cost me anything..

 

the point of this thread though is about getting a flash for it.. I've read that the SB-400 is pretty good, but I wonder if I should try and get a SB-600 or better.. who has experience with any of these and is it really worth waiting and getting one of the more expensive ones?

 

Thanks!

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I have the SB800... I bought it for the commander mode... don't use it that often... for studio work I use Pocketwizards anyway, much more reliable for studio flash work (no misfires)... if I where on a budget I would likely get the SB600... I would also look at getting the Fong dong (diffuser) ... I have use the Fong Puffer as well for the flip up... it is "ok" but I would really use the better hotshoe flash/diffuser combo...

 

As for bodies I am toying with the idea of moving from my d200 to the d800... and get 19-200mm vr II... (I have a 70-200 2.8 VR I use ALL the time...)

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I thought you were looking into getting the 18-200mm lens? get a lens b4 a flash IMO

I got my hands on an 18-105mm, was a deal I could not pass up!

 

Eventually, I will probably get the 18-200, but I also saw that they're supposed to be releasing an 18-300, I wonder how much more that will be.. :willy:

 

I have the SB800... I bought it for the commander mode... don't use it that often... for studio work I use Pocketwizards anyway, much more reliable for studio flash work (no misfires)... if I where on a budget I would likely get the SB600... I would also look at getting the Fong dong (diffuser) ... I have use the Fong Puffer as well for the flip up... it is "ok" but I would really use the better hotshoe flash/diffuser combo...

 

As for bodies I am toying with the idea of moving from my d200 to the d800... and get 19-200mm vr II... (I have a 70-200 2.8 VR I use ALL the time...)

I'll take the SB800 off your hands, lol, $100 plus lunch? :jester:

 

It appears Camera Cronies has it for $220, thats the cheapest I can see for it..

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I have not voted on this poll... not a Nikon guy so I don't know the particulars of these units.

 

You mentioned the lens shadow. Besides the shadow issue be sure to look at these flash units for how wide their pattern is so you don't end up with dark edges or sides when using the wide zoom.

 

:cheers:

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Never an easy answer with photo gear because there are so many different ways to use it. To have the shadow from the lens you must be using the popup flash on the camera. They are not very high. I always use a flip bracket for my flash which gets it a little further away from the camera to help with even very large lens.

 

The SB-400 and SB-600 are both good flashes if all you are ever going to do is just stick it on top of the camera. If you are going to try using off camera flash the SB-600 would do more for you.

 

I have a couple of SB-800's that I use off camera making use of the CLS system and it works great. But like most people in the studio I use radio triggers because I have some mono lights and other small lights that are not CLS as well.

 

The short answer is the SB-600 is the better unit but you also need to look at how you are going to use the flash. Better only helps if you use the better features.

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I have the 600 myself and love it... works great as both a top mount and remote.

 

Makes all the difference in the world when shooting indoors when you can bounce a flash and light the room rather than relying on the stock one and getting pictures that are full of weird shadows.

 

What he said times 2

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I've been thinking about getting a flash so I'm interested in this as well. Nick, I can't speak for the D5000, but you should love the D5100. I just took over 2000 pics in the last two months with mine. Although I have the 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses, I just ordered an 18-200mm lens because there were so many times when I wished I had the other one mounted and changing them out wasn't practical at the moment.

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I love my D5000, but if I can help my Dad save money, and I get a newer model, its a win win, lol..

 

enjoy the new lens, if I had the $$ I would get that one, and will eventually (or the 18-300 rumored)

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I love my D5000, but if I can help my Dad save money, and I get a newer model, its a win win, lol..

 

enjoy the new lens, if I had the $$ I would get that one, and will eventually (or the 18-300 rumored)

 

Well of course now that I've ordered the 18-200 they'll probably come out with a 18-300 real soon just to spite me.

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I wish I knew if they were replacing the D5100 this year, I'd hate to get the new body just to have it replaced right after..

 

 

Not to worry. I bought a D90 one year and a D5100 the next. Now I have 2 great cameras that use the same lenses. :willy::banana::D

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Mayben,

 

Let me know what you think about the 5100, that's what im planning to buy in the next couple of months. I did some research and i found that the 5100 won't be replaced until April or May of 2013 so we should be fine, Cameras really don't get obsolete fast, you got people still taking amazing pictures with 4 and 5 years old bodies. Lenses and skills make a difference

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  • 5 months later...

I ordered a Nikon SB-700 Refurbished from Cameta today.. should be in just in time for the trip.. the pics I took of my new Nephew the other day killed me seeing the shadow of the lens..

 

the guy on the phone at Cameta swore by the refurb flash and said it was like buying new and has the same warranty.. I sure hope he was right..

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