 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| PhotoKB HomeDiscussion Groups Digital Photography Digital PhotoDSLR CamerasZLR CamerasPoint & Shoot CamerasFilm Photography 35 mmLarge FormatMedium formatDarkroomFilm and LabsOther EquipmentPhoto Technique Nature PhotographyPeople PhotographyTechnique GeneralGeneral Photo Topics General TopicsAustralian PhotographyUK PhotographyDirectoryPhoto Clubs |
Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / June 2007Nikon Speedlight SB-600 vs SB-800
I am planning to purchase a Speedlight for use with my Nikon D-80. Any thoughts or comments on the SB-600 versus the SB-800? Is the SB-800 worth the extra $125 or so? Thanks Mel_J >I am planning to purchase a Speedlight for use with my Nikon D-80. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Thanks >Mel_J Hello Mel, Ken Rockwell did good overall comparison: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/sb600vs800.htm You didn't specify your needs, but you also may want to check out the SB-400. I have an SB-600 and an SB-400. The 400 is much smaller and lighter and provides enough funtionality for most of my needs. You may require more, but it would be worth checking it out: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/sb400.htm Good luck! Hal Lowe http://www.cafepress.com/halogos (unique logo t-shirts, mugs & more) http://www.halowe-graphics.com/photo.html (digiPhoto) http://www.halowe-graphics.com/music.html (Music Central) http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=7391019 (web hosting) http://www.halowe-graphics.com/tinc?key=0TmhZVQ5&formname=web_email > I am planning to purchase a Speedlight for use with my Nikon D-80. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Thanks > Mel_J If you ever plan on using more than one flash at a time, the SB-800 is the way to go. The difference in price is not $125 when you consider the accessories that come standard with the SB-800 and are extra with the SB-600. Ken Rockwell, who is always going on about how a little extra effort in lighting would improve most photographers' work (he is right about this), inexplicably seems to prefer flash units that have the least capability. Go with the SB-800.  SignatureWaddling Eagle World Famous Flight Instructor As noted earlier, it all depends on how you intend to use flash. Nikon has gone to a lot of trouble to come up with what they call the "Creative Lighting System" (CLS)which essentially lets the photographer set up what amounts to studio lighting with a group of self-contained flash units, rather than traditional plug-in lighting. This gives you a lot of flexibility in the field. Unless you're a professional, or a very serious amateur, you may not need this kind of capability. If you do need it, the SB-600 & 800 provide support with the right cameras (or add-on accessories), the SB-400 does not. For a simple explanation of the CLS, check this out: http://www.nikondigital.org/articles/cls_vanhoose/index.htm http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,121040-page,1/article.html And this from Nikon: http://nikonimaging.com/global/technology/speedlight/wireless/index.htm >> I am planning to purchase a Speedlight for use with my Nikon D-80. >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Go with the SB-800. If you simply want to boost on camera flash the 400 may be adequate. If you want the ability to use "commander" off camera flash the 600 is likely adequate. It is also excellent as an oncamera flash attachment. If you need, or simply have to know you have, all the bells and whistles then you know you need/want the 800. If you do not understand and need the added capabilities of the 800 you will be happy with the 600 and how it allows you to experiment with wireless control of off-camera flash. > If you simply want to boost on camera flash the 400 may be adequate. > If you want the ability to use "commander" off camera flash the 600 is [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > be happy with the 600 and how it allows you to experiment with wireless > control of off-camera flash. I'd like to use flash, with multiple SB units in future, for studio portrait shots with reflectors/diffusers. I find Nikon's instuctions on their CLS unbearably cryptic. Apparently Thom Hogan is rewriting his guide to the Nikon flash system, updating it for iTTL. I expect that it should be pretty good, though I've never felt compelled to buy his camera guides as what isn't explained well in Nikon manuals is either intuitive or common knowledge. In the meantime, apart from extra power and/or faster recycle times, are there compelling reasons why I should be considering getting 2xSB800s instead of 2xSB600s? Using a single flash mounted on camera or bracket is something I'd probably use very rarely. > I'd like to use flash, with multiple SB units in future, for studio > portrait shots with reflectors/diffusers. > I find Nikon's instuctions on their CLS unbearably cryptic. Try: http://www.strobist.com Rita >> If you simply want to boost on camera flash the 400 may be adequate. >> If you want the ability to use "commander" off camera flash the 600 is [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > there compelling reasons why I should be considering getting 2xSB800s > instead of 2xSB600s? Here's something I ran across which sounds useful: Page 6 of this Nikon pdf: http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/SB800_techniques.pdf "Auto FP High-Speed Sync Automatic high-speed flash synchronization at shutter speeds exceeding the camera’s flash sync speed is possible. When shooting with flash outdoors, faster shutter speeds allow you to use a wider aperture to blur the background and/or freeze fast-moving subjects" I (think?) this is what Rockwell calls "Idiotic repeating strobe mode": http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/sb600vs800.htm I've not used flash hardly at all but recently experimented with my on-camera flash on a hummingbird & found it awfully frustrating to be limited to 1/250 sec when using flash. > Using a single flash mounted on camera or bracket is something I'd > probably use very rarely. > Here's something I ran across which sounds useful: > Page 6 of this Nikon pdf: > http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/SB800_techniques.pdf > "Auto FP High-Speed Sync > Automatic high-speed flash synchronization at > shutter speeds exceeding the cameras flash sync > speed is possible. When shooting with flash > outdoors, faster shutter speeds allow you to use a > wider aperture to blur the background and/or > freeze fast-moving subjects" Yeah, but you lose a lot of power doing this. > I (think?) this is what Rockwell calls "Idiotic repeating strobe > mode": http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/sb600vs800.htm Maybe. I think he's referring to what Nikon call Repeating (RPT) flash operation. > I've not used flash hardly at all but recently experimented with my > on-camera flash on a hummingbird & found it awfully frustrating to be > limited to 1/250 sec when using flash. The best way to fix something like that is to use a powerful flash, say 500 Joules or more, at 1/64 power to get an extrememly short pulse. Add a neutral density filter if required. Auto FP High-Speed Sync wouldn't help: you'd still get blur. The point of this mode is fill-flash in daylight. Andrew. >>Here's something I ran across which sounds useful: > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Sync wouldn't help: you'd still get blur. The point of this mode is > fill-flash in daylight. Thanks for trying to clarify but I'm still not clear. Auto FP High-Speed Sync would seem to have allowed me to use fast shutter speeds like 1/3000 and get some flash in there, even if it's not super powerful and not enough to freeze the wings. I was shooting in the shade of a tree with a partly sunlit background at about 10 feet away. As soon as I flipped up the flash I was forced down to 1/250 second so I had to stop down to prevent overexposure & lost the ability to isolate the subject with shallow DOF (ND filter would be another option I guess). Plus I was shooting at 300mm & 1/250 is marginal for hand held on a 1.5 cropped sensor. SignaturePaul Furman Photography http://www.edgehill.net/1 Bay Natives Nursery http://www.baynatives.com > Thanks for trying to clarify but I'm still not clear. Auto FP > High-Speed Sync would seem to have allowed me to use fast shutter [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > another option I guess). Plus I was shooting at 300mm & 1/250 is > marginal for hand held on a 1.5 cropped sensor. In reality the supposed loss of power in the flash using Auto FP real is a none-issue. An SB800 doesn't have any trouble filling a scene at a distance of 12' at 1/8000. And for close in macro work it really is fantastic. I keep Auto FP enabled most of the time and have no complaints. Rita >>>I've not used flash hardly at all but recently experimented with my >>>on-camera flash on a hummingbird & found it awfully frustrating to be [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> Sync wouldn't help: you'd still get blur. The point of this mode is >> fill-flash in daylight. > Thanks for trying to clarify but I'm still not clear. Auto FP High-Speed > Sync would seem to have allowed me to use fast shutter speeds like > 1/3000 and get some flash in there, even if it's not super powerful and > not enough to freeze the wings. Ah, OK. I was assuming that freezing the wings was the goal. > I was shooting in the shade of a tree with a partly sunlit > background at about 10 feet away. As soon as I flipped up the flash > I was forced down to 1/250 second so I had to stop down to prevent > overexposure & lost the ability to isolate the subject with shallow > DOF (ND filter would be another option I guess). Plus I was shooting > at 300mm & 1/250 is marginal for hand held on a 1.5 cropped sensor. I would have thought that shallow depth of field was inevitable, really, with such a long lens. Andrew. >> If you simply want to boost on camera flash the 400 may be adequate. >> If you want the ability to use "commander" off camera flash the 600 is [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > portrait shots with reflectors/diffusers. > I find Nikon's instuctions on their CLS unbearably cryptic. They are, but I eventually figured them out. Once you understand the jargon the instructions are clearer. There are a few books on the subject that are pretty good. The Magic Lantern Guide is almost as cryptic as Nikon's documentation. Thom Hogan is re-writing his ebook. The Nikon Creative Lighting System Digital Field Guide by Thomas and Heron has extensive photographs and instructions how to set up lighting to create those effects. It is not the definitive book on lighting, of course, but it will give you a good push in the right direction. SignatureWaddling Eagle World Famous Flight Instructor According to gowanoh <fac_187@hotmail.com>: [ ... ] > If you do not understand and need the added capabilities of the 800 you will > be happy with the 600 and how it allows you to experiment with wireless > control of off-camera flash. And -- if you later decide that you need the additional features of the SB-800, you can still use the SB-600 as an additional slave flash. One of the advantages of using the SB-800 on the camera (at least based on my experience with the D-70) is that it will allow you to choose an alternate communications "bus" to talk to your other flash units when someone else is using the same camera and "commander" flash control in the same area. The D70 only uses a single "bus" (channel) when using the built-in flash as the master, but the SB-800 on the camera will allow you to select alternate channels, so you avoid tripping the other fellow's flash slaves, and you avoid him tripping your own flash slaves. If you aren't working in a situation where others are also using slave flashes, this won't matter to you, but if you do expect it as a possibility, it is something to bear in mind. Enjoy, DoN. SignatureEmail: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564 (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- > Any thoughts or comments on the SB-600 versus the SB-800? Is the > SB-800 worth the extra $125 or so? I highly recommend the SB800 over the SB600 because it gives you more options and power. Plus Nikon's CLS is really nice when you get more advanced. I have several SB800s and find them a good alternative to carrying around larger and heavier studio type lighting for on the fly work. The price on the SB800 is high but you get what you pay for. Rita > I am planning to purchase a Speedlight for use with my Nikon D-80. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Thanks > Mel_J Mel, I understand that you are going to use the flash with a D80. While the arguments of the previous posters hold true for the D70 and older Nikons, the CLS part of the SB-800 is not needed when using the D80: The iTTL and CLS controller is already build into your camera, so I see no reason to shell out another 125 $ for something already "on board". Using the internal D80 flash you can wireless control 2 separate groups of cls compatible flashes, use EV flashing and even adjust individual channel / group light output. At the same time you still can also use the internal flash to add to the lighting (something the D70 can not when in "commander mode"). What it comes down to: When you are shooting with the D80, only the slightly different power output, cycling time and included diffuser (those are also available for the SB-600, but will add 15 $ or so) needs to be evaluated against the price difference... forget about the controller part! I hope this clarifies a bit and is helping you with your purchasing decision. Regards, Hans-Friedrich >> I am planning to purchase a Speedlight for use with my Nikon D-80. >> [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Hans-Friedrich Are you able to clarify if the SB600 is used on the flash shoe of the camera, then it can still be used in "commander" mode. I'm thinking that I'd really like three flashes, perhaps one oblique for shadow, one on camera (on tripod) with diffuser, and one for back light. Trigger all by both camera on tripod, and from commander mode on second camera body. Three x SB800s is "stretching the already stretched budget". One Sb800, and 2x SB600s might be the ideal solution. Studio lights are out of the question. Thank you to everyone for your comments and information. I am still working my way through all of your comments and links to additional information before making a decision. Thanks again to all. Signature- >I am planning to purchase a Speedlight for use with my Nikon D-80. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Thanks > Mel_J |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.