DSLR Photography Forum

G'Day all,

The built in flash in my D70 has always been able to provide all the fill-in I've needed up until now, but now that I'm looking at doing some more portrait type work, I'm considering getting a flashgun. What does everyone recommend? My understanding is that only i-TTL strobes are compatible, even shooting manual? The only i-TTL models I've seen in store are Nikon (ie SB-800, SB-80DX) - are these my only option? I've got a bit of experience shooting strobes manual (non-TTL) underwater, using guide numbers - I imagine the same sort of thing works on land?

Many thanks,


Brad

Hey Brad,

Some info here and here...

Sigma makes 2 that work with i-TTL. The lower model can't be used wirelessly though. The top model compares to the sb800 you can pick it up for around $200 US. I wish I would have known before I got my sb 600 that it was an option.

Teddy

Thanks Jules - I'll use the search function next time...

Teddy - $200US is pretty sweet, where can you get it at that price?

Cheers,


Brad

Brad you can get it at B&H Photo Here is a link to it.

Teddy

Thanks mate - the SB600 is cheaper, I didn't realise that. You said you've got an SB-600 - how do you find it? I had a quick search around the net this morning and it seemed that majority of people prefered the Nikon to the Sigma?

Cheers,


Brad

I like the 600 it is a lot more powerful than the on board flash. Part of me wishes I had jumped up to the 800 though, but that could just be lust for something better.

Teddy

Well I've decided to go for the Nikon, so now it's just a qestion of 800 vs 600. Is the SB-800 really worth the extra $$? Or would I better off with a 600, and putting the rest into maybe some studio lighting later on?

Cheers,


Brad

I have both the SB800 and SB600. I find that SB800 really does have more power and therefore reach. It also ends up being a much better master with on board logic to control additional slaves if you add to your lighting system.

When I used the SB800 and SB600 as remotes in commander mode (45 degrees to center), I could actually see where the SB800 had a slight edge on the shadows.

If you look around you can pick up the SB800 for about $100 more than the SB600.