@1 Nikon Speedlight

Friday, February 26, 2010

Nikon R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System

Review Nikon R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System

Buy Cheap Nikon R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System From Here Now!
The SB-R1 is a unique Wireless Speedlight system kit for fully automatic Close-up photographic exposures. This kit comprises 2 SB-R200 Remote units attached to the lens, triggered by the pop up flash of the D70s or D200. Fully automatic TTL exposure calculation and synchronization is carried out using infrared wireless communication between the camera's metering system and the remote units. The kit includes adaptors for frontal lighting, filters, and adaptor rings for the most popular Nikkor lens filter screw threads. Additional SB-R200 units or SB-800 and SB-600 units can be added to add an entirely new dimension to illuminating subjects in a wide variety of photographic situations as well. This kit configuration is recommended for D70/D70s/D200 customers.PRODUCT FEATURES:Practical Close-up lighting kit;Includes 2 SB-R200 Remote Speedlight units;For cameras with built-in i-TTL Speedlights;SW-12 diffuser for frontal lighting effects;Adaptor rings for 52/62/67/72/77mm screw threads;Contained in a practical soft case.
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Technical Details

- Enables extreme close-up lighting control
- Speedlights act as the system's master controller
- Includes two SB-R200 speedlights; can accommodate three remote groups and four channels
- Designed especially for use with the Nikon i-TTL SLRs digital cameras
- Measures 3.1 x 3.0 x 2.2 inches (WxHxD)
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Customer Buzz

"Nikon does it again........" 2009-08-03
By Douglas Dillon (Florida)
I am an amateur photographer (my favorite hobby). I use a Nikon D90 and have a number of Nikon lenses. I had gotten the Nikon 105mm macro lens and it is truly one of the cleanest and sharpest lens I've ever seen. I had used it with macro shots (and it does a great job with portraits too) but I kept finding that even though I didn't have to get so close with the 105mm, I still had issues with getting the light just right. So may times I was in the way of the available light for those close up shots.

This kit is really great in providing that much needed light!!!! I even found that I could see catchlights in the bee's eyes!!! (as you can see from my sample shots.....granted not the best in low res jpeg). I have used this now for a couple of days and have really been impressed with it. It's case is well organized and it's very nice in keeping everything together. It has multiple rings for various sizes of lenses you may have. The flashes that come with it really do a great job. I took them off and used them as fill flash and also rim light in portrait photography!!! They really do a good job!!!

I also tried them for product photography and I was very pleasantly surprised at what great light they provide. The wireless with my D90 is truly a dream. When shooting macro, I found you can even put one on one wireless group and then use another group for the other. I would bring the flash level down on one side to give a different perspective in lighting. It works like a charm!!!!

I didn't order the R1C1 kit (which includes the SU-800 controller) simply because I'm using the camera for that. Granted the camera only has 2 groups as versus 3 groups with the controller but if I need 3 groups, I'll use my SB-900 for that.

Anyway, with all that said I would simply recommend this to anyone who might be interested in macro (and a great way to get a couple of small flashes to use for other purposes).

Happy shooting!!!!

Customer Buzz

"Cool Flash Setup" 2009-05-14
By Brian Levens (Pine Mountain, Georgia)
This is one really nice flash setup. I use it mostly for Macro shots but I have used the flashes off camera as well. The wireless setup is really accurate. I have only used this on my D80 and D700 as a wireless setup so I can't comment on a wired setup. For what it's worth, you do get alot of strange looks when you are caring this around. It is very much worth the looks though because the light output is always very natural and even!

Customer Buzz

"Nikon R1 Wireless Flash System" 2009-04-15
By Cled T. Click (Amarillo, TX USA)
Excellent flash system for macro photography. Kit includes step rings in several sizes to fit most lens systems. No batteries included. I've used the system on a Nikon D70 camera with multiple lenses and found exposure easy to regulate even when in purely manual mode. The dual flash system makes macro photography lighting very easy to do. Having wireless capability makes for an almost unlimited number of lighting possibilities without the tangle and hassle of wires.

Customer Buzz

"flash system" 2009-04-05
By Maj Charles W. Gregory
Have only used it one time. It is much easier to use than my SB-600/800.

Customer Buzz

"Love It - But Should Be Better" 2009-04-03
By R. Cole (San Francisco, CA USA)
Stopping down for a macro? - put on the lights - works great. Still, the filter holder / diffusion attachment is atrocious, and clearly very little thought was given to making it fold down small for inclusion in a camera bag. Works great for supplemental light in a non-macro CLS setup too, when you dont need the power of a higher end speedlight, but it doesn't swivel, so you have to put it on a ball head or something if you mount it on a stand. Should come with a shoe mount too for use with lighting equipment that has that. PS - Dont put the super-cheap batteries in it - they dont work as well as a reputable battery.

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander

Review SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander

Buy Cheap SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander From Here Now!
Functions as a Wireless Commander for SB-R200, SB-800 and SB-600 Speedlights units Supports the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) and compatible CLS cameras Controls an unlimited number of Speedlights up to three groups Offers 4 independent channels for competitive shooting environments Provides wireless control up to 66 feet Built-in AF Assist Illuminator for critical focus in low light situations Specifications: Transmission mode: Infrared communication Transmission range: SB-800/SB-600: approximately 20m (66 ) SB-R200: approximately 4m (13 ) along the optical axis Number of channels: Four Number of groups: Three Number of transmissions: Approximately 1,200 Transmission wavelength: 800 - 1,000 nm Transmission interval: Approximately 1 second Flash coverage: Approximately 78deg. horizontal and 60deg. vertical Display: LCD, ready light AF-assist illuminator range: Approximately 10 m (33 ) at center area using a 50mm f/1.8 lens Power source: One 3V CR123A lithium battery Weight: Approximately 160 g (5.6 oz.) Dimensions (W x H x D): Approx 68 x 96 x 58 mm (2.7 x 3.8 x 2.3 )
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Technical Details

- Speedlight units can be divided into three groups with independent control of the flash output
- Commander function triggers wireless remote flash units
- One-touch switching between close-up and Commander modes
- Easy-to-use close-up flash operations - Dual-light close-up flash & Triple-light close-up flash
- Compact and lightweight
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Customer Buzz

"5 stars in the past, but 3 stars now..Old design" 2009-12-27
By ATK (MA, USA)
It works perfectly for shooting in short distance or in studio, however, it's not work well for outdoor. The direction and power of IR flash should be improved ASAP. It works only in front direction. Sometimes, I want to fire flash units around me, in studio it might be okay because of the reflection, but it can't work outdoor. LCD display and the buttons are very old design, and difficult to work with.

In conclusion, this flash was born to be Macro photography with their set. If one want to use it outdoor, and can trigger in all direction. I suggest SB-800 or SB-900 with their diffuser.

In addition, if Nikon still want to use wireless IR system, they should concern about IR sensor on the flash too. Now all flashes have only one IR sensor on one side. It means you have to twist the flash in order to receive the signal. For TTL of M flash mode, they are fine, but A flash mode is problematic.

Customer Buzz

"Great for advanced amateurs looking to try something different" 2009-10-04
By Catherine Southerly (Louisville, KY)
The Nikon SU-800 is a very useful product and it synchs up with my SB-600 quite easily. My pictures have a more professional look, IMO. I read somewhere that directional lighting makes a photo look a bit more polished and I have this with the SU-800. My only caveat is that I would make sure to have to flash's manual around when choosing channels and stuff. It took my an hour to figure it out with out the manuals and as soon as I used the manuals, I was up and running.

Good luck and happy pictures!

Customer Buzz

"I really like it" 2009-09-27
By Richard A. Selby
The SU-800 is lightweight and very easy to maneuver flash settings from. The range in outdoor sun light can be limiting due to the I/R signal. The cost compared to Radios Poppers, Pocket Wizards and other triggering devices is justifiable for what it does, you get TTL flash capability for about $250.00 and you don't need a receiver for every flash like the other devices. You can control a host of units in 3 separate groups with 4 different channels The thing I really like about the SU800 is the fact it doesn't emit a flash from the camera that contributes light to the exposure/subject. No cables are involved and it's rather seamless on the camera hot shoe. The screen is easy to see and as I said it's very easy to maneuver flash settings from while on your camera. All in allis it's a great device, is it perfect? No not really, it would be nice if it operated off of a Radio Frequency signal rather than a Infra-Red signal and allowed higher sync speed up to 1/8000 like the Radio Poppers do.

I've had very few misfires because I work through the obstacles and no the limitations of this unit, is it worth the money? Well..... I think it is:-)

The pluses:

It's true TTL

it's light weight

easy to adjust settings while on camera

doesn't contribute to the exposure of your subject

you don't need cables

doesn't need a receiver like Pocket Wizards and other triggers

The minuses are:

you will need direct line of sight to your off camera flash units, SB600, SB800 or SB900.

Range is some what limited (you have to learn how to work around obstacles)

It's doesn't always fire.

I/R signal vs RF

Customer Buzz

"Thank you Joe McNally" 2009-05-14
By Babby (Phoenix, Arizona)
So if you have read Joe's book 'The Hot Shoe Diaries' and you have a Nikon then the next thing you did after reading the book was make sure you had a few SB800's (I wish they had not discontinued them) or SB900's, a few SB26's or SB600's and then you ordered this product the SU-800 commander unit. Why? Because you know the power of CLS and you want to free up that SB900 you have been using to command your stobes and you want the expanded reach that the SU-800 can provide. Yeah, this thing does make your life easier. It doesnt mean you dont keep pocket wizards, but you may just not need them all of the time, unless you want to keep running from one flash to another making adjustments... OR you can get the SU-800 and command the flashes from one place, ontop of your camera. I would recommend getting the hot shoe cord to connect to the commander though, I have already come accross a few situations where having it would have made my life even easier. Joe McNally did suggest it in the book, I didn't listen and he has proven to me that I should have just gone ahead and ordered the darn thing. Enjoy!

Customer Buzz

"What can i say, its great!" 2009-05-13
By Chris R. Field (colorado)
This thing is great!

First off, if you have a Nikon D70s, D90, and maybe a D80 not sure, dont even bother with this thing. They all have internal flash commanders built in and they use the flash.

Also, you can set the flash on the camera so it wont fire when the exposure is taken. So this is only really useful with the D40, D60, and i believe the D5000 also lacks the built in commander.

This is only really handy on the D70s, D80, and D90 if you plan to have the flashes behind you, as you can put it on the remote ittl cable and point it to the rear, or bounce it off the cieling and such to control the flashes. It MAY be helpful with portrait work if your subject is prone to blinking.

Ive always had the humerous notion of somebody being thrown into seizures with the built in pop up flash remote commanders.

THAT ASIDE, this thing works pretty good! I have a D40, and i have the SC-29 ITTL cable and that works great but im stuck with an arms length distance on that coiled cable.

it did NOT come with a battery as advertized. Buy these on amazon, they are about 10 bucks at walgreens or walmart. you can get 4 of them for that price on Amazon.

it has 2 plugs on the side. I couldnt find any literature of what they did. They are for Nikon TTL cables. Not PC sync cables.

A co worker let me borrow his SB-900 for the weekend, coupled with the SB-600 i have they worked fantastic together. The CLS system really came through and it was easy as hell to get the right correct and not overexpose the image. it all just kind of falls together.

This would not be a great deal if the SB-800 had not been discontinued and shot up to 700-800 per unit.

im glad i got this, i cant wait to pick up a couple more SB-600's. I have not tried to shoot it over 50 feet away, but so far i have not missed a flash yet.

great toy!

=========UPDATED=========

Still works like a champ!

I have since upgraded to a Nikon D90 with the built in commander. The built in commanders control the on-camera flash plus 2 more groups, The SU-800 controlls 3 seperate groups.

even with the Nikon D90 i still find myself using the SU-800 most of the time unless i really need to have the pop up flash included in. Its very convenient having the extra display with the flash control information directly on top of the camera and not having to dig through the menus (which isnt all THAT bad but why not save a step)

About a week ago i put my 2 Nikon SB-600's on stands and used the SU-800 on top of the camera outside, i positioned the SB-600s about 15 feet apart and stood about 1 foot back from being completly dead center between the flashes and they still triggered, Line of Site seems to work about 170 degrees left and right which suprised me. Plus i was outside there was nothing for the commander to bounce off of.

The remote commander's range is almost identical if not a tiny bit further than the SU-800 from other peoples testing i have read of, it is still very handy to have even if it is not required.

Five Stars!!!!!!!!

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Review Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Buy Cheap Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras From Here Now!
Includes Nikon SB800 AF Speedlight camera flash Quick Recycle Battery Pack SD800 for one R6 AA battery Speedlight Stand AS19 Colored Filter Set SJ800 (FLG1 and TNA1) Diffusion Dome SW10H Soft Case SS800.
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Technical Details

- Autofocus speedlight compatible with both digital and film SLR cameras
- Intelligent i-TTL system supports automatic balanced fill-flash
- Can automatically control light output according to distance and aperture
- Dot matrix LCD with easy to read graphics
- Ergonomic control with conveniently placed buttons and switches
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Customer Buzz

"flash" 2010-02-01
By Valeria Quintero
really good, I just needed more information in the description of the item. What comes, What doesn't, but it works good! good condition for an used flash.

Customer Buzz

"I USE THIS FLASH FOR CONCERT PHOTOS" 2010-01-12
By Robert Mandoki
I bought a Nikon D-90 which is am incredible camera. and since i mostly shoot concerts in low light to medium high light the pop up flash just didn't have the demand i needed, so i purchased the sb-800 flash and all I have to say is INCREDIBLE !!!! WHAT AN AWESOME PIECE OF EQUIPTMENT.

Customer Buzz

"its good, but sb900 is just slightly more" 2010-01-07
By Dau Nguyen
Reason I am posting this is the PRICE on the SB800 is way way way to damn high....DO NOT BUY IT FROM THE SELLER IF THEY ARE OFFERING IT FOR 899.99. I got my off Craiglist(locally) for 350, he used it only flashed it 10x....

Customer Buzz

"Smaller and faster than an SB900? Why not?" 2010-01-06
By Micah
Faster recycle time time than an SB900. Slower user interface. Slightly smaller overall.

Considering the price difference, this flash is a steal! If you're thinking about this or the 900, just check your bank account. Can you afford the 900? Then buy it. If you can't afford it, but you can afford one of these, get this. There's not a whole lot of difference, even in recycle times. You can't go wrong with either. Both will give you the same image quality in the end.

Heck even the 600 will give you the same image quality, and I bought two used for 130 each. The 600 will give you less shots in FP before needing to recharge. Otherwise at 250th or below they're all pretty similar.

This is the best deal though.

Customer Buzz

"SB-800 Speedlight versus SB-900 Speedlight" 2009-12-19
By Larry L. Reutzel (Norman, OK, USA)
Right now, I have 1 SB-800 and 2 SB-900. The SB-800 is no longer manufactured.

See the manufacturer's link at [....]

The SB-800 has been replaced by the SB-900. So if you really want the old item, the SB-800, they are in short supply which explains the high price. Why would you want the old item over the new item? Maybe you have several of the old items and want to have a consistent group of flashes with the same menus and features. For me going back and forth on the different menus and settings can be confusing. Both produce great photos. The SB-900 menus, buttons, features, and settings are easier for me to use than on the SB-800.

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Review Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Buy Cheap Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras From Here Now!
i-TTL (intelligent through-the-lens) flash exposure control * four-position tilt flash head (tilts up from horizontal to 60, 75, and 90 degrees) * approximate guide number at ISO 200: 98.4 ft./30 meters (at 18mm zoom head setting) * compatible with select Nikon SLRs using the Creative Lighting System including the D40, D50, D70s, and D200 * uses 2 "AA" batteries (not included) *
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Technical Details

- Compact, lightweight Speedlight unit
- 18mm angle of coverage with Nikon DX format digital SLR cameras
- Bounce capabilities in 4 steps up to 90 degrees; flash shooting distance range from 2 and up to 66 feet
- Approximate guide number of 98.4 feet at ISO 200 (at 18mm zoom head setting)
- Operates on two AA-size (1.5V) batteries; fast 2.5 second recycling time
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Customer Buzz

"Works good and best valued Speedlight" 2010-02-19
By K. Geiszler
The SB-400 is a great quick and light but functional Speedlight. After receiving the product and testing it out, it doesn't make a difference compared to the built-in (popup) flash on our Nikon D80 in all situations. It does add light in further off shots better than the built-in and also removes shadowing (created by the lens) because the flash sits up higher on some shots. The best feature for the price is the ability to bounce off ceilings to get better lighting which works well on this product.

Customer Buzz

"If photography is for casual hobby use, SB-400 is all you'll ever need." 2010-01-31
By Kraig Tapang (Flushing, Queens - NY - USA)
Works amazingly indoors with bounce flash, I have the SB-400 and a SB-600, but use the SB-400 90% of the time. The SB-600 usually stays home, I only bring it occasionally to family events, but even then the SB-400 would still suffice.

Customer Buzz

"I have owned this flash for about 4 months and life is good" 2010-01-16
By KO from LA (Los Angeles, CA)
Sometimes I think we get too caught up in specifications and some unreasonable expectations from the equipment we buy.

In this particular case (for my D60), I was looking for a 1) light weight flash, and 2) a simple, mount it, turn it on, and start shooting flash and 3) reasonable priced.

This fits the bill nicely. While I know no one at Nikon, I think this is designed like the old Vivitar rectangular flashes from many moons ago. If you remember those, you are as old as I am probably, YIKES!! This is better since no wires. You got to love that. I also have an ancient Vivitar 285 under my desk and I admit it feels better carrying my SB400 than feeling like I have brick in my pocket with my old Vivitar.

Portability is its strongest suit. I put this little gem in my pockets in either cargo pants or a jacket and we are set to go.

Bouncing it at 45, 60 or 90 degrees is great so long as it it not a vaulted ceiling.

Flash power is excellent for my needs. Does it light up the night sky? No, but then how do you expect a small little unit like this to have that much power short of nuclear power? I generally shoot at less than 15ft or less (contact range) and this flash works great. Some reviews say it is not as good as the SB600 or 900. Well guess what, if it was as good it would be an SB600 or 900.

There are only really three negative things I can say, 1) I wish it turned vertical but I tend not to take too many of those shots, 2) shot-to-shot recharge time can sometimes be a touch slow but not so bad that it is a deal breaker and 3) I wish they put a battery meter on it.

I use Eneloop AA rechargables and I have used this flash for almost 2 months before I needed to charge the batteries.

I know one day I will probably buy a larger flash, but this one will always be just finger tips away.

Customer Buzz

"Fantastic Little Flash" 2010-01-15
By R. Holen (Minnesota)
This is one nice little flash. I bought this as a fast and dirty backup flash for my SB600 and found that I use this about equally with the SB600. It works with any Nikon camera that has the i-TTL or CLS flash system built in, which is just about any Nikon built after the D2. I have used this on the D40, D60, D90 and D700 and it works flawlessly. So small it fits in my pocket and it only sips the juice out of the battery. I had to shoot a reception line in this tiny low ceiling room and it worked better than the SB600, with the flash head tilted up to 90 degrees, I was bouncing the light off a ceiling only three feet over my head and getting the exact exposure I wanted, the SB600 was bringing the background illumination up to foreground levels. Several people have said you could not bounce this flash when used vertical, but that's not true. I shoot about 30 percent of my shots vertical and simply leave the flash head at zero degrees and attach a piece of plastic that is black on one side and white on the other with velcro to the SB400. For those new to external flash this will take your shots from the snapshot look to the pro look with a very small learning curve. For Pros, this is a nice little addition to your bag of lighting tricks and it's light on the wallet. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to improve the lighting on their photos without breaking the bank.

Customer Buzz

"What a difference!" 2010-01-01
By Katerina A. Smith (San Antonio TX)
Wow, totally dig this flash! After using the built in flash since owning my D40 (& not being happy with the results alot of times!) for 2 yrs, this is so refreshing & inspiring! I saw reviews on amazon with photos of what this flash does & it's totally delivered :) Beautiful results from bouncing the flash off the ceiling. This was one big easy step in furthering my photog hobby skills!

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Review Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Buy Cheap Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras From Here Now!
Professional i-TTL Speedlight compatible with Nikon FX and DX format SLRs, and part of the Nikon Creative Lighting System. This powerful Speedlight offers photographers extensive creative opportunities for their flash photography. Three illumination patterns - Center-weighted, Even and Standard - provide total control over flash coverage and it covers a class-leading auto zoom range of 17-200mm in just 1.2 seconds.Advanced features include a booster circuit that enables high-speed recycling using four AA-type batteries and a built-in thermal protection system to warn of excessive heat build up. The SB-900 can automatically detect the presence of a fluorescent or incandescent color filter and transmit this information to the attached camera's white balance setting, and its firmware can be upgraded via the camera body.
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Technical Details

- High-quality flash for standalone use or as part of a comprehensive lighting system
- Commander mode controls up to 3 Speedlight groups or unlimited individual Speedlights
- 4 wireless channel options; prominent master and remote control switch for wireless operation
- Auto power zoom coverage ranges from 17 to 200mm (FX format) to 12 to 200mm (DX format)
- 3 light distribution patterns; measures 3 x 5.7 x 4.7 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 14.6 ounces
See more technical details
Customer Buzz

"Fastest most powerful flash in the west" 2010-02-17
By Derek Wray (California)
I have spent a great deal of money on great camera gear for my wife,

when I saw she was needing a flash, I knew it had to be powerful and fast ,

and it is. Even shooting using the 70-200 zoom, it not only reachs the subject,

but needs to be adjusted down on occassion.

Bottom line, I am very happy, my wife is happy. It's the right tool for the job.

Customer Buzz

"The best of four different Nikon Speedlights over the past 15 Yrs!" 2010-02-10
By Joseph A. Nowak (Northern California)
I've had no problems with thermal shutdown on this flash. I always have the protection enabled. Perhaps those that have this problem always use bounce flash or use a diffuser box for all their flash shots. These boxes require that the flash more than DOUBLE the power used compared with using no light diffuser or bounce setting (which can more than TRIPLE the power used by the flash!). Also I only use rechargeable eneloop batteries in an outboard battery pack for fast recycling times when shooting wedding receptions. Yes, using rechargables in the flash itself will raise the temperature of the flash head becuase the batteries themselves can get very hot when taking a lot of flash shots in a short periond of time.

Joseph Nowak

Customer Buzz

"Great upgrade to the controls, overheating a nuisance" 2010-02-06
By P. Bentz (Seattle, WA)
I'll start off by saying that the only reason I'm giving this product a 5 star rating is because of the option to turn off the overheating shut down. I've shot probably 25+ weddings with SB-800's and never had a single overheating problem, but had my SB-900 overheat while shooting a reception on the VERY FIRST wedding I ever shot with it. I purchased this flash in January 2010 so obviously the overheating thing is still an issue regardless of what you've read. If I didn't have the option to turn off the safety features, this thing would be going straight back to Amazon.

On the plus side, the controls are a HUGE improvement over the SB-800. They have a spinning dial similar to the dials that the non touch screen ipods use. I'm able to adjust flash on the fly much faster than I could before. I guess this doesn't mean a whole lot to those of you who use TTL ;0) So far this is the most insight I can give since I've only done one wedding. I look forward to being able to zoom to 200mm on portrait sessions & weddings in the near future!

Phil

Customer Buzz

"Flash not for professionals" 2010-02-05
By Roger Ramirez (Sto Dgo, Dominican Republic)
This Flash was meant to be used by professionals and is suppose to substitute the older version SB-800. I use it a few times in a baby birthday party and it get heat very easy. Then you have to wait 10 minutes without use it. I tried to slow my shots to avoid this. A friend of mine told me: you cannot shoot pointing the head of the flash up, because that causes the heat faster, you cannot use the diffuser because it will heat faster, you cannot shoot all power because it will heat faster. So if you're a professional you want to be creative and do your work without being restricted by your tools.

I prefer to get the SB-600 and improve my camera to D3S to shoot higher ISO, and improve the lenses to F2.8 and VR to avoid using a lot of power or buy the SB-900 and deactivate the temperature system.

Customer Buzz

"Great with reservations." 2010-02-02
By TopReviewer (Bay Area, California)
I hesitated to buy this flash. The SB-600 was dated and no replacement was rumored, and I really wanted to buy one flash one time and not have to think about it. I purchased it thinking I was a non-professional and I would not run into the thermal shutdown issue. I purchased ENELOOP NiMH batteries and I started shooting. I've only experienced thermal shutdown twice - and that was with bounce flash + a very dark room + iso 200 photography with a 70 or 80 photos in a row. If you set your camera to iso100 in a dark room and really push the flash, you can hit this really quickly but is that realistic? I am disappointed that there is such a cloud of controversy surrounding it. It may hurt resale. My experience was that when the temperature gauge hits it's midpoint, you will quickly get to thermal shutdown in the next couple of photos. The batteries were not even warm when taken out, nor was any part of the flash that I could touch. Once shutdown occurs, you can not turn on the flash and get into the menus to turn off the thermal protection circuit until the unit cools down. Plan accordingly. Either turn off thermal shutdown protection before and monitor the temperature frequently or plan to wait about 5 or 10 minutes for the unit to cool down. If you are a pro, you probably have more than one flash anyway and can swap them though this is inconvenient.

All in all, it is a powerful excellent flash. It helps me make fantastic memorable photos. If you can't afford a $2000+ full frame camera to shoot low light and high ISO, then having the best flash is the next best alternative. Plus as you grow your photography skills and upgrade equipment, this flash will continue to serve you well.

The flash has the nikon CLS (creative lighting system) so you can put the flash off-camera and shoot from different angles, or use an umbrella to get nice diffuse light. It also comes with a ton of extras -- nice storage case, some gels for coloring the light coming out of the flash, a diffusion dome, a white bounce card.

I definitely recommend this flash though I hope some day soon, Nikon issues a firmware fix or services these very expensive flashes and rids us of the temperature issues.

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@1 Nikon Speedlight @1 Nikon Speedlight

Friday, February 26, 2010

Nikon R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System

Technical Details

Thursday, February 25, 2010

SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander

Technical Details

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Technical Details

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Technical Details

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Technical Details

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