SB800 or SB900?

roadkill · Sep 25, 2008

I have the money for either. Is there that much difference?

chrisburke · Sep 25, 2008

if i had the fnds i would get 2 sb800's... then you can get some great lighting options.

ANDS! · Sep 25, 2008

If I had the money I would get three used SB600's, laugh at those who feel the need the whizbang of the heavier 800/900 and spend the rest on coke and hookers.

JerryPH · Sep 25, 2008

Google is your friend.

http://nikonreviews.wordpress.com/2...-800-vs-sb-900-speedlight-flashes-comparison/

If money is no object, go for the best. This coming from someone that owns SB-600s, SB-800s and I've played with the SB-900 for about 2 hours... that said, one flash is just not enough to do a lot of the REALLY neat creative things that can be done with multiple speedlights. If your choice is 1 new SB-900 or 3 SB-600s... go for the 3 new SB-600s and learn how to use them in off camera situations!

This is something you can NEVER do with just one flash.

Garbz · Sep 26, 2008

What the... did you flip one of those pictures, or is that not the same light setup?

dEARlEADER · Sep 26, 2008

well... i'm not 100% sure... but isn't the sb900 optimized for both dx and fx pertaining to light distribution?

i thought that's why they brought this out with the d700...

so.. if your thinking of moving to full frame... and need a versatile hot shoe flash then the SB900 would be something you would want one of...

of course .. most of this thread contains the words "if i had the money" in which case you may want 3 sb900's purely for their versatility and resale value....

roadkill · Sep 27, 2008

Unfortunately the funds are not limited, and it's probably going to be at least another year before I can think about moving to full frame. Probably going to settle for 2 SB600s for now I guess. That or one SB800 or SB900 but I think I may get more out of the multiple flashes. The 600s can be synched up, right? Commanded from the camera?

Tiberius · Sep 27, 2008

dEARlEADER said:
well... i'm not 100% sure... but isn't the sb900 optimized for both dx and fx pertaining to light distribution?

i thought that's why they brought this out with the d700...

so.. if your thinking of moving to full frame... and need a versatile hot shoe flash then the SB900 would be something you would want one of...

of course .. most of this thread contains the words "if i had the money" in which case you may want 3 sb900's purely for their versatility and resale value....

The Flash coverage depends on the focal length of the lens (actual, not perceived), not on the size of the sensor. The SB600/800 would work fine on FX too.

JerryPH · Sep 27, 2008

Garbz said:
What the... did you flip one of those pictures, or is that not the same light setup?

Now *that* is a man that pays attention!

Yes, the hairlight was moved to the right side because when I changed angles to get the house edge and setting sun, the flash was in the way. I did not mean to insinuate that the 2nd picture was taken using the setup shot... it was just an example.

dEARlEADER · Sep 27, 2008

Tiberius said:
The Flash coverage depends on the focal length of the lens (actual, not perceived), not on the size of the sensor. The SB600/800 would work fine on FX too.

okay.... then why does nikon bother talking about this?

"The SB-900 is perfectly adapted to both DX and FX formats, and will automatically select the appropriate light distribution pattern according to the sensor format of the camera to which it is attached."

found here

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0807/08070101nikonsb900.asp

notelliot · Sep 27, 2008

I'd try and find some used SB800s or buy them new if you can. them as in several. instead of the 900. sure it has better controls, but we have thumbs to overcome such problems. also, it's really not that bad on the 800. the power difference is negligible, the 800 is smaller in size, too. the only thing that I really like about the 900 better environmental sealing. oh and I guess a few for degrees rotation on the flash head (but that's irrelevant if your warranty on the SB800 expires and you modify it for those few extra degrees. it's actually quite easy, if you take it apart, rather than just twist it till it gives..)

just personal opinions though.

JerryPH · Sep 27, 2008

I tell you, Ive been looking for used SB-800s now for about 10 months. You can find them, but they are all within 20-30 dollars of new... so I would not even bother. The ones that are lower are in such overused states that they may not even be working well, if at all. I will stick with the new SB600-800's for myself unless I trip over a decent deal somewhere.

Gotta thank the strobist group for that... lol.

Though the SB-900 has a LOT of pluses going for it, one "bad" point is that the foot was made stronger/thicker (the darn thing is noticeably heavier than the SB-800!), and will often not fit without considerable push into the hotshoe of many adapters (Nikon cameras seem unaffected). Now, if that's the worst of it, this is something that I could live with.

roadkill · Sep 27, 2008

Very helpful folks. Thank you kindly. I'll be doing some shopping online this evening.

beaminge36 · Sep 27, 2008

to continue on dearleader, coverage based on focal length alone is not an adequate form of measure. Although the angle of view doesnt change with a crop sensor, the focal length equivalent is changed by 1.6. If the SB900 claims it works for both sensors means that it takes into consideration whether or not to apply the crop factor to the focal length of the lens when adjusting the flash. This doesnt mean that you can't use the 600 or 800 on either sensor, it just means that if its optimized for crop sensor you have to manually adjust it for full frame or vice versa (don't know too much about the actual flashes per se, just why it makes sense). So if future proofing is in the question then maybe the 900 isnt such a bad choice.

Nick