fergus_macdonald Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Hey, I have a Nikon D80 and want to get a flash that i can hopefully use wirelessly, but don't want to shell out more than ?50 ($100) if possible. Any recommendations would be welcome. I know the SB-24/25 are quite cheap, but i think there may be compatibility issues with the TTL etc. Any help would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miggydonida Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 hi fergus.. have u looked at the sb400? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 For the D80, you want an iTTL-compatible flash to take full advantage of Nikon's latest flash technology. The SB-400 is the least expensive option among Nikon's iTTL flashes: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/471717-GREY/Nikon_4806_SB_400_Speedlight.html In the US, it is $105 and hopefully it is within your budget in the UK. However, it cannot be used as part of Nikon's wireless flash system, even as a remote slave. For that, you need either an SB-800 (can act as either master or slave), SB-600 (as a slave only) or the SB-R200 (as a slave only). The SB-R200 is mainly a macro flash and has no hot shoe mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergus_macdonald Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 Just checked out the SB-400, and would prefer something that can be adjusted so i can bounce the flash off the ceiling etc. What advantages does the iTTL give you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tisbone Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 sb-400 can be tilted up to 90 degrees and bounced! iTTL is supposed to make you not worry about the flash output regardless of the changing subject distance and ambient light conditions. it takes this all into account and adjusts the output power accordingly to get the exposure right. They say it's the best flash technology among all camera manufacturers. I sometimes have to use flash compensation anyway, but iTTL works great with my sb-600.. wireless is really much fun, but you have to pay a lot more for that.. I think, with bounce ability and iTTL, the sb-400 is the best you can get for $100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 You can rotate the flash head on the SB-400 upward to bounce off the ceiling. However, it might not be all that powerful for bounce flash. Moreover, that rotation only works when your camera is in the "landscape" horizontal orientation. You are probably better off getting the more expensive SB-600. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich B NYC Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Depending upon your needs, an older model such as the SB24/25 that you mention, may just serve the purpose.....as long as you don't need TTL flash metering. With certain exceptions (macro comes to mind), I've found TTL to be no more accurate than good old "Auto". In fact, I've gotten excellent results shooting both a Nikon SB22 and Sunpak 383 on my D80. I'm not saying that they are "better" than the i-TTL flashes, just that we don't always need the latest and greatest to acheive good results. Obviously, if you want to get into wireless flash, the SB600 or SB800 are the way to go. They are extremely versatile and entirely compatable with the current generation of digital bodies. The SB400 just has too many tradeoffs as far as I'm concerned. Dollar for dollar, the SB600 would be hard to beat. If you can borrow a decent non i-TTL flash from someone (preferably Nikon as there will be no trigger voltage issues)give it a try and you may find that an older model will fill your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergus_macdonald Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 SB-400 will be around ?66 in the UK, which is roughly $130, so a little over budget, but not too bad. Very compact which is good. I like the idea of trying an older one as well, using the 'auto' mode - can't be too bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_in_PA Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 SB600 is the way to go. iTTL is great, you can instantly do multiple flash stuff, since it can be used off-camera wirelessly with your D80, and it's great for bouncing. You can get a Sto-Fen Diffuser, and if you're like me, once you get one, it'll never come off the flash. Do wait a little and get the "real flash" if you can. You just sprung quite a few bucks for that camera, I recommend you don't skimp on the flash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 iTTL is Nikon's latest flash technology and is very accurate. That is one of the main advantages of the current Nikon system. Your D80 is already iTTL compatible, so I would highly recommend getting an iTTL-compatible flash among the 3-digit SB-nnn flashes. Otherwise, you have the classic trade off among cost, size, and features, including flash power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwhite Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Fergus, I would echo Peter Hamm's recommendation for the SB600 + Stoffen. I recently bought these for my D80 and am well pleased, however you are looking at 4 times your budget! - ?200 in UK.You could also check out the Sigma guns - EF500ST is iTTL compatible at about ?100, EF500DG SUPER at ?150 is iTTL AND Wireless compatible and higher power.(Warehouse Express prices)See .http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/flash/index.htm and http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo/flashguns/sigma.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwhite Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I should have said that I used to have an SB24 - I sold it before I got the D80 though. The SB24 would be superb in manual mode. My only criticism so far of the SB600 is that it won't fit in the case properly with the Stoffen attached. The wireless feature is what I find most usefull - it is currently out in the garden giving fill light on my birdtable, while I shoot from the comfort of the kitchen window! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsilva Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 In short: SB-400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tisbone Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I read some about the sigma flashes, and if I got it right, they only work wirelessly in TTL mode if you use another SIGMA flash as a commander.. but, as far as I know, you can still trigger it in manual mode, with your in-camera flash set to manual, too (reacts to a single flash) you might want to research that, sigmas offer top options and power, for good value Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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