F4 and SB-600, SB-800?

[emiliogtz]

I'm planning on getting a new flash for my F4. My wife owns a D40 and I would

like to be able to use the flash on both bodies. I've seen the compatibility

charts for both, the SB-600 and SB-800 and I know they work, to some extent,

with the F4.

 

My question is, how well do they work? Have any of you tried such combination?

Are there any caveats I should be aware of? Would I be better off getting a used

SB-24, SB-26 for the F4 and a late-model unit for the D40?

 

Thanks.

[frank_skomial]

Yes,

 

Both SB-800 and SB-600 are back compatible with older Nikon film cameras.

 

Extra features of SB-800 are far greater than the cost difference between SB-800 and SB-600.

 

Actually you may have to purchase SB-800 if ever wanted to use on D40 the more advanced lighting applications are needed utilizing Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS).

 

Search photo.net for countless discussions of the subject.

 

Older flashes would not work well on D40, and SB-600 would only work in iTTL but not in CLS on the D40 camera. Just get the SB-800.

[silvio_b]

I do use SB-600 with F4 and is a good combination, but you'll loose second curtain sync and auto aperture flash. You'll gain extra coverage for wide angles and less bulk on top of the camera.

 

Silvio

[Michael R Freeman]

Do you use (or anticipate using) rear curtain sync with your F4? If so, then only an earlier SB-24/25/26 will give you that when used on an F4.

 

If you don't use/need rear curtain sync, then the SB-800 will provide full functionality on an F4, and it can do anything an F4 era flash such as the SB-24 can do except for the rear curtain sync. The SB-600 lacks a non-TTL autoflash mode, otherwise it provides pretty much the same functionality on an F4 as the SB-800 (with reduced power).

 

I haven't used either of these with my F4, but if I was in your situation (and wanted one flash for both bodies), then I would not hesitate to replace my current flash (SB-28) with either the SB-600 or SB-800.

[ShunCheung]

Rear-curtain sync is the main issue I can think of. 20 years ago (when the F4 and SB-24 were introduced), you set that on the flash. Today, you set that from the camera body. Therefore, if you mount a modern flash on the F4, you would have no way to set it.

 

Generally speaking, I would recommend not to buy a used flash because even though it may look ok outside, it is typically hard to tell how much it has been used and absused. All SB-24, 25, and 26 flashes are from over 10 years ago.

[alex_lofquist]

I have an SB24 flash that is almost 20 years old and still doing fine. It's never been abused, however.

[emiliogtz]

Thank you very much for your advice. I'm definitely looking forward for the SB-800 on the D40 and the CLS. I have read about it and seems very impressive.

 

On the other side, I'm pretty sure I can live without the rear-curtain sync, which I have used about twice in my life on the F4. It will definitely not be an issue for me, given that I will be able to use the unit on both bodies. And that's just great.