david_achille Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Hi I was asking myself if anyone tried using the Nikon SB400 + Stofen diffuser for Wedding photos using high ISO settings such as ISO 400 or 800 on a D300. This would compensate for the low Guide no and the D300 having a very low noise performer, that would be a light but efficient alternative to the more powerful but more cumbersome speedlights (SB600 or Sb800) Could I have you comments please. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Just the fact that you can't use it with the camera in a vertical orientation - that alone - would probably make it a no-go for most in a wedding situation. Just sayin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot1 Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 With a f2.8 lens, you would be able to get away with it for closer subjects, but like Matt, I would not recommend it. For best results, you still want to shoot at lower ISOs with the D300, especially at a wedding, especially if you were getting paid for the work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 David, if you are a professional wedding photographer, i.e. you are getting paid to capture images from your clients' big day, you should have the proper flash. The SB-400 is weak to begin with and any additional light modifier will be a major problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tri-x1 Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I looked at the SB-400 (I'm not shooting weddings) but concluded that it isn't enough more powerful than the on board flash to be worthwhile. I don't need all the features of the SB-800 so went with the SB-600. It's more flexible and a lot more powerful than the SB-400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmm Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I agree with most that the SB400 is not powerful or versatile enough for pro or semi-pro use such as for a wedding. However it is my flash of choice for light travelling, and with a sto-fen attached. Indeed, though I'll probably get gasps of horror for saying this, I find that the lack of vertical tilt is not too much of a limitation with the sto-fen and lower power of this flash unit. That is to say, unless I am very near the subject, the diffuser - along with a little WB and exposure adjustment - usually results in a perfectly good shot even with the flash head set to direct or at most 45 deg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_ngo Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 David, 6 months ago, when I just came in DSLR, I also asked for help in choosing a flash, SB400 or 600 or 800. Many people here in this forum advised me to get the SB600. I agreed, went to my local photo shop then changed my mind when I saw the bulbky SB-600. I got the SB400 instead. That's my mistake! You know, I returned the SB-400 after 3 days because the weak power output, also the SB400 was not high enough for long lenses like my 18-200 (or 70-200), also can not bounce ceiling when the camera is in horizontal dimension. I always bounce the flash when possible. All of those 3 problems made me exchange the SB-600 and never look back. In addition,I will get a SB-800 someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_ngo Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Sorry, I would correct mine: it can not bounce the flash in VERTICAL frame ( portrait), not horizontal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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