Think this worth posting. You can get few more dollars down through Cashreward which I forgot to use, and I am feeling embarrassed to tell you that because you would not rate me as an OZBargainer :(
Nikon cashback here https://promotions.mynikonlife.com.au/Cashback/Claim/Step_1
it will take you 5 seconds to check it out in the Nikon link :) much less than waiting someone to respond
Are you sure it's $50 cashback and not $25?
Will take u less than a minute to check out from the nikon link, however, i have another approach for u here
:)
http://www.ryda.com.au/nikon-sb700-af-speedlight-flash
Fantastic flash. Works extremely well for indoor portraits. Doesn't matter whether you have a base model Nikon or a top of the line Nikon, it will help produce great photos. Would totally recommend it.
Save your money for an SB-5000 or SB-910 if you can still find them. There is no substitute for power on a flash.
I was thinking a lot of an used SB-800, but maybe this sb700 is already more than enough for a non pro like me at this stage.
No it's not. If it doesn't put out enough light it doesn't matter what level your photography is at…there won't be enough light.
I own an SB-800 and an SB-910. The SB-800 has a much clunkier menu system, and to get full power and quick recycle you need 5 AA batteries not 4. I'd still pick it over the SB-700 every time. I've had the SB-800 since 2007 and gotten a lot of use out of it.
If you're shooting speedlites off camera you can always combine them in groups. But you always want the most powerful on camera flash.
Just today I was shooting bounce flash at a kids karate grading. I couldn't use flash during the grading, so all the pics are high ISO…For the picture with their Sensei afterwards I could use flash. I had to shoot ISO 400 to bounce of the ceiling. I'd like to have been shooting native 100 or at most bump up to 200. There is no substitute for power. None.
Will take me time to absorb what u said, i just decided to step up my photography with flash few days ago and saw this deal. I havent used any type of flash for 2 years from the abandonment of my last point and shoot camera :)
Anyway, this info for someone with interest https://photographylife.com/nikon-flash-comparison
@dsq: There are occasionally really good (and far cheaper) third party flashes which might suit you better. Sometimes these come up for $50 Australian and I have two and find them far better than my more expensive Nikon flash.
https://www.amazon.com/TRIOPO-TR-586EX-Wireless-Speedlite-YN…
@Rayve: Brilliant, thank you muchly, will save this link for later use if I find a need for a second or third flash. Now is the time to learn how to use a flash first :) may be 2 flashes as this sb700 will be triggered by my popup inbuilt flash…
syousef
I completely understand your point on having higher power flash but have you even discussed what type of photography dsq is doing?? To just say this flash won't be enough is plain stupid.
The forums naturally are full of people saying get the most powerful and that is true but we are talking about so many factors where a guide number (GN) difference between these flashes is in most cases insignificant or can be negated by good technique/lens choice. It all depends on what you are doing. Maybe it's worth saving the considerable costs on the upgraded flash and spend it on something more relevant….then if a person finds that having a more powerful flash is needed later on well, he's only knocked back $250 and has a great second flash.
Out of my database of approaching 100,000 flash shots there are probably less than 1% which were fired at full power….I have never been under powered, but that's just the photography that I do. Maybe you are different but also you may be a pro who needs more power because of the work you do.
Your advice is good but only relevant if money isn't an option or could be better used elsewhere
@Rayve: thanks for the tip
Can I confirm it pops up in Amazon for $50 including delivery on Amazon?
I can see on Ali xpress they are selling it for $50 usd free shipping
If you arent using full power often you clearly don't bounce your flash. Sometimes that is a necessary evil. Photojournalism and wildlife come to mind. But never bouncing or using a light modifier is a sign you probably aren't expanding your horizons.
Bouncing or using an umbrella or soft box will reduce flash shadow and make your shots look a lot less like artificial deer in headlights.
Also regarding lens choice good quality lenses that you can shoot wide open typically cost 2 to 5x what a top end flash costs and you still have a shallow depth of field. As an amateur the flash is my cheaper option. If the cheap full feature YN flashes were available 10 years ago that would have been my entry point. But $600 on something you can use for a decade isn't too rich for me.
And I don't appreciate your use of the word stupid simply because you disagree.
If you arent using full power often you clearly don't bounce your flash. Sometimes that is a necessary evil. Photojournalism and wildlife come to mind. But never bouncing or using a light modifier is a sign you probably aren't expanding your horizons.
Once again you make a lot of assumptions, show lack of openness and considering this I would say lack of experience.
Ok I rarely use front on flash and my second worst option is bouncing off the roof. This is dreadful and not a great improvement on direct flash, in my experience this is a last case scenario. Bouncing off a side wall or using off camera flash is hugely better than a roof bounce. You get far better depth and dimension. Yes I do bounce flash and I do use modifiers, however you have a point. If I need higher power I have a set of Profoto B1's, but these are mostly for when I need to over power sunlight in outdoor model or sports shooting. As I said, I get your point, the main point what I am saying is that if you think there is a massive difference in the power of these speedlights then you are mistaken. If you have the money and it is a high priority then sure get the best. Otherwise it is worth balancing what will get you the best use and best value.
Also regarding lens choice good quality lenses that you can shoot wide open typically cost 2 to 5x what a top end flash costs and you still have a shallow depth of field.
Getting a fixed 1.8 35 or 50 prime is NOT expensive and will arguably give you more use than an expensive top of the line flash.
As an amateur the flash is my cheaper option
well I guess this suits your work and you do a lot of flash photography. This DOES NOT mean everyone is in your boat, hence saying that your absolute uncompromising views on this flash is stupid. My apologies for saying your comment is stupid. Personally I think it is narrow minded, however don't take that as meaning you are stupid.
dsq states that a flash isn't his be all and end all and I'm sure this unit would be adequate. His choice…and to tell him this is not enough? Well, it helps to be qualified and to understand his budget and what type of photography he does. If not you will sound like a Ken Rockwell clone handing out personally biased advice, totally ignorant to how other people see the world!!
@slipperypete: wow, there is some heat out there :) good for me though to extract some knowledge from you guys:) Cant wait to learn how that flash changes (or spoils :) my taste, I shoot mainly the 135mm f2 DC on my D750, sometimes I snap on the 50mm or 85mm f1.4 or 200mm f2.8, so I think the sb700 with 'zoom' 24-120mm may suit me. The sb910 may overkill, especially the size and weight bother me.
Thanks for apologising. Disagreement can be healthy. I'd rather keep it from getting personal.
There's not always a side wall available. I was shooting in a dojo. High ceilings and I had about 30 seconds to get the shot before the Sensei was ready to pack away. Also don't dismiss shooting off a ceiling. Lighting from above can have a very natural look to it and shadows tend to be well controlled. If you're looking for drama or artsy lighting it's terrible but if you're looking for even natural looking light it is definitely a good option, but it does need the power. I strongly disagree that it's not much better than direct flash. If you're seeing that, I suggest you use the old trick of taping black cardboard around the end of your flash to block direct light. (I didn't get to do this for the photo I'm talking about and have some direct flash flare on the a sign for the dojo which is annoying.
Even bouncing off a side wall you're going to need quite a powerful burst of flash to keep your ISO down to base ISO unless you're talking one person and a close wall. Yeah your SB-700 may be enough for small rooms. And yes it'll be better than an SB-400. But I can't tell you how often I find myself constrained by where I can shoot. Have you ever shot a wedding? I have done a handful for friends and family and the venues differ wildly. How about a backlit function above the harbour? That wonderful panoramic view is quite a tough one to balance flash and ambient with glass in the background giving direct reflections to boot. On the occasion I'm thinking of I dealt with the reflections in post and shot my SB-910 with D7100 and 70-300VR - took some work but the results were great. With a less powerful flash shooting from the back of the room (20m perhaps) I would have gotten nowhere.
Then there is birding. If you're trying to shoot a small bird you really need to shoot between f/8 and f/11 (often shooting at 300mm). You don't need the power so much and have to turn the flash down but if you want to pop off a series you better not be shooting full bursts or you'll be waiting 3-4 seconds for the flash to charge back up. Having a flash you can shoot at 1/2 or 1/4 power or toned down on iTTL/ETTL is a must if you don't want to miss moments.
I own the 1.8 35 and 50 primes in both Nikon and Canon. They're good. But there is a reason they're cheap. If you shoot them wide open your photos are soft. End of story. You need to stop down to 2.8 at a minimum just to get central sharpness, and if you want decent depth of field for multiple people that may not be enough.
I don't own studio strobes so when I shoot group portraits I'll use 4-6 YN manual speedlites shot through umbrellas. I aim to set each at half power and shoot between f/8 and f/11 at ISO 100 or 200. If I have to go to 400 I will. Again there is no substitute for power but in order to get the cycle time shooting 2-4 at full power is not a great idea.
Also shooting a flash close to full will lower it's lifespan.
" A failure is defined as "mini-cracks starting to appear in the tubes, which lowers their output—and your resulting guide number. "
http://strobist.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/will-your-flash-last…
If you're going to quote Ken Rockwell I'm sorry but you're a lost soul. That man has admitted to reviewing gear he's never held in his hands. He will tell you to shoot your DSLR at smaller resolutions in JPG with the saturation turned up - effectively throwing away a heck of a lot of the data your camera is collecting. Follow that man at your peril.
If you want advice about flash photography here is who you should be quoting:
Neil van Niekerk
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/best…
"Therefore my next recommendation would be to get a powerful flashgun – as powerful as you can afford."
Some other names to look at:
Joe McNally
David Hobby
Zack Arias
And if you're going to shoot above shutter sync speed you're looking at getting a sharp dropoff in the power due to the way the flash is pulsed to illuminate the full frame.
Just about every strobist site and camera board discusses the need for flash power.
e.g.
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3168275
There are a LOT of good reasons that a more powerful flash is a LOT less limiting and a LOT more versatile.
@dsq:
Arguments aside, you really can't go wrong picking up this flash for $242 (includes $4.60 additional cash back if you also used cashrewards). That's really cheap - and a good entry into flash photography.
I already have an SB900 but, even if i didn't, this is a quality nikon flash that you will always find value in having and is more compact than its big brother. Sometimes that is the difference between having the flash come with you for the day or not.
I'm looking forward to this arriving some time this week.
Enjoy all.
I have an SB-700 and so far I have not come across any issues with it not having enough power. If you shoot in RAW you can always bump up the exposure a bit too. But if you want to spend the extra money, you may as well go up a model.
i think the deal is we spend less money and still get the job done :) hope this will marry well with my d750!
Situations where you need a more powerful flash:
- Shoot through an umbrella or softbox.
- Bounce off a high ceiling or far wall.
- Shooting small birds (the flying kind) - you don't want to wait for your flash to recycle after a couple of bursts.
- Shooting fill in direct sunlight.
- Shooting AutoFP/HSS/Above sync speed. You lose a lot of power as you go above sync speed.
- Zoo photography.
- Shooting anything at a distance with a longer lens.
- Trying to keep ISO down for large display or print.
- Multiple flash with enough power to light a background.
@syousef: Not everyone has the funds or necessity for an extremely powerful flash. They've said they think it will suit them for their needs. Let it be.
All I'm doing is providing the info. People are of course free to do with it what they will. All I'm saying is get a powerful flash that can do FP Sync. There are cheaper 3rd party flashes that will do that.
It is 50!
Good deal, thanks op.
Thanks OP - nice fine. This will track nicely with the SB900 I already have. Was keen to grab a backup / extra / more compact / on or off-shoe Nikon flash at some point. Just didn't realise that point in time would be tonight! Excellent price after cashback.
yeah, I woke up this morning and was thinking of buying a second, this time not forget cashreward, checking out just few minutes late and price has already up $30! as an OZbargainer, I decided not absolutely a cent to pay more than what I did!!! ;)
Don't buy before looking into Yongnuo flashes… They are fantastic and a fraction of the price.
Hi, do you have a link for good one from your experience, or links to a forum so I can read… because to start from scratch takes ages to understand something, and sometimes I just do not have time to pursuit. would prefer light weight flashes and camera and they can communiate wirelessly. Thanks
Not sure how light would light weight be, but I have 2 YN-568EX for my Nikon with the yn622 transmitters and they serve me well for years, the new yn-685 is pretty good, can wireless communicate with a yn-622 commander unit. A really cheap alternative to Nikon speedlights. But I must say Nikon's build quality are far better than yongnuos, but still good value for it's price.
Thanks for the feedback, just also read abt the YN like yours same weight as sb700, they have version 2 on ebay for canon but not yet nikon… i am looking at Godox radio built in and their trasmitter x1, i may try 1 of that and compare with the nikon sb700.
This one is pretty good too. Just Big.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/272151986373?_trksid=p2057872.m27…
http://www.martincphotography.co.uk/shanny-sn600sn-review-vs…
Ryda has done it again by jacking up the price.
$398 is actually the price it has been on their website since yesterday. Their eBay store was temporarily $20 cheaper for some reason. There was plenty of time to purchase - and down to last few in stock now. Sorry if you missed at lowest price point.
thanks for that. was going to buy but not anymore!
Actually the jump is closer to $30 ($27). I'd forgotten what I paid last night!
They did that for their lens as well. I have no intention of purchasing this flash but just want to make people aware that they did this for their other products as well siding that their whole sale supplier charging them more.
it was AU $371.85 last night.
Was going to get this as I have been out of photography for a while and actually forgot I have an SB800
Back in stock for those who missed out at best price. Now at $408.85.
Still comes down to about $272 after all discounts and cash backs - including cash rewards - which is still v.good if you happen to be in he market for one.
Not as uber as $242, but cheaper than any other way of grabbing one new through legal means.
Back in stock!! OP please unmark as out of stock so more can take advantage of this deal. It's now back to $388, so it's $311 after 20% off, down to $261 after cash back.
What items are in Nikon cashback