So I got an SB-400 based on Ken Rockwell's review of the flash and I was satisfied with it even though I knew that it would have it's limitations. After a owning it a couple of weeks I finally got to "really" test it last night at a family party last night. The results were mixed and I definitely could see that it I could've used more power. Well, just for yucks-and-giggles I started taking pics with my niece's camera (funded by her parents), a Canon Mark V DII I believe it is with a 70-200 lens (IIRC) and some crazy-ass big looking flash on it (she said that it cost like $500...but she wasn't sure because it was charged on my brother-in-law's credit card...lucky him). Anyway, I couldn't believe the the pics that this camera took! Every picture had perfect lighting. Close, medium and especially pics taken from afar. My jaw literally dropped.
You have to understand that my last SLR was a Canon AE-1 with 70-210 zoom and a National PE-250S flash. That camera hasn't seen daylight in over eight years and quite honestly, I really didn't use it much over the past thirty years that I've owned it. But I know enough to take competent pictures. So you can imagine my amazement when I looked at the LCD screen on the Canon flash. The fricken flash knew what size lens was on the camera, what f-stop the lens was set at and showed the angle of bounce (along with a bunch of other stuff that I couldn't decipher). That's when I decided that I really need an SB-600 for my camera (based on a Ken Rockwell review, of course).
So I went to a very small camera show that was happening this morning fifteen minutes away from home and told myself that if I could find a used SB-600 for $200 (based on what I've seen on eBay) I'd grab it. Well, much to my chagrin, no one seems to carry that discontinued flash. But I did see a few SB-800's that I knew absolutely nothing about. I found one for $220 in semi-rough shape cosmetically but fully functional and the LCD screen wasn't scratched so I decided to pull the trigger.
Let me tell you, I've seen the light (so to speak)...I popped that flash on and yup...it knew the size of the lens, the f-stop and the angle that the flash was tilted at. I've taken like three-dozen shots with it around the house and I've got to tell you, there is no such thing as too much power. I don't even know how to use the flash competently yet but every pic that I took was perfect for my goals. Oh, and the pan feature is killer...it might've just made my Stroboframe obsolete unless I have to use the SB-0400 as a back up.
So yeah, I get it...don't just buy what you think you can get by with--get what you think is more than what you need.
You have to understand that my last SLR was a Canon AE-1 with 70-210 zoom and a National PE-250S flash. That camera hasn't seen daylight in over eight years and quite honestly, I really didn't use it much over the past thirty years that I've owned it. But I know enough to take competent pictures. So you can imagine my amazement when I looked at the LCD screen on the Canon flash. The fricken flash knew what size lens was on the camera, what f-stop the lens was set at and showed the angle of bounce (along with a bunch of other stuff that I couldn't decipher). That's when I decided that I really need an SB-600 for my camera (based on a Ken Rockwell review, of course).
So I went to a very small camera show that was happening this morning fifteen minutes away from home and told myself that if I could find a used SB-600 for $200 (based on what I've seen on eBay) I'd grab it. Well, much to my chagrin, no one seems to carry that discontinued flash. But I did see a few SB-800's that I knew absolutely nothing about. I found one for $220 in semi-rough shape cosmetically but fully functional and the LCD screen wasn't scratched so I decided to pull the trigger.
Let me tell you, I've seen the light (so to speak)...I popped that flash on and yup...it knew the size of the lens, the f-stop and the angle that the flash was tilted at. I've taken like three-dozen shots with it around the house and I've got to tell you, there is no such thing as too much power. I don't even know how to use the flash competently yet but every pic that I took was perfect for my goals. Oh, and the pan feature is killer...it might've just made my Stroboframe obsolete unless I have to use the SB-0400 as a back up.
So yeah, I get it...don't just buy what you think you can get by with--get what you think is more than what you need.
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I've looked at that flash too.
