I just got my SB-700 and I'm loving it. Before I purchased I weighed my options while also looking at the sb-600. The sb-600 is now almost 7 years old and the sb-700 adds a lot of things found on the sb-900.
Here are some of the features that make it stand out over the sb-600:
The SB-600:
Here are some of the features that make it stand out over the sb-600:
- sensor size detection - DX and FX
- master mode in AWL wireless i-TTL - SB-600 works as a slave only
- direct buttons, switches & command dial have been improved
- optical trigger mode SU-4 - The SB-600 lacks an optical slave mode
- the battery compartment is designed better
- 360 degrees flash head swivel (270 degrees)
- 3 light distribution patterns
- 2 color correction filters included - yellow and green
- longer zoom range at tele end (120 vs 85mm)
- 14mm coverage with wide-panel (at standard illumination, down to 12mm at center-weighted illumination)
- 8 stop manual power range down to 1/128 (vs 1/64)
- reflector card built-in
- optional water protection
- more standard accessories - diffusion dome / bouncer SW-14H, incandescent filter SZ-3TN, fluorescent filter SZ-3FL, soft case SS-700, flash stand AS-22
- better overheating protection
The SB-600:
- is stronger with GN 30 (meters, ISO 100, 35mm reflector; GN is only 28 on SB-700)
- is much cheaper – at least for some time: street price for SB-600 is $220; SB-700 was announced with a $329.95 price tag
- is a bit smaller and lighter: 68 x 123.5 x 90mm and 300g; SB-700: 71 x 126 x 104.5mm and 360g)
- supports the old D-TTL, plus film-based TTL
- comes with a better flash stand, AS-19 - The new flash stand, AS-22, is as flimsy as the the SB-900′s AS-21