Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - Old Version

I wont repeat what many other reviews have already said, other than the flash is great... its ueber powerful...great built in features...slave capable...and yes, you probably want to read the manual if you are not familar with how to use a powerful flash on flesh tones. I use this flash typically with bounce when in doors. It creates some great natural-looking lighting when the real thing is not available. HOWEVER, on more than one occasion I have used the 5th battery pack for faster recharge times during high usage events (think: awards banquet), only to find that after about 20 minutes my recharge time has slowed down anyways. Ive then opened the battery compartment only to find that my Lithium Energizer batteries looked like they were about to explode from their contact ends! They were literally bubbled out. This has happened on more than one occasion using numerous different packs of batteries. So I have to assume that they werent bad batteries. Perhaps I received a faulty unit... but I figured it would be safer to send out a warning. Again, this has only happened when using the 5th battery pack...which is supposed to give the unit more voltage to allow it to recharge faster.

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Nikon designed this unit to exploit the possibilities of their latest digital SLRs while still being compatble with their oldest F-series cameras. The SB-800 is more expensive than the SB-600, but it gives you more control and more light. You may find more light to be critical if you want to use bounce flash to soften shadows. I would have given the SB-800 five stars if the user manual had been a little better. Nikon obviously tried very hard to provide good documentation, and to make the user interface as intuitive as possible. But, a unit with so many features and modes inevitably will require effort to learn, and will present cases where you are working against the built in automation. Expect to make a large number of experimental shots if you really want to learn how to use this unit. My chief plea to Nikon would be for a more straight forward explanation that cameras like the D50 DO NOT HAVE TTL FLASH. The so called i-TTL uses pre flashes and computation to set up a calculated flash rather than a real time measurement during the exposure to quench the flash. One would normally expect the same result, but not if a slave flash is used. One of the beauties of the SB-800, however, is that it can be used as a slave unit using its own sensor to determine when the master unit is firing, even if (as in the case of a D50 using its built in flash) the camera and the SB-800 are not communicating i-TTL info via IR pulses.

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Three great features of this SB800 Flash: 1. Very Powerful and with the standard diffuser which is part of the unit can produce enough light for very wide angle lens. Great for indoor photos if you want to show what the house looks like. 2. Can be used as a slave unit in its remote mode, being triggered by the camera built-in flash (without a cable). When the camera built-in flash on my D300 is set to the "Commander" mode the flash communicates with the camera through the lens to provide proper lighting for the subject. 3. Even though the flash set-up is quite complicated, Nikon service provided via telephone is out of this world. You can always get to talk to a Nikon representative within minutes and the guys know what they are talking about and take you with great patience through every step necessary and make sure you do what you need to properly. Other manufacturers can learn from Nikon what good customer service is all about. 4. I later purchased the SB-900 and there is no comparison. The 900 is much more user-friendly and I am using it almost exclusively. I keep the 800 as a back-up, and when I need a second remote flash for additional lighting. It is permanently set on "remote" and is ready to go when needed. And about Amazon - The purchase arrived on the day promised, nicely packed. I have been recommending Amazon to all my friend and will be a repeated customer for sure. Thanks Amazon.com

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