Flash for D7000. Amateur but want to be able to expand later

[Lowlife502]

Hey guys. I'm an amateur photographer with my first DSLR. D7000. I want a on camera flash. At first it will be just used for general photography but I would like to do studio type photography in the future. I know I would need more than one flash for a studio but want to start off right.

From everything I'm reading I've narrowed it down to the SB-700, used SB-800 or the SB-900.

I've read about the SB-900 and the overheating issues and some of the fixes to solve the problem.

Right now I'm leaning toward a SB-700. Any reason to get the SB-800 over the 700?

 

[GH41]

I am sure the overheating problem is real with the SB900 if you push it. There are some sharp guys here that can give you better advice than me. I have had a 900 for 2 1/2 years and NEVER had a problem but I don't bang away at 100%. If I lost it I would probably replace it with a 700. It would be fine on my D7k. I don't know about the 800 but I would not buy a used flash. There is no way to tell how many miles they have on them. GH

 

[Iscariot]

I also have the SB900 and love it. Yeah it has over heated once or twice but I was really hammering it. It shut its self down. Cooled down in a few minutes and was good to rock and roll once again.

I have no experience with the SB700 so I cant comment but I have nothing but good things to say about the SB900.

 

[sektor 11]

Just curious why the 600 isn't being considered?

 

[GH41]

Just curious why the 600 isn't being considered?

Again- I am a very causual flash user. The 600 controls suck. GH

 

[Palmguy]

I prefer the controls on the 700 greatly to those of the 600 as well. Probably a good choice for you.

 

[Rob_H]

I don't think the SB900 is any worse than any other speedlight in terms of overheating, it's just the 900 is the only one with a thermal cut out when it gets hot so you know it's starting to overheat, where as the rest will carry on over heating right up to the point of destruction, although I must caveat that I've never heard of a speedlight cook it's self.

 

[Cope]

Just curious why the 600 isn't being considered?

Like the SB-800, it is discontinued.

 

[brandonhenderson1]

SB-700 no question

 

[emoxley]

Looks like my post was lost in the forum outage, so I'll repost it.
You said you'd like to do more (studio work) in the future. I'd go with the SB-900.
I'm one that goes by the old saying "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!" That being said, I went with the SB-900 myself. I only photograph for fun, but who knows what may come up?

 

[les_au]

i have both the sb-600 and sb-700, if you start using the CLS option built into the d7000 the 700 has a lot better menu system. that said the sb-600 i just leave in remote mode

 

[fabulas]

I have the sb-900 and I love it. The overheating is real, but if you use the auto ISO feature......no overheating.

 

[Cope]

I sold my two SB-800 and SU-800 when the SB-900 came out. There is no doubt that it has all the power you need, but it is tall. I recently bought an SB-700, and after a day or two, decided to sell the SB-900. I looked back over the years, and I just never used the larger flashes to their full potential.

 

[davidzvi]

The SB-600 control do suck. Mine are LONG GONE.

The SB-900 can and does over heat. But we are talking high flash rate action. Like when I am in the middle if the dance floor shooting everything going on around me nonstop so that I can feel the heat when I touch the flash. But it is MUCH bigger than the others. In general use the controls are easier to use than SB-800 in most ways, harder in a few.

The SB-800 is still a very good flash. See the opposite of the last line above. The head of the SB-900 and SB-700 rotate more than the SB-800 (backward in both directions). And the lock on my 900is better than the ones on my 800's.

The SB-700 is closer to the SB-800 and SB-900 then the SB-600 in features. Not sure about power. I've only seen one, never used one. But I recall the head rotated like the 900 and I know the controls are closer to the 900 than the 800. It can also control other flash units like the 800 and 900.

If I were starting today, and not starting professionally, the SB-700 would probably be my pick. If I had to replace my gear because of theft or damage, I think I would still at least consider the SB-700 before just running out and getting SB-900s. But in my case it would be covered by insurance or at least a business expense. :wink:

 

[jonh68]

I have had a SB-900 and currently have two SB-700's and a sb-800. I prefer the sb-700 over the sb-900. Nothing more annoying than having a photoshoot and the strobe overheats, especially when ambient light may be perfect or the person you are shooting is giving a fantastic look.

I am using the sb-800 to trigger the sb-700's and I have not had a problem in regards to overheating or missing a shot because I had to wait for a cool down. The controls on the sb-700 are better than the sb-900 too. I leave my sb-800 in commander mode all the time. If I need a little fill flash, I will just grab one of the sb-700's and either use it as fill, or put in commander mode so it contributes a bit will triggering the other off camera sb-700. With the controls on the flash itself instead of in the menu, changes are made quickly.

My sb-900 fell into water by accident. The cost to repair was the same as a new one. I could have afforded getting a new sb-900, but I chose to replace with a sb-700.

 

[archangel]

i have 3 sb600 but i think i might trade them out for sb700's.. i think it would be easier to use with other monolights if it has a built in sensor to act as a slave

 

[khollister]

SB-900 - best flash of the bunch, most flexible, great UI, expensive & large.

SB-700 - great UI (like the SB-900), but somewhat crippled due to lack of PC connector and inability to set it to non-BL TTL. Great flash for on-camera use, but might be limiting for more advanced purposes

SB-800 - great flash, fully featured, but clunky UI compared to 900/700. Still pretty expensive used.

If you can afford it, get the SB-900

BTW, I have 2 SB-900's, 3 SB-800's, an SU-800 and 3 SB-28's I use manually with Pocket Wizards. I was going to pick up an SB-700 to carry for lightweight travel, but the TTL limitation put me off. The lack of a PC connector can be mitigated with a hotshoe adapter. I leave my SB-800's set as remotes (one each for group A, B and C) labeled with white gaffer tape so I don't have to screw with them. I use the SB-900's otherwise when I fiddle with the flash settings - much quicker/easier.

 

[1hawaii50]

I know I'm bumping a month old thread, but when I sold my D40/SB-400 and I bought my D7000, I was in need of a new flash. I finally settled in the SB-700. I shoot only casually, mostly family pics, and pics of my kids and their activities.

 

[Dmitry]

I've got top of the line Metz . The other option i considered was sb900

 

[Ronald M]

Studio flashes with modeling lights are used so so you can see the lighting effects have no relation to speedlights that are designed for photojournalists.

No self respecting portrait / studio photographer would work without modeling lights, in fact many use continuous tungsten or fluorescent so the lighting can be seen perfectly.

If you want a light for parties and gatherings, feel free to get a speed light. It is not the first step to a studio system.