Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight

I bought this unit as a lightweight second flash for travel and general photography

Almost as soon as I started using it I was running into exposure problem using faster lenses. I could only get good exposures on Programmed mode.

Used in that way it worked fine; I was very impressed with the results; so much so that it soon became my main flash. The results were as good if not better than my Metz 45 and so much more convenient to use.

Eventually I was running into problems with it flashing intermittently and not firing when needed with Fuji S5. Sometimes it worked OK but in the end the only way I could stop the intermittent flashing was by switching it off after each exposure. I checked all settings on the camera and tested it on a Nikon D300 using the same 17-555 F2.8 lens it worked fine. An SB800 worked properly on my S5; so I don't think the camera was at fault.

I subsequently bought a Nikon SB800 as I could not get the flash service quickly enough.

Compact, reasonably powerful, works with Nikon Creative Lighting Flash system (CLS)
Good exposure control and easy to use on Programme mode.
Far better results than expected for a mid budget flashgun

Unreliable, does not work well with fast lenses. I have serious issues using a Fuji S5 pro

NIkon SB800
Metz 45CL

I broke the SB600 after dropping it before I was able to take it to Nikon Service center. there is no official agent in Cambodia where I live so would have to take it to Malaysia or Thailand

This polivalent flash sure gets the job done right. Is not as powerfull as the mighty SB-800 but you still get a lot of features for this money. From my point of view if you're on a budget, don't even bother saving for the SB800, the 600 works wonders.

First, the wireless works beautifuly, you first have to sync the channels on both camera and flash, set-up the group and you're done. The flash does a little bip each time its charge state is at full, so you know when to make the next shot.
The illuminator is another cool thing. In dim light or total darkness, the assist light turns on when prefocusing and the camera adjustes the focus. It's clearly more effective than the cameras built-in assist light. I noticed its effectiveness when I took a shot in complete darkness of a blank wall in my room. If I used only the built-in lamp, the camera couldn't focus, but with the Speedlights assist beam, it was a brease.
The flash value is consistent, as you take several shots in the same conditions. This is nice because you can have predictable results when using a specific setting.
The charging is quick and the batteries will last for a while (like 180-200 shots).
If you are not satisfied with the calculated exposure, you can manualy override it by increasing the output power to as much as +3 or downgrade it to -3max. This will help when using diffusers. The flash can't tell if you are using a bounce since the flash exposure sensor is inside the camera but you can help it by increasing the flash output. I got consistent result if I used +1.3
I'm not sure but I think the flash has an algorithm that compensate for bouncing the head. If I used the flash straingt-on or raised 60 degrees, the brightness of the picture remained virtualy the same. This also could be done by the i-TTL system as well, but who cares. The point is that you don't have to compensate when bouncing and that results in one wory less (and basically this is the point of automatic flashes). Overall, is a nice flash, I would totally recomend it to anyone and the price is declining since the SB-900 arived. Nothing to do now than to buy, buy, buy.

I encountered only one problem with this unit: one time I rapidly changed the focal lenght on my camera from 70 to 18mm. The flash kept the pase, but once it reached 24mm, the zoom value on the flashes LCD screen dissapeared and the two middle segments started to blink (like the connection to the flashes linear encoder was lost, I don't know). I tried to turn it on and off but with no effect. I almost sent it back to BH but suddenly started to work again when I pulled out the included flash diffuser. Did someone else had this problem?
I noticed that lots of people complain about the weak casing. Look, what do you whant to do with it, play socker or take pictures? Is a standard strong enough plastic casing. Of course you have to be gentile with it, but not because of the weak casing. It's because is a photographic equipment and should be dealth with care.

Operation and setup is very easy. Use it like the built-in flash after simply setting it to TTL mode and pictures will surprise you. It produces nicer pictures than the built-in flash.

But it's heavy and big. The four AA recharchable batteries that it requires almost doubles its weight and makes me nervous about the strength of the connection to the camera which is plastic.

I'm kinda' new to photography and am obsessed with it and this is my first purchase /venture into flash photography.

The SB-600 is a powerful flash gun that can light up large areas and also
surpringsingly produce very good, normal looking close up shots although you'd still be able to tell that a flash is used. With it, you'll never have to worry about low light situations again.

I think it's made to used with recent Nikon Digital SLR camera models like the D70 and so on. I have the D40 model.

Reading the manual made me crazy. It contains a lot of other information like how to use it in concerto with other flash units and that features that will only be visible for selection when connected to a particular camera model.
But it's also very usefull and I wish it was written differently.
Reading it, I was able to extend its range to about 50-ft. to light up a whole tree as if it was daylight at midnight in open air. The only problem was the camera lens not being able to autofocus since the autofocus assist light works to only about 30 ft. in total darkness.

Open air is very different from closed areas because there are no walls and ceilings to bounce and preserve the produced light. But that is another topic.

If your looking for a flash gun and have a Nikon digital SLR camera its best to stick with Nikon SB model flash guns.

If it weren't for its heavy weight with batteries and its auto focus assist illluminator going only up to 30ft., I'd give it a 5-star rating.

Simple to use and takes better pictures than the camera's built-in flash.

Has its own autofocus assist light to assist the camera but it only goes to about 30 ft while the flash's power is about double that.
Like, what good is being able to light up something 60ft away when the camera won't autofocus that far in darkness ? - bring a flash light along ? Even a pocket flash light can light up to 100ft for the camrea to autofocus on.

It's heavy with batteries. It makes me afraid that the whole unit might rip-off from the camera if swung daily.

The price is on the expensive side making me think that flash guns aren't really necessary if you're not into taking pictures. I mean, the camera's built-in flash is adequate for most indoor shots.

The cheaper cousin to Nikon's SB-800, the 600 is by no means the lesser. With enough power to use in large spaces (such as a sanctuary) and the ability for it to be used in the Nikon CLS (Creative Lighting System) anyone looking for a cheap strobe setup for their nikon should consider the SB-600 for the slave units.

However the SB-600 does lack some features that are found on the 800. The 600 cannot be used as a commander unit, so either a CLS body (D70s, D80, D200...ect) or an SB-800 flash will be needed. The missing bounce card is not much of a loss, however the lack of plugs for a sync cord would be an issue for some, but with the CLS ability that is negated.

* Fast Recycle time
* Standby mode extends battery life
* Same range of motion on the flash head at the 800

* Not many off camera modes (TTL, Manual)
* No plugs for sync cords

SB-28
SB-800

None required.

First a bit about the reviewer... I shot a lot of 35 mm from the late 70's to late 80's. I shot for a newspaper and college. I took off about 20 years and just re-entered the digital scene.

I have used the flash with good results. Beats the flash that comes on the D80.

Provides a powerful enough burst for most indoor use. Bounce the flash off the ceiling to soften the effects.

Auto feature puts the flash in sleep mode after a while of non-use which has been helpful as I tend to forget I have it on.

The battery life has been good. Still using original batteries with a quick reload speed.

Wish the manual was better. I'm sure this flash can do a lot more than I have done with it but the directions are slim.

It apparently has a weak battery signal that only comes on when the battery life is near the end. It would be nice to see a regular status of battery life (unless I just haven't figured out that option).