Nikon Speedlight SB-800

Pro Speedlight – The staple flash of pro photographers - Nikon ones anyway - the world over for many a year, the 800 has only recently been succeeded by the 900. It still has a lot of life in it yet though, and there is - or at least was last time I checked - a huge supply available on-line. If you are just starting out and looking for your first flash, a second hand - or even new - 800 is a great buy, and you should be able to get a good deal now that the 900 has been out for a while.

If you plan on getting into off camera flash then an 800 is a better buy than a 600 or 700, as you get PC connection and slave mode.

But if not, and you simply need more power than your built in flash, a 600, 700 or even a 400 is a better bet. Powerful, reliable, useful for off-camera flash

Excellent – Best flash Nikon have produced up to now. Has always worked well for me. Couple the SB800 with an SC-29 or SC-28 for off-camera flash and you will have an excellent portable lighting solution. Of course it can also be used with other SB800s or SB600s in command and slave modes to give you more versatility and creativity in your lighting. Well worth the money spent. Fantastic flash as part of lighting set ups or on it's own.

Couple with the SD-8A and you can flash all day.

Very fast recycle speed with new batteries Hard to locate relevant information in the user manual. Some functions can be a bit cryptic at first.

DO NOT leave batteries in the unit when not in use, even for a few days.

Excellent – I owned this flash unit as it was a decision between SB-600 and the 800. they are both almost the same size and is actually a required unit if you are using any Nikon DSLR camera. As if you are using wide angle lenses with on board flesh, the chances is that you will see a shadow cast, and these flash units help you to avoid that shadow. For the SB-800 there is an option of putting an extra AA battery to make your recharge of your flash to faster and longer. This flash unit is not cheap and more for professionals if you are on a budget, I suggest the SB-600 and SB-400, otherwise a great flash unit Sleek, powerful, recognised by Nikon fans might be a bit bulky and heavy

Excellent – This is a very good speed light, well worth getting for its quality and versitallity. Its easy to use for indoor and outdoor situations and is not a huge battery drainer. I love its versitallity especially the built in flash card to give a highlight in the eyes. I've never had red eyes using this flash with the diffuser.The diffuser gives a soft light not too harsh and easy to use to produce good results. Haven't found anything yet