Ordered an SB-600!!! Woohoo!!

[herc182]

So i have been on ebay for about 2 month watching the price of these bad boys. In the uk they are about £170 (cheapest) from the shops.
I got it for £112 with delivery. So am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my latest camera thing :D

Any websites on its use i welcome (already onto strobist :))

Cheers

[Aldor88]

Cool, congrats on the new toy, be sure to show some pics when you get it! :).

[mugsisme]

Oh, congrats! I know you will enjoy it a lot.

I got rechargeable batteries for mine, because that bad boy sure does eat up batteries quickly. It takes 4 AA batteries.

[tcadwall]

I think I have accumulated 4 sets of Nimh AA batteries. I will sometimes (obviously depending on conditions) go through a couple sets in a day.

[herc182]

I knew there would be a downside!

Oh well, will have to get a battery utility belt..

[tcadwall]

It isn't really bad enough to worry too much about. But if you are going to be using it constantly for a venue, you will want to have an extra set.

I need a belt. (1 lens at least, remote, spare camera / flash batteries, flash modifiers, etc) Anyone got suggestions for good belts?

[TFitch85]

Hey.. Congrats on the new toy coming your way! I just purchased the Nikon D80 w/ 18-135mm kit lens, Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 lens, and the SB-600 Flash, which are all on their way and will hopefully be here by the end of the week. I had a quick question about the "Business card trick" for the flash. I will be using my camera mainly for concerts. I'll be taking photos for the band for use on their website, myspace, etc. I saw a video of a bands performance and their photographer was performing the "business card trick". I've never really understood how everything needs to be positioned in order for it to work. Can anyone enlighten me as to how I can do this? Would it be better to just get a diffuser for the SB-600? Also, any close up photos of this being done would be appreciated. Thanks!

[TNB]

It isn't really bad enough to worry too much about. But if you are going to be using it constantly for a venue, you will want to have an extra set.

I need a belt. (1 lens at least, remote, spare camera / flash batteries, flash modifiers, etc) Anyone got suggestions for good belts?

LowePro has several size belts (differing the number of "loops") with an optional harness. The belt is padded and the harness is nice if one is carrying a lot of weight. The loops are wide enough for the straps on the various LowePro pouches. I have noticed that some of my non-LowePro pouches (like my water bottle carrier) will not fit through the loops though there is enough room between the "buckle" attachments and the belt itself to attach things like the water bottle carrier.

For example, I may attach a couple of extra lenses and/or the teleconverter, SB800 flash, power pack, power cord, cell phone, iPod, water bottle, a pouch for CF cards, and a pouch for camera batteries. It may look sort of strange, but to me, it feels much better than trying to haul all that stuff in a photographer's vest or try to wheel everything around between barriers like a few other photographers I've encountered.

I also own an OGIO flight vest which has numerous pockets, loops, and a water resevoir (like a Camelbak)--very nice for shooting in the desert because of the weight distributon and water supply. The loops are kind of worthless, but useful to attach credentials.

If you are interested in the OGIO flight vest, you may want to check out motorcycle gear shops (or visit OGIO online, but it is more pricy online) since other "general" OGIO distributers, i.e. golf bags and other bag shops, might NOT even know of or heard of the flight vest. Or at least that is what I learned here locally. The flight vest is also more like a tactical vest with a water supply. Of course, a cheaper "vest" option without the water supply may only take a simple trip to a military surplus store.

[tcadwall]

Thanks TNB.

The business card trick is as simple as rubber-band wrapped around your flash head and bus card - with a bus card against the back of the head but projecting above/behind it. The head faces either directly up or on a slight angle from straight up.

You can experiment and spend a ton of money on different diffusers/bouncers etc. Many of the options either require too much time to master, and you end up never using them, or finding a different one that is easier to use. I haven't used a commercial one in years.

[herc182]

what the hell is the business card trick?

[K1W1]

what the hell is the business card trick?

It's so simple even Canon users can master it with enough practice.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/84/244330211_4ed4aba975_b.jpg

[tim11]

It's so simple even Canon users can master it with enough practice.

LOL ...

[herc182]

lol....
yeah but what does it do to the flash? is it a cheap reflector?

[imagesbyjudd]

Yes it can function as a simple reflector. I've occasionally used it with the head pointed to a white ceiling for bounce and the card provides additional fill for the face.

The 600 was my first with my d200, about 4 months ago also added an sb800. I didn't realize how much more you got with the 800. I'm going to buy 2 more 800's and give the 600 to my son. I just bought him a used d70. I'm learning to use the remote and lighting control that is part of Nikon's cls. Love it. Still have a lot to learn though.