which one - sb800 vs vivitar 285

[brisomphotography]

I want to purchase a flash unit for my D70s and I def. want to get a SB800 however I only have so much funds and was wondering if the Vivatar 285 would be a good one to get to start off with along with a Gary Phong difuser.. is this wise? or would I be better off with an SB800 from the start.
thanks
bs

[brosig]

B-I'd probably look at the SB600 rather than the 285. The SB600 is much less expensive than the SB800 yet still will function much the same. I'm almost certain it will function in the slave mode w/ the built-in flash on the D70s for wireless TTL flash, a big plus over the 285. Then, you can build from there and get more SB600s or even SB800s when you can afford them. Hope this helps

Andrew

[brisomphotography]

yes that does, thanks, I did forget about the sb600 - that would be better then the v. i'll look into that - thanks.

basically what I'm after is the 800 as my main bracket flash then a buch of 600's for my fills that I can throw around a room (for interior house shots, etc) with some pocket wizards to go on them. etc

[Uncle Frank]

Originally Posted by brisomphotography

basically what I'm after is the 800 as my main bracket flash then a buch of 600's for my fills that I can throw around a room (for interior house shots, etc) with some pocket wizards to go on them. etc

If you're using SB800 and SB600 units, you can pick up an infrared Commander, the SU800, for far less than the cost of a bunch of PWs. The SU800 will control up to 3 groups of Speedlights in TTL or manual mode, and has a range of 60 feet or more.

[cyclohexane]

If you're using Pocket Wizards there's no need for TTL-capable flashes.

[Uncle Frank]

Originally Posted by cyclohexane

If you're using Pocket Wizards there's no need for TTL-capable flashes.

Correct. PWs don't control the remotes, they just trigger them. That means the photographer has to set the output for each remote manually, be they expensive SB800s or inexpensive no-name flashes. That's why the SU800 is such an interesting choice for folks with SB800/600 speedlights, which can be operated in remote iTTL mode. The tradeoff is that the PWs have more range. But personally, I have no need for anything beyond 60 feet.

[eClix]

I would go for the SB800 myself , you can use it as a master flash, the SB600 you cannot.

[brisomphotography]

mmm. very interesting - I didn't know about the SU800 - I will look into that
thanks

make sure I understand this. if I get the SB800 first and use that as my master flash - do I still need the SU 800? or ? and If I would get the SB800 how do I use both the SB800 main flash and the SU-800 along with the other 600's? kind of confused on this.


Brian S

[jazzology]

I like the idea of being able to control a remote flash value from the camera. I don't like having to use the flipup unit for commander mode on the d200... I don't want to spend the money on an SU800 now. I bought a 600 and wished I had sprung for the 800. went and bought a pricey nikon cable so I could leave the on board flash closed... Spent less than a hundred dollars on some cables, a 285, two 395's a 5200 (all vivitar) Playing with optical triggers is not always fun... just ordered a couple cactus v2s remotes from Hong Kong. Good thing Home Depot had 2500mah aa's on sale. If you are willing to abandon iTTL you can come up with some pretty inexpensive solutions... I'm not sure if this is a dilemma or a disease...

Did I mention that someone asked the difference between a strobe and flash... so I have also drug out an ancient weitz flash unit that uses a3 bulbs. It still has what looks like it's original 15v battery and works

Yeah...it's a disease .

jeff

[Uncle Frank]

Originally Posted by brisomphotography

if I get the SB800 first and use that as my master flash - do I still need the SU 800?

No, but if your objective is to use your flashes off-camera, having to use an sb800 in the hotshoe doesn't serve your purposes.

If I would get the SB800 how do I use both the SB800 main flash and the SU-800 along with the other 600's? kind of confused on this.

The SU800 fits in the hotshoe and becomes the Supreme Commander. That means all of your SB800/600 units become off-camera remotes, controlled by the SU800.

[brisomphotography]

sweet that's what I thought, thanks, Now all I need is a boat load of money and I'll be good to go! LOL

[TonyK]

I doubt the defuser will fit on the 285 (have both and know my current defuser will not fit a 285). Maybe on a 283 but not a 285.

Originally Posted by brisomphotography

I want to purchase a flash unit for my D70s and I def. want to get a SB800 however I only have so much funds and was wondering if the Vivatar 285 would be a good one to get to start off with along with a Gary Phong difuser.. is this wise? or would I be better off with an SB800 from the start.
thanks
bs

[Tom Swaman]

I have owned a 285. I now own and use the sb800. I also use this to control and trigger my other macro-flash unit. Nikon strobes are just about as good as you can buy and the diffuser that comes with the sb800 is quite good.

[brisomphotography]

well, then I decided I would rather wait longer and get the SB800 up front, right away, I got a b-day coming up next month and that would be a great present, got to let my folks know!