What are the main differences between the Nikon SB-600 and SB-700?
Asked 10/10/2011
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I’m new to flash and want an off-camera flash for my Nikon D80. I’m comparing the Nikon SB-600 and SB-700. What are the practical differences between them, especially for a beginner? For example, the SB-600 has a slightly higher guide number—does that matter much in real use? If I later want to build a multi-flash setup, are there any important limitations or features I should know about?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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The SB-700 is the current replacement for the SB-600.
Technically it is slightly less powerful, guide number 28M rather then 30M as in the SB-600. But the tradeoff is that the SB-700 is faster, at a rated 2.5s recycle time as compared to the SB-600's 3.5s. This is a tradeoff, but a welcomed one if you ask me.
Some other features or improvements include:
- longer zoom range of 24-120mm as opposed to 24-85mm in the SB-600
- a bounce card for indoor catchlight
- new filters included
- filter information is now sent to the camera automatically
- built in commander to control other flashes
The reasoning to get the SB-600 is basically price, the reasoning to get the SB-700 is to have the current technology, with a faster recycle time and the option to control other flash units.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The SB-700 is essentially the newer replacement for the SB-600.
In practice, the SB-600 is slightly more powerful on paper (guide number 30m vs 28m), but that difference is small and usually less important than other features. The SB-700 makes up for it with a faster recycle time: about 2.5 seconds versus 3.5 seconds for the SB-600.
Other SB-700 advantages mentioned:
- wider zoom range: 24–120mm vs 24–85mm
- built-in bounce card for catchlights
- included color filters
- automatic communication of filter information to the camera
- built-in commander mode to control other flashes in a multi-flash setup
That last point is especially important if you may expand into multiple flashes later: the SB-700 can act as a commander, while the SB-600 is more limited there.
So the usual reason to choose the SB-600 is lower cost. The reason to choose the SB-700 is newer features, faster recycling, and better flexibility for future multi-flash use.
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