Some Advice Needed

[MattyO]

Hello everyone,

Im currently in need of a bit of advice. I suppose i have a main questions.

1) The onboard flash is broken on my d200, it is probably just a blown fuse or something similar... does anyone know if this is expensive to replace, as i can't really afford to have it sent back to hong kong to get it fixed under warentee.

2) I was looking at getting a sb-800 to help with lighting, and can that be used on camera to fire off my sb-600 wirelessly? Also, if the cost of getting the onboard flash replaced is too big, is it worthwhile just getting a cord for the flash, can that be used with the sb-800 to trigger the sb-600 wirelessly?

3) This is the main question, Im going on a road trip from perth to melbourne in may, and im looking at getting a decent wideangle/mid range lens to compliment the 70-200. Would the 17-55 be good enough? Or will i be wanting that extra reach of the 24-70 2.8 and missing the wide angle of the sigma 10-20 or nikon 12-24? Or can i make do with just cropping the 55mm to 70mm if need be and maybe stitching together a few shots if i want to go wide?

4) This question is probably in the wrong section, but what tripod and head combination should i be looking at.... don't want to go over the top, but i want somethign that will do the job well and reliable. Sacrificing a bit of weight for price isn't an issue.

Im just in need of a bit of direction atm... any advice from you guys would be appreciated.

Thanks
MattyO

[johnd]

Hi Matty,

Q1: No idea, but sounds expensive.

Q2: Yes the SB800 on the D200 hot shoe can be used to trigger other speedlights. Or as you suggest you can use a SC28 or SC29 cord to take the SB800 off camera and use it to trigger the SB600. Both ways work fine, but the cord does give you extra flexibility.

Q3: I got a Tokina 12-24 recently. I never leave home without it. Perfect for wide nature shots, great indoors as well. I've been doing some house interiors with it for a magazine article. It produces great results, as will the Nikon of course. You have the kit lens to cover 18-70, so why not go for a 12-24?

Q4: There's heaps of posts about this. The more you spend, the better equipment you'll end up with. Decide what price range you want to spend, then go check the posts and get what suits you for your price. You need to consider weight because you'll be carting it around, how much load you'll put on it, how much stability (flexing of legs) you are prepared to put up with, size and of course price. There are many different varieties of heads as well, so you need to research these and determine what your needs are and then buy with that in mind.

Cheers
John