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Hello all,

Just received my new SB-800 Speedlight flash.


Bought it through EBay for $429, although shipping a bit steep at $80.

But the total price of $509, I thought was a bargain. Paid last Friday and it arrived the following Wednesday

It was purchased throuh T-Dimensions


Regards
Nige

I ordered mine through Birddog on Tuesday, received Wednesday at 2.15pm for $480 including shipping.

Nige,

nigels wrote:Hello all,

Just received my new SB-800 Speedlight flash.


Bought it through EBay for $429, although shipping a bit steep at $80.

But the total price of $509, I thought was a bargain. Paid last Friday and it arrived the following Wednesday

It was purchased throuh T-Dimensions


Regards
Nige

I think Birddog114 is selling this unit for $480 ex stock Sydney.
But $509 is better than retail price of $899.

Addition:

I have now found the thread:
http://forum.d70users.com/viewtopic.php?t=1276

Cheers,

I really wish I'd found this forum sooner.

Lusted after the SB800 but just couldn't justify the expense. Thought I'd done so well to find an SB600 for $499 ($100 off everyone else's price - there's just no competition in the Camera shops in Canberra) and even bought it earlier than I wanted too so I wouldn't miss out on the bargain.

Now I find this forum and the horrible revelation that I could have had an SB800 for the same price as I paid for my "bargain".

All I need to do now is convince myself that I'd have found all of those extra features and accessories far too confusing and wouldn't have taken advantage of them anyway ... as if that's likely!

Tough one there ru32day, but that is the nature of buying this stuff. Sure, it would have been good to find the forum earlier etc etc, but there are quite a few people here who have made purchases pre forum and then were confronted with cheaper prices through Birdie or Mr Poon etc.

My recommendation is to buy something else as soon as possible, and then that will be freshest in your mind!

Ru32, my suggestion is if you're really unhappy and the item is in good nick. Sell it on eBay. There is always some retard on there that will pay atleast 20-50% over what it's actually worth.

Greg B said

My recommendation is to buy something else as soon as possible, and then that will be freshest in your mind!

I have now gone down the Birddog trail and ordered three gems I found in these discussions (loop strap, 1GB CF card and a CPL). I can only hope that, once they arrive, the therapy works before I'm bankrupt.

There's always one more thing that you r-e-a-l-l-y n-e-e-d isn't there (and please don't mention VR)

ru32day wrote:Greg B said

My recommendation is to buy something else as soon as possible, and then that will be freshest in your mind!

I have now gone down the Birddog trail and ordered three gems I found in these discussions (loop strap, 1GB CF card and a CPL). I can only hope that, once they arrive, the therapy works before I'm bankrupt.

There's always one more thing that you r-e-a-l-l-y n-e-e-d isn't there (and please don't mention VR)

ru32day
Watch out on Monday, a sachet of AP will be delivered to your address.

SB800 zoom noise

should it make noise when auto zooming? Mine makes a stilted sort of noise and slows the AF - is this normal? I'm probably spoilt by the quiet 18-70 lens mechanism, but I can't find a reference to SB800 anywhere.

Nick

I think the noise is quite normal - mine does it too.
I can't say that I've noticed the it slows the AF though.

wow - quick reply - thanks.
it sounds really sticky, even when I zoom smoothly - odd.
Now comes the hard part - learning to use it properly.

Stick the light diffuser on it and it won't zoom anymore - constantly 14mm coverage.

Stick the light diffuser on it and it won't zoom anymore - constantly 14mm coverage.

seems to take more consistent pics too - thanks

onimod wrote:it sounds really sticky, even when I zoom smoothly - odd.

The zoom does sound sticky because it moves in 5mm increments.

Cheers

Matt

Got my SB 800 and I must say I'm a little overwhelmed. Even the basic instructions in the manual have me spinning. Honestly, the D70 manual I found wasn't too difficult as I had just read the F80 manual. But the SB 800 seems a little tricky to me.

Also, what kind of batteries does everyone use? Rechargables I imagine? I hear it really drinks up the power.

Dooda,

NiMh batteries are the way to go. Alkaline batteries have problems with high demand situations. It is all to do with internal resistance. I use 5x 2300mAh Energisers which last an honest 200 shots before I change them (well before they go off). With the cost of Duracells it makes sense to go for rechargeables. You will have the cost of 10 batteries and charger after about 10 battery changes.

Check this link:
http://www.mittoni.com.au/catalog/default.php/cPath/133?sID=04551360b7dc51f7b689a82ed9c97997

It is not suprising that the SB800 manual has your head spinning. It is very poorly written and not particularly informative. An absolute shocker! Thom Hogans d70 eBook is much better in this regard.

Cheers

Matt

I am still waiting for Thoms new Flash Guide E-Book to come out....can't find the print for under $100 us and it outdated at that! My 800 is noisy as well and I still haven't finished the manual 3 months later. On the contrary, I was very surprised by the 70-200VR manual. When I opened the box I was overwhelmed with buttons, switches, hood, collar....WOW. The manual basically said, attach lens, point, shoot. Push buttons to do other things. OH, that;s it huh? I wonder who writes Nikons manuals.

Andy

Hi Andy,
Not surprise me at all!
Nikon R&D Dept. knew very well about 80% of users never read manual/ handbook before playing with lens or camera.
10% of users will do the quick turn page to page, just have a quick look.
and the rest of 10% will read the manual once they could not work out their way.

So the manuals with all the gears nowaday is just for marketing and won't help you much in learning

The zoom does sound sticky because it moves in 5mm increments.

Cheers

Matt

ah - that makes a lot of sense now - thanks again

dooda wrote:Got my SB 800 and I must say I'm a little overwhelmed. Even the basic instructions in the manual have me spinning. Honestly, the D70 manual I found wasn't too difficult as I had just read the F80 manual. But the SB 800 seems a little tricky to me.

Also, what kind of batteries does everyone use? Rechargables I imagine? I hear it really drinks up the power.

dooda, you might find some useful info in this thread...
http://forum.d70users.com/viewtopic.php ... highlight=

I am very happy with the Varta setup, very fast charging. In fact, I am going to buy a couple of additional packs of batteries for other uses. Already have them in my cordless mouse, will expand use to a couple of radios. At A$20 for four AAs, they are very economical over time, and the fast recharge time (15 mins) makes them very convenient.

While Surfing yesterday I found this interesting Thread on DPreview, occasionally they have some good stuff happening ( Occasionally )

The no Techno Version On How To Get Going With Your SB800.

I thought it might be helpfull to others in our Community here.

Sorry if someone has already seen & posted.

Cheers,

Mic.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... ge=9720080

Thanks Mic, very useful. Great to see Thom Hogan mixing it up with the punters too.

I have cut and paste several posts for calm reflection and review.