Another quickie post, on a theme I've followed before.
Below are two D3S bodies, with Nikon Speedlights (OK, flashguns!) attached. One has my SB900 attached, the other the SB700.
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| D3S plus SB900, left, and D3S plus SB 700. |
The SB900 is a huge piece of equipment. I'm not the first to suggest that it unbalances even the big, weighty D3 and D4 pro bodies.
Nikon's SB700, as you can see, is significantly smaller. It's not actually that much lighter, but it has such a more compact, lower profile that it feels tiny in comparison. Even the big camera bodies feel much more wieldy with it attached compared to its bigger brother.
There are a few differences;
the SB700 can't take an external power pack (I've stopped using these anyway because of the already fast recycle time of the newer flashes)
SB700 can't run mixed manual/TTL remote flashes, though it can at least act as a master/commander.
And it's about 1/2 stop less powerful. Yep, ONLY about 1/2 stop.
As an on-camera unit, this one makes far more sense, most of the time, than the SB900.
And it's usefully cheaper, too.
