Nikon Speedlight SB-700-There’s a feast of features in this mid-range Nikon Speedlight. Luxuries include full master and slave wireless functions; a range of illumination patterns to choose from; and downward as well upward tilt and full 180-degree swivel in both directions. It beats the competing Canon 430EX III-RT in all these respects, as well as boasting a bigger 24-120mm zoom range.However, wireless connectivity is limited to infrared.
There’s a good range of supplied accessories, including a diffusion dome and colour matching filters for both tungsten and fluorescent lighting. On-board controls are easy to operate, but you can only switch between Nikon’s TTL and
TTL-BL (Balanced Light) flash metering modes by changing the main exposure metering mode on the host camera body.
Performance
Despite having the lowest rating of any flashgun on test, at Gn 38, the SB-700 wasn’t far below some competitors in our lab results,and beat the Metz 52 AF-1 at the 105mm zoom setting. Recycling is fast and TTL accuracy is excellent. The Nikon
Speedlight SB-700 is quick when using NiMH batteries, but only manages half the speed with alkaline cells.
Nikon Speedlight SB-5000– Nikon’s newest flashgun replaces the SB-910 as the company’s flagship model.
Compared with the SB-700, it adds a more powerful Gn 55 rating; a longer 24-200mm motorised zoom
range, a programmable strobe/repeat flash mode; on-board
selection of TTL and TTL-BL modes; and the option of using an external power pack.
A new integral cooling system enables quick-fire shooting for 100 or more shots, even at full output power. Nikon has taken a leaf out of Canon’s book and incorporated RF wireless communication as well as infrared, although it’s not so well
implemented. Whereas the Canon 600EX II-RT features an RF transceiver, the SB-5000 only has a receiver and can’t work as a
master. To use multiple flashguns with RF, you’ll need the WR-R10 transceiver, plus a WR-A10 adaptor
if your camera has a 10-pin port,adding as much as £165/$200.
Performance
Continuous shooting stamina aside, the main performance boost over the Nikon SB-700 is in maximum
output power. TTL accuracy and recycling speeds are excellent.
source: digitalcameraworld photo:nikon
