SB-600 or SB900?

[katahdin]

I have a Nikon D3000 and have convinced myself that I "need" an external flash. Looking at the "Gear Thread" I noticed that Nikon users buy the SB-600 considerably more often that the SB-900. Besides the obvious price difference, what else does the SB-900 do that the SB--600 can't? Thanks for the help.

[OsmosisStudios]

SB-900 is more powerful, has a larger amount of angles for turning (180 L/R, 90 up and down), has commander mode (can command other SB units wirelessly), has the creative light modes (light shaping), comes with the diffuser, has a slightly faster recycle time, has a PC port and I believe it also has an SU-4 mode (can be triggered by a standard flash as well).

It's also substantially bigger.

[joeleszc]

Good recap on the differences between the two. I recently bought my second speedlight, I now own 2 SB600s. I just could not come up with the additional cash for the SB900. Its a big difference but it all depends on the type of photos you take.

[superduperwesman]

I have 2 sb-600s and now I wish even more that I had an 800 or 900... so far can't cough up the extra money. The commander mode would be nice which is the main reason I'd like one. To control my 600s with the 800/900 on camera

[OsmosisStudios]

What's nice about SB600s is that they can be triggered by the D90+ bodies, so buying two SB600s is often a better deal than 1 SB900. Of course, if it's going to be used entirely on-camera, the SB-900 is considerably more versatile.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by superduperwesman

I have 2 sb-600s and now I wish even more that I had an 800 or 900... so far can't cough up the extra money. The commander mode would be nice which is the main reason I'd like one. To control my 600s with the 800/900 on camera

Well... there's always the SU-800.

[sk66]

I have a hard time accepting the SB900 with it's large jump in cost. I would consider the SB800 over the 900...very little difference in capability other than chipped gells and a little power.
Personally I have 2 SB600 and one SB800 (need the 800 for commander function on my D3)

[JF808]

I use two SB600's and off camera I use it with either the SU800 wireless commander, and/or with CTR301P's THe SU800 is very handy I can control flash setting in TTL or manual mode right from the SU800, no need to walk to each flash unit to adjust the light output. Only bad thing about the SU800 is the line of sight IR trigger.

I cant really afford to upgrade to a SB900, and SB800's are hard to find. I also use older SB24's and SB28DX's

[katahdin]

Thanks for the input folks!

[superduperwesman]

How much is the SU-800? I think my D90 will do everything the SU-800 will? The main reason I want the SB-900 is so that I can use it on camera with my rayflash knockoff and control the sb-600s. The SU won't do that