Flashes for Nikon D60

[SaraJean]

I'm looking at getting a flash for my Nikon d60, but i have no idea what i'm looking for, as I've always avoided flashes because the only experience i have with them are on camera flashes that always blow out my photos.

Most of what I do is indoors, and with a fair amount of movement, I'm working with a newspaper ATM so my fall back outdoor natural light isn't working for me.

Any pointers would be great!
Thanks!

[OsmosisStudios]

SB-600 works best. More powerful than the onboard, allows for both tilt and angle control.

[inkista]

SB-900 if you can afford it, SB-800 if you can find it, or SB-600 if you're on a budget.

Basically, when you have to run'n'gun for event/PJ stuff, you're likely to be using on-camera flash, not off-camera. And i-TTL (which is where the camera & flash can set the power of the flash automatically based on through-the-lens metering) becomes very useful. It's similar to having aperture-priority mode to set your shutter speed. It may not be exactly what you want, but it'll be in the ballpark, and you can dial in compensation.

The main technique you have to soften the light and make it more flattering is bouncing the light. That's where you point the light at a reflective surface (usually a ceiling or wall) and use the reflected light as your illumination source. This diffuses and spreads out the light and makes it softer. And you will want to choose the direction of your light. So having tilt and swivel to aim the light at a specific spot in the room is vital.

The SB-900 is your best choice because it can swivel 180° to both the right and the left. The SB-800 and SB-600 only do 180° on the left, and 90° to the right. So you're pretty much giving up 25% of your bounce surface options. For some shooters it's a minor inconvenience; for others it's a big deal.

The SB-800 and SB-900 are more desirable because they have more power and more features. With flash illumination, distance from your subject plays a huge role in how much you can light them up with a flash. Light falls off very quickly. So the "reach" of an SB-600 is smaller than that of an SB-800 and SB-900. The SB-800 is discontinued, so you have to hit the used market. And you may not save a lot over an SB-900. But the SB-900 is a fair chunk of change.

An SB-600 is still a good workhorse flash, and well worth the money. But if you plan on using flash heavily and regularly, a higher-end model is going to be more versatile.

If even an SB-600 is stretching the budget, you can go with a third-party flash unit, like a Vivitar DF-383, and still get TTL function, but compatibility, QA, and build issues may pop up.