New Flash Help?

[Katie_Belmont]

I have a D-40 and I mainly just do candid portraits of friends/family events.
Is the SB-900 sufficient for on site portraits and non-formal wedding photography?
Also, I'm not really sure what I need mount-wise? I don't need anything amazing, just something to eliminate unattractive hot shoe camera mounted flash shadows.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Chip]

Hi and Welcome -

The SB-900 is Nikon's best and most expensive flash. So, yes, it would do what you want (and then some). My main question, though, is it overkill?

If you just want a good flash to use on your camera's hot shoe (and aren't concerned with getting if off camera), then maybe the SB-600 would be enough flash for you at a much lower price?

I have the SB-600, and while it's not as powerful as the 900 and while it doesn't rotate fully as does (I think) the 900, it's plenty enough flash to bounce in most situations. And the lack of full rotation hasn't bothered me yet.

My 2 cents. There are many members here with much more knowledge than me, so I'll be happy to defer to them.

[inkista]

Yes, the SB-900 is sufficient. It's the top-of-the-line Nikon speedlight. And yes, it rotates 180° to both sides, while the SB-600 only rotates 180° to the left and 90° to the right (from behind the camera POV).

What might be more effective than a flash bracket to get the look you want is bouncing the flash. My favorite light modifier is Neil van Niekirk's "black foam half-snoot". Costs about a $1 and five seconds to make one from supplies at a craft store.

[kencaleno]

I use a black mouse pad for a half-snoot-Ken

[Katie_Belmont]

The reason I chose the 900 is because I really did want to experiment with off camera flash, but I haven't been able to experiment much with bouncing the flash yet so maybe that will work better. Thanks so much for the info. I look forward to playing with those modifiers.

[Trader]

You should not have any trouble bouncing the flash of an SB-900, they are a real pleasure to work with. I use two of them with my D300. Most of the time I just set them to TTL and put the camera on auto and it does a good job.

[Katie_Belmont]

I just ordered my Sb-900!
I was planning on ordering a sync cord to take it off camera but now I'm too scared to because a photographer aquaintance of mine said that the 900 has a larger foot than most and doesn't fit on some hotshoe mounts. So I'm not sure what to do. What's the best way to take it off camera?
This is what I was looking at ---> i-TTL Off Camera Flash Cord for Nikon SB800 SB600 SB900 - eBay (item 280369688630 end time Sep-08-09 02:34:32 PDT)

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Katie_Belmont

a photographer aquaintance of mine said that the 900 has a larger foot than most and doesn't fit on some hotshoe mounts.

Impossible. If the foot were larger it wouldnt fit in the mounts, making it useless. Its a HOTSHOE flash, so that's one of the few places that doesnt change.

[LoveDSLR]

The SB-900 may not fit into some cold shoes since its shoe foot is thicker.

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by inkista

Yes, the SB-900 is sufficient. It's the top-of-the-line Nikon speedlight. And yes, it rotates 180° to both sides, while the SB-600 only rotates 180° to the left and 90° to the right (from behind the camera POV).

What might be more effective than a flash bracket to get the look you want is bouncing the flash. My favorite light modifier is Neil van Niekirk's "black foam half-snoot". Costs about a $1 and five seconds to make one from supplies at a craft store.

For the half snoot, I use a black computer mouse mat-just the right size!