an sb-700

racefan

well im thinking of buying the sb - 700 flash but im not sure i want to. i just trying to figure out the advantage of getting it. i like doing sports and some wildlife. S far as my camera setup i have the nikon d-90, nikon 18mm-135mm, tamron 70mm-200mm and the tamron 180mm macro.

What are the advantages of having a flash ?

Zerodog

The advantage of having a flash is having a flash! Yes the sb700 would be a good one to get. Another good one to look at is the SB600. Either will work as a remote flash with the pop up flash on your D90 as the trigger.

ziggy53

An external flash, used properly, will do more to improve your photography than either a better lens or a better body. If you can get the flash off the camera, it can be better still. The Nikon D90 on-board flash can act as Commander and control the SB-700 wirelessly. Typical is to use the SB-700 as your "key" light and the on-board flash as fill.

Another thing you should invest in is a flash modifier. The ones that I use are:

DIY:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3

http://abetterbouncecard.com/

Joe Demb also makes an interesting device for sale (reasonable):

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/flipit/

I own a FlipIt product and it works well and is very well made.

racefan

i need to decide soon. i just dont want to buy it and then not use it. cause then i could use the money for something else. i know lighting is key to any good picture, its just thats its all new to me....thanks for the replies and help

time2smile

it sounds like you may not use it much, i would check out some flash sites to get an idea if it will fit your style. dont forget to look at the SB600 its still hot, and a used or refab goes for under $200. I started with one 600 and now have two and a 700, and three offbrands, they all come in handy, if you use them.

racefan

well i bought it because i figured i had the money and you never know when it would come in handy.

whats with the green and orange covers for it ?

Now i have to ask for any help and tips from the forum members for using this..

time2smile

congrats...

green and orange are gels, to change the color of the flash to match your ambient light.

green for fluorescent
orange or amber for incandescents

jonh68

racefan wrote: »

well i bought it because i figured i had the money and you never know when it would come in handy.

whats with the green and orange covers for it ?

Now i have to ask for any help and tips from the forum members for using this..

You can do yourself a big favor in reading the manuals and tip booklet that comes with the flash. Your question is very opened ended in regards to getting tips.

Tim Kamppinen

jonh68 wrote: »

You can do yourself a big favor in reading the manuals and tip booklet that comes with the flash. Your question is very opened ended in regards to getting tips.

After that, start here to learn about on camera flash:

http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/

and then go here to learn about off-camera flash:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html