Strobist Flashes

I will always have at least one dedicated (E-TTL II) flash for on-camera flash. There are times (weddings for example), where the situations are changing rapidly and you don't have time to set up your off-camera strobes. The dedicated flashes work with the camera to automatically provide the correct amount of light for the scene. I could get an ST-E2 (infrared E-TTL II wireless transmitter) to have "the best of both worlds" - Off camera lighting that will meter with my camera. Unfortunately infrared requires line of sight and it isn't as reliable as radio transceivers.

Since I have been inspired by Strobist.com, I will always use off-camera lighting when possible. I use Pocket Wizards, so all of the settings on the flash are set manually. This negates any benefit that the E-TTL II provides. Since all of my off-camera lighting is done in this fashion, there isn't any real need to pay for the extra features of the 580EX II.

My search for a "Strobist" flash had to meet the following criteria:

• PC Sync connection - The only Canon flash that has this is the 580EX II :(
  
• LCD display to change settings - As cheap as the Vivitar 285HV is, I can spend a few more bucks
  
• Same power range as the 580EX II - I've been dabbling in high-speed flash photography
  
• Metal hot-shoe foot - I've had the hotshoe break off my 550EX
• External battery pack - I love 1 second full power recycle times and the increased number of flashes
  

There weren't that many flashes that met this criteria. There were two prominent ones, Nikon SB-80DX & Nikon SB-800. The SB-80DX is Nikon's previous top-of-the-line flash (2002). The SB-800 costs about as much as the 580EX II since it is Nikon's flagship flash. The SB-80DX fit the bill perfectly.

For those of you who are interested why I didn't choose the SB-80DX over the SB-26/28:

• Bythom review
• An excerpt from a discussion on the Strobist Flickr forums:
• I own both the SB-26 and the SB-80DX.
  
  A few points:
  
  The SB-80DX is not $80-100 more than the SB-26. The SB-26 typically goes for ~$125 in mint condition, and the SB-80DX typically goes for ~$125-150 in mint condition. I paid exactly the same for both flashes: $125.
  
  The SB-80DX has a much better interface. It's almost identical to the SB-800.
  
  The SB-80DX has a much more convenient lock/unlock mechanism (just like the SB-800). It's annoying to have to screw the SB-26 until it's tight.
  
  The SB-80DX has a much more convenient head swivel control (just like the SB-800). You can tilt and rotate with just one hand.
  
  I would get the SB-80DX unless you're not willing to wait for a decent deal or a really well priced SB-26 pops up. It's definitely worth paying an extra $25-$35 for the SB-80DX.

Update: 02/27/08

Now that I've received my flash, I thought I'd post a few initial thoughts

• There are no intermediate steps in between 1/1 and 1/2 power. It is a full stop. There are 1/3rd stop increments between 1/2 and 1/128. The 580EX II has 1/3rd stop increments between 1/1 and 1/128.
  
• The flash head rotates 180 degrees to the left and 90 degrees to the right. The 580EXII rotates 180 degrees in either direction.
• A dedicated modeling light button is on the back of the flash. The only time I'd care to use this is when I'm looking through the lens however (which is the only way you can fire the 580EX II's modeling light - DOF preview).
• 1/1 recycle time is ~3.5 seconds with my Sanyo Eneloops. 1/1 recycle is ~2.8 seconds for the 580EX II. I haven't had a chance to compare the power output between the units . I will get to that tomorrow when I have some free time.
• The built in meter might prove to be a nice starting point when setting up my lights. You input the iso and aperature and it will tell you the correct distance for the proper exposure. Unfortunately, the only way to change the iso is to turn the flash off and then back on. I do like that the available range for the iso is 3-8000 :)
• The SB-80DX comes with a diffusion dome (think Sto-Fen omnibounce)
• The SB-80DX has an optical slave. I haven't had the chance to test this out much in the real world, but will be testing it this week on a shoot. I will most likely be loaning a MultiMax to a friend during a shoot (so we can both shoot and still have 3 flashes) and will attempt to use the optical mode on the SB-80DX.
  

And since I know I'll be needing to refer back to this later, here are the timings - ripped directly from the manual. I have no clue if these are T.1 or T.5

Power Speed (sec)
1/1 1/1050
1/2 1/1100
1/4 1/2700
1/8 1/5900
1/16 1/10900
1/32 1/17800
1/64 1/32300
1/128 1/41600