Which Flash?...?

[Chris-T-Photography]

Ok guys I need to choose something. I need to choose between the Nikon SB-800 and the Nikon SB-600. I am not going to post any of my opinions but a simple google search should bring up some info. Just post which you would choose and why. MEEEEEEEEEEEEERY CHRISTMIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JohnB]

The SB-800 for the simple fact that I like to shoot outdoors and you need all the power you can get. I have 2 580EX IIs and a 580 EX flash and have a difficult time sometimes on brighter days. Of course, I haven't mastered fill flash yet... I prefer to have the flashes as my primary light source.

[Chipe]

SB-800 for sure, for purely more power. Like John said above. I have been using 580exII's (canon man here) But I think I will purchase a Nikon next (probably the SB-900) for the power. 580exII has a ton of power but I here the Nikon SB-900 is the light to get. If you can swing the SB-900 I would do that. Not sure of the price difference from SB-800 to SB-900. But I have heard amazing things for the 900. For overpowering the sun you will need all the power you can get. But if you shoot indoors the SB-600 will do just fine. Its when you get outside, you can produce some amazing pics when overpowering the sun.

[jrome]

You might check out this review.

http://www.nikonsb900.net/compare-vs-sb800/

[Michael]

What do you use your flash for? If you shoot manual flash, it might make more sense to get a different brand of strobe or multiple smaller strobes.
After buying a 580 ex ii for $400, I purchased a canon 420 ez and 430 ez used for a combined total of $65. By having two smaller flashes, I can put them on radio triggers and have multiple light sources, or set them to full power in the same location and get an extremely powerful light source. This gave me a more powerful and more versatile system for $335 less then my 580 ex II cost.
The only disadvantage to doing this is that you lose some features such as high speed sync and through the lens metering, but if you are cash strapped, you might want to consider a similar solution, rather then purchasing a SB-800 or 900.