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From the very begining he was
very specific, he wanted his pictures taken over a black background
and something straight simple. So the shoot started with a few yards
of black canvas from Walmart in our garage. This shoot was a good
opportunity for a first test on the Nikon SD8a. The camera was set to
manual with the Nikon SB-800 as the master light and using the SB-600
as fill (see the pictures below). Many shots were done in TTL and
many in Manual Mode at 1/8th
& ½ power output on my SB-800. Recycling time
on the SB-800 was amazingly fast with the help of the 5th battery and
of course, the battery pack. The whole thing was done with only 1 set
of AA bateries and not only they lasted almost 340 pictures. The
flash behaved as it had a fresh set of batteries the whole time. He
changed clothes a few times, so we had a window of opportunity to let
the flashes cool down without burning them out.
UPDATE:
Upon request by visitors. I've been getting around 500 consistent
shots out of the SB-800 and SD8-A when used with 2600 mAh AA batteries.
The Nikon SD-8A comes with its
vinyl case and cables and instructions as seen above. No buttons to
mess with, basically a plug and play item. It has a red pilot light
that only blinks when you fire your flash; however, this light is not
visible because it is covered by the case. It has a belt loop, so for
those of you looking forward to use it during events will be OK. For
outdoors picture taking with it, this offers little help. In quickly
resolved the minor issue with an old point and shoot camera strap.
I know, you've heard about the
Nikon SD-8A but you've been trying to spot one for months and gave
up. This little fellow along with the Nikon MC-30 remote release
cable is on of the few hard to find items within Nikon's accessory
catalog. They are in production and yes, they can be found.
Don't just check in your favorite on-line store, actually many folks
are doing the same and that makes the item even harder to find if you
look in just one place. Try mom and pop's brick and mortar camera
store as well, who knows, it might be a little more expensive than
your on-line retailer but hey, personalized service many times is
worth it. Maybe next time you need something they'll look and hold it
for you, try that at your on-line store. Try also the big on-line
auction place, very often this item pops-up with sellers here in the
states as well as reputable sellers from Hong Kong. Since the moment
I started my quest, it only took me 2 weeks to get one.
Bottomline: Do I like the SD8A?
Yes indeed, it is a great piece
of equipment for every Nikon flash user. I have been using it
extensively on the field now and can't leave home without it.
*By
clicking on the B&H link below and buying this lens, you are
helping this site stay alive.
The SD8a
is compatible with Nikon SB-800, Nikon SB-80DX, SB-28/28DX, SB-27,
SB-26, SB-25, SB-24, SB-22, SB-20, SB-11.
Camera used: Nikon D200.
All files in RAW managed
with Nikon Capture 4.4. Minor adjustments with Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Lenses: Nikon 17-55
AFS F/2.8, Nikon 85mm F/1.8
and Nikon 105 F2 DC (Defocus Control)
*If you have
questions or if you'd like to discuss about this item,
feel free to sign
up to our forums. |
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Because of that, I use generic (but good performers) 2500 mAh from Digital
Concepts on all my flashes. With the 5th battery on my SB-800,
(kudos to Nikon for this) plus 6 on my
