SB-700 AF Speedlight
High performance versatile speedlight brings simplicity to on-camera, remote, and multiple flash photography.
$329.95*SRPSRP (Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.
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Supplied Accessories
- AS-22 Speedlight Stand
- SW-14H Nikon Diffusion Dome
- SZ-3TN Incandescent Filter
- SZ-3FL Fluorescent Filter
- SS-700 Soft Case
SB-700 AF Speedlight
18
18
Yes, this is the one.
I am a passionate amateur photographer. I do not suffer sub-standard equipment very long. While I can't afford the very best equipment, the equipment I buy had better be worth my hard earned money. I originally was going to buy an SB-600, but they were discontinued, so I bought the SB-700. After reviewing the specs, I found that the SB-700 actually has slightly less flash power than the SB-600, and some other minor differences, that would seem to make it a lesser flash for more money. I wasn't too happy, but I needed a flash, and didn't want to go high-end, because the more expensive flashes were quite costly, and had functions I really didn't need. I got the flash out of the box, loaded the batteries, hooked it to my D7000, and started to shoot. I was frankly amazed. The shots looked like natural light shots. I used a snap-on diffuser to soften the light, and angled the flash head at 45 degrees, and the pictures came out really, really well. My first real test of the flash was at a friend's birthday party. No matter if the subject was back-lit by a window, or in shadows, or with a dark wall, the photos were balanced and crisp. None of the usual flash pictures where the foreground is blown out and the background dark. The flash filled in when it should, and fully illuminated when it should. Nikon has figured out how to get their cameras and flashes to work together with perfection. You may need to adjust FV or EV for personal taste, and pay attention to WB (2 colored filters come with the flash to compensate for artificial light spectrums), but the flash really works very well. The only thing I would suggest is to READ THE MANUAL. There are some important settings that make the flash work much better if you pay attention. I have not tried the flash in slave mode, but I would expect it to work as well. It's very well thought out and easy to use. I only have one small gripe. The battery door is rather flimsy, and doesn't open in the way you'd expect it to open, so it could easily break if you get all macho with it. Other than that, this thing rocks!
June 21, 2011
AF-Assist missing Function
Using the flash unit as a Auto Focus Assist is great but there are AF differences between the SB-700 and SB-900. The 700 has only 2 AF lamps while the 900 has 3 for help in very low light. Also, the 900 has an added feature .... the ability to use the AF-Lamps from the flash withOUT the flash unit firing. The 700 does NOT have this feature. Of course the 700 costs much less than the 900. Overall I love using the 700 on my D7000 with my Nikon CPU lenses. This combo is a joy to use.
May 28, 2011
Good and easy to use
It`s a good speeding, for good price, and easy to use and change setting on go.
February 13, 2011
Absolutely Amazing for the Price
I have only been using this flash for about 2 months now, but i am already in love with it. This flash made my new pictures extraordinary! I can barely even explain it. I haven't had time to fool around with the master and slave settings on it since i have nothing to do it with, but i am looking forward to buying a studio set soon to do such. It is so easy to use, it's practically able to be used out of the box. it just takes time to learn how to position the head around so you get the best bounce.
I can still consider myself an amateur photographer, but i am going to continue my passion and this flash helped renew my love for photography even more. I highly recommend it. Thank you very much Nikon!
January 31, 2011
SB-700, a versatile flash
One of the first tests I made with the new SB-700 was to photograph a proposed electric train layout which I have temporarily set up on a bedroom floor. Using the flash in the EVEN light distribution mode gave very excellent broad-range coverage across the room, a bit better than the SB-600 model flash I had used earlier. The SB-700 has several great features including a built in bounce card and a very easy to use menu system. It also auto-sets the zoom head for different lens formats and focal lengths when switching from DX to FX format lenses. Setting the flash exposure at +1 gives me slightly 'higher' histograms than the center point 'optimum' value, but this which is where I normally shoot flash photos anyway with an SB-600 flash and my D300s/D700 cameras. The photos all look really great. I look forward to utilizing more of the SB-700's offered features.
January 15, 2011
Not a bad Speedlight for the price
I just picked up this unit today with another SB910 3-28-2012 and tried it out as a Hair Light and also as back fill on a backdrop, for the price this is a great flash to have in the arsenal, I also want to use it as a subtle not so over powering fill light for when I shoot outdoor night photography coupled to my PocketWizard Flex5's, I see this as a great fill light behind pillars and out of frame fill flash in conjunction with my SB 910'S and 900's on my architectural night shots.
I think this would be a perfect flash for entry level shooters to use in tandem with built in flash bodies to add more unique lighting challenges as well as a great tool for more experienced shooters as well as perfect studio uses.
The reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is the slide switches on both sides (Mode selector) and (Illumination Pattern) I my self would rather have these in sub menus using the dial to select to eliminate 2 potential locations for contaminants from entering the flash body like moisture and dust that in time could render the switches inoperative? also from reviews from other people not necessarily here but they have complained about the battery door being flimsy and break off real easy, I have to agree that yes it could be beefed up a little more but if you miss handle the equipment or rush trying to load batteries or are just a gorilla when handling the flash that you shouldn't break the battery cover off, one other complaint I read was that it was to thin and the contacts didn't make contact with the batteries? well here again if it was within the first year take it back! Nikon will fix or replace the unit, I think that issue was a small isolated instance that things made by man can be faulty and do slip by quality control once in awhile but that is a case I think that someone just wanted to whine and complain for something I don't believe should be used to give the SB700 a bad grade.
Overall it is a pretty good flash, I haven't had enough time to run it through it's paces but the 6 hours I have used it today I think Nikon has a winner.
March 28, 2012
EASY TO LEAEN
I RECENTLY WENT TO THE PHOTO SHOP WHERE I LIVE TO PURCHASE THE SB-600 ; ONLY TO BO TOLD IT WAS DISCONTINUED AND REPLACED BY THE SB-700 . SO HAVEING BEEN TOLD THAT I WENT AND PURCHASED IT , OWNING SEVERAL NIKON DSLR'S I WAS HAPPY TO HAVE A GOOD QUALITY FLASH THAT I COULD USE ON ALL; PLUS THE ABILTY TO DO MANY CREATIVE FLASH TECHNIQUES I WAS SATISFIED OVER-ALL.
April 16, 2011
Shines in its class
I'm a retired wedding/portrait photographer, so people continue to be my main interest, although I'm now doing landscapes, etc. I have studio strobes so for really serious lighting work I use those. That being said, having the SB-700 along in my bag as a portable flash is an excellent addition to my gear. I like the included accessories such as the diffusion dome, incandescent and fluorescent filters, and bounce card built in. I quickly navigated the menus and set the custom options as I'd like them without having to take a college course in menus. Bounce flash for portraiture works wonderfully with this flash. One user here complained about having to put pressure on the on/off switch to put the flash in Remote or Master mode, I find that a great precaution against accidentally turning the flash on in a hurry and not noticing what you have it set at. If you want remote or master mode, you have to purposely put it there. All in all I think this is an excellent flash, built to Nikon's usual standards. I would have given it 5 stars except for the fact that in my personal case I wish they would have included at PC type connector like the SB-900 has for connection to external flash or Quantum Battery, but as I said, that's a personal wishlist and yes I probably shouldn't complain. Also, the battery door does seem a bit fragile, although most doors like this need to be approached carefully. Two thumbs up, Nikon.
January 30, 2011
A Great Investment
I used this flash and was blown away by the options to use it for, I shoot photography on the beach in Virginia Beach as well as the mountians of Lynchburg, Va and the ways that you can work with the lighting from this flashs was amazing
November 30, 2010
Good Flash however miss TTL mode
I recently got this flash. Overall I think it is a good flash, especailly since you can use this flash in Commander mode or Remote mode. However I very much miss the "TTL" or "i-TTL" option on the flash.
I truly think this is a basic standard control that should be on a Nikon flash of this calibler and price range. The flash displays good illumination and the contols are ok, much better in fact than on the (old but very good) SB800.
March 16, 2012
Somewhat Dissapointed
Before the flash had even recycled ONCE, before I had even put batteries into it, the battery door broke. It fell into several small pieces which scattered to god only knows where. Not only does the door seem flaky but the on/off button is poorly designed too, as it has a lock that must be depressed if you want to activate remote or master modes. As a flash it works well but it just does not seem like a quality assembled item.
January 25, 2011
Improvement over SB-600? I think not ...
I am a long time Nikon user and am quite familiar with most all Nikon gear. I could kick myself for not buying 2 more SB-600 when it was available. Right now, I would buy 1,000 units of SB-600 in a heartbeat at its original price ($180) over SB-700 ($330) and make money hand over fist. B&H is selling used SB-600 for almost $100 more than its original price. I for one do not find SB-700 to be more intuitive than SB-600 and I particularly dislike the new on/off switch. And, it has slightly less flash output than SB-600; I do not consider this an improvement.
Aside from this griping, it's a fine flash and not a big drop-off for most users from SB-900, which have been known to have over-active protection circuitry problem issue for heavy users. A luke-warm recommendation.
November 18, 2011
Great Ideas, Mediocre Execution
I was excited at first by the intuitive arrangement of buttons, and the new screen & menu system of the SB-700, which promised a vast interface improvement over my trusty SB-600. However, in practice, I found myself frustrated with my new flash.
My biggest 3 complaints are:
1) The battery compartment did not properly tighten itself, forcing me to press in on it when I turned the power on for the unit to actually power about half the times I went to turn it on. Minor defect in my unit? Maybe.
2) The power button itself. While the idea of a switch between Off>On>Remote On>Master On is great, the switch itself is thin/small and difficult for my big fingers to use. To get to Remote or Master, a button in the middle of the switch must be pressed, which was tricky at best, annoyingly difficult at worst. Major turn off in my mind.
3) The rotating dial with OK button in the middle for selecting things was, again, a good idea. However, I found it's operation tricky and difficult to control, and button pushes were difficult to consistently make.
Controls aside, the menu selections, options, etc. were all quite intuitive and easy to understand. It was the difficulty in executing the options which frustrated me, and led me to return the unit and stick with my SB-600's.
August 5, 2011
70 Questions | 87 Answers
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70 Questions | 87 Answers
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All
I would like to use the SB-700 as a remote flash along with the flash on my D3100.
1 year, 3 months ago
by
Liz
Connecticut
Location :
Connecticut
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Family & Friends
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: Less than a month
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
You can mount the SU-800 Commander on the camera hot shoe to use the speedlight wirelessly.
Answer:
Im pretty sure the D3100 doesnt support cls, could be wrong, so you will not have ttl, however, you can set the flash to SU-4 and use it that way it just means that you will have to adjust the flash power manually.You can get third party wireless controllers but again they dont support ttl so again you will have to set up manually if you go down this route.
1 year, 2 months ago
by
John
USA
Location :
USA
Age: Over 65
Favorite Subject: Travel
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Experience: Less than a month
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
John,Yes the SB-700 will work with the D300.
Kevin
Answer:
Yes, you can use the SB-700 with the D300, just make sure that the camera has the latest firmware version.
SB-700 AF Speedlight
2 Answers
can you use the sb-700 wirelessly on the d80 but also turn off the built in flash
I want to use by sb-700 flash wirelessly. but i dont want my d80's built-in flash to go off. is that possible?
1 year, 2 months ago
by
mike
los angeles
Location :
los angeles
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Portrait
Nikon Family: 2-5 years
Experience: Less than a month
Role: Just getting started with photography
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Yes you can. Just go to your flash/commander menu and turn it off.Answer:
Yes the SB-700 can be used remotely, however, the on board flash has to be used to control it thus technically you cant turn it off as it still has to send a signal to the flash unit. You can set it in the menu to -- but the flash will fire though you may get some residual light from the flash, you could of course buy the SG-3ir which sits on the hot shoe and so stops the residual flash from affecting your images.
Pretty sure I know the answer but I want to make sure.
9 months ago
by
deme
los angeles
Location :
los angeles
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Family & Friends
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 1-3 months
Role: Just getting started with photography
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
I dun think so. I have never tried the D5100 but if it doesn't have a Built-in Camera flash commander option, I guess it doesn't.http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9520/~/nikon-creative-lighting-system-%28cls%29
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/11938/~/how-to-use-the-built-in-speedlight-in-commander-mode-to-control-remote This one might not be updated yet.
Or if you have 2 SB700, you can attach one to your camera hotshoe to act as a commander unit for the other off-camera SB700.
But still check with your local Nikon representative first.
Oct 4, 2011 by
by
Zane80
Singapore
Location :
Singapore
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Portrait
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 6-12 months
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
Yes and no, no in that the D5100 has no CLS command built in. You can however use the flash in SU-4 mode but then it would be in manual and you would have to adjust the flash yourself.
SB-700 AF Speedlight
2 Answers
Used SB-700 in slave mode using the pop up on D3100 as master and now can not figure out how to get rid of the three pre-shot flashes. Please help.
5 months, 1 week ago
by
gnelly
Tx
Location :
Tx
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Family & Friends
Nikon Family: 2-5 years
Experience: 3-6 months
Role: Occasional user, memory keeper
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
The D3100 built in flash is not CLS compatible. In order to do CLS on a D3100 you'll need a SU-800 or a CLS master capable flash (SB700, 900 or 910) unit on the D3100.Answer:
Make sure your red eye reduction is turned off.
SB-700 AF Speedlight
2 Answers
Does the SB700 speedlite stay on when being used in video mode when used with a D3100?
i am wondering if u have the SB700 attached to a D3100 will the light stay on when u want to record videos.
4 months, 3 weeks ago
by
Legion
Torrance
Location :
Torrance
Age: Under 18
Favorite Subject: Portrait
Nikon Family: 2-5 years
Experience: 1-3 months
Role: Semi-professional photographer
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
I would not think so, there IS a burst of power to the flash when the signal from the camera comes in, but no, I dont think it would work like a light bulb.Feb 22, 2012 by
by
Anonymous
Eastern Oregon
Location :
Eastern Oregon
Age: 55-65
Favorite Subject: Landscape
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 6-12 months
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
Answer:
No SB-700 is not a video light it is not working in video mode, it is only for photography as a master or remote flashFeb 22, 2012 by
by
Nabfro
Egypt
Location :
Egypt
Age: 55-65
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Experience: Less than a month
Role: Semi-professional photographer
3 months, 3 weeks ago
by
JerseyJake
Clifton, NJ
Location :
Clifton, NJ
Age: 55-65
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 21+ years
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
yes, absolutely, very compatible...Jun 19, 2012 by
by
NikonD
Sedona, AZ, USA
Location :
Sedona, AZ, USA
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Sports
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
yes
Why is the SB-700 not listed as usable in the D90 user guide. is there some problem with the SB-700 & the D90 combo? The SB-600, SB-800 & SB900 are listed for use with the D90.
3 months, 3 weeks ago
by
Jimbo
Oxford, NC
Location :
Oxford, NC
Age: Over 65
Favorite Subject: Travel
Nikon Family: 21+ years
Experience: More than 20 years
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
The section for this SB700 flash has a list of cameras that are compatible with this flash and the D90 is listed.I personally dont know why they would not be compatible, the D90 specs says it is CLS supported.
You may want to check out the Support section on site for this flash or camera model.
Hope this helps...
Jun 19, 2012 by
by
NikonD
Sedona, AZ, USA
Location :
Sedona, AZ, USA
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Sports
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
It is compatible, here is the chart:http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/886/~/d-slr-and-nikon-speedlight-compatibility
Is it available the option Flash Value (FV) Lock with the D5100 ? How ? Regards
2 months, 2 weeks ago
by
d2fc
Uruguay
Location :
Uruguay
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Portrait
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 6-12 months
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
HiI see FV lock on flash, but in searching tech specs for your camera, it says nothing about FV lock on D5100.
I would suggest asking Support for help.
They will respond in a timely and efficient manner...
Hope this helps
Jun 18, 2012 by
by
NikonD
Sedona, AZ, USA
Location :
Sedona, AZ, USA
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Portrait
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
You will need to set the SB-700 in manual. The Flash value (FV) lock is not available in the D5100.
2 months, 1 week ago
by
Anonymous
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Location :
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Age: 55-65
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
To my knowledge none of the Nikon flash units can be powered by external sources.Would be a good question for Service and Support....
Jun 8, 2012 by
by
NikonD
Sedona, AZ, USA
Location :
Sedona, AZ, USA
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Portrait
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
No.
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Review
Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Review
by Rob GalbraithDecember 2010
Rob Galbraith posted a review of the Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight. He said the SB-700 Speedlight is a great addition to Nikon's Speedlight line. Galbraith noted that the smaller SB-700 has many of the attributes of the larger, more powerful SB-900 but without its bulk. He also noted that the SB-700 is a quiet flash; with an intuitive control layout.
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Review
Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Review
by Jim KeenanApril 2011
Digital Camera Review's Jim Keenan posted a review of the SB-700 Speedlight. Keenan was impressed with the improved user interface and simpler to use functionality over the SB-700's predecessor. He added that the new interface is more intuitive to use. Keenan also said that anyone shooting a lot of wireless flash with the older model Speedlights will find the SB-700 "refreshingly quick to set up for remote or master flash duty."
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