Thank you - this is by far the best introductory video. I have just purchased the SB700 to use with my Nikon D500. I know I am a few years late but thank you so much
Thanks very much. I've just received a speedlight SB-700 as a gift. Having never used a flash before, it's good to have this basic rundown. Thanks again.
I just got this flash and found this tutorial. Even though it is 7 years old, it certainly seemed to cover all the bases of the flash I just bought. Very clear, concise, and complete tutorial on setting up your flash. Thanks very much.
Just got this today for my birthday. Such nice build quality. I opened up the battery door, and it was sort of spring loaded to stay open (more fancy than just a spring). I can't wait to practice with flashes now that I finally got a replacement to my ancient, now dead Sunpak. Its like coming out of the stone age, with the wireless features this thing has, as well as the sweet LCD.
Just wanted to thank you. Your video is still helping people out. Just acquired this flash and was looking for some help getting to know it. Just what your video provides. Thanks!
I made my SB-700 purchase and while playing around I noticed you can't change the zoom setting if one of the filters are mounted on the lens. I"m sure there is a good reason but I'm just a newbie. I do agree this is the best review on youtube, sure helps to put the manual instructions into perspective.
This is the best video on a flash I have seen. Thank You Very Much For All The Information you put in to this. Most of the one's I have seen say that they are going to tell you everything. And don't say anything at all that make any since...
@decas115 - Depends on what you're shooting. The Nikon 18-105mm VR is a very good all around lens for the price. For a little more, you can get the Nikon 18-200mm VR which gives you more reach. And then there's the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS which gives you a constant f2.8 aperture as well as OS. Just depends on what you want to do with it. If you want more range, you sacrifice on speed. If you want faster glass, you sacrifice zoom range.
There was a couple of things left out from this review. The major one being the gels that go on the flash actually press on certain prongs which automatically sets the camera's White balance. Also, you don't have to continuously press on the zoom button to cycle through the options. Just like the other options, you can first press the zoom button and then use the jog dial to cycle backward and forward. Finally, you have to press the button in the middle of the on-off switch only to go to and fr
Matt, Absolutely EXCELLENT video review! I was looking into the purchase of a second speedlight to complement my SB-800 to build my basic Nikon D300 CLS and your video review along with Mark Wallace's video have done the trick. BIG THANK YOU for your comprehensive review of the SB-700...
+ArtoftheImage ...Matt, the Plastic Colored Gel covers were a major step forward for Nikon, and they were long overdo! When I think back, cutting and taping Gels was way behind the times. Although they came with the SB-910, they do fit the SB-900's just fine. They were a bit expensive as an accessory, but that's Nikon for you. Lighting has been much easier with them. ... Joe
I just got one of these and I noticed that you don't actually have to push the lock button when turning it on and off you only have to use it when switching to remote or master which is pretty nice
Very awesome explanation of this strobe. You may have helped me make a purchase for my Nikon D3200. I would also like to see sample strobe photos using the wider dispersion angle switch. And some with the diffuser cap. I'd like to see how it handles eyeglass wear glare and red eye too. But overall... Thank you!
@doormat321 - Yes, when the flash is set to Master it controls the remote flashes from the camera. It can also be put on a TTL cord like the Nikon SB-28 and used off camera and still be a Master controlling the remotes.
@gyulab1 1/200 is the camera's sync speed meaning that the if you shoot the camera any faster than that, the shutter will close before the flash has fired it's complete output, resulting in a shadow caused by your shutter's own rear curtain, which you obviously don't want. Some years before there was no actual limitation on the camera as to shutter speed so you could experiment with it, but you would get the shadow anyway so the manufacturers decided to lock that automatically
the 16-85mm vr is a very good lens if you want something a bit wider, im very happy with it. check out the review on photozone website it's a bit sharper than the 18-200mm ive had both
@decas115 - I'd get the SB-700 if you don't have any speedlights. I don't bother much with the add-on grips these days as I prefer to keep things small and light. You'll do more for your photography with a flash than with a grip.
+ArtoftheImage ...Great Video to look back on, (Matt, most of your videos are Great!). When I was upgrading my Speedlights, I chose to get 3 SB-700's, for less than the cost of 2 SB-900's, and it was enough light to get my through many jobs. Now that I have 4 SB-700's & 4 SB-900's though, I have found the Bare Bulb advantages of the Godox AD 360 II TTL-N , and I am so impressed with the Build Quality, that I've got 2 of them already, and many, many accessories are available. For those that don't want to buy overseas, they are available in many names, like Flashpoint, Molight, Interfit, Bolt and many more! One thing is lacking, and that is instructional videos are rare. I wish you would look into them Matt, maybe you can do a video or two!
I use a Nikon D5100 with a 18mm-55mm and a 55mm-300mm lens. I take photos of high school sports indoor and outdoor. I am starting to take a lot of indoor photos during the winter season. Such as swimming, basketball, etc. My Nikon D5100 internal flash seems like it's not just improving the photos of indoor sports and events. I am a beginner photographer who is learning about photography in school. I am looking for a basic beginner external flash for my D5100. Is this be a good flash to buy?
Great tutorial but I need help. I stored my Nikon Speedlight SB-700 in the drawer for 8 years. For two days, I’ve been trying to it up, changed batteries, but to no avail it, it is not functioning. What do you think I should try to do?
Thanks for the video. I have a question please. I have the Nikon D3100, if I get this flash & wanna use it as an off-camera flash can it be triggered by the camera alone, or do I need an extra wireless remote device to all the camera-flash communication?? Thanks once again..
i am in the same doubt as you, but i think i have the answer, and it is that u will need something to trigger the flash, for example the D7000 has a built in commander, and u can choose zones and groups from the camera menu, the D3100 doesnt have one, so u might either need to get a commander module, or just get cheap TTL radio triggers
Great review, Info from start to finish,some reviews waffle around. Keep them coming very interesting. I have this flash and love it had the sb900 but IMHO the sb700 is better.
does master mean that the flash has to be on the camera to control other flashs or its the primary flash off camera, iv never used fash but i would love to learn
Is the SB-700 it is setting itself to FX and 85mm? Better yet you could try setting it to FX and 85mm instead of the default FX-DX. I'm curious to what image area it is set at. Also as a workaround you could try disabling the AF assist lamp in the SB-700 settings.
Hi, I just purchased this flash. If I'm at a wedding and would be needing the flash and at some point I don't. Do I have to constantly turn the flash on and off the whole time? OR can I just leave it on and would it automatically turn on when I take a photo. I'm sorry, but I'm a bit new to this flash.
I have an elinchrom skyport and I want to use it to fire this flash wirelessly off camera. I see no port to plug my receiver into, is it possible to use this flash this way?
ArtoftheImage This is a great intro video. Thanks for posting. I bought this 2 days ago to use with my D5100. Do you have in depth tutorials, using this flash on-camera in various lighting situations? (indoors, sunny outdoors and cloudy outdoors, etcetera...). Also, is there a way to turn off the three short light-bursts before the main flash, to speed up photography time? If not, this flash cannot be used for action shots, or can it?
Marty.R Woodcock Since I had no reply I'll reply to my original query: To get rid of the short flash bursts, simply set the camera to flash mode. That's what worked for me anyway.
*WARNING*This might be a stupid question. I havent got a pocketwizard yet, so I am still using the pop up flash on my D300 to activate my SB-700. The only thing is that I can't figure out how to turn the SB-700 to manual mode when I have the selector switch on remote. How can I turn the flash intensity up and down when the selector switch is on remote?
Awesome tutorial. can you please tell me if I want to use other cheaper flashes as slave and Sb700 as master is that possible? if so what would you recommend
Hi great video. Some one gave one to me and just the flash so no manual and this has help me allot. Question: Up where it says TTL next to it on the right is a box with the letters BL. I didn't see it on our video. Unless it means battery low???? Also it goes into standbye mode rather fast. Thanks
Thank you - this is by far the best introductory video. I have just purchased the SB700 to use with my Nikon D500. I know I am a few years late but thank you so much
i have a SB600. And i was thinking about the 700 for my D750 and D610. I guess i am a little late too.
Thanks very much. I've just received a speedlight SB-700 as a gift. Having never used a flash before, it's good to have this basic rundown. Thanks again.
I just got this flash and found this tutorial. Even though it is 7 years old, it certainly seemed to cover all the bases of the flash I just bought. Very clear, concise, and complete tutorial on setting up your flash. Thanks very much.
Just got this today for my birthday. Such nice build quality. I opened up the battery door, and it was sort of spring loaded to stay open (more fancy than just a spring). I can't wait to practice with flashes now that I finally got a replacement to my ancient, now dead Sunpak. Its like coming out of the stone age, with the wireless features this thing has, as well as the sweet LCD.
Just wanted to thank you. Your video is still helping people out. Just acquired this flash and was looking for some help getting to know it. Just what your video provides. Thanks!
I had mine for a while and should have found this video back then. Thank you for the information.
I made my SB-700 purchase and while playing around I noticed you can't change the zoom setting if one of the filters are mounted on the lens. I"m sure there is a good reason but I'm just a newbie. I do agree this is the best review on youtube, sure helps to put the manual instructions into perspective.
This is the best video on a flash I have seen. Thank You Very Much For All The Information you put in to this. Most of the one's I have seen say that they are going to tell you everything. And don't say anything at all that make any since...
A true hero here posts. Thank you kind sir.
Great video, Matt. Comprehensive, concise and clear. Look forward to watching more of your work.
Michael Johnston Thanks!
Michael Johnston B. B. Be. B.
⁰
Thank you for a clear description of the SB700. I received it for Christmas. Your video helped me understand its use. Thank you.
First class tutorial. Mine was used (Mint condition !) but no manual. So this has been a great learning curve.
@decas115 - Depends on what you're shooting. The Nikon 18-105mm VR is a very good all around lens for the price. For a little more, you can get the Nikon 18-200mm VR which gives you more reach. And then there's the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS which gives you a constant f2.8 aperture as well as OS. Just depends on what you want to do with it. If you want more range, you sacrifice on speed. If you want faster glass, you sacrifice zoom range.
Matt we really miss you. RIP my friend.
☘️
An excellent, in depth video. The best i have seen. Thank you.
Excellent, thank you, I have been looking for a decent tutorial on this for ages, great stuff.
you don't actually have to push in the button on the selector switch when switching between OFF and ON, but you do for the other options :)
Just got my SB700. This was a great intro/walk-through.
Paul Bogan Thanks! Glad to be of help. Enjoy our SB700! :-)
There was a couple of things left out from this review. The major one being the gels that go on the flash actually press on certain prongs which automatically sets the camera's White balance. Also, you don't have to continuously press on the zoom button to cycle through the options. Just like the other options, you can first press the zoom button and then use the jog dial to cycle backward and forward. Finally, you have to press the button in the middle of the on-off switch only to go to and fr
great tutorial, having seen quite a few on this flash this is the Best by far.. thank you for making it all a bit clearer...
MegaFerret12 Thanks! Glad to be of help.
Nicely put together tutorial Matt. Thanks!
Nice video. You explained all of the features very clearly. Thanks
Good and explicit narration. Just bought an SB700. I have learnt few things more. thanks.
Matt,
Absolutely EXCELLENT video review! I was looking into the purchase of a second speedlight to complement my SB-800 to build my basic Nikon D300 CLS and your video review along with Mark Wallace's video have done the trick. BIG THANK YOU for your comprehensive review of the SB-700...
+ArtoftheImage ...Matt, the Plastic Colored Gel covers were a major step forward for Nikon, and they were long overdo! When I think back, cutting and taping Gels was way behind the times. Although they came with the SB-910, they do fit the SB-900's just fine. They were a bit expensive as an accessory, but that's Nikon for you. Lighting has been much easier with them. ... Joe
Am getting my 700 today. This was a perfect introduction overview. Many thanks.
I can’t believe he left this world the way he did. So sad, such a talent to us photographers ❤️🙏🏽
This video is great! Thank you! How do you know if your batteries are close to being dead? Thanks again!
Very informative video. It will be helpful if you can make a video using this flash in a studio/indoors and outdoors. Thank you.
I just got one of these and I noticed that you don't actually have to push the lock button when turning it on and off you only have to use it when switching to remote or master which is pretty nice
Thank you. It is very helpful and you explain it really easy. Thumbs up
This video is just what I needed. Better than the manual.
Just bought my SB 700 - great tour/guide - thanks
Excellent, clear video, thanks! My setting went to TTL BL and I'm not sure how to get it to return to just TTL. Thanks in advance.
Thanks, great overview...loving this flash but it was a bit intimidating...thanks for breaking it down so well
Awesome video mate. Looks like a nice bit of kit.
Well prepared and expected video. To the point covering all functions. Thank you
Excellent video! Very thorough explanation for us "Newbies".
I'm going to buy one right now.
Thanks . Excellent video. Just bought one of these.
Thank you, this video is a great intro to what the flash is.
Very awesome explanation of this strobe. You may have helped me make a purchase for my Nikon D3200. I would also like to see sample strobe photos using the wider dispersion angle switch. And some with the diffuser cap. I'd like to see how it handles eyeglass wear glare and red eye too. But overall... Thank you!
You're welcome! Glad to be of help.
Very clear and useful introduction. Thanks.
Glad you liked it! :-)
@doormat321 - Yes, when the flash is set to Master it controls the remote flashes from the camera. It can also be put on a TTL cord like the Nikon SB-28 and used off camera and still be a Master controlling the remotes.
Well done. Clear and concise. Thanks.
@gyulab1 1/200 is the camera's sync speed meaning that the if you shoot the camera any faster than that, the shutter will close before the flash has fired it's complete output, resulting in a shadow caused by your shutter's own rear curtain, which you obviously don't want. Some years before there was no actual limitation on the camera as to shutter speed so you could experiment with it, but you would get the shadow anyway so the manufacturers decided to lock that automatically
great explanation clearly and slowly stated. 10/10 thanks
Great tutorial for more advanced users - was hoping for brief overview covering basic flash for newbies and less technical.
me too
thanks for the useful information. I'll go for radio triggers
Awesome Presentation but one Question? Where is the icon for the battery and how much you have left?
Excellent video. Very informative. Thank you.
This tutorial helped me so much. (More than reading the book even) Well done.
Thank you for a very succinct, basic overview of the SB700. Do you have a video addressing using several SB700s in master/remote functions?
the 16-85mm vr is a very good lens if you want something a bit wider, im very happy with it. check out the review on photozone website it's a bit sharper than the 18-200mm ive had both
@decas115 - I'd get the SB-700 if you don't have any speedlights. I don't bother much with the add-on grips these days as I prefer to keep things small and light. You'll do more for your photography with a flash than with a grip.
+ArtoftheImage ...Great Video to look back on, (Matt, most of your videos are Great!). When I was upgrading my Speedlights, I chose to get 3 SB-700's, for less than the cost of 2 SB-900's, and it was enough light to get my through many jobs. Now that I have 4 SB-700's & 4 SB-900's though, I have found the Bare Bulb advantages of the Godox AD 360 II TTL-N , and I am so impressed with the Build Quality, that I've got 2 of them already, and many, many accessories are available. For those that don't want to buy overseas, they are available in many names, like Flashpoint, Molight, Interfit, Bolt and many more! One thing is lacking, and that is instructional videos are rare. I wish you would look into them Matt, maybe you can do a video or two!
Great video, no waffle just info :) time well spent!
What's the different with using the dome or the panel, and does using the bounce card make much of difference? when would i use it?
Great vid! Can you please do one for the SB900?
I use a Nikon D5100 with a 18mm-55mm and a 55mm-300mm lens. I take photos of high school sports indoor and outdoor. I am starting to take a lot of indoor photos during the winter season. Such as swimming, basketball, etc. My Nikon D5100 internal flash seems like it's not just improving the photos of indoor sports and events. I am a beginner photographer who is learning about photography in school. I am looking for a basic beginner external flash for my D5100. Is this be a good flash to buy?
Thank you, very helpful & easy to understand
Fabrice Heeraman Glad to be of help
Nice overview. Thank you!
Thanks for posting this video. Has helped me immensely.
Thank you! This has been very helpful!
Great tutorial but I need help. I stored my Nikon Speedlight SB-700 in the drawer for 8 years. For two days, I’ve been trying to it up, changed batteries, but to no avail it, it is not functioning. What do you think I should try to do?
Awesome video mate!
Thanks for the video. I have a question please.
I have the Nikon D3100, if I get this flash & wanna use it as an off-camera flash can it be triggered by the camera alone, or do I need an extra wireless remote device to all the camera-flash communication??
Thanks once again..
I just got mine. It is quite good.
What is the difference between using the built-in diffusing filter and the accessory diffusing filter on the SB-700? Thanks
AWESOME review.. I'm sold..
i am in the same doubt as you, but i think i have the answer, and it is that u will need something to trigger the flash, for example the D7000 has a built in commander, and u can choose zones and groups from the camera menu, the D3100 doesnt have one, so u might either need to get a commander module, or just get cheap TTL radio triggers
Great review, Info from start to finish,some reviews waffle around. Keep them coming very interesting. I have this flash and love it had the sb900 but IMHO the sb700 is better.
does master mean that the flash has to be on the camera to control other flashs or its the primary flash off camera, iv never used fash but i would love to learn
would i still need a diffuser like the gary fong or does these diffuser that come with the camera does the trick
is it suitable for shooting weddings or should i go for the SB900 ?
Is the SB-700 it is setting itself to FX and 85mm? Better yet you could try setting it to FX and 85mm instead of the default FX-DX. I'm curious to what image area it is set at. Also as a workaround you could try disabling the AF assist lamp in the SB-700 settings.
which could be a good wireless remote for this flash and the nikon d3100
@ArtoftheImage is there a way to turn on infer red on manually
Good work and thanks for posting.
Hi, I just purchased this flash. If I'm at a wedding and would be needing the flash and at some point I don't. Do I have to constantly turn the flash on and off the whole time? OR can I just leave it on and would it automatically turn on when I take a photo. I'm sorry, but I'm a bit new to this flash.
May God almighty look after Matt and his family.
I wish you could be around to see the wonders that Nikon and others have done
Does this flash work with Nikon 35 mm film Cameras like Nikon F80 Camera ? Please advise and thanks for the comprehensive review.
@nerwin - Yes, the SB-700 is a more advanced, more powerful flash than the SB-600. That said, the SB-600 may be all you need and is less money.
Any chance you can make a video on the settings for a promaster FL1 for Panasonic
I have an elinchrom skyport and I want to use it to fire this flash wirelessly off camera. I see no port to plug my receiver into, is it possible to use this flash this way?
Does the SB-700 flash have to be attached to the camera shoe for it to turn on?
Nice! Thank you!
A must have for me!
ArtoftheImage This is a great intro video. Thanks for posting. I bought this 2 days ago to use with my D5100. Do you have in depth tutorials, using this flash on-camera in various lighting situations? (indoors, sunny outdoors and cloudy outdoors, etcetera...). Also, is there a way to turn off the three short light-bursts before the main flash, to speed up photography time? If not, this flash cannot be used for action shots, or can it?
Marty.R Woodcock Since I had no reply I'll reply to my original query: To get rid of the short flash bursts, simply set the camera to flash mode. That's what worked for me anyway.
*WARNING*This might be a stupid question. I havent got a pocketwizard yet, so I am still using the pop up flash on my D300 to activate my SB-700. The only thing is that I can't figure out how to turn the SB-700 to manual mode when I have the selector switch on remote. How can I turn the flash intensity up and down when the selector switch is on remote?
Awesome tutorial. can you please tell me if I want to use other cheaper flashes as slave and Sb700 as master is that possible? if so what would you recommend
I am thinking of buying this for a wedding I will be photographing soon, do you recommend?
Thank you for your information.
Hi great video. Some one gave one to me and just the flash so no manual and this has help me allot. Question: Up where it says TTL next to it on the right is a box with the letters BL. I didn't see it on our video. Unless it means battery low????
Also it goes into standbye mode rather fast.
Thanks
Great job on the video very informative and easy to understand. Thank you for making it.
do the molded gels come with the flash or are they an add you buy?
im not a pro but im getting a speedlight soon, should i get SB-700 or Oloong 690n???
thanks, very nice tutorials....
Hi, Are you asking about high-speed sync? The Nikon 5100 does not have it.
Excellent. Thank You!!!
Is this a good flash option if you just simply need an intuitive flash for still photography? I don't need the master or other functions yet.
Thank you! Really nice video :) I got all the answers to my questions ;)