Flash photography is not easy for me. My manual focus lenses are harder to exact focus when it’s dark. The SB-15 is pretty simple and has good support in the manuals available online. It’s small and durable and there were many available online from the various companies that support film photography. I bought mine at an auction.
I use the SB-15 for my FE2 and my FG. It’s a nice compact flash that fits easily in a small bag. I’ve had pretty good success with it so far. I use TTL (through the lens) metering and the flash settings are easy. Because it works for the two cameras I use, I have been carrying it quite a bit yet I don’t use it as much as I thought.
I’m seeing that taking pictures at night, the quality of the images I get back is directly related to the time and thought I put into them. Although the SB-15 is small, for now, I hesitate to use it for any pictures that I really want to illuminate. As an amateur photographer, I’m still developing my skills and I’m trying not to waste film. Because the SB-11 is so easy and illuminates such a large area, I’ll back off using the SB-15 until I have a better understanding of flash photography. I’m still going to use it and I’ll keep this page updated to track my progress.
Adam, this is a great little compact flash. Using a flash so close to the lens axis can be a problem with “red-eye” on occasion- but that handy little bounce-flash head is super useful at avoiding this indoors. When you get more comfortable with using flash, it has the ability to adjust the flash output ratio manually also. Great for putting a little “pop” of fill-flash in a backlit subject for example. To save experimenting with manual flash using expensive film - use it on your D780 for instant feedback on how effective different ratios are for daylight fill.
ReplyDeleteI have the dedicated SB-17 version for my F3 plus the little Nikon adapter for a conventional flash shoe which allows me to use it in manual in the cold-shoe on my Mamiya C330S. Much more convenient than using a honking big SB-800 on a camera that is already a bulky lump…
Hi! Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I cleaned house keeping just a core of lenses and cameras. The SB-15 hid and made it through. I’m not sure the D780 is compatible but I’ll look now. Ok, no TTL, just full power flash
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