SB 910 vs SB 700 Speedlight

[RedHeadCreative]

Hello everyone. I am sorry if somebody already asked this question.
I am looking to buy detachable flash, and am trying to figure out which one should I buy...
I own Nikon D-5500 camera and am currently comparing SB 910 with SB 700 speedlight. I wonder if there is a huge difference in photo quality? As I am only beginner, I've read specs and didn't understand much My detachable flash course is starting next week and I am looking to buy something before that..
I appreciate any advice. Thank you!

[Shadowman]

Did the instructor provide a required materials list? Couldn't you ask the instructor? If everyone comes into the class totally unaware of their equipment, the first day is going to be long and boring.

[Mike Buckley]

If you explain the type of photography that you plan to do with your speedlight, you'll probably get more helpful responses.

Considering that you're new at this, consider buying a used product from a reliable company. I have two speedlights that I regularly use in my makeshift studio and less occasionally at events. Both are perfectly good and were purchased used.

If you edit your profile to display at least your first real name on the left (see John's post) and your general location, people will also be able to suggest a reliable company in your part of the world for buying used products.

[Polar01]

Redhead I am going to answer one of your questions, "I wonder if there is a huge difference in photo quality?", answer NO, the quality of the photo at this stage of your journey is YOU. Both are very good speedlights, difference is the SB 910 has more settings than you need at this stage of your shooting so go with the SB 700.

Cheers: Allan

[RedHeadCreative]

Actually, yes, I've asked and no, instructor did not provide a required materials list. We are not required to own speedlight in order to attend detachable flash class. However, many students already bought external flashes, as it is much easier to learn when you have something to practice on. Now, you will probably ask why couldn't I ask other students what kind of speedlight have they bought. I did. Many of them bought Yongnuo, because of the price. Also, instructor sugessted that Yongnuo is pretty good for beginners, and also told me that SB 700 and SB 910 are really good for professionals. I did not want to buy Yongnuo, because I do not want to spend $100 now just in order to spend another $400 in a year for better speedlight.
I am sorry if my question bothered you. I just asked if someone could ( in one sentences) compare SB 910 with SB 700, when it comes to photo quality. I will definitely buy one of those two.

[RedHeadCreative]

Thank you for your answer, Allan!
It helps a lot!

[Shadowman]

Actually, yes, I've asked and no, instructor did not provide a required materials list. We are not required to own speedlight in order to attend detachable flash class. However, many students already bought external flashes, as it is much easier to learn when you have something to practice on. Now, you will probably ask why couldn't I ask other students what kind of speedlight have they bought. I did. Many of them bought Yongnuo, because of the price. Also, instructor sugessted that Yongnuo is pretty good for beginners, and also told me that SB 700 and SB 910 are really good for professionals. I did not want to buy Yongnuo, because I do not want to spend $100 now just in order to spend another $400 in a year for better speedlight.
I am sorry if my question bothered you. I just asked if someone could ( in one sentences) compare SB 910 with SB 700, when it comes to photo quality. I will definitely buy one of those two.

Question didn't bother me, it's just better to get advise from the instructor and most do provide required materials list. Additionally, you'd want to check for a speedlight that's fully compatible with your particular camera.

[Dave Humphries]

Warm welcome to the CiC forums from me.

Could you do me a favour please?
Could you click Settings (right at the top),
then Edit Profile (on left)
and put your first name in the Real Name field
and where you are (roughly) in the Location field,
then click the Save Changes button below and to right,
this helps everyone give you more personal and relevant answers - thanks in advance.

I'm probably the worst person to answer your question, because I don't own either and don't shoot with flash beyond the pop-up one on camera!

However, since you're looking for a simple answer, I'll try.

As Allan has said, the choice of flash is not going to materially affect image quality as long as you're working within the limits of the power of the SB-700. The SB-910 is a bit more powerful, so will work at a greater distance (e.g. 33m vs 28m for SB-700). The zoom feature has greater range of focal length on the SB-910, it is also a bit bigger and heavier, so might be more inclined to make the D5500 top heavy, but in time (since you're thinking ahead), you may upgrade to a bigger bodied camera anyway.

The SB-910 has more features, but that's only an advantage if you've the will to learn how to drive it properly, probably in combination with one or more other heads. This last thought means you could get the SB-700 now, keep life simple, and - if the bug bites - get an SB-910 in future, because you still may want to use the SB-700 as a second head for fill light or kicker use, so it wouldn't be wasted money.

Here's a B&H comparison chart of features.

I also found an identical question here, asked back in 2012, I have not re-read the answers there, but I'm sure it will help.

Cheers, Dave

[inkista]

...We are not required to own speedlight in order to attend detachable flash class. ...

Ok, just for clarity, by "detachable flash class" are you talking about a class that teaches you to simply use a speedlight flash on the camera? Or that teaches you about studio-lighting set-ups with a light that's off-camera--studio strobes or speedlights, or whatever. Or both? That's really going to determine what you need.

... Many of them bought Yongnuo, because of the price. Also, instructor sugessted that Yongnuo is pretty good for beginners, and also told me that SB 700 and SB 910 are really good for professionals. I did not want to buy Yongnuo, because I do not want to spend $100 now just in order to spend another $400 in a year for better speedlight.

As someone who has both $500 "professional" speedlights and cheapie Yongnuos, if you're going to do off-camera studio work, speedlights aren't typically the main lights a pro uses, and a brand-new SB-910 is more expensive than a brand new Paul C. Buff Einstein. So you may want to consider this in a different light. An SB-910 becomes much more your professional tool of choice if you're run'n'gun event photographer (weddings, red carpets, etc.).

Just bear in mind that any speedlight, even the top-of-the-line OEM model, may still be "training wheels" gear, if you're going down the studio lighting path. Because they run off AA batteries, and any strobe that plugs into a wall socket can deliver a whole lot more light/power. Think of the power/light that a flash can deliver kind of the way one thinks of the maximum aperture of a lens. You'll always want more. But enough may be sufficient.

In addition, studio light setups can be drastically different in terms of the number of lights you might need. To me, a good OEM speedlight is a better choice for a first/only flash, because you can use it both on and off camera in M or TTL--so it's suitable both for on-camera bouncing with event/social shooting, as well as for studio setups. But once you get into studio setups, cheapie all-manuals can be a really good bargain while you're learning and don't need pro-rock-solid gear with clients breathing down your neck, and it's an easy way to accumulate four lights (key, fill, rim, and background) without bankrupting yourself.

Between the SB-910 and the SB-700 the main differences in the SB-910's favor are about an additional stop's worth of power, a PC sync port, the ability to zoom to 200mm (more tightly), a battery pack port. It's also bigger than the SB-700. The power is going to be the main thing, although the PC and battery pack ports might make a difference for some off-camera triggering methods and in terms of how heavily you use the flash.

For beginning usage, however, it shouldn't be a big deal. The SB-700 can also be a CLS master, has full 360 degree swivel and SU-4 mode over the older SB-600 it replaced.

You could also consider purchasing a used SB-800.

As for a huge image quality difference? Nah, not really. And not really between a cheap YN and an SB-910 either. The difference is in power, convenience, reliability, and usability features. But image quality? A cheap flash that works can look pretty dang expensive if you know how to use it properly, just like an 18-55 kit lens or entry-level SLR body can. The trick is the "know how to use it" bit.


Panasonic DCM-G3 micro four-thirds (2x crop) camera with Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 lens.
Yongnuo YN-560 (mark I) bare in the left hand, triggered with Yongnuo RF-602 triggers.

[Manfred M]

I shoot both the SB-600 and the SB-900. They are the predecessors of the SB-700 and SB-910, respectively.

The SB-910 is very similar to the SB-900, with the overheating issues that the SB-900 had fixed. The SB-700 is a significant upgrade to the SB-600, in terms of usability and has many of the features of the SB-900 that I really like. I suspect that as a beginner it is going to be more than enough flash for you.

If I were to pick up another flash, would I go with the SB-700 or the SB-910? I would go for the larger flash just because it has some features I tend to use, but then I shoot a lot with flash.

[billtils]

RedHead

I doubt that it will matter any in regard to what it seems that you want to do with it. Unless you intend to do something that really pushes the limits, and/or spend more than you deed to, I'd go for the 700. But then I may be biased since that's what I use, supplemented on occasions with an SB R-220, both usually used off camera and fired with Nikon's CLS remote flash system.

Bill

[RedHeadCreative]

Thank you all.
I just ordered SB-700 from eBay.com.
If it wasn't for your answers and comments, I wouldn't know how to decide.

@Inkista
Thank you so much for a in-depth and uncomplicated reply.
At my detachable flash class we will be learning about using flash mostly in outside conditions, using flash as fill or key light, as well as multi-flash setup and different styles of shooting inside a studio or any other space. So, yes, practically, we will be learning only about external flashes and their effect on photography. Previously, we had Portraiture classes where we learned about studio lightening, light setup, strobe lights, etc.
Thank you for the photo sample. It seems that Yongnuo is pretty good, too!

Once again, thank you all. I really appreciate you taking your time and answering my question.

Maria

[Manfred M]

. It seems that Yongnuo is pretty good, too!

Several of the Chinese brands including Yongnuo, Phottix and Godox are very good.

The main issue that one has to watch for there is the level of automation / integration with your camera system. While they all make flashes that have good integration with your camera system (TTL controlled flash), they also have units that are totally manually controlled or units that have some degree of automation using on-flash technology only.

The other concern that I have with some of these brands is they seem to have their own proprietary radio frequency triggering mechanism, which tends to suggest that you need to stick to one manufacturer. With my Nikon Speedlights and my Paul C Buff Einsteins, I can use PocketWizards to adjust and control the units from my camera.