The SB-800 is an awesome flash, very powerful, nearly as much light as some studio mono-lights. It includes an extra battery holder which makes absolutely no sense. The flash takes 4 AA rechargeable batteries and the extra holder has one more. It is unbelievably inconvenient to charge one AA battery by itself so I don't use it. I just have an extra set of 4AA rechargeable batteries ready. Th...

This is a pretty good flash. For relatively close in shots, this flash is excellent. It is far superior to the built-in flash, and gives the operator a great deal of versatility in shooting. At this time, I am thinking I want a stronger flash for certain settings so I might upgrade to the 580II, but for someone just starting out, this flash will more than do the trick. My only reservation about...