# A few Nikon SB-800 questions



## eclipse13 (Jan 2, 2010)

So yesterday my mom dropped my SB800 from about 5ft straight onto it's head. It will power on but will not flash. First thing I'm going to do is take it to a local shop and see if they can fix it, as well as contact Nikon and see what they say. 

Assuming neither of those work out, she said that she would replace it. Now I've been out of the new equipment loop for a while but it seems like the SB800 isn't made anymore. Does anyone know where I can get one of similar to the original price? Amazon has them for 899, which is more than double what I paid, and I won't pay that for one again. 

So, any suggestions on getting it fixed or replacing it?


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## IgsEMT (Jan 2, 2010)

ebay, craigslist, or sb900 but turn the thermosensor off


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## chip (Jan 2, 2010)

SB900 for $460.

Nikon SB-900 AF TTL Speedlight USA Warranty |BeachCamera.com

or used SB800 on Ebay.


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## kundalini (Jan 2, 2010)

I bought my first SB800 new for around $315US.  Subsequently, I have found Adoroama had used units for close to but north of the original price.  I like the SB800.  Certainly try to see if it can be fixed for a reasonable sum.  It's a little work horse.


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## KmH (Jan 2, 2010)

Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention the forums has a nifty search feature. More people should use it.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photographic-discussions/174075-uh-oh-dead-nikon-sb-800-a.html

The flash tube is likey broken. A new one is about $12. It's not hard to replace, though you have to be sure and discharge the capacitor bank so you don't get 
a big shock.

Nikon or one of their Authorized Repair Stations can do that for you, but it will cost more than $12.

It's possible, but not likely, something else is wrong.

One way to tell is to lightly shake the speedlight up near your ear. If you hear something that sounds like glass rattleing around in the speedlights head, I'd suspect a broken tube.

On a side note:





 
SB-600 too.


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## eclipse13 (Jan 4, 2010)

Thanks for the help guys. I'm usually good about searching but it slipped my mind this time. Following that link took me right where I needed. I just cracked it open and the flash tube is in 2 pieces. Looks like my mom lucked out.  I'm pretty handy with working on my own things (cars, guns, etc) so this doesn't look like it'll be a problem. 

Thanks again


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