Nikon SB-R200 / R1 Macro Kit

Nikon SB-R200 / R1 macro Kit

I bought the R1 kid as I enjoy Macro photography in my spare time, and when I learnt about the new Nikon R1C1 and R1 kits I was very excited to give them a try. Both kits are identical, with the exception of the SU-800 which is a commander unit that is included with the R1C1 but is not needed with the D300, D200, D70s, D80 & Fuji S5 Pro camera’s.

The kits come with two SB-R200

speedlights which are a little different from the SB-600 and SB-800 in that they cannot be attached to the camera. They are exclusively for off camera use and they work wonders in macro settings. I have since discovered that the SB-R200 speedlights are great little flashes in their own right however and I often use them in portrait settings with gels. You have to keep in mind that they were primarily designed for macro shooting and as such are not that powerful,so I almost always use them in conjunction with, not in place of my SB-800’s.

The creative lightning system of Nikon is just light years ahead of everybody else. If you are buying them for a macro setting, which is what I would suggest, you should also keep in mind that either the R1 or R1C1 can be used with more than two SB-R200s. In fact the kit is very complete as it comes with five adapter rings, diffusers, gels, stands and up-to eight SB-R200’s can be clipped on to the attachment ring included in the kit and the attachment ring itself can be used on a tripod. These are very useful little flashes, I wouldn’t buy them separately until you have bought one of the kits however as they are a better buy. Once you have the kit, I think you’ll find yourself adding one or two extra SB-R200’s as they are just so very useful.