The Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras are nothing new, they've actually been around for years, but they are such a great tool for photographers, we decided to review them for 'ya.

We want to bring to light (hehe!) the fact that our studio product photographers keep buggin' us to review this speedlight because they love them so darn much. Our studio crew owns two of these SB-600 Speedlights and they do wonders with them.

This Nikon Speedlight is the answer to most lighting problems you would find when trying to flash a group of people. You pop it in to your hot-shoe (that little slot on top of your camera) and you are done. It is an easy step for a flash so powerful. Nikon has really put some thought into their speedlights. The flash can be triggered remotely by using the on-board pop-up flash. Nikon calls this the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS). Take note though, this feature is only available in their mid range to high end DSLRs, though it is known to work with some of the higher end Coolpix cameras as well with the use of some extra accessories.

The flash will work in TTL mode (adjust the flash according to what the camera sees "Through The Lens") and for the more advanced users it can be set to manual mode allowing the user to set the power of the flash in increments.

If you are not that serious into photography and are looking for a fancy flash for your DSLR don't waste your money on the SB-900, it will cost you twice as much for more power than you will probably need. I also wouldn't go for the SB-400 just because it is a minuscule step from the pop-up flash. The SB-400 also doesn't let you bounce light from the ceiling or walls which is one of the best advantages of these external flashes. In all, the Nikon SB-600 falls right in between and it is therefore the one we would recommend.

TIP: Flashes keep a great resale value so, don't be shy to put them on eBay when you want to move up. You can't lose (at least not that much).


THE GOOD
- Good construction
- Excellent flash unit delivers what it promises
- Good battery life
- Wireless capabilities

THE BAD
- Expensive
- As far as we can tell it can't be used as a slave for point and shoot cameras like its bigger brother the SB 900 can.

IN THE BOX
- One SB 600 Speedlight
- 1 Stand for the Speedlight
- User Manual / Warranty papers
- Pouch

WHERE TO BUY
Amazon

MANUFACTURER
Nikon

This unique LED ambient lamp from Philips can produce a total of 16 million colors allowing a user to set the lamp to display a huge range of colors based on the desired effect. The brightness can be reduced or increased and the color can be selected at will with the included remote control. The results is an amazingly customizable light experience unlike any other we've ever seen.

Check out the light in action here.

Found at Amazon.

Here's a nice candle holder that will go great in your living room. The candle holder is modeled after the Eiffel tower in Paris and stands at 45" high -- not quite as tall as the real tower, but tall enough. Its base measures 20" x 20" and it holds 20 candles of your choice. It is a majestic piece that always stirs up a conversation.

Peachy products brings us this delightful Seascape glow-in-the dark lamp. When off, the light shows different sea levels and names of animals at those depths. When you turn on the light and it is dark, illustrations of those animals glow.

Found at Lauren Moriarty for £39.95 GBP or approximately $61.00 USD.

Ok, you got us: we are all a bunch of geeks and love these kinds of products. The Light O Rama is a must have for the Christmas junky that must have the best Christmas display in their neighborhood.

Sit back and imagine a synchronized light show to your favorite Christmas tunes at your home. Are you done imagining? We know what you are thinking, you probably have no programming experience and think, well it'd be cool but I can't program for squat. No problem. The guys at Light O Rama created a software that you install on your PC, which makes it real easy to program your light extravaganza visually. That's what makes the process easy. You can even download a demo of the software before you purchase to try it out.

So how much does it cost? There are different products at different price ranges, but the one that caught our attention is the 16 channel starter kit, which retails for $419.00. This particular unit can provide enough power to control a 9,000 mini-light display.

Anyway it's always better to see what this stuff can do, so here are two videos taken from Light O Rama's website to show you what its all about.

Enjoy!

Light O Rama 2008 Contest Winner 1
Light O Rama 2008 Contest Winner 2

You can get these at Light O Rama.

The Bacchus Table & Bedside Lamp at Pottery Barn is a jug-shaped lamp which has a top half that can be separated from the base of the lamp. This makes it easy to insert into the lamp a wide range of objects (one example shown above). You can probably already think of a thousand different things you can put in there. Go nuts.

The Brazilian designer Joao Bianchi is known for using stones in interesting ways. We've all seen Onyx lit countertops, but this was our first time seeing someone taking that concept and making something simple and affordable out of it: a $75 dollar translucent Onyx decorative lamp.

Both modern in design and beautiful in its simplicity, the Joao Bianchi's translucent Onyx Lamp, literally lit up the show.

Check them out at Biarts Decorative Arts.

Creative control is something we crave. Builtby Lamps gives us that creative freedom allowing us to design our own set of lamps via the inhabit web site. You get to choose the multiple parts that make up the base of the lamp in various shapes each ranging from .25 inches up to 4 inches. Once you do that, you choose from five different colors or four different wood swatches per piece. Your total price is determined by the sizes, colors, and finish (wood) you choose for each piece. The parts you buy are swappable, so if you are not 100% happy, you can re-design on the fly with the pieces you bought or you can order more color combinations from the web site. This gives you the freedom to repaint your room in the future and just swamp out the old for the new significantly easy. Slick.

For those of you design-challenged the inhabit web site also provides you with pre-designed lamps to make your life easier.

Check it out at the Inhabit web site.

Designed by Tomas Erel, Wallover, is a wall light fixture that can also act as a console capable of carrying a load of up to 44lbs. When you place and object on the lamp, the light engulfs it with dramatic shadows. You can build your custom Wallover by choosing the color and by choosing the lamp style. Colors include: white or black gloss, mirror polished stainles steel or brushed stainless steel. Light types include: large (S012) or small (S011 pictured here).

Ready for the price? 4.300 Euros.

Here at Service Villa we are always looking for innovative products that can make all our lives better. I recently went to a party and noticed a skylight over the kitchen area where the party was held. I couldn't help but notice how much this device helped without anyone even noticing what it was doing.

The use of a skylight provides natural light without the use of any electricity. Since the sun is a free source of energy it will not only reduce your electrical usage but also the strain on your utility to generate the power for you. Studies have found that natural light has a positive effect on humans emotions and psychologically. These same studies also show that people living in well-lit homes tend to be generally healthier.

Velux is one of the big players when it comes to skylights, roof windows, and sun tunnels. They make different styles and shapes to allow you to get creative. Velux skylights block out heat gain associated with UV penetration, while minimizing air leakage, keeping in place the conditioned air inside your home. They injects argon gas between the panes of all their glass and use low emissivity coatings to make sure their products are the most energy efficient and environmentally supportive in the industry.

Velux also features venting skylights. The venting skylights reduce the need for air conditioning throughout certain periods of the year, and when installed in bathrooms or places that can have moisture, they remove moisture and foul odors from the air. This in turn removes the need to have a bathroom fan installed, making it an even greener product.

One of our favorite features of the skylights in general is the privacy you get. You can have all your windows closed yet still get that much needed natural light. If it is nice and cool outside, and you purchase one of their vented units you could open the manual or electric vent and have some fresh air from outside minimizing your cooling costs.

If we all had skylight's at home just imagine the savings we could have and the carbon footprint that we could relieve.

The benefits of the skylight clearly outweigh their price. Specially when it eventually pays for itself after the money you will save on electric utility.