The F601=N6006 is similar to the F70 in that it has the following
features and controls built-in:
- rear/front curtain synch
- slow/regular synch
- balanced/regular TTL
- flash exposure compensation
- flash exposure bracketing
plus ambient exposure bracketing.
There is no 3D flash metering and the TTL flash metering cell is
centerweighted, but I find it still very performant.
Too bad Nikon chose not to widen this generous approach to all their
bodies. With the F801, F90[x], F4, F5 and even F100, you have to use a
top of the range Nikon dedicated speedlight and/or a control back to
gain all these features. With the N6006, any Nikon-compatible TTL
speedlight suffices.
This is especially frustrating as, with TTL flash metering, all flash
controls are performed by the body (exposure, synchronization,...).
Putting a balanced fill flash/straight TTL switch on the flash is a kind
of nonsense as this sets a function on the camera. Consequently, you
need the right pair of camera and speedlight to gain access to all the
flash features (SB-24 for F801/F4, SB-25 for F90, SB-26 or 28 for F90x,
F5 and F100). Not so with the F601. The only drawback is that the auto
zoom feature of some flashes does not work with it. Really not a big
deal, IMO.
Nicolas.
