ahhh, yeah I feel like a nimrod paying US$399 for a factory demo SB800 when they were only around CA$350 brand new with Nikon Canada warranty a year or two ago... but I saw some photos comparing the SB900 to SB800 in size and I'm a guy who normally like things that are compact- if I'm not sacrificing anything else major. Then I checked the price of the SB900 at vistek online and it was $599, and the CA/US exchange rate is low again, so it was just enough to push me off the fence. Of course in the end (exchange, shipping etc) I probably only saved $100 or so getting the older model, and it was exactly that thinking that got me to buy the SB600 instead of the 800 in the 1st place (irony in that SB600 hasn't been superceded by a new model and is still available today at same price as it was then).

It's just like all my lens buying habits- should've just done the right thing in the first place, which usually involves not thinking too cheaply!

Wish I had a nice generous uncle like that!!!!