How does commander mode on a Nikon camera body differ from commander mode a on SB-700 Speedlight?

Question

My Nikon D80 and new Nikon SB-700 both offer Commander mode. I have two questions:

• When NOT in wireless mode (that is, when the flash is plugged into the hot shoe either directly or with a cable), is there any difference using commander mode on the body vs the off-camera flash?
• When IN wireless mode, I am able to use both the pop-up flash and the SB-700 at the same time. Is there a difference here?
• Does one take precedence over the other if I set both to commander mode?

Answer

The most significant difference is that the SB-700 can control flashes that are further away (it has more power and a zoom head) and can be swiveled towards a flash that is at your side. By turning the flash head you can also make sure not to spill controller signal on the scene. Of course, when you have several slave flashes at both sides of camera, you can't use the advantages of swiveling head.

When using the pop-up flash for controller, your SB-700 is free for using as a slave.

Cameras usually disable pop-up flash when there's a flash on hot shoe, so you can't use them both as commanders; is your camera different in this respect?

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