Talk to me about speedlights

I've been getting frustrated with some of my outdoor photos lately and realize I need fill flash to get rid of those raccoon eyes and harsh shadows. Also need to pay closer attention to location and light (I'm finally starting to see that). Will something like the SB 400 (for Nikon) be a good solution to this? If you have one do you use it that much and what else are they good for? Any extra stuff needed like cables, etc....?

i don't know anything about them. but i'll be watching this thread too. i don't know much about these, and i could use some help with some of my photos. i can take okay photos outside in the natural light. but indoor they do not turn out good unless my subject is near a window with natural light. i hve stopped using the flash on my camera; it just looks bad, and i'm glad i started realizing that,lol.

Get the best one you can afford so that you won't just end up wanting to upgrade later.

I use my Speedlight all the time. First, for regular flash usage (when it's dark), it's much better than the on-camera flash. Just getting it up away from the camera a bit helps, but even better, you can bounce it off the walls and/or ceiling for a nice diffuse boost of light when you need it. For outdoor use, it's great for back-lit situations or as you mentioned, where you need to fill in the shadows around eyes, etc. When you use it as fill-flash like that, you just turn down the power a bit on the flash.

I have no advice for you. I'm hoping that I get the SB600 for Christmas, but I don't think I'm going to.