Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for c? Nikon digital SLR cameras

Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Rating:
If you need a small flash that is a lot more powerful than the on-camera flash on your compatible Nikon camera, this is a great flash. More than anything, it’s a better than on-camera flash that also has bounce capability, which none of the on-camera flashes do. For me, it doesn’t replace a full-featured flash like and SB-800 or SB-600, but is a lot smaller and lighter for many times when you don’t need the big mama. It’s not powerful enough for instance to bounce if the ceiling is higher than 10 or 11 feet with lower ISO settings, where the SB-800 can still reach. I have found I don’t use it as often as I thought I would, but that’s really because I’ve not gotten into the habit of using a fill-flash as much as I should. That’s not the fault of the flash.

It is fully automatic, which really means there’s nothing to set or control on this unit. If your camera isn’t compatible, basically this flash won’t work for you. If it is compatible, it works great and seamlessly. I use it with a D200, D70 and CP8400, and it works great with all of them.

One thing to keep in mind is if you were thinking of using it as a “better” main flash on for instance a D200 in wireless remote flash mode, think again. Only the actual in-camera flash can be used in the remote commander mode on a D200. And, this unit is NOT capable of being a remote flash in wireless flash, either. So basically, don’t consider it as part of wireless remote flash operation. It’s a better than in-camera flash, not a wireless flash.

Also keep in mind as far as I know in the Coolpix line only the 8400 and 8800 are fully compatible with this. Most of the newer DSLRs are, though. If your camera isn’t i-TTL, it’s not the flash for you. Check the compatibility before you buy.

If you want a small and fully integrated flash for your Nikon digital, it’s a great unit.

Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Rating:
I really like this flash unit. The reason is simple: it is small and unobtrusive. Most flashes add weight and bulk to a camera, and I often find myself deciding not to attach the outboard flash to my DSLR. This flash, by contrast, is small and barely noticeable on my D80 or D200.

This is a no-frills flash that simply does its job and does it quite well. It supports Nikon’s excellent iTTL flash system. Granted, if you are shooting a wedding or some other professional engagement, this would not be the flash of choice; the SB600 or SB800 would do better. But for casual shooting where more than the built-in flash is needed, this unit is extremely nice to have. And of course by using this unit instead of the built-in flash of one’s camera, the user can get more shots from the camera since the flash does not drain the camera batteries.

The unit uses convenient AA batteries, which of course are readily available. I’ll take this over those sometimes hard-to-find exotic batteries that some flashes use. It is well-constructed and with a guide number of 21, does a good job. Highly recommended.

Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Rating:
You wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, be reading this if you do not have a Nikon with iTTL. It is compact and works flawlessly if you do not want to eat up your camera’s battery when using flash. Advantages of bounce over the direct flash on whichever Nikon body you own, is overwhelming. Do not expect a flash unit of this size to bounce off of a high ceiling, but a large index card overcomes that problem. There is not enough offset from the lens for fill flash with a large lens hood, but you can’t expect everything from such a compact unit. Although I have many compact non-Nikon flashes, the proprietary electronics of the present day Nikons almost requires using their flash systems to get optimum metering.

Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Rating:
Nikon has done a good job in positioning their newest flash units, which is to say that the SB-400 offers enough to make it a good choice for many people, while the SB-600 offers enough more to make it a better choice for others. Which one is right for you? Like everything, it depends.

I chose the SB-400 and probably keep it on-camera about half the time. Indoors the option to bounce the flash off the ceiling makes all the difference in the world, and I would almost never use the on-camera flash for indoor shots. Either bounce the flash, or use available light without flash, to get good photos of people. Outdoors, using the SB-400 for fill flash greatly improves pictures of people and many other objects being photographed at close range. The on-camera flash can be used for this too, but using the SB-400 gives much faster recharge times and more power, and is easier on the camera’s battery. It is especially useful when you will fire a burst of several shots in quick succession, as the on-camera flash will not keep up. The SB-400 will usually give you several good clean flash shots without having to pause between them. For all these reasons I usually keep the SB-400 on the camera if I am planning to use flash for even some of my shots.

Unfortunately the SB-400 lacks a couple of fairly important features. Since the flash head only rotates vertically, it can be difficult or impossible to use bounce flash for vertical shots – you have to bounce the flash off a wall, which might not be conveniently located and might not be white. That minor inflexibility alone will be enough reason for some people to spend extra for the SB-600. The SB-400 does not work with Nikon’s high-speed “FP” flash sync mode, which is important for outdoor photography because it means that you can not use a sufficiently high shutter speed to get narrow depths of field in portrait and other shots in good light: a true disappointment. Finally, the SB-600 offers much more control flexibility, including the ability to adjust flash exposure compensation right on the flash itself. This is important because it adds to the camera’s flash compensation adjustment range – there are circumstances in which the +1 EV maximum flash compensation of my D90 is not enough, and since everything is controlled automatically Through The Lens (TTL), there is no way to over-ride this other than killing TTL control altogether and switching flash control to manual.

There are of course other features that the SB-400 lacks, but these are the three that have actually gotten in the way of ordinary photography for me at times, and the three that have made me think twice about whether I should have gotten the SB-600 instead. An SB-600 is now on my long-term mental wish list. Fortunately the SB-400 performs quite admirably most of the time, and it is a nicely designed unit. It is fairly small, very light thanks partly to the fact that it uses two instead of four AA batteries, and it does its job unobtrusively. With just a few added key features it would be perfect.

My advice is to think carefully about the trade-offs and consider the SB-600 instead if you think you will use some of the features I’ve mentioned. Considering the total cost of the camera/lens/flash system, it might be well worth the extra $75 or so to avoid missing some of those shots that the SB-400 isn’t suited to helping with. For anybody looking for an easy-to-use flash, and who perhaps isn’t familiar with the concepts of bounce and fill, I’d recommend learning a little bit about them, as they will let you very easily make almost EVERY shot better.

Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Rating:
Just got this flash for my Nikon D80 and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a lot of flash in a small package for just over 100 bucks. It’s easy to use, easy to store, arrived in a matter of days, and has literally transformed my indoor images. Sure, I could have spent a lot more for the 600 or the 800 and gotten more pro-level capabilities but I just couldn’t justify the price. My logic: get this flash and see if it meets your needs. At this price, one can always upgrade later. So far, it’s completely exceeded my expectations.