Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

I actually paid almost double what it originally sold for before Nikon decided to pull the plug on it. And it is worth every penny of it. I take photos for both personal and professional purposes. I own more cameras and lenses that I care to admit publicly, including several "high end" flashes. Why this one? Two sets of reasons: First set (somewhat unique): One of my workhorses is a retro-style Nikon DSLR camera model called the Df. This camera has the look and all the knobs and levers that old SLRs did but the guts of the most modern (digital) DSLR. Built like a tank, it still has menus you can use if you are so inclined, but you can also look at it and or tweak all the dials and knobs. Like an older SLR it does NOT have a built-in flash. I do NOT want to go against this combination of simplicity and power by putting a gigantic high end flash on top of it that is 2X+ longer and heavier and much more complex than this one is. Second set of reasons: It has virtually all the features I look for in an separate flash unit: - great power (high number) - great battery life - highly reliable - very quick recycle time - batteries that are cheap, long lasting, readily available (easily found on on-a-pinch) - automatic control with complete camera interoperability - adjustable head !!! (up / down / etc) - includes a very attractive, compact and durable case to protect it when not in use. What it lacks, I can do without most of the time: and that is remote commander-style master/slave control of other flash units. Which I only use on special glamour shots. Nikon made a huge mistake discontinuing it, but you can fix that - however you'll have to either buy it used or if you want it new (like I did) you must order it from a merchant in Amazon or elsewhere that gets it from Japan where it is still for sale. The amazon seller I used, got it me in relatively short time and in perfect condition. Which for whatever reason included hand folded origami "thank you" notes. (a nice touch) Of course if you or someone you know will be traveling to Japan, have them get you a copy. The price is higher than original because in a Capitalist system, high demand drives the price up but in my mind it is still a value purchase. Everyone in the know wants this flash. It combines extreme functionality in a very very small package. The model Nikon put out to replace it has been neutered, so your real options for external flashes are still much more expensive. Larger too. Most of the time I shoot natural light with no flash. But when I do need a flash, this is the one I use. And it fits in just about every pocket of my clothes so all I have to do is pick it up and stash it. Even when I'm NOT carrying a bag. Now imagine all this at half the price (its original price). Nikon, wake up and smell the coffee. Bring this item back into regular markets.

There's a lot to like about the Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash . It may be small and compact, but that's where the beauty of this small wonder starts. It's the beginning, entry-level unit of the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS), and though limited in many functions that the larger Nikon Speedlights offer, such as the SB-700 or flagship SB-910, this unit make up for it in size and surprisingly good results for an on-camera accessory flash unit. If you look at the product description, this SB-400 is listed as being made "for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras" but there's more to it than that: it also works quite with the Nikon Coolpix P7100 along with a number of other Nikon digital cameras, as verified on Nikon's website. I've personally used it with my P7100 and D5000, along with the aging D200, and the performance has been excellent with each of these, primarily because of the i-TTL mode. The SB-400 was made to work with contemporary Nikon DSLRs made since 2004. It's small and it's not cheap, but its performance is surprising. Pros: * Excellent construction quality; the SB-400 has a metal hot shoe * Uses just two AA cells; excellent battery life * Fast recycling, about 2 ½ seconds * Shooting range 2 ft. up to 66 ft. * i-TTL fill-flash with CLS-compatible cameras * Bounce capabilities: 4 steps, to 90 degrees Cons: * No sideward head tilt In Use: The first thing that you'll note about the SB-400 when unboxed is the precision feel to the unit. I was surprised to see that it had a metal hot shoe, as so many flashes today have gone to plastic. There's also a lock lever on the rear, and it has indicators so that you'll know if you forgot to lock it. There's an excellent little zippered soft case that will store your flash and keep it from getting dinged up in your camera bag. The flash uses only two AA batteries that can be purchased almost anywhere, and though I'm not carefully measuring it, I get about 200 flashes per pair of batteries. I'm getting a recycle time of just over 2 ½ seconds with a pair of Sanyo eneloop Ni-MH 2000 mAH rechargeable batteries. The tilt head is excellent, and if you're using your Nikon in horizontal (landscape) mode, it offers four vertical positions of 0, 60, 75 and 90 degrees. But if you're holding your camera in the vertical (portrait) mode, then you'll have to shoot with the flash straight on or bounced off of a wall. It's a tilt head, and doesn't have a swivel head like the more costly Nikon SB-700 offers. The angle of coverage on the SB-400 is 18mm (DX-format) and 27mm (FX-format). For reference, this is the equivalent of about a 28mm lens on 35mm film camera. The flash coverage is excellent and generally well distributed. Tinting the head for a bounce effect will give you a softer effect, but if you need more, using a bounce card or the OM-400 Omni-Bounce Flash Diffuser for Nikon SB-400 will work, and there are similar devices. Suggestion: For many, the SB-400 may be all that's needed as an excellent step upwards for Nikon DSLR owners who need more than their built-in flash offers, but some may be perhaps looking for more. As stated earlier, this flash is the beginning, entry-level unit of the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS). It supplements my aged Nikon SB-600 in that respect, but in truth I use the SB-400 far more on a day-in, day-out basis. For those wishing to explore Nikon CLS and what can be done with it, I might suggest the Nikon Creative Lighting System Digital Field Guide by photographer Benjamin Edwards. This well-written guide offers an excellent overview of the creative control of flash at the photographer's command, and with Nikon's Creative Lighting System, flash control can be almost instinctive, and the possibilities can be endless and limited to the users own creativity. And there are enough creative tips, along with excellent full-color images and diagrams that can make use of the SB-400 even easier to understand. Summary: The Nikon SB-400 is an unpretentious, high-quality flash with all the features that many will actually use. But do you actually need one of these, considering that the built-in flash on contemporary Nikon DSLRs (and the P7100) are so good? Maybe not, but consider the SB-400 if you want an easy-to-use bounce flash, if you want faster recycle times than your camera may offer, and excellent coverage with your ultra-wide lenses. You'll also get more shots per camera battery charge, since your camera's built-in flash uses 2-4 times as much power; using the SB-400 means you don't use the built-in flash. Other flash features can be gimmicks that may even interfere with taking pictures, and will slow you down rather than get the job done. Considering all that this small wonder does, it's a 5-star recommendation. 5/6/2012

This is a simple flash that just fills a need for somebody who wants better results than the built-in flash of a Nikon dSLR camera without extra complexity. It does what it does, and quite well. The only controls on the unit itself is a on/off switch and a bounce angle. The camera's iTTL function does the work, and I have no complaints about the results. Just a perfect solution to get a softer, more diffused lighting for indoor photography by allowing you to bounce the light rather than direct illumination. The body is quite compact, and when mounted to my D80 body does not throw off the balance in my hands. It even is compact enough to fit inside of some camera cases while still attached to the body. It is also versatile in that you can improvise a bounce-diffuser for low-cost. Just cut a piece of 4x6 inkjet photo print paper to the same width of the flash, fold it in a "L" shape and mount it to the flash with a rubber band above and just behind the strobe. When the flash is pointed up to bounce, some of the light gets reflected forward by the paper behind the light and fills the subject a little better. Does the same as $40+ aftermarket reflector/diffusers. The SB-400 by no means will do the same job as a SB-800, because that flash is made to give more options for the professional in more demanding situations. But for somebody wanting a flash for simple indoor photography (perhaps not a large public hall) where there is a desire to bounce the flash for better photos, or shoot from a little bit longer range, this does the job for not a great deal of money. It would be better if the light could swivel as well as be angled upward for more bounce options. If that's important to you, then the SB-600 or SB-800 might be the right choice.

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.

I needed a good flash for my first digital SLR that wouldn't break the bank and the Nikon SB-400 is it. I can slip it on the D5100 and just shoot, the flash and camera work together. I like the tilting front that lets me use it for bounce flash. I'm not into bouncing light off walls yet so don't miss that it doesn't twist on the mount. Coupled with a snap-on diffuser it gives soft, even lighting. I don't expect to light a room with it, but so far I'm impressed with the power it has. Battery consumption seems pretty good. It goes to sleep to conserve battery, but wakens when I press the shutter release halfway. I've had it a month using it every other day and I'm still using the first two alkaline cells I put in. It is small enough to stick in my pocket and I can put the camera in the bag with it still mounted if I need to. It locks onto the accessory shoe so it won't slide off. Maybe later on I'll buy one of its big brothers, but for now The SB-400 does everything I need a speedlight to do.

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.

PROS: Amazingly compact, great substitute for my D80's subpar built-in flash, when used in conjunction with a diffuser or an omnibounce cap - the performance is terrific, sure beats lugging around my SB-600 to casual events. CONS: NOT, and I repeat, NOT compatible with the D200's or D80's wireless lighting system. Once the SB-400 is attached to the hot shoe - the wireless commander mode is rendered useless and you can't fire off another SB-600 or SB-800 wirelessly at the same time. I was hoping to use the SB-400 as a 2nd flash to go with the SB-600 to fire off wirelessly with my D80, NOT the case with the SB-400 - major disappointment. So the SB-400 is a "no-frills and just slap it on and shoot" flash. No swivel capabilities which may be a problem for portrait/vertical shots (unless you have a diffuser on it). My reasons for only 3 stars are mainly because you get what you pay for. My D80's built-in flash is pathetic and not very strong at all. I don't mind carrying the SB-600 along but it's quite bulky. If I'm going to a small event to shoot leisurely, the SB-400 comes in handy. If you have a D40 or D40x, this flash definitely works well with those bodies. But if you want more capabilities (mostly in the wireless lighting department), save a little more dough for the SB-600.

The SB-400 is a very good basic flash unit, small and fairly powerful for its size. The unit does not have any bells or whistles, not even a "test" button to manually trigger the flash, but it works wonderfully with the flash options offered through the menu of my new D5100. Certainly it is a vast improvement over the camera's built-in flash! Of note is that the unit sits high enough on my camera body to nearly totally eliminate the dreaded "barrel shadow" produced by the camera's flash. I use the SB-400 with a Stofen flash bouncer and the results I obtain are quite pleasing. Note, however, that the bouncer must be removed from the flash to adjust the flash head elevation. That's not a big deal, but be aware of it; it's easy to forget where the elevation is set because it's hidden by the bouncer. The bouncer I use with my SB-600 moves along with the flash head as its elevation is adjusted. The SB-400 is delightfully small and easy to carry along while mounted on my camera, serving as an everyday "walk around" flash unit; I now use my SB-600 for more critical shooting. But please note that while the case that comes with the SB-400 is very nicely made, its design leaves some things to be desired. Instead of being rectangular in shape (easy and cheap to produce), it is form-fitted to the flash unit... leaving absolutely no room to carry within it an extra doo-dad or two. There is not even enough room in it for the flash unit AND the bouncer. More importantly, the case has no belt loop or even a carry loop through which a carabiner could be inserted to secure the unit to a belt or strap or D-ring. Sadly, the case is of little use other than for protecting the flash unit while stored on a shelf or somewhere deep within a camera bag. Nonetheless, the flash unit is a great product and it is fun, easy to use, and produces wonderful results. It is well-deserving of 5 stars-worth of kudos.

Any product that earns four or five stars in 70 of 73 reviews cannot be at all bad! I don't claim to be a great photographer, but the worst products are the ones you never bother to use. Most flashguns are nearly as big as the cameras they are fitted to and are often more practical when set up separately on a table. Generally these devices are technically excellent, but will only come out of their cases when used for well planned indoor shoots of 'subjects' who are happy to be objects of photographic art. The SB400 is a little gem (it is indeed small) and can be clipped on in seconds to enhance nearly all forms of indoor photography. It is practical to carry about outdoors as well: being small and straightforward in design ensures that it is robust yet unlikely to strain its mounting bracket. True, the SB400 can't be 'turned sideways', but you can bounce off of overhead surfaces. In my view if this is not powerful enough you are either a very sophisticated photographer, shooting in a coal mine or, quite probably, using the wrong lens. Frankly, in 'everyday' circumstances, I'd be embarrassed to use most flashguns because they are so pretentious ('look at me- I'm a great photographer with lots of expensive kit'). No such worries here: this one is lightweight and unobtrusive wherever you choose to use it. Even if you do already have a big flashgun, you can buy this one for well under £100 and I suspect the other one may soon be on E bay. In fact that E bay sale will both pay for it and leave you with useful cash in hand.

内蔵フラッシュと違い角度を変えられるので、自然な仕上がりになります。かつ、小型で大げさにならないので、町撮りでも使いやすい。

Zugegeben: Er ist schwach, verglichen mit seinen 'großen Brüdern' oder entsprechenden Fremdhersteller-Blitzen. Und er ist teuer. Anfangs hielt mich das vom Kauf ab, inzwischen sehe ich es aber anders. Er ist sein Geld wert, den Kauf habe ich noch keine Sekunde bereut. Allein schon die Größe: Er ist wirklich so winzig, daß er in die Hosen- oder Jackentasche passt und trotzdem noch deutlich stärker als der kamerainterne Miniblitz (bringt schätzungsweise ca. die doppelte Leistung). Nicht, daß das für mich kaufentscheidend war, denn ich habe keine Hemmungen, notfalls auch auf ISO 1600 zu gehen, was die Blitz-Reichweite drastisch erhöht. Aber er hat eine wesentlich schnellere Aufladezeit als der eingebaute Miniblitz - solange nicht Maximalleistung gefragt ist, schafft er auch durchaus mehrere Serienbilder mit schneller Blitzfolge. Ein sehr wichtiger Punkt, da ich die Kamera sowieso immer auf Serienbild geschaltet habe. Außerdem ermöglicht er indirektes Blitzen, im Gegensatz zum eingebauten Blitz. Diese drei Faktoren gaben den Ausschlag. Für meine Zwecke ist der SB-400 vollkommen ausreichend und ich habe ihn (im Gegensatz zu größeren Blitzen) auch wirklich immer dabei. Er belichtet übrigens ausgesprochen zuverlässig, was ich von den beiden größeren Fremdhersteller-Blitzen (Nissin und Bilora), die ich zuvor einige Zeit getestet hatte, nicht zu 100% behaupten kann. Die waren zwar nicht wirklich schlecht, aber deren Schwankungsquote bei den Bildergebnissen (leicht unterbelichtet, leicht überbelichtet) erwies sich als deutlich größer. Angenehmer Nebeneffekt: Ich komme weiterhin mit einer relativ kleinen Fototasche aus und brauche nicht aufzurüsten. Bei den anderen Modellen wäre das nötig gewesen, aber der SB-400 hat nur ca. 1/3 der Größe und paßt immer noch irgendwo rein, sogar in die Seitentaschen. Fazit: Sehr kompakt. Sehr empfehlenswert.

Get one of these while you can. Nikon does not make them anymore & it's replacement is not as good. Sure glad I spotted this one here, as I couldn't find one in the local photo stores. This little guy is so handy when I don't want to carry my big Nikon flash. It's also more powerful than the on-board flash, plus you can tilt it up for bounce flash. Go to kenrockwell.com for an in depth review. Cheers!

Ya no es posible comprarlos nuevos por que está descatalogado pero es de los mejores flash pequeños que existen. Mucho mejor de los que sacaron a porteriori.