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

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

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great multi-functional, fast, and compact flash
Comment: I bought this flash for my Nikon D40 and find this flash great for several reasons. It is very compact (smaller than your fist), comes with a protective case, seems to be pretty fast (hence the name Speedlight I guess), and best of all it is multi-directional so you can bounce the flash off the ceiling for superior looking indoor shots.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great beginner flash
Comment: I have the Nikon D40x. My brother, who is a professional photographer recommended this flash to me. I was concerned about adding extra weight to my camera. No worries here. The Nikon SB-400 is very light. It uses 2AA batteries (I bought rechargeables). It's very fast to get ready. And the results...Wow! I took some indoor pictures, bounced the light off the ceiling by tilting the flash up and the skin tones were beautiful. Very natural. It makes my pictures look (almost) professional! Even my brother was impressed! So, if you are looking for a lightweight flash to make your pictures look great, then I highly recommend the Nikon SB-400.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Best accessory you can buy for improving picture quality.
Comment: If you want to really improve your indoor photography, then an external flash is the best accessory you can buy! The SB-400 is great. It is small enough that it doesnt look out of place on the D40, D60 size cameras. It lets you fire the flash up and bounce it off the ceiling for a much better look in your pictures.

The only thing you need to go along with this flash is a good set of rechargeable batteries. It takes 2, and they last a good bit, but I wouldn't want to be putting alkaline or non-rechargeable batteries in it.

Its great overall. I never shoot indoors without it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Outstanding little performer
Comment: This diminutive little fellow is an outstanding performer. Not high-powered, but fully capable of meeting the needs of most amateur photographers -- much more power than built-in flashes with the very valuable bounce-flash that built-ins lack.

When I bought it, I knew it was "compact" but I was still surprized at its very small profile. Very much easier to carry along than typical automatic flashes. I only wish it were available in a version (slave version)that could be used on other brand cameras.

All-in-all, Ideal for me and many other amateurs.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Flash from a novice photographer
Comment: Here's a review from an average guy...maybe below average in regard to photography. I have owned a Nikon D50 for about a year. I primarily shoot in Auto, but make small jumps into manual-land. My problem is that I do not have time to experiment with family, work, etc.

At any rate, I just got the SB400. After reading Ken Rockwell rave about bouncing the old flash, I had to give it a try. Needless to say, he was spot on. Bounced flash gets rid of the shine and glare that direct flash can give you. It allows for a natural, evenly distributed amount of light in the picture--which hugely reduces shadows.

Even a total novice like me (but an enthusiastic novice!) can appreciate this added dimension to my pics. I think, if I am reading the specs correctly, I am getting double the range of my D50's pop-up. You can also realize the potential of your fps...it is a "speedlight" and this flash can keep up with my camera.

All in all, a superb purchase for the price. BUT...read all the specs on this little guy before buying. Make sure it does what you are looking for. I won't be "commanding" a bunch of these flashes, or rotating it to the side, or shooting from 150 feet away, so this was all I needed.

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