Reviews for Nikon SB-400 Speedlight i-TTL Shoe Mount Flash

SB-400 Speedlight Flash

Strengths: Multi-position flash head eliminates hard shadows and burned-out highlights. Indicator light is very visible outdoors. It has fast recycling time with very good battery life.

Weakness: Sideways tilt function should have been included in the design. Doesn't fit snugly in the accessory shoe but the built in lock works very well.

This product is perfect for you if you own a D40 DSLR camera but you hate its built in pop up flash and don't want to buy a heavy and expensive external flash. Use the SB-400 flash when taking photos indoors and you'll love your pictures the way you've never loved them before. Enjoy!

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Perfect flash for D40

Strengths: Built-in vertical swivel for bounce flash, operates on only 2 AA batteries, small and light.

Weakness: No IR for autofocus, rudimentary status display (only one LED)

This is a perfect complement for the D40. Light, portable, inexpensive. And it only runs on 2 AA batteries! It can give better photos than the D40's built-in flash. For indoor portraits, the bounce flash gets much better-lit pictures. The flash cycles quickly, so multiple photos can be taken. And the flash definitely gives extra power for better lighting to telephoto shots. The SB-400 comes with i-TTL (allowing the camera to adjust the strength of the flash automatically) and a full range of flash modes such as slow-sync, red-eye reduction, rear-curtain sync, exposure compensation and manual mode (with D40). The flash head pivots up (really cool!) with steps at 60, 75 and 90 degrees, although it will stay at any angle it is turned to. The unit comes with a small padded zippered case.

The drawback is the "display". There is only one LED to show that the flash is on and "ready". If something goes wrong, there is a whole range of messages to memorize (4Hz = underexposure, 2Hz = battery low, 1Hz = overtemp). Overall, great value and a perfect complement for the D40 with the same spirit of lightness, compactness and value for money.

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You need to get this flash.. Pic

Strengths: -TTL -Simple, small, compact -Light (weight) -Powerful (on only 2 AA Batteries) -Tons of flashes -Landscape flash bounce

Weakness: -No swivel for portrait (sideways) bounce shots -Not powerful enough for continuous shots -No manual mode

I was using a Nikon CoolPix 5000 with a sb-600 flash and a wide angle lens. Wanted something smaller and lighter. Picked up a CoolPix P5000 with a wide angle lens. The sb-600 flash was bigger than the camera, so I borrowed a friends sb-400. Very skeptical at first, but the flash was able to help produce really good pictures. I then decided to purchase my own. I did 300+ pictures in 2 days without having to change the batteries in the flash. Still don't know how many more I can get out of it.


The only weakness that really bothered me was that the flashes are not consistent when you are doing continuous shots. It's not charging enough, but it still fires and the "ready" light is glowing red.


Other than that, I reccommend this flash for people who are looking for something small, compact, simple, and just need more light.


I've tried this flash on other dslr's, and it works perfectly. Don't be scared because it's so small. Take a look at my pictures.

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great portable flash!

Strengths: Produce proper natural flash light. Very handy & portable Great built in quality 4 degrees horizontal tilt features use 2 AA batteries.

Weakness: no swivel function. Horizontal bounce only if taking vertical position.

I use this with D50 camera. I felt this flash is very handy and easy to use. It might not fit well for proffesional photographer, but for regular use it mostly fit well with your needs. I bought this for less than $100.
The only downside is no swivel function. So if you take vertical position picture, the bounce will go horizontal. If you have problem with this just buy diffuser for around $20 (Sto-fen brand).

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Just Right Flash

Strengths: Works with Nikon DSLRs using the iTTL system. Stronger, Better than pop-up flash on camera. Works with wide angle lenses. Zillions of photos on 2 AA batteries. Turns off when you turn of the camera!

Weakness: Manual Mode only with D40. Not useful with multiple flash setups. No swivel for Vertical Frame ceiling bounce flash.

I'm just a regular guy who enjoys his Nikon D50. The regular pop-up flash is pretty good for impromptu use - but there are limits. The flash is harsh because it is direct ... what I really need is a portable flash with bounce capabilities. Stronger is always nice - but I don't need to light an auditorium.

I could have put down a wad of cash for an SB-600 or SB-800 but they are big, bulky, and have way more options than I need or will ever use.

Fortunately, they introduced the SB-400 just in time! This is a sweet little flash. It provides a bounce flash for flexibility. It's stronger than the pop-up flash. And the really neat part - it turns off when you turn off the camera. How smart is that? Best of all it's really simple to use. Simply - 1) Mount the flash and flip the lock lever, 2) turn flash ON, then 3) use the flash.

Are you into multiple flash setups? Don't get this flash. Do you enjoy using equipment that requires a PhD to operate? Don't get this flash. Do you need something that just does the job and all you have to remember is "On/Off"? ... then Get This Flash!

Oh and did I mention - the Price is Right!

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Great add-on to D40

Strengths: Super light. Really like the ability to bounce the flash.

Weakness: Only a few swivel positions. Also does not swivel side-to-side.

I have had my Nikon D40 for about a month now. (The D40 is my first DSLR, but not my first SLR.) One thing that I didn't like about it was the pop-up flash. There would be a long delay between shots if I had to use the flash. The pop-up flash is also very harsh because of the direct light. Using the pop-up flash made my pictures look washed out.

The SB-400 is small and light and comes in a tiny little pouch. I can't even tell it's on my camera.

I really like that I can bounce the flash by tilting the flash up. I took portraits of my DH trying the various settings--straight on and with the flash bounced. The bounced flash pictures look more natural and life-life.

I would recommend the flash--it's not very expensive and definitely well worth the price.

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Great Flash

Strengths: Small Little Flash

Weakness: Not as much power as I would hope

Flash is great if used with a D70. However, if you do a lot of bounce flash vertically, this only bounces off a side wall, not the ceiling as you can't flip the angle of the bounce flash. Overall good if you shoot straight on but a diffuser is definately needed for that.

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A Great Speedlight!

Strengths: The price is completely worth the purchase - a little over $100. Easy to use, compact, capable in its lighting abilities, and dramatically improves your photos.

Weakness: Swivels vertically only, but if you're like me and take mostly landscapes, it'll be a minor issue.

I wasn't certain if I would need a speedlight with my D50, but after reading up on it and seeing some pictures online, I was convinced that it would help improve my photos. And I'm happy to say that I'm very satisfied about my purchase. I'm an amateur photographer who lives in Washington (a lot of cloudy weather) and I have two kids whom I photograph a lot. I usually stick to my f1.8 lens because of the low light, and I actually stopped taking a lot of photos because it just wasn't bright enough. However, the speed light bounces that light off and it is just a world of difference. No more harsh lighting, blurry shots, and the details in the image are as good as taking a photo outdoors on a sunny day. I've even used my other 18-55 f.5.6 with the flash, without having to worry about a bad photo.

This is a must have accessory for the D40 or D50 owner. It is a nice, compact speed light that will just brighten up your subjects and make all your photos better. I couldn't justify spending almost 200 bucks on a speedlight but this was one of my best purchases this year. The controls are basic and effective. Check out photos on flickr using sb400 as a keyword and see for yourself!

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Taking pictures in low lights easy!

Strengths: Easy operation, excellent for beginning photographer, yet delivers very powerful lights when needed. It gets rid of that lens hood shadow.

Weakness: It does not swivel

I'm very glad I bought this flash to complement my new camera. Works great, just point and shoot without any complicated adjustments. Flash itself is very compact and easy to carry. It also comes with its own zippered carrying case.

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Nikon Speedlight Flash SB-400

Strengths: Lightweight, easy to travel with. Strong flash, ease of use, horizontal bounce, build quality, excellent locking hot shoe, simple on/off use, runs on AA batteries, fast recycle time.

Weakness: no sideways bounce which is difficult for vertical pictures

I bought this flash because of it's affordable price and the fact that it works easily with my Nikon D40X. The flash is very light so I carry it all the time. It uses AA batteries available anywhere. The flash is strong, recycles fast for multiple shots and locks securely to the camera. Simple on/off switch with no other controls. Excellent bounce flash but does not swivel sideways for vertical shots. This is a perfect flash for those who like to travel light but want something better than the built in flash. The build quality is excellent and the SB-400 even comes with a free case.

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Nikon SB-400 Speedlight Flash

Strengths: Stronger flash than built-in flash on my Nikon D50. Very compact, sturdy built.

Weakness: Red-eye appears to be more of a problem than with the built in flash

This is a great flash unit. I bought it for my Nikon D50 after reading several reviews on the internet. I photograph a lot of bluegrass concerts and took it to the first one tonight. The pictures taken while using this flash were very good. The only problem (and it is miner) was that I noticed the red-eye was more prevalent than with the built in flash. This can easily be fixed with photoshop or any other number of photo editing programs. I am very happy with this flash unit. It is very compact, easy to use, and is very sturdy.

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Handy flash that you will use all the time!!

Strengths: Small size, good illumination, light, price, flash tilt

Weakness: Does not seem to reach as far as I would like

As a new DSLR camera user, it was recommended that I purchase an external flash for indoor conditions. After looking at all of the speedlights, I decided on this due to its small size and weight. Since it is small I can leave it attached and it still fits in my camera bag.
I have taken about 300 pictures with it so far and it does the job OK. It does not reach as far as the manufacturers suggested 20 feet, but it does make a difference if you are close up. The flash tilts so you can bounce it. If you take a lot of indoor pictures that are far away, then I would investigate a stronger flash.

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Great little flash!

Strengths: Small size, bounce capability, easy to put on and take off.

Weakness: None.

This flash was just what I wanted for my D50. A compact flash easy to put on when I want to have a bounce, or stronger flash than the built-in.

Build quality is excellent on the flash, and the power light is easy to see in direct sun, and is not annoying in the dark. The flash also doesn't take up too much space in my camera case (and has a great little zip pouch included).

If you need more options than a basic flash with bounce capability, look over the SB-600 and 800 models. I think they got the price and package just right for this new Speedlight!

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Nikon Speedlight SB-400

Testseek.com has collected 4 expert reviews for Nikon Speedlight SB-400 and the average expert rating is 53 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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Best Digital Flash

Bestcovery experts have rated the Nikon Speedlight SB-400 as a best pick for the Best Digital Flash. Bestcovery's experts recommend the best products and services for a particular need based on extensive research and evaluations. Click below to see Bestcovery's full review of this product.

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