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!

By aldoviz - May 1, 2007

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...
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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.

By virtuaoski - Apr 14, 2007

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...
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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.

By gq331 - Jun 19, 2007

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...
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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).

By newhunter - Apr 1, 2007

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...
Read Full Review

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!

By DixonAgee - Feb 24, 2007