Nikon SB400. Is it fixed at max output and would an SB600 give better results?

[Naboo32]

So, as you will already of guessed, I'm a newbie when it comes to off-camera (or rather, non built-in ) flash units, but I think it's time for me to take the plunge.

I do use the built-in flash on my D700 for various candid shots and indoor stuff and find the flash EV compensation to be a very neccessary (if a little unpredictable with regard to the results :|) feature. I was attracted to the Nikon SB400, because of it's size and price, but I can't quite understand whether or not it's possible to still adjust the flash EV setting on the camera and have it control the power of the SB400, or whether (as I read here somewhere) the SB400 always fires off at full power :shrug:!? Can anyone help me with that question, please?

I can't help thinking that not being able to control the output from the flash is going to be rather limiting :|. Unless I've just misunderstood (as usual).

I do need the ability to bounce the flash and like the idea of being able to add filters (as a lot of my indoor flash photos come out in "two tone" when I tone down the EV on the built in flash and use a longer exposure).

As I'm not shooting weddings etc. I don't really need a "pro" unit like the SB800 or SB900, but I'm open to persuassion on the merits of these units, too .

So, all opinions on these four Nikon models would be highly appreciated .

Cheers!

 

[Flash In The Pan]

The 400 is really designed to go with the D40/60 etc. The 900 is obviously the pick of the bunch and is well worth the extra £70 or so over a 600

 

[Naboo32]

The 400 is really designed to go with the D40/60 etc. The 900 is obviously the pick of the bunch and is well worth the extra £70 or so over a 600

Thanks for the quick reply, Stan .

I was also planning to use it on my D40 (a lot of the time), but mentioned the D700 in case of any incompatability problems with the more complex CLS functions on the larger camera :|. If I can get away with using the smaller and cheaper unit and only lose out on the off-camera functionality, I can live with that for now .

At today's prices, the SB600 costs 270 Euros and the SB900 costs 420 Euros (both in stock at the same supplier, so makes for a good comparison ), so there's quite a difference there . The SB400 is only 140 Euros and so if I buy it and later find that I want something better, I suppose that I could keep it exclusively for the D40 and go after the SB900 for my D700 :shrug:.

Sorry, just thinking out loud here. You know what it's like when it comes to making these kind of decisions !

 

[yoshi]

just to be clear, you know the sb400 does not support cls and can only be used with a sc28 or similar

 

[Flash In The Pan]

I don't think the 400 will work with CLS, only the 600,800 and 900 will. I know it sounds like a lot of money, but the 900 really is 150 € more of a flashgun than a 600. I bought one and was so impressed I went out and bought another the next week :nuts:

 

[aberal]

EV can still be used with the SB-400 as can the flash compensation button. So the direct answer to your query is that flash levels can be adjusted. That's about all the SB-400 can do other than adjust the flash to bounce off the ceiling in landscape mode - it doesn't work in portrait. It is a very basic flash but a million times better than the on-board thing.

 

[yoshi]

you can get a 600 on fleabay for £150 ish

 

[Naboo32]

just to be clear, you know the sb400 does not support cls and can only be used with a sc28 or similar

Actually Yoshi, I wasn't really clear whether CLS just referred to the various different flash modes on the camera and the EV compensation, or whether it was something altogether more elaborate. It's probably more to do with linking to other slave units and off-camera lighting, isn't it :bonk:?

As I hinted at earlier, I'm really a novice when it comes to photography that doesn't rely on 'available light only', hence my ignorance :shake:.

I guess what it boils down to is this: Will the SB400 accept all of the commands, which the built-in flash on the D700 responds to (+1 EV -3 EV as well as curtain snc modes etc.) and will the fact that I can bounce the flash lead to sunstantially better results than I get using the camera's own flash?

I'm guessing that the answer is, "Yes"; which is why I'm looking at it. Given my obvious ignorance on the subject of flash photography in general, I fear that I may not be ready for the SB900 yet .

 

[puddleduck]

I guess what it boils down to is this: Will the SB400 accept all of the commands, which the built-in flash on the D700 responds to (+1 EV -3 EV as well as curtain snc modes etc.) and will the fact that I can bounce the flash lead to sunstantially better results than I get using the camera's own flash?

Yes - I'm scared of flash and I don't understand it, but the SB-400 does all that, and does it rather well. Its not going to be great for bouncing off high ceiling etc, but its a nice little unit.

-Andy

 

[Naboo32]

EV can still be used with the SB-400 as can the flash compensation button. So the direct answer to your query is that flash levels can be adjusted. That's about all the SB-400 can do other than adjust the flash to bounce off the ceiling in landscape mode - it doesn't work in portrait. It is a very basic flash but a million times better than the on-board thing.

OK, thanks aberal, you've answered my question and confirmed the impression I had of what it can do and how useful it could be for me .

I think that I might just get one anyway and see how it improves things, then, if I find that I'm using the flash a lot more than before, I will relegate it to exclusive use on the D40 and just get the SB900 for my D700.

I take FITP's point about the extra cost over the SB600 - if the SB900 is that much more of a unit, then it's well worth spending the extra money in my eyes too .

Thanks for taking the time to help out a dummy, folks :bonk:. It's my first post in this part of the forum, but I've no doubt that I'll be back ....

 

[yoshi]

ha, I thought maybe I was missing something in your question. I reckon the SB400 is a decent flash, it can do all the thing the on, camera flash can do -/+ ev you can set manual flash and control the power or leave iTTL to do the work. if you need to get it off camera a sc28 or ebay jobby will work too. Bouncing the flash I htink does lead to better fill flash and you need one if you using a super wide angle as without it you'll get a shadow of your lens

 

[Naboo32]

Yes - I'm scared of flash and I don't understand it, but the SB-400 does all that, and does it rather well. Its not going to be great for bouncing off high ceiling etc, but its a nice little unit.

-Andy

You said it, Andy!

I'm "scared" as well - the basics of the (400 page ) D700 manual were enough to get my head around, let alone the pages about external lighting etc. :shake: !

At least the SB400 only has two switches - can't go far wrong there!

 

[aberal]

I have an SB-400 and for all its apparent limitations, rather like the little thing. It's simple to use, lightweight and fun and ideal for your D40. Having said that I am upgrading to a SB-600 to make use of CLS.

 

[Naboo32]

I have an SB-400 and for all its apparent limitations, rather like the little thing. It's simple to use, lightweight and fun and ideal for your D40. Having said that I am upgrading to a SB-600 to make use of CLS.

Well, I've ordered one now (an SB 400), so I hope that it will lead to better pictures (in situations where I'd normally give up with bumping the ISO settings past 1600 :shake.

We'll see .

Thanks for all of the quick responses and useful opinions guys, it really helped .

 

[Suvv]

You said it, Andy!

I'm "scared" as well - the basics of the (400 page ) D700 manual were enough to get my head around, let alone the pages about external lighting etc. :shake: !

At least the SB400 only has two switches - can't go far wrong there!

One switch

One LED
and one little lever that drops a pin to lock the flash onto the hotshoe.

Plus if the SB400 is on the D40 and switched on then if you turn the D40 off the SB400 goes off as well, when you turn the D40 back on the SB400 comes on ready to use.

 

[alexkidd]

slightly off topic, is the sb 900 easier to use than the sb 600 because the menu system on the 600 is just backwards :/

 

[Naboo32]

One switch

One LED
and one little lever that drops a pin to lock the flash onto the hotshoe.

Plus if the SB400 is on the D40 and switched on then if you turn the D40 off the SB400 goes off as well, when you turn the D40 back on the SB400 comes on ready to use.

OK, you got me ... one switch and one lever.


Well, the SB400 arrived yesterday and I had a little play with it on the D700 in my (dimly lit) living room. The results were even better than I had imagined . With the flash in the horizontal position, the lighting was fairly harsh, but seemed to be more evenly spread (at 28mm) than the built-in flash unit. When I started to experiment with the other positions, I found that pointing the head of the unit straight up and bouncing it off my (nearly 4m high ) ceiling, gave very natural looking results indeed, as if taken from a tripod-mounted camera in the available light of the room .

I've yet to try it out on people, but a friend of mine from work is having a 'leaving do' in a couple of weeks, in a dimly lit bar and I've been asked to take care of camera duties - now, thanks to the SB400, I think that I might be in with a chance of success !

The size of the unit is great, too. Even with it's (supplied) little carry case, it fits down the side of my Lowepro Toploader Zoom and so I don't even need to use a bigger bag. I'm a happy bunny once more .

Wonder how long it will be before I start getting SB900 GAS pains?

 

[kalibre]

slightly off topic, is the sb 900 easier to use than the sb 600 because the menu system on the 600 is just backwards :/

In one word, yes! I have both, and the 900 is a dream in every respect. Today for example I did a two flash portrait setup in a forest with the onboard triggering both via CLS. The 900 could be moved between remote groups in a doddle whereas I couldn't even be a&sed going through it again on the 600.

I'm seriously considering selling the 600 to get another 900.........(must stop spending........:bonk

 

[PauloWanClift]

I have an SB-400 and for all its apparent limitations, rather like the little thing. It's simple to use, lightweight and fun and ideal for your D40. Having said that I am upgrading to a SB-600 to make use of CLS.

I'm tempted by a SB-400 for its size, I don't like having a full sized external flash on, most the time I don't need it tilt and swivel.

 

[Naboo32]

I'm tempted by a SB-400 for its size, I don't like having a full sized external flash on, most the time I don't need it tilt and swivel.

It may be small, but it's plenty big enough for my poor little D40 .

Here it is in 'night time photography mode". I'm off out with it in a minute, to see what it can do in the (near) dark .

(N.B. This rather shoddy pic was taken using the built-in flash on my D700 and perfectly illustrates why I never usually use built-in flashes , apart from for fill-in light).

 

[PauloWanClift]

I had a Jessops AF360 (think thats what its called) and it was a pain on my D40, made it to top heavy to just cassually hang it on the strap off my shoulder.