Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Customer Reviews & Product Details

Amazing battery life, works like a charm on Nikon D40. Fully integrates with camera exposure setup for setting own flash power, etc.
Ceiling bounce feature is very nice and gives you much softer lighting and professional looking shots.
It's very compact and powerful enough the same time.
Love it!

This is a very well constructed flash unit, easy to use, affordable, compact and light, I would rate this higher but it lacked a few features, but you should evaluate first what your using it for before you purchase it, if you need or use multiple flash units, need a fast recycle time, or going to use a remote this is not for you, This works for the occasional indoor shooter, It functions very well with my D200 and a 70-200 VR, In fact when I tested this unit, I said to myself if it does not function with this particular lens I would move on to the SB 6,8 or 900, but to my surprise it worked better then I had expected! If you over read this review or have any doubts then just move on up to the SB 600 or higher, you won't go wrong with any of them.

I purchased this external flash unit to use with my Nikon D5000. The main reason I wanted an external flash was so I could angle the flash to the ceiling and bounce the light. This unit works great. It is lightweight, recycles quickly, and provides enough light to work well in most indoor settings. I have also used it outdoors as a fill flash and it really helps there as well. All in all, I am very pleased with it. The only negative that I have encountered is that if you rotate your camera into a portait mode then your only option for bouncing the flash is off a side wall instead of the ceiling.

I have just finished taking about two hundred Thanksgiving pictures with my new SB400 and Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce (the two should be bought together). The difference, when compared to pictures taken with the in-camera (D-90) flash, are very positive and very substantial. With the in-camera flash, the lighing was harsh and uneven while with the SB400 and Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce, the lighting was gentle, even, and enveloping. I wish I had purchased this attachment earlier. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve the quality of their flah photography.

I like the bounce capability of this little flash. Not a real powerful one but handy to eliminate the "deer in the headlights" of the onboard flash. Recycles quickly and fairly easy on batteries. Nice unit.