Nikon SB-400 Speedlight/Flash

This little flash is just that — little. Other features are sorely lacking yet it commands high prices on the used market. People are willing to pay more for a weak, feature starved flash because it is small, and perhaps because it is less complex.

This flash is 19 years old and was never really replaced with anything comparable (Nikon do this alot). Discontinued in 2013.

The head tilts up to bounce the flash off the ceiling. Just two rechargeable Ni-MH batteries can last for a rated 210 shots. This is no doubt due to the low Guide Number of the flash.

When compared to Nikon's entry level on-camera flashes, like the D3XXX series and D5XXX series, the SB-400 is more powerful and does offer bounce. It has red-eye reduction, slow-sync and rear-curtain sync — all available with the on-camera flash.

Complaints

This flash's Guide Number is only 69 ft. Compare this to the SB-800 with a GN of 125 ft. or to a SB-600 with GN 98 ft., a cheaper flash on the used market. For what it's worth, the SB-400 is superior to the SB-300.

For some reason, the camera's white balance must be manually set to FLASH when shooting JPEG. Otherwise, the white balance will be off. The camera and flash are supposed to work together to solve these kinds of problems. With other Nikon flashes, the camera can be left on auto white balance. If shooting RAW then this does not matter. Shooting RAW is recommended anyway.

This flash only covers the field of view of a 27mm lens which is not sufficient to say the least. It has the same flash modes that the built-in flash has save for commander mode. So, in some ways, this flash is inferior to the one built-in to some of the Nikon's pro-bodies. There is no AF illuminator to help with focusing in the dark.

Compatibility

This flash is compatible with Nikon Z and all modern i-TTL Nikon DSLR's and was designed for the D3XXX, D5XXX and D7XXX series of DX cameras.

Specifications

With rechargeable Ni-MH batteries (the best choice for a flash), the recycle time is 2.5 sec.

Electronic construction	Automatic Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) and series circuitry
Guide number (20°C/68°F)	21/69 (ISO 100, m/ft), 30/98.4 (ISO 200, m/ft)
Angle of coverage	Light distribution covers an 18mm lens when mounted on a Nikon DX format camera and a 27mm lens when mounted on an F6
Flash mode	i-TTL, Manual
Recycling time	Approx. 3.9 sec. with alkaline-manganese batteries
Number of flashes	Approx. 140 times with alkaline-manganese batteries
Compatible cameras	All cameras compatible with Nikon Creative Lighting System
Flash exposure control set on the camera	Slow-sync, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction in slow sync, Rear-curtain sync flash, FV Lock flash, manual flash
Bounce capability	Flash head tilts up to 90° with click-stops at 0°, 60°, 75°, 90°
ON/OFF switch	The ON/OFF switch turns the SB-400 on and off
Power source	Two AA-size alkaline-manganese (1.5V), lithium (1.5V), Oxyride (1.5V) or Ni-MH (2600 mAh) (rechargeable) (1.2V) batteries
Ready light	Lights up when the SB-400 is recharged and ready to fire Blinks to indicate: insufficient light/insufficient battery power/incompatibility of camera with SB-400/overheating
Flash duration	Approx. 1/1300 sec. at full output
Mounting foot lever lock	Provides secure attachment of SB-400 to the camera accessory shoe with a mount pin to prevent accidental detachment
Dimensions (W x H x D)	Approx. 66 x 56.5 x 80mm (2.6 x 2.2 x 3.1 in.)
Weight (without batteries)	Approx. 127g (4.5 oz.)
Included accessories	Soft case (SS-400)

Images

As can be seen here, this is a very simple flash.