Nikon SLR Cameras

Good Flashgun for Nikon D5000?

Splargh
Splargh

Can anyone suggest me a good budget flashgun for nikon. And how bounce flash works?

Guest
Guest

The SB600 is a good choice. The SB400 isn't bad, but you will probably find yourself eventually wanting the increased power and adjustability of the SB600. The SB900 has even more features at a higher price, but it could be a while before you find yourself wanting those enough to pay that much. And if you ever do get that fancy you could still be wanting the SB600 you'd already bought to use as a slave unit.

Guest
Guest

The Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight has a swivel and tilt head so its an excellent choice since you're interested in bounce flash. The Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight does not have a tilt head so it can't be used for bouncing the light off the ceiling which is the most common type of bounce flash.

Here are a couple of articles that will help you learn about using bounce flash:

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Bounce-Flash-to-Improve-Your-Photography

http://dptnt.com/2009/09/bounce-flash-tips/

Guest
Guest

"budget"? Depends on your definition of budget. The Metz range of flashguns offer good value.

I've had good use from a 48 AF-1 which is cheaper than the Nikon SB600

Alternatives are Sunpak (PZ42X), Vivitar (DF 383), Sigma (EF-530) and Nissin (Di622)

They're all between $130-$200 so again it depends what you mean by budget. You can go cheaper but don't expect the same level of performance.

Bounce flash is simply a means to diffuse or spread the light. Pointing light directly at the subject can produce harsh shadows so spreading it around (by bouncing it off a ceiling for example) helps to avoid this. You can also by diffusers like the Lightsphere or Sto-Fen products.

Guest
Guest

SB400 for casual use. The head only swivels in one axis, so not very useful if you orient your camera in portrait orientation (rotating the camera 90 degrees).In landscape orientation, this flash works great for living room sized areas and allows you to bounce off the ceiling. I have put light modifiers on my SB400 to give a bit of catch light. SB400 also works as a fill flash, even better if you gel it.

SB600 has 2-axis head rotation which means you can do ceiling bounce with your camera at any orientation. It has more light output and lots more control.

Get the SB400 for compactness and shooting in limited environments like small rooms.
Set the SB600 if your are more serious about shooting flash.

Some starting references:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/.../sb400.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/.../sb600.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/...-flash.htm

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