Flash - SB-400 or YN-565

Can anybody suggest which one to get that is fully compatable with the Nikon D3100 and all flash modes


I'm looking at the SB-400 for its size when compared to the YN-565 as its half the size, but the YN-565 appears to be a much better flash and has a lot more control when comparing reviews and specs but doesn't have full functionality with the Nikon D3100 when compared to the SB-400

Thanks

when i was looking at flashes about 6 months ago. i compared a few. including the sb400 and the yn-565. the 400 is only a bounce flash. head doesnt swivel. the yn-565 is like my sunpak pz42x. head swivels has I-ttl and manual. have used it quite a bit on my 3100. im actually looking at the 565 next time to use with external battery pack. so pretty much the sb400 is like your built in flash but is able to bounce. the other one gives you a lot more choices to work with.
PS: the big differnce in the sunpak is that it has a plastic shoe mount. so i have to be careful not to break it.

I have the SB-400 and have raved about it as a travel and fill flash. My most frequently used lens is the Nikkor 17-55 and the pop-up flash isn't tall enough when the lens shade is attached. It is a good value for the price - I bought mine used for about US$80.

get the sb400, its so small and light you soon forget it is there!

I was thinking of the SB-400 for that reason, but I also take snaps inside fairly dark places like holes in rocks while wandering and things like 'oh a hole lets take a picture and see whats in it'. Cornwall is full of things like that

Cairo/Luxor in Egypt when you stay away from tourist tours and do your own thing in your own time, you can get access to a lot of places you wouldn't normally get access to or see if with a group, but me and the wife got to see much more as there was just two of us doing our own thing on a daily basis with no rush to be anywhere, so the locals were a lot more willing/trusting to give us access to some off imits areas when visting places. Plenty of dark places and not very tourist friendly, ideal for a good flash. Pity I only had the built-in one of my Fuji S1730, thats when I started to realise it was good for point and click but not really upto the job for darker places


Any specs to compare the built-in flash and the Nikon SB-400 .... such as flash power, time to recharge

What about the SB-400 if you don't want full flash power as it may be too much for what you want at that moment, can this be controlled by the camera as the built-in flash can. If not can the YN-565 be controlled this way by the camera or is it manual settings only

Pity the YN-565 is huge when mounted, but the SB-400 is tiny. Thats whats swaying me, plus reading the reviews on Ken Rockwell's site he raves about the SB-400 and uses it most of the time but does have an SB-600 and SB-700 when he says he needs the extra power, which isn't very often


If I can get a pre-owned or baragin Nikon SB-400 I'll go for that until I can the hang of everything, which may take some time as the D3100 is my first DSLR

hehehe...I'll let Anthony fill you in on what we think of Ken Rockwell around here. You have to remember...he's in this to make as much money as he can, so he says things that aren't always true, just to get you to donate to his "cause". Take what he says with a grain of salt, mate. He should NOT be your main source of good information.

Anyway...listen....do yourself a huge favour and save yourself a lot of grief...get yourself the SB-700 and be done with it. If you should ever want another flash, such as the SB-400, you'll be able to control it from the SB-700, as it has Commander Mode built in. I sold my SB-600 as soon as the 700 came out, and let me tell you...it's the easiest flash to use IMHO. I call it idiot proof. Best money I ever spent on a flash...and it's firmware upgradeable, unlike the others.

Spend your money wisely once!

steptoe said:

What about the SB-400 if you don't want full flash power as it may be too much for what you want at that moment, can this be controlled by the camera as the built-in flash can.

Click to expand...

Sure can!

I'll have a look at the sb-700 but might be outside my pockets at the moment, and as for 'donating' I gathered that by all the donating hints through his web site and reviews

SB-400 and YN-565 are two different animals. It's all in what you want out of the unit. I have a YN-460ii and I love it even though it's all manual (no TTL) and kind of tall. Again, it's all in what you want out of the flash.

Hmmm, looking like the Nikon SB-400 for compactness but just found this Nissin Di-466 while researching some more

Looks to offer better specs, apart from the recharge time which may be less if I use ni-mh instead of normal batteries, and is about 30-40% cheaper and still fairly compact compared to the YN range of external flash plus looks to have ability to have the bit of white card in the top of the flash and power is externally adjustable as well as fully TTL

Have just bought the Jessops 360AFD which comes at an affordable price.Not sure if it is availlable in the US but they are on Ebay and many sellers will post to the US

I have bought the Jessops 360AFD. It is much cheaper than the Nikon flashes.It hasn't come yet but when it does I'll try it out and give a report. Not sure if it availlable in the US.