SB-400

Remember: the SB-400 cannot swivel its head for bounced use in portait orientation - you're stuck with landscape orientation of the camera. That strobe will also not let itself be used as a CLS slave. If you have any more money at all, you might want to consider the SB-600, which is a lot more powerful and versatile. Bigger, too, of course. It's always a tradeoff.

The spec. in the instruction book says that manual is only available on the D40. You need to use the menus on the D40 to get the flash out of i-TTL and into manual. I wouldn't risk it.

I have both the SB-400 and SB-800 and feel I can give a perspective, but not the perspective as there are many. I use them both. You really did not mention your use of the camera as to subject matter so this will be a shot in the dark.

I generally will use the 400 as it is an upgrade from my on camera flash. I used a FM2 for years as well and had several flash units for it. The 400 will work well per described with limitations by Matt, but it's very inexpensive and does great for walkabout and snapshot work. You can get a Stofen diffuser for it and angle the flash 90 degrees, so there is some flexibility with it and it fills very nicely. If you are looking for something light and easy, it's a good choice.

The SB-600 would be a nice upgrade if you are shooting at a more serious level or on the job for the reasons already stated.

However, rarely when out with a D200 just having fun off the job, I will throw the 400 in my day bag with diffuser and get excellent results. What can you expect for a hundred dollars?

Good luck.

As has been said above, the SB-400 is limited in scope & power but it is a useful little unit, I always carry it with me because of its size and it is much better than the on-board flash and less "threatening" to others, you start putting on a SB-600 or 800 and people will start to think paparazzo!

My mistake. The SB-400 will not work on any of Nikon's film cameras. My apologies.

Except the F6. . .in a hurry. Again, apologies.

If your budget is around the cost of an SB-400, which is just over US$100, there are much better non-Nikon flashes than the SB-400 for the FM2n. The SB-400 has a lot of limitations; its main advantage is that you can use it in the iTTL mode with the recent Nikon DSLRs.

The SB-400 may make sense if you are going to use it also with a DSLR. If not, you are better off considering something else.

David,

If Songtsen wants a flash just for an FM2 wouldn't a secondhand one with manual and non-TTL auto be more use? There are many around and not just Nikon ones. The SB-400 has i-TTL, which is no use at all on an FM2, and no non-TTL auto modes.

Thanks for the helpful info. Would the SB-600 work on the FM2n? How about FEC? I will use the camera for family pictures, perhaps travel, but mostly just for the experience of using a fully manual SLR. PS: Would a Sunpak unit (perhaps PZ42X) also work?

The SB-800 and SB-600 are backward compatible with D-TTL for the older DSLRs such as D1 and D100, and I believe they are also backward compatible with film TTL. However, on the FM2n, they are probably no better, at least not much better, than some 3rd-party flashes and older version of Nikon flashes that were designed for film SLRs.

Richard. . .thanks and yes I did mention it will not work on the FM2. I had forgotten. He asked about the SB-400, so I answered. It is what it is and that is why I have an SB-800 as well. As Shun stated as well, it will only work on a DSLR or an F6 which an FM2 is not. But, that's me. There are always options.

Thanks.

[p]According to Nikon, SB-600 features include [i]"TTL automatic control with Nikon F5, F100, F80, F75, and FM3A; [b]Manual control[/b]; i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash with Nikon D2X, D2Hs, D70, F6; D-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash with Nikon D1, D2 series or D100"[/i] - does "manual control" imply that FEC will be available when used with the FM2n? Please excuse my ignorance of the Nikon system - both my other cameras are EOS bodies (digital and film).[/p]

"Manual control" on the SB-600 means fully manual flash. That means determining the flash exposure via guide number calculations or with a flash meter. The SB-600 does have variable manual power, so at least you aren't stuck with only one aperture at any given distance. If "FEC" means Flexible Exposure Control (not familiar with EOS flash nomenclature), then yes I suppose that gives you FEC. However, there is no automatic flash exposure control of any kind when using the SB-600 on a film body. The only current Nikon flash that offers that is the SB-800 (extreme overkill IMHO for a FM2n).

If the only camera you intend to use this flash on is the FM2n, there are far better options in both Nikon and third party flashes. Look for a used SB-28. That will offer the maximum number of flash exposure options on the FM2n, including manual and non-TTL automatic flash. It's powerful, a recent model, fairly compact, has excellent ergonomics with a simple to use interface, has full tilt and swivel capability, a built in "exposure calculator" for manual flash via the LCD, and you can easily find one for under $125. Best bang for the buck out there by a long shot for a non i-TTL Nikon flash. (link)

Or if you just want something small and simple, then perhaps a SB-30 would fit. Same features on a FM2n as the SB-28, in a much smaller and less powerful package: (link)

If you have even the slightest suspicion that you might get a Nikon dSLR, you should consider the SB-800. While it's large and heavy for the FM2N, the auto-thyristor mode on the SB-800 works very well with older cameras lacking TTL flash. I've used the SB-800 on my FM2N and F3HP in auto-thyristor mode and gotten excellent results in very difficult lighting, such as indoor candlelit ceremonies.

If the SB-400 offered similar auto-thyristor performance on non-dedicated bodies I'd definitely consider it. Otherwise, I'd stick with something like my old Nikon SB-10 Speedlight, which is the size of a large pack of cigarettes and offers a pivoting shoe for better orientation of the flash in vertical or horizontal orientation. Two auto-thyristor modes, manual mode, will illuminate the "flash ready" light, and probably available for a fraction of the price of even the SB-400.

The Sunpak 383 is another good value in an auto flash for non-TTL flash cameras. More output flexibility than most flashes in that price range.

"p]According to Nikon, SB-600 features include [i]"TTL automatic control with Nikon F5, F100, F80, F75, and FM3A;" - not quite...

The F5, F100, F80, F75, are in group I of Nikon cameras, while the FM3A is in group of VI. as per page 8 of SB-600 User's Manual. Page 9 indicates that group VI allows TTL, while group I allows TTL and also allows BL, so there is no point to throw all the camera listed together in one basket.

iTTL is not allowed with any of those cameras listed in this quoted statement, so the [i] - in front of the [i]TTL is confusing.

Read information from original Nikon sources...and not from vendors' advertising that are aimed to sell, and not to teach you.

"I'm about to pick up an FM-2n" - is in group VII, and no automation available from Nikon SB-600, or 800.

"Would the SB-600 work on the FM2n?" - in manual mode only.

The SB-600 also offers non-TTL auto flash. What used to be called auto-thyristor flash. Preset the lens to an appropriate aperture based on the flash. Works fine in most situations. Not limited to full manual calculations only.

>"The SB-600 also offers non-TTL auto flash."

Sorry Lex, but it does *not*. You need to step up to the SB-800 for that feature set. :-)

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/speedlights/sb-600/index.htm

As Lex partially explained, get SB-800 instead of SB-600. This way you will get with your FM2A non-TTL auto (the auto-thyristor thing), but you will NOT get the Auto Aperture flash (the AA). But you will get also Distance Priority GN mode, and SU-4 master flash, repeating flash.

The differences between SB-800 and SB-600 with regards to FM2A camera alone are significant so is the cost, not to mention other multiple benefits for other cameras, that seems to get ignored by owners/proponents of SB-600 flash.

Though, as Michael explained the SB-800 is "overkill" for FM2A, why are you getting the FM3A at this time is a mistery to me, but sure you have a good reason, e.g. a low price ?

Sorry, folks, just going by the Nikon catalog which states the SB-600 non-TTL auto flash with older Nikon 35mm SLRs. I'm deliberately using the older auto-thyristor phrase rather than "auto aperture" for the sake of simplicity. I haven't handled the SB-600 for a couple of years and thought it offered a similar feature.

"Sorry, folks, just going by the Nikon catalog which states the SB-600 non-TTL auto flash with older Nikon 35mm SLRs." - not all older Nikon 35 mm SLR cameras are equal.

Why do you think Nikon categorizes them in 7 groups ?

The poster thinks about getting FM2N, that is in group VII that SB-600 does not enable the non-TTL in the SB-600 when FM2N is used.

However, quite sure, if all but central sync pin in the SB-600 foot / camera hot shoe are isolated, the SB-600 non-TTL auto-thyristor mode will not be blocked. But aperture value will need to be set manually on the flash and observed that camera uses the same value in Manual mode. Also ISO must stay the same, and shutter used below max X-sync.

Frank, the quote was from the Nikon Malaysia site. I assume they meant TTL, not iTTL.

I guess SB-800 would be the best choice if my other bodies were also Nikon, but SB-28 would be more than enough for the FM2n alone (if I can find one). Or perhaps an older Sunpak unit.

Thanks everyone for all the help!

> "However, quite sure, if all but central sync pin in the SB-600 foot / camera hot shoe are isolated, the SB-600 non-TTL auto-thyristor mode will not be blocked."

The SB-600 does not have a non-TTL auto-thyrister mode. There is no non-TTL auto mode to "unblock". It has no metering sensor on the front of the flash to measure reflected light. It is i-TTL, TTL, or Manual only. So, on the FM2n, it's manual mode only. Variable power manual, but full manual nonetheless.

I agree with Michael; an SB-600 would be a complete waste of money for an FM2. I also agree that an SB-800 would be an overkill if suitable flash is available secondhand at a low price. If Songtsen decides to go for a Nikon DSLR in the future no doubt other flashes will be available.

Imagine how you'd feel if you'd bought an SB-80DX just because you thought you might get a DSLR some time in the future. By the time you're ready for the DSLR you'd find the flash obsolescent.

First we had manual. Then we had non-TTL auto. Then we had TTL. Then we had TTL with preflash. Then we had D-TTL. Now we have i-TTL. What's next?

I was wrong about SB-600 expecting the Auto Thyristor operation. I gave too much credit for the SB-600 flash. It is far more inferior to the SB-800 than the $100 price difference.

For older film cameras SB-600 is far less usable than Vivitars, Sunpak,. Metz, or older Nikon, etc. The Auto thryristor mode used to be built in most Vivitar, Sunpak, flashes that cost less than a $100.