NIkon D40 attatchment flash?

Question

I am looking to buy an attatchment flash for my Nikon D40. At Best Buy they sell a 250.00 Nikon flash and a 99.00 Sunpak flash. I was wondering how much better the 250.00 flash is than the cheaper one? Is the cheap one ok to use? The salesman told me the cheaper one would probably be slower... But how slow? Should i spend the extra buck to get the better one?

Answer 1

The Sunpak flash appears to be the same as the Sunpak PF30X, but with a model number specifically tweaked for Best Buy.

The PF30X doesn't have a swivel head. Do you turn your camera sideways to get vertical photos? If so, you'll be casting shadows to the side with this flash. A swivel head allows you to bounce the flash off of the ceiling for more natural light when the camera's vertical.

The recycle time is a little slow, as well. It's rated at 10 seconds when you have fresh alkaline batteries. That may not seem like much, but if you're trying to get photos of your quickly moving 16-month old, those missed seconds translate into missed photos.

The Nikon flash has a swivel head, is more powerful, and recycles in 3.5 seconds. It also has a battery saving (and convenient) auto-off feature, so you needn't turn the flash on and off when you're using your camera. Just leave it on and let the flash manage itself and its power usage. If you ever want to add more flashes, or use the flash off of the camera for some reason, this flash can be controlled wirelessly.

It's a big difference in price, and if you're like most of us with little ones, you need to manage expenses well. However, in my opinion, the Nikon flash is the better choice -- and probably is the better choice solely on the merits of the faster recycle time alone.

On the plus side, Best Buy lists the flash at $239.99 online right now -- so you've already saved $10!

Answer 2

Sunpak is a cheap brand, and they are part of a web of camera gear that buys equipment and renames it. Tamron, Promaster, Quantaray, Sunpak, and possibly Tokina all do this. Promasters are renamed Tamrons, Quantary are renamed Promaster, and Sunpak is really Quantary, but I'm not sure about Tokina.

Like stated above, the Nikon flash would be better. In my opinion, Nikon has the best flash systems on the market today. The quality is unsurpassed. The SB-600 is a great flash for the money. Even cheaper is the SB-400, which was designed for the Nikon D40. Once you hold it, you'll know why. The problem with the 400 flash is that its versatility is very limited. It cannot do much of the things that an external flash is expected to do. Really, all it is a larger in camera flash. I would suggest the SB-600.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

The thing about getting a Nikon flash (probably the SB600 at that price) is that it is fully compatible with ALL of the features of your camera. You can use it as Nikon intended rather than having to figure out some other brand's "close enough" features.

The SB-600 is an excellent and powerful flash and it is actually used by a good number of professional photographers.

If you want to save money and still shop at Best Buy, get the Nikon SB-400, which is on-line for $130 and probably a little more in stores. It was actually designed with the D40 in mind and is 100% compatible in all modes. Sunpak is a good brand, but I'd buy the "baby" Nikon Speedlight for the D40 before I'd buy a hundred dollar Sunpak.

Answer 4

If the Sunpak flash:

1 Does **everything** the Nikon does, including recharges as quickly
2 Has the same warranty

Buy it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Buy the SB600.

Yes its more money but you're less likely to "outgrow" it. You'll quickly learn to appreciate its faster recycle time.

The Nikon SK-6 off-camera bracket is also worth considering especially if you plan to do a lot of bounce flash. It reduces recycle time by 1/2 since it has additional batteries.