Best Nikon flashguns in 2023: we run through the best Nikon Speedlights today

Best Nikon flashguns
(Image credit: N-Photo Magazine)

Looking for the best Nikon flashgun? Nikon keeps a fairly small range of flashguns regularly updated, but does a good job of making sure there are models to cover a range of users and budgets, so it's useful to have a guide to steer you towards the flashgun that's right for you. That's where we come in! We're here to help you choose the best Nikon flashgun for you. 

Nikon's range of 'Speedlights' are some of the the best flashguns around. The good news is that if you just need something simple that works, the firm offers good entry-level budget models. The most basic of the Speedlights, the SB-500, is affordable and one of the best-value flashguns around, though that low price tag does come with its share of compromises, such as no zoom facility, meaning you can't alter the beam angle for subjects at different distances. But you do get wireless infrared commander and slave modes, which puts multiple-unit flash setups in play. This greatly expands your creative possibilities, letting you play with shadows and create three-dimensional lighting effects.

Nikon's range of 'Speedlights' are some of the best flashguns around.

If you're willing to spend a little more and try out the SB-700, you'll get a motorised zoom head that interfaces with your lens to detect focal length and adjust accordingly. This allows you to focus your beam more tightly if you're using longer lenses with a narrower field of view, meaning you get more flash power per shot.

At the top of the range sits the SB-5000, which is the flashgun designed for professionals, with superior build quality and features like the programmable 'repeat' mode that fires multiple times during a single exposure. Alternatively, you can try the twin-head Speedlight R1C1 kit, which is designed for close-up photography and smooth macro lighting. 

Lots to consider, as you can see! Let's dive straight into the best Nikon flashguns you can buy right now...

• Read more: How to use flash for your photography

Best Nikon flashguns in 2023

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

(Image credit: Nikon)
A flashgun with an additional constant attraction

Specifications

Gn (ISO 100, meters): Gn 24
Bounce / swivel: 0-90 / 180-180 degrees
Zoom range: 24mm, no zoom
Wireless master/slave: Commander/slave IR
Dimensions (WxL): 67x115x71mm
Weight: 226g

Reasons to buy

+
Boasts some advanced features
+
Includes a constant LED lamp

Reasons to avoid

-
Sparse onboard controls, no LCD screen
-
No zoom facility

Like the smaller SB-300, the more up-market SB-500 has no zoom facility and has a fixed equivalent focal length, this time of 24mm (full-frame). It also runs on two batteries rather than the more usual four, although they’re upsized to AA cells. Even so, the recycling time after a full-power flash is fairly long, at around 5-7 seconds when using NiMH or alkaline batteries respectively. The maximum output itself is greater, at Gn 24, and the SB-500 has full sideways swivel of 180 degrees in both directions, as well a 90-degree bounce facility. 

Further enhancements include wireless infrared commander/slave functions and Auto FP for using flash at shutter speeds up to the maximum available in the host camera body. Another neat trick is that it boasts a constant LED lamp, which can be useful for close-range video as well as stills. See our full Nikon Speedlight SB-500 review.

(Image credit: Nikon)
The best Nikon flashgun for most with ideal price/performance combo

Specifications

Gn (ISO 100, meters): Gn 38
Bounce / swivel: -7-90 / 180-180 degrees
Zoom range: 24-120mm
Wireless master/slave: Commander/slave IR
Dimensions (WxL): 71x126x105mm
Weight: 360g

Reasons to buy

+
Intuitive control system
+
Wide-ranging features

Reasons to avoid

-
Awkward i-TTL switching
-
Modest maximum power output

Compared with many similarly priced flashguns from independent manufacturers, the SB-700 has a fairly modest power rating, but it should still prove generally sufficient. It comes complete with a carrying case, stand, diffusion dome and color filters for balancing the flash with tungsten or fluorescent lighting, so there’s plenty to play with. 

The motorized 24-105mm zoom mechanism combines with a generous bounce and swivel facility enabling -7 to 90 degrees and full 180-degree swivel to both the left and right. The head also includes a pull-out wide-angle diffuser and reflector card, both of which are absent in the SB-300 and SB-500. Running from four AA cells, recycle speed after a full-power flash is fast at 2.7 seconds with NiMH batteries, but a more sluggish 5.4 seconds with alkaline cells. One niggle is that if you want to switch from i-TTL BL (Balanced Light) to regular i-TTL flash exposure mode to give less priority to ambient lighting levels, you need to swap to spot metering in the host camera. See our full Nikon Speedlight SB-700 review.

(Image credit: Nikon)
Nikon’s range-toping Speedlight adds power and RF communication

Specifications

Gn (ISO 100, meters): Gn 55
Bounce / swivel: -7-90 / 180-180 degrees
Zoom range: 24-200mm
Wireless master/slave: Commander/slave IR, Slave RF
Dimensions (WxL): 73x137x104mm
Weight: 420g

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful maximum output
+
Pro-grade build quality

Reasons to avoid

-
No RF commander mode
-
More than twice the price of an SB-700

If you’re after Nikon’s top-flight Speedlight, look no further. The SB-5000 has a comparatively mighty GN 55 power rating that gives you more than enough illumination, even when using a diffusion dome or bouncing the flash off a high ceiling. The zoom facility has extra reach as well, catering to full-frame focal lengths of 24-200mm. Subtle flash output is equally available, thanks to a power range that goes all the way down to 1/256th of the maximum output. 

As well as wireless infrared commander and slave modes, there’s a built-in RF (Radio Frequency) receiver, so the flashgun can slave from an RF trigger over greater distances, and without needing direct ‘line of sight’. However, the fitment of an RF transceiver would have been preferable, as this would have enabled the SB-5000 to operate in RF commander mode as well. One plus point is that this is currently the only Nikon Speedlight that features a programmable repeat mode, for firing multiple flashes during a long exposure. See our full Nikon Speedlight SB-5000 review for full details.

(Image credit: Nikon)

4. Nikon Speedlight R1C1 kit

This kit is perfect for close-up and macro photography

Specifications

Gn (ISO 100, meters): 2x Gn 10
Bounce / swivel: 60 / 78 degrees
Zoom range: 24mm, no zoom
Wireless master/slave: Commander/slave IR
Dimensions (WxL): 2x 80x75x55m
Weight: 2x 120g

Reasons to buy

+
Twin adjustable flash heads
+
Neat wireless commander unit

Reasons to avoid

-
Quite fiddly to set up
-
Expensive to buy

A regular flashgun is far from ideal for extreme close-up and macro photography, as the off-axis flash tends to create dark shadows. To get around the problem, this specialist kit includes a hotshoe-mounting infrared wireless SU-800 commander, and two small SB-R200 Remote Speedlight units. 

The Speedlights themselves attach to an adaptor ring which screws onto the front of a lens, and the kit comes complete with a range of rings to suit popular thread diameters ranging from 52mm to 77mm. By positioning and angling the twin heads appropriately, it’s relatively easy to capture shadowless close-up and macro images. And if you want to add a little shadow to give a more three-dimensional look, you can adjust the relative power between the two heads.

See also Best ringflash for macro

Read more:

• The best flashgun
The best flash diffusers, softboxes and modifiers
The best flash triggers
The best portrait lenses for Canon users
The best portrait lenses for Nikon users
The best monopods you can buy right now
The 50 best camera accessories
The 6 best LED light panels 
The best lenses for street photography

N-Photo

N-Photo is 100% Nikon-devoted, and 100% editorially independent. If you're a Nikon owner and want to improve your images, get the best buying advice and reviews, see some of the world's best Nikon photography,  N-Photo is the title for you. 


Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 


His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 


In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.