Featuring an LED video light and a compact design, the SB-500 AF Speedlight from Nikon provides users with a portable unit compatible with Nikon's i-TTL metering. The flash has a good power rating with a guide number of 79' at ISO 100, and offers coverage for a 24mm lens with full frame cameras. Also, the 100 lux LED light has three output levels- quarter, half or full power- which is beneficial for both video and close up still photography.
Versatility is important in this unit with the ability to tilt upward 90° and rotate left and right 180° for excellent bounce and swivel capabilities. The flash will also function wirelessly as either a commander unit or a remote slave for full compatibility with cameras, other flash units, and wireless flash controllers in Nikon's Creative Lighting System. The SB-500 will also transmit LED and flash color information to the camera for setting an optimal white balance and runs on 2 AA batteries, which provide a recycle time of 3.5-30 seconds. Included with the camera are a soft case and stand.
- Offers test firing, the ability to monitor pre-flashes, and an LED modeling flash function
- Flash compensation is available through camera settings
- Head tilts up 90° with click-stops at 0°, 60°, 75°, and 90°
- Head rotates horizontally 180° to the left and right with click-stops at 0°, 30°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 120°, 150°, and 180°
- Four wireless channels are available in Commander mode while only 1 is available in Remote mode
- Two wireless groups, A and B, are available
- Flash-ready indicator lights up when fully recycled or flashes slowly as a warning
- Receives about 100 flashes from a pair of Alkaline batteries and about 140 from Ni-MH
- A thermal cut-out function protects the flash
- Firmware can be updated
