Nikon SB-28 Speedlight Flash

sb28 is an allpurpose flash equipment .before buying sb28 i was too reluctant to use fill flash when taking outdoor close ups of flowers and insects because of the fear of over pouring resulting in un natural images. with sb28 i got quite nice natural looking closeups easily.now flash photography become a favourite area for me.i have sc 17 of camera cord and su4 remote flash sensor.with 20 mm wide angle nikor lense i could make nice fill flash interior pictures using sc17 cord.only thing u have to give some attention is the positioning and angle of sb28.wide flash adaptor is usefull in many occasions including closeups...but there is some loss of light when the wide flash adaptor is using.there is some 2 to3 f stops light loss noticed..with wide flash card.my opinion ..we should not stick absolutely to the the instruction book always.there is enough room for many experiments with this flash using sc 17 and su4.one time i bonced the flash to a mirror on the side of a flowervase and bracketed the shots..the results were really satisfying.one snap with 20mm wide angle nikkor about 2 feet away from the flower vase was interesting.the light from sb 28(off camera ,wide flash card on)found to be almost natural and evenly distributed.this much resemlence to the natural light i did nt observed in any of the flashes before used(vivitar,and metz) even now i couldnt understand the essence of multisensor balenced fill flash ,i am satisfied with it.i did nt treid much this flash in manual mode .only one time i shoot a portrait in the night with one or two street lights on.the subject was 20 meter away from camera.nikon f80"s built in flash used to trigger sb 28 attached with su4 placed on tripod some 10 meter away from the subject.camera focussed manually the subject.flash output level set according the guide number..aperture..zoomhead data on the catalogue(which is quite a difficult puzzle anyway)the result was .....haa.. a normal fill flash portrait..nothing special.may be many of the photographers using sb28 in manual perfectly..but i couldnt yet.

if u have a particular interst in the experiments of flash photography this is the flash for u.

wide flash card and bounce card are prone to break or detach if u r using roughly.hot shoe also not much sturdy.the buttons are little bit difficult to operate.

metz,vivitar flashes f70"s built in flash(far better and reliable than metz and vivitar)

not yet needed

I had to settle for the SB-28DX because Nikon quit making the SB-28. The only difference is the DX is fully compatible with digital SLR's. I dont plan on going digital for the next 100 years or so:). Anyway, what more can you ask for-TTL, auto aperature for cameras that don't have TTL capability,tilts up, swivels sideways,wide flash adapter for lenses as wide as 18mm, variable manual output,LCD range indicator in feet or meters, powerful,built in bounce cardlighted display,multiple flash bursts... I have had great results in every situation-TTL, auto aperature, close-up shots with SC-17 dedicated cord to get the flash where I needed it. TTL is accurate even with non CPU manual lenses on the N80. One thing I really like is you can bounce the flash aimed straight up at the ceiling and let the bounce card reflect about 20% of the light forward. It really puts catchlights in your subject's eyes, just like the owners manual says! I know some have complained of the build quality, but it's rugged enough for me.

just about everything standard PC terminal and accepts Nikon sc18 or sc19 for multiple flash photography-lots of flexibility powerful output uses standard AA batteries available anywhere no guessing at range-just look at the display

test fire button is hard to push with fingernail a bit expensive(not really a weakness of the product itself)

Sunpak 266

n/a

I was finding that the Metz MZ-1 I was using on my F90x was adding weight and ruining the balance of the camera I have found since buying the SB-28 that I rarely notice anything at all. If you are in need of perfect fill flash using ttl then it is it. The little plastic reflector is a good idea and as is the one touch bounce/swivel control. it''s the next step up after SB-26.

Size, weight, power, reliability, un-cluttered controls. £267

wide angle reflector is a little flimsy. That''s about it.

Metz MZ1

the flash is so good I haven''t needed it.

I have used the SB-28 on my F65/28-105D lens to shoot as many as 20 rolls of films indoor and the results are simply excellent. Being someone who has just picked up photography for more than 10 months, I am very happy with the result.

Compact Accurate Ease of use

Price is a little steep

I bought this flash originally to go with the FM3a, and now with the F100. It''s a great versatile little thing. And little might be the thing: it doesn''t look big, and it is very stylish, but that gives Canon users a mis-conception, that it''s not as good because of its size. But it''s a great flash. It is great for outdoor fill flash and indoor main light source. Very accurate and has enough functions to fit most of your needs. Although it is not that powerful for indoor huge group photos, but then that is not what compact flashes were made for were they? I don''t think one can go wrong with this flash. Any complain are really just nitpicking in reality.

Good GN, Battery, Good recycle time at full power, GREAT recycle time at half power, Nice looking, very stylish. Accurate

Hmmm... maybe just a bit less powerful then the Canon 550. But then in itself the flash is not to be blamed. If one looks for power go Metz.

Sunpak 383.

None needed yet.