Pros-Dirt cheap(used of course)compared to modern TTL flashes for today's digital cameras.
Secondary flash(but does not fire in MD mode)
Tilts and swivels
Can be adapted to Nikon F3's propietary shoe by changing the bottom module
Can be used on just about any camera that has a hot shoe or PC socket in manual or A1 or A2 modes

Cons-HUGE and heavy, It dwarfs my SB-80DX and SB-800
Auto modes have limited f stops available
Only 2 power levels in manual mode with no secondary flash in 1/16 MD mode

First off, the SB-16 is huge. It weighs 520 grams with 4 aa batteries. It's about the size and weight as the Nikon SB-900 and 910. There are several modes. Manual-full power manual. TTL-TTL with Nikon film cameras. It does NOT do TTL with digital SLRs. MD-"motor drive" mode. It fires at approx. 1/16 power(manual)to keep up with a motor drive. The secondary flash does NOT fire in MD mode(but it does in all other modes). A1 and A2 modes-non TTL auto. This mode is where you set the flash and camera to the same ISO and f stop. And the sensor on the front of the flash determines correct exposure. For example, at 100ISO, you select f/8 in A1 mode and f/4 in A2. At 200ISO, you select f/11 in A1 and f/5.6 in A2. I do not like the f stop choices. At 100ISO, the largest aperture you can shoot at is f/4. Many flashes allow f/2.8 or f/2, which I prefer. There's a round dial "computer" on the back(I think that's what they called it back then). It does not change settings, just lets you know the flash range when you rotate it to the proper position.

It has 4 zoom settings-28mm, 35, 50 , and 85. If using it on a DX sized sensor camera, divide these numbers by 1.5. That means at 28, it should provide complete coverage with a 18-xxx zoom lens. If you need to use with a wider lens, there's a Nikon SW-7 wide angle adapter available. Then you can use it with a 24mm lens on FX/35mm bodies and 16mm lens on DX.

The flash tilts up 90 degrees. It rotates 90 degrees to the right and 180 to the left. That's great for bouncing light off of white walls and ceilings. There's a secondary flash that always shoots forward, regardless of main flash head position. It's good to provide some fill light. But if your subject is close, about 8 feet or closer, the secondary flash will overpower the bounced light. There will be very little bounced light in the photo and it will look like direct flash. I remedied this by mounting a 1 stop neutral density gel over the secondary flash.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon SB-80DX, Pentax AF280T

Bounce/zoom/swivel. If there's a surface to bounce from, you can hit it with this flash.

Gobs of power.

The MD (motor drive) feaure fires at 1/16 power to trigger studio strobes.

The Nikon flash accessory system is extensive and a benefit to using a Nikon-branded flash.

The wink light provides a nice touch of direct fill, so you don't get sunken eye sockets. Of course, this is nothing that a white index card rubber-banded to the flash wouldn't do, but it's still kind of nifty when you have to bounce off some odd-angle surface.

Interchangeable foot/base modules let you use the same flash on new bodies and the good old F3.

Eats batteries like crazy. Solution: use rechargeable NiMH batteries. I have used lithiums in mine (not recommended by Nikon), and that has worked fine too.

Has only TTL and two auto modes, and the only manually selectable output settings are full-power and 1/16-power (MD). While this is fine if all you do is TTL or auto, it is a severe handicap for manually controlling multi-flash set-ups.

Big and heavy. Yes, it's powerful, but so is the SB-28 at much less weight and mass.

The usual Nikon cool quality to the flash light; I use a Tiffen 812 practically as a matter of course when I use Nikon flashes. My Vivitar 285HVs, on the other hand, have a much nicer light quality.

A big sucker. I like the secondary wink light. But this thing is heavy and eats batteries. I have both A and B versions (F3 foot and ISO foot). The swivel feature is especially nice. The head also has bounce and zoom settings. Compared to an equivalent monster flash, like the Vivitar 285HV, the SB-16 only offers two automatic settings, full-power manual, and a motor drive setting which is essentially 1/16 power. Oh yes, and TTL, which is the main difference.

I've downrated the SB-16 severely on the value side because there are so many better flashes out there now, including those from third-parties. I've also downrated it on the overall side because of its limited functionality in manual mode - this is not a concern to most photographers (in other words, if you don't own a flash meter, you can ignore my rant). However, there's no question that the SB-16 performs admirably well. It's also a very elegant solution for the F3's oddball foot.

Customer Service

N/A.

Similar Products Used:

Lots of Nikon flashes, plus the classic Vivitar 283 and 285HV.