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Best Flash for Nikon D3400 [2023 Review]

In: 
Published: 10/03/2023

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The Nikon D3400 can make real estate photography simple and enjoyable, allowing you to focus on your inherent abilities to frame amazing images, and anticipating extraordinary moments. I are going to look at the best flash for Nikon D3400 that can match and enhance this camera’s features.

My Top Nikon D3400 Flash Reviews

Although there are many great flashes on the market, the following have shown to be effective and reasonably priced, making them ideal for real estate photographers.

 
Brand:
Nikon SB-5000
 
Brand:
Nikon SB-700
 
Brand:
Yongnuo YN560 IV
Batteries Required:
4 AA batteries
Batteries Required:
4 AA batteries
Batteries Required:
4 AA batteries
Item Weight:
14.9 ounces
Item Weight:
12.7 ounces
Item Weight:
12.3 ounces
4.4
4.7
4.4
Brand:
Nikon SB-5000
Batteries Required:
4 AA batteries
Item Weight:
14.9 ounces
4.4
Brand:
Nikon SB-700
Batteries Required:
4 AA batteries
Item Weight:
12.7 ounces
4.7
Brand:
Yongnuo YN560 IV
Batteries Required:
4 AA batteries
Item Weight:
12.3 ounces
4.4

Nikon SB-5000 AF

The Nikon SB-5000 has become the one of most advanced flashes from Nikon, with a powerful radio-controlled Advanced Wireless Lighting system that works well with Nikon's Creative Lighting System. This new design ensures a quick and straightforward operation, with an Info button that provides quick access to some of your most frequently used settings. 

Nikon SB-5000 AF Speedlight

The SB-5000's revolutionary built-in cooling system is a first for shoe-mounted flashes, designed for both dependability and mobility. It swiftly and efficiently vents heat, allowing you to fire up to 100 full-power flashes in a row without trouble. 

The SB-5000 flash is lightweight and simple to use, making it ideal for photographers who are constantly moving. It has a reduced footprint and gives you rapid access to functions like Flash Mode, Zoom Head Position, and Flash Compensation Value.

Off-camera, the SB-5000 can be used as a remote flash controlled by your camera's built-in flash, another Speedlight, or the SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander, or on-camera as a Master Flash to control other remote flashes. However; the biggest disadvantage of this flash is the difficulty of establishing a radio wireless network.

Nikon SB-5000 AF Speedlight
4.4
Pros:
  • Compatible with other i-TTL flashes such as SB-700
  • It has 24-200mm zoom with a 14mm panel
  • It has a good build quality to easily carry around
Cons:
  • Much more expensive than any other Nikon flashes
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Nikon SB-700 AF

The Nikon SB 700 AF’s good reputation as a product is matched with top features and enhanced functionality that put this flash in a strong position to compete for the top choice for the Nikon D3400.

Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight

The i-TTL-optimized SB-700 provides the optimum balance of exposure, performance, and mobility for any real estate photographer. Its adjustable flash head allows for creative lighting of almost any topic. You may produce spectacular results and seamless lighting system integration using hot shoe operation or wirelessly as a master, commander, or remote light source.

You may maximize light quality by selecting one of three light distribution patterns using the SB-700's easy slider switch on the back: Use Standard, Center-weighted for portraits, or Even for groups or interiors for general illumination. Automatically detects Nikon FX and DX formats and selects the ideal light distribution angle.

The SB-700 lacks the SB-5000's wireless connection abilities, making total management of compatible Creative Lighting System products difficult. It also lacks the required output and takes longer to recycle. It does, however, provide sufficient capability for most photographers without requiring a large investment.

Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight
4.6
Pros:
  • Quick recycle time of 2.5 seconds allowing the device to cool down fast
  • Good build quality and easy to carry around
  • Compatible with other TTL models
  • Affordable price compared to SB-5000
Cons:
  • Low guide number of 92 feet at ISO 100
  • Too many steps to execute functions compared to SB-5000
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Yongnuo YN560 IV

The Yongnuo YN560 IV Wireless Flash Master is an excellent manual flash for controlled situations, making it ideal for real estate photographers. 

Yongnuo YN560 IV

The full radio control of this flash is a significant enhancement, allowing you to control a group of these lights. This is a particularly enticing flash for real estate photographers to use off-camera with a 24-105mm zoom range and a 3-second recycle time.

The Yongnuo YN560 IV Flash has a solid design. It feels quite substantial while altering the position of the flash head across its 90-degree vertical and 270-degree horizontal range.

The Flash comes with a slew of features that make it a compelling choice for manual shooters. However, it does not have a TTL mode for those who prefer to shoot in automatic mode.

High-speed sync, which allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds faster than 1/250th of a second, is also missing. High-speed sync is a modern function that comes in handy when you need to shoot at a fast shutter speed with a small aperture.

Yongnuo YN560 IV
4.4
Pros:
  • The user interface is simple to set up and utilize
  • Has an extensive manual control compared to Nikon SB-600
Cons:
  • Unlike SB 700, it lacks TTL for automatic mode
  • The radio trigger has the potential to overheat and hence limiting the time to shoot
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Nikon SB-600

The Nikon SB-600 is a tiny flash that allows Fill-Flash to be used in wide lighting with effective operating settings like blurring for out-of-focus components for excellent results and creative alternatives because of the High-Speed Sync's characteristics. Thus, the Nikon SB-600 is a great fit for the Nikon D3400.

Nikon SB-600 Speedlight

The flash features Auto FP High-Speed Sync, enabling Fill-Flash to be used even in bright daylight with wide aperture settings for great results and new creative possibilities, such as effective blurring of out-of-focus background elements. A color filter set SJ-1 is also available as an alternative, allowing for even more creative shooting.

The Nikon SB-600 lacks a built-in catch light card. So, if you want to add a fill light or increase the catch light when bouncing, you'll need to use an aftermarket bounce card or another type of flash diffuser. In addition, in low-light situations, there is no "backlight" button to brighten the display. Instead, a custom function may be used to turn on the backlight.

Nikon SB-600 Speedlight
4.6
Pros:
  • Has a high precision i-TTL flash control
  • High build quality that is easily portable
  • Supports an LCD backlight, the LED type specifically
  • Has a high guide number of 30
Cons:
  • Quite expensive compared to other flash units
  • It has difficulties with intermittent flashing
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GODOX TT685N

The Godox TT685 is a strong, feature-rich flash that comes at a very reasonable price. The flash has an excellent build quality and weighs roughly 1.1 pounds with batteries, making it slightly bulkier than the Nikon SB 700.

Godox TT685N 2.4GHz

On the back of the TT685, there's a typical dot-matrix LCD panel that shows all of the settings and information you'll need when using the flash. In addition to the on/off switch, there is a central dial that can be used to adjust settings in manual mode.

It's simple to adjust the flash from an upright position to one that faces your subject directly. Rotating the flash 360 degrees, on the other hand, is much more difficult. It's simple to use the flash in all modes. It turns off after 90 seconds of inactivity, however pressing halfway on the camera shutter or any of the flash's buttons wakes it up.

Godox TT685N 2.4GHz
4.6
Pros:
  • All information regarding settings may be read from the LCD panel
  • This flash may be used as both a master and a slave
Cons:
  • When shooting images, the colors of the buttons and LCD screen might be distracting compared to Nikon SB-600
  • When lifting the head up or down, there is no locking mechanism, therefore heavier modifiers are likely to drop
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Features to Consider in the Best Flash for Nikon D3400

Keeping in mind that the Nikon D3400 is a crop-factor camera, it might not capture sufficient light to produce bright photos when shooting in dimly lit interiors. 

Understanding the following features can help you choose a flash that can help it capture brighter photos without introducing ghosting. The following highlights the tips that can help you choose the right flash.

Comparing Flashes for Nikon D3400

FlashesCamera flashGuide NumberProduct Dimensions (Inches)
Nikon SB-5000 Slave34.5m/113ft2.87 x 5.39 x 4.07
Nikon SB-700 Mount92° at ISO 1004.1 x 2.8 x 5
Yongnuo YN560 IV Slave190° at ISO 1002.36 x 7.48 x 3.07
Nikon SB-600 Built-inISO 200 at 35mm zoom2.7 x 3.5 x 4.9
Godox TT685N Built-in190 at ISO 1002.36 x 2.95 x 7.48

Guide Number

When you're taking interior photos, some subjects might be closer to the camera than others. The guide number of a flash shows how the camera flash is to illuminate faraway subjects. A flash with a bigger guide number can illuminate distant subjects more than a flash with a smaller guide number. 

As a result, if you are shooting using wide-angle lenses, consider going for a flash with a bigger guide number, such as the Nikon SB-5000. This ensures that all the areas in the frame are well-illuminated without having to use multiple flashes.

TTL

Although a camera flash might seem simple to use, it is challenging as you might not know how much power is needed to adequately illuminate the main subject. This can result in underexposed or overexposed photos. Most modern camera flashes come with automatic and manual modes. 

In the automatic mode, the flash automatically determines the power required to illuminate the subject. TTL is an abbreviation for Through The Lens, which is a feature incorporated in the automatic flash mode. The feature works by the flash sending a pre-flash that helps it determine the right power to use when sending the actual flash. 

Although a manual flash can give you better control over how much power to use depending on the ambient lighting, it can be challenging to use it when shooting a moving subject, as there is no time to stop and adjust. Fortunately, you can avoid this hassle by getting a flash with a TTL feature, such as the Nikon SB-600. 

Recycling Speed

Generally, the batteries in a camera flash provide low voltage for a long period. However, this low voltage is not enough to power the bursts of light as they require high current and voltage for a short duration. The flash design overcomes this limitation by incorporating capacitors that can be charged and discharged at once.  

That means when the flash is flashing, it draws large amounts of power from the capacitors to create intense bursts of light. Recycling speed refers to the time the flash takes to recharge the capacitors before it's ready for the next flash.

When you are taking photos using the continuous shooting mode, this recharge time can be an issue if the flash will not have recharged the capacitors before the camera takes the next shot. You can avoid this problem by getting a flash with a shorter recycle time, such as the Nikon SB-5000.  

Wireless Connectivity

If you are taking photos using telephoto lenses, it can be difficult, even for flashes with the highest guide number, to adequately illuminate the distant subject. Since the Nikon D3400 comes with some wireless capabilities, you can pair it with a wireless flash, such as the Yongnuo YN560IV. 

The wireless connectivity allows the camera to communicate with the flash and trigger it at the right time. This gives you the flexibility of shooting faraway subjects with good illumination without the hassle of running the cables. Note that you need to mount a transmitter on the camera for the cameras to communicate with the flash.  

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Flash Recycling Speed?

Recycling speed is the time taken by a camera flash for it to shoot again. The flash recycling speed is an important factor you should consider when buying a camera flash, especially when you want to shoot action in a low-light environment.

Can Any Flash Work With a Nikon Camera?

Nikon cameras use brand-specific accessories, and therefore not all camera flashes are compatible. Therefore, it is important to consider the wireless control, guide number, TTL mode, tilt, and high-speed sync of the flash before buying it.

What Is the Difference Between a Built-in Flash and an External Flash?

Generally, a built-in flash is incorporated into the physical design of the camera, and you can't detach it. An external flash can be mounted on the camera or used remotely as an accessory.

Conclusion

Natural light provides texture, depth, and functionality, whereas flash systems provide texture, depth, and functionality. I hope that these reviews will help you decide which flash is ideal for your Nikon D3400.

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