Nikon SB-800 TTL AF Shoe Mount Speedlight, Guide Number at ISO 100, m/ft. 56/184 at 105mm Setting, USA Warranty.

SKU: NKSB800AFU

This item is no longer available.

Overview
Compare
Q&A

Questions & Answers

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2022-02-17T20:32:30

Rated 5 out of 5

OUTSTANDING PRODUCT

Purchased the Nikon SB-800 a few years ago and must say, I have NEVER been disappointed by this speedlight. It's powerful, lightweight and thanks to Nikon technology, gives accurate color rendition in any setting I need it to perform in (glamour portraits, swimwear, weddings etc.). This speedlight is reliable, durable and certainly a worthy investment for your Nikon SLR.

C-Pete

2017-07-17T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

excellence.........

used with my d600's works great , so glad i bought the nikon flash

wolfsview

2013-11-24T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Flash in small package. speedlight, never misfire.

I used flash sb800, for more than 9 years, work same as knew.

FotoJAG

2013-11-18T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Kudos to you if you Still Have this Relic

This baby has a little button in tha back tha triggers tha preview light. I love this feature because it keys the people that your about to take a picture. It is not found on any other flash. I wish they add it back. Solid flash. Great size. I use it more than my sb 910

Anonymous

2013-04-25T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

The real deal...Me and my NIKONS

The unit is spectacular. I use it with my D-800, D-700 and my D3x. The output is absolutely consistant 100% of the time, the quality of the light is pure white, rendering ALL skin tones perfectly and all colors faithfully. The power of this unit is amazing. I am a working professional and I wouldn't use any other product at any price. This is a flash unit done right!

Jonathan M.

2012-06-02T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Perfection of Light

I have owned this flash for 6 years... Never once has it let me down, only given flash after flash in literally every shooting situation. From weddings , indoor sports, fill flash, flash for 300m.p.h. race cars, backlighting objects, portraits... recently I shot a personal trainer and his helper in shaded outdoor area for 200 plus shots all with flash within a 1/2 hour...after 6 six years of 120 degrees in desert and 10 below zero in mountains, as with all my Nikon products my SB800 continues to amaze...

NikonD

2011-12-07T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Flash That Does Not Disappoint

I own two of these flashes. I use them all the time. It does exactly what I expect under all conditions. I can take pictures that I was never able to before owning this outstanding flash. Fill-flash outdoors especially during sun back-lighting conditions is fantastic. My only ding that I would give it is that the UI does not have perfect usability. I am able to figure out how to do everything I need to using the excellent manual, but the design could be better. Great, great flash. I am very satisfied!

AZinPNW

2011-08-14T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Almost perfect

I have used this flash very heavily for the last 7 years and it does not miss a beat. Battery life is good and the flash is totally reliable and accurate. I prefer it to the SB900. The flash is compatible with all mycameras and lenses and rarely fails to give the correct TTL exposure. The 5th battery attachment has pros and cons. I almost always use it but it is not meant for rough handling. The attachment can come loose and fall off dumping batteries on the ground. Otherwise this flash is a dependable workhorse.

Elksguy

2011-06-02T20:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

I have two of these and they are extremely inconsistent. Even with new batteries, they do not recycle as fast as they should

KR

2011-04-14T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Wonder Flash

After purchasing my first SB 800, I quickly decided I would add one a year and stopped at four units.These flashes are great and I wish they were still available.They were miles ahead on this one.

Rewind

2011-04-14T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

small, powerful

The SB800 is a very good performer for the sort of flash applications that I have. It is small, flexible and powerful. It is not easy to learn ( the manual is terrible!) and the controls are not intuitive, but once mastered, it is great. I plan to keep mine for a loong time.

steveb

2011-04-13T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Absolutely Perfect

I own two of the SB 800 flash units. Never had a problem, don't expect I ever will. They are solid, reliable, and built to last. I shoot a lot of portraits and weddings, and these are all the lights I need. I wish Nikon had not quit making them. Bummer! Highly recommend them.

ShootforLife

2011-04-13T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great flash

This is a great flash and it does all, but I really like the compact size! In addition to this flash I have two old SB-26 flash set on slave and use the SB-800 as my main. Now if I have SB-600, 800, or 900, I could use the commander setting and control them too. 900 is a better flash but it's bigger too.

GarryOwen

2011-04-13T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Excellent portable portrait or area light

I have 4 of these and use them on location with pocket wizards in place of carrying my larger studio lights. I find myself using these and hardly taking my studio lights out of their cases anymore. I also use them shooting nightime sports such as football where you are allowed ot use speedlights on the sidelines. Work very well with all current models of Nikon DSLRs on camera, but I use them most of the time off camera with wireless flash triggers.

Utahphotog

2011-04-13T20:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

Great idea, so-so execution

I'm a wedding photographer who uses creative lighting on location in high-pressure situations. This flash has let me down. The idea is great. When it works it is fabulous. It just gives out some times. I replace my batteries every hour, so it's not a power issue. My second shooter has had the same issue. At some point, it just starts humming and doesn't work any more. I depend on it to fire three other flashes, so when it gives out, the whole operation shuts down. I'm open season for lawsuits. Of course, I carry back up, but that doesn't excuse the poor performance of the flash. I have had no similar issues with SB 600s, nor has my second shooter. The wireless communication with my camera, it's ability to command, the high range of communication, the power, the settings -- all great. I have no complaints when it works. It's the fact that it can stop at any time that ruins it. To be fair, it doesn't give out often, but it did within the first year of use. That's unacceptable. Also, the cheap plastic parts have fallen off - the red see-through plate fell off, the button cover on the side where you press to rotate the flash head, all cheap. It's embarrassing to have pieces fall off of your equipment on a job.

wedding p.

2010-11-17T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Better than the SB-900

Nikon discontinued the SB-800 for the SB-900. The 900 overheats and stops working. I have never had that issue with the SB-800. The settings are a little harder to figure out on the SB-800, but it will keep working if you are shooting fairly fast. This is a good solid workhorse that I wish was still available. Be wary of the SB-900 before buying. You pay more and get less. The SB-800 is a much better unit.

forensic_guy

2010-08-31T20:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

User friendly and easy to access.

My first camera is Nikon FM 2, from Nikon family after that i have not thinking about other brands, this happen in the year of 1994. Before I was using lot other brands because of the affordability and now I am using Nikon D40X with SD 800. Since then no looking back. Nagarajan.

Naga's

2009-01-13T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Not the top of the line, but worth the $

Hasn't run the gauntlet yet, but so far lives up to the review I read before purchasing.

Phrank

2008-12-28T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Works Great!

This flash is great. I have two of these now so I can use the Nikon CLS with my D40x. This flash works great as a commander. I want at least one more.

Naois

2008-09-24T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Well worth the money

I have a Nikon D70, it was a long waited addition to my camera. It was well worth the price.

DAVID T.

2008-09-23T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Awesome flash

Flash is so fast. It is amazing. The rechargeable batteries last forever. It is a very reliable unit and very dependable. Flash range is awsome. the bouncing feature helps you create panoramic and attractive portraits with a lot of character and mistry. Highly recommended.

marcus

2008-09-23T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

great flash!

Use this typically with a whaletail... great for most general photography situations.

Chip

2008-09-05T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Best speedlight ever

This is the best speedlight i have ever used. I highly recommend one.

nikon n.

2008-09-03T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Works Great

Works as advertised. Quick recycle with 5th battery. CLS works great. Rocks with a Q Turbo attached.

SCOTT C.

2008-08-30T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Just what I needed.

This is great. I have used it for a wedding and two other photo shoots so far. I have been too busy to learn how to use the settings to change one group of speedlights to a different light level than the others, but it has been great. I just put it on the camera and started shooting. With this unit vs. the pop-up flash, there is no extra light source(no matter how dim)coming from the camera. That means no glare when photographing reflective or semi-reflective surfaces/subjects. The unit just works. I have been using it to fire three sb-800 speedlights with great results.

Greg G.

2008-08-23T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Love It! Awesome Flash

It is a great flash, very consistent lighting and fully automatic

DC P.

2008-08-23T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Fills my need for a good quality flash.

very satisfied with product [...] Thanks.

jed

2008-08-05T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Great love it!

Love the 800, I am using it as master with my 600 for portraits and model photography . . . and by model I mean just that - models that I build as a hobby, so it's close up macro photography and this flash is great . . . and not forgetting fill flash outdoors!!! I have used it for some night time events as well, receptions, graduations, etc., and it works well with diffusion dome and bounce flash.

markfrancism

2008-08-05T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

the best!

I am a semi-pro utilizing my gear to take photos for various paintball magazines, private functions, and sporting events. This flash has made getting the perfect light that much easier!

G

2008-07-22T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Just love it!

Just love it!

Olli

About Nikon SB-800 TTL AF Shoe Mount Speedlight, Guide Number at ISO 100, m/ft. 56/184 at 105mm Setting, USA Warranty.

FEATURED REVIEWS

Perfection of Light

By NikonD

I have owned this flash for 6 years... Never once has it let me down, only given flash after flash in literally every shooting situation. From weddings , indoor sports, fill flash, flash for 300m.p.h. race cars, backlighting objects, portraits... recently I shot a personal trainer and his helper in shaded outdoor area for 200 plus shots all with flash within a 1/2 hour...after 6 six years of 120 degrees in desert and 10 below zero in mountains, as with all my Nikon products my SB800 continues...

View full Review

The real deal...Me and my NIKONS

By Jonathan M.

The unit is spectacular. I use it with my D-800, D-700 and my D3x. The output is absolutely consistant 100% of the time, the quality of the light is pure white, rendering ALL skin tones perfectly and all colors faithfully. The power of this unit is amazing. I am a working professional and I wouldn't use any other product at any price. This is a flash unit done right!

The i-TTL Flash Control system supports automatic balanced fill flash that delivers outstanding results as well as new creative possibilities. i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash flash control employs Nikon's Advanced Data Communication system to introduce an improved method for the monitor pre-flash and wireless operation that marks an evolution in higher precision over Nikon's acclaimed D-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash control system and forms the core of the Creative Lighting System.

The Nikon Speedlight SB-800 makes Advanced Wireless Lighting (= wireless multiple flash) as easy to use as a single on-camera speedlight, inviting professional and advanced amateur photographers to eXPLORe the unlimited creative possibilities.

Advanced Wireless Lighting lets you divide SB-800 Speedlights into 4 groups, including the Master and 3 remote i-TTL speedlight groups, to achieve total lighting control. All groups can be controlled from the Master, including independent flash mode ([TTL] / [AA] / [A] / [M]) settings and any-time adjustment of flash output level compensation values for each group. Each of the three remote groups can contain any number of Speedlights, giving photographers full control over how they illuminate the background.

With Distance Priority Manual Flash Mode, the photographer can set the distance and aperture, and the SB-800 automatically sets the power output, a great feature for manual flash [M] shooting at weddings and for product shots.

The FV Lock (Flash Value Lock) maintains the flash value for correct exposure of the subject while zooming or otherwise changing the composition for a shot, so photographers can concentrate on lighting a particular subject.

Auto FP High Speed Sync Mode provides ample fill-in flash when shooting in bright light with fast aperture lenses to achieve effective blur in the background. When the mode is active, the camera automatically uses high-speed flash synchronization to make shutter speeds available that exceed the camera's own flash sync speed.

A Modeling Flash allows photographers to visually preview the lighting effects for all groups of speedlights when using Advanced Wireless Lighting to shoot with multiple flash units, a great aid in achieving the exact lighting desired.

The SB-800 is also fully compatible with existing Nikon cameras, retaining the same functions as the SB-80DX when used with them. Auto flash control uses D-TTL on Nikon DX Format digital SLR cameras and TTL and Non-TTL Auto Flash on film cameras. Advanced i-TTL requires support for the Creative Lighting System and is currently available only on the D2H.

With its ease of use and unlimited creative potential, the Speedlight SB-800 will be welcomed by photographers who want complete, yet simple control over their lighting.

What's in the box:

  • Quick Recycle Battery Pack SD-800 (for one R6 (AA)
  • size battery)
  • Speedlight Stand AS-19
  • Colored Filter Set SJ-800 (FL-G1 and TN-A1)
  • Diffusion Dome SW-10H
  • Soft Case SS-800