Launched at the same time as the Nikon D40, the SB-400 is the ‘baby’ of Nikon’s conventional Speedlight flash family. With a compact style reminiscent of Olympus’s old OM System T20 flash, the SB-400 has a guide number of 21 (GN21m@ISO100), will cover an 18mm focal length and features a tilting reflector that can be set horizontally or at 60°, 75° or 90° positions to bounce light from a ceiling for a more diffused light – without moving the whole flash body. There isn’t a swivel action.

The SB-400 is compatible with Nikon’s iTTL ‘Creative Lighting System’ so there are few controls on the flash – redeye, slow sync and rear curtain sync are set on the camera. The back of the SB-400 just has an on/off switch and a ‘ready’ light that blinks or stays on depending on its status.