Metz mecablitz 64 AF-1

German precision engineering and a flair for design make the Metz a winner

You’d normally think that if you want top-level accessories for your Nikon D-SLR, you’re best off sticking with Nikon kit. The Nikon SB-910 is undeniably an excellent flashgun, with all the advanced features you could wish for, but the Metz 64 AF-1 beats it for maximum power output, has an excellent colour touchscreen interface and a secondary fill-flash tube for bounce mode, and is less expensive. The Metz is currently our absolute favourite, knocking the SB-910 into second place.

A highlight of the Phottix Mitros+ is its excellent built-in Radio Frequency triggering system, and we’re also fans of the featurerich Nissin Di866 Mk II Professional. However, both of them suffer from TTL flash exposure inaccuracies. The Nikon SB-700 is less sophisticated, but it’s an excellent performer, easy to use and very good value. On a really tight budget, the Gloxy GX-F990 N TTL comes up trumps.