Nikon Speedlight SB-500

£265/$247 Small but with an added constant attraction

Just about small enough to squeeze into a coat pocket, this is a travel-friendly flashgun that also features a built-in triple LED ‘constant light’, ideal for close-up video. In other areas, the SB-500 is a bare-bones deal. There’s no zoom facility for the head, which has a fixed focal length equivalent of 24mm, or 36mm for DX format cameras. There’s also no flip-out wide-angle diffuser or reflector card.

Around the back, the control panel is very simplistic and uses a few status LEDS instead of the more usual LCD panel. As such, most settings and adjustments need to be applied from menus in the host camera. An infrared wireless remote mode is featured, but the CMD mode only works with fairly recent up-market DSLRS from the D5500, D7200, D750 and D810 on.

Performance

Max power output is respectable and comes close to most larger flashguns when used at their 24mm zoom setting. But the lack of a zoom head means you’ll lose power when shooting at longer focal lengths.