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Take control of the lighting in your stills and HD videos.

As you master your camera, you begin to look at lighting in an entirely new way. No longer is proper exposure your only goal—now you can use shadows and brightness to add a sense of depth, an artistic characteristic to your photos and HD videos. A first for Nikon Speedlights, the SB-500 Speedlight is a compact, lightweight i-TTL Speedlight and LED video light that gives you total control of the light around you. Whether you're looking for extra illumination during HD video recording, a wireless off-camera flash to use along with your camera's built-in commander mode, another Nikon Speedlight like the SB-700 or SB-910 or the SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander or just an advanced and versatile—yet simple to use—Nikon Speedlight, the SB-500 Speedlight is a bright idea.

LCD, Video and Photo Gallery images are for illustrative purposes only

Tech Specs

  • Guide Number

    Guide Number

    24m/78.7ft. (at ISO 100)
  • Lens Coverage

    Lens Coverage

    24 mm lens (FX format) or 16 mm lens (DX format)
  • Bounce Function (Tilt)

    Bounce Function (Tilt)

    Flash head tilts up to 90° with click-stops at 0°, 60°, 75°, 90°.
  • Bounce Function (Rotate)

    Bounce Function (Rotate)

    Flash head rotates horizontally 180° to the left and right with click-stops at 0°, 30°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 180°
  • Approx. Dimensions (Width x Height x Depth)

    Approx. Dimensions (Width x Height x Depth)

    2.6 in.67 mm x 4.5 in.114.5 mm x 2.8 in.70.8 mm
  • Approx. Weight (Without Batteries)

    Approx. Weight (Without Batteries)

    8 oz.226 g
  • Commander Function
    Yes
  • Remote Function
    Yes
  • Guide Number
    24m/78.7ft. (at ISO 100)
  • Electronic Construction
    Automatic Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) and series circuitry
  • Flash Exposure Control
    i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash with CLS compatible cameras
  • Lens Coverage
    24 mm lens (FX format) or 16 mm lens (DX format)
  • Other Available Functions
    Test Firing, Monitor Pre-flashes, Modeling flash (LED)
  • Bounce Function (Tilt)
    Flash head tilts up to 90° with click-stops at 0°, 60°, 75°, 90°.
  • Bounce Function (Rotate)
    Flash head rotates horizontally 180° to the left and right with click-stops at 0°, 30°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 180°
  • Minimum Recycling Time
    3.5 sec. (approx.) with Ni-MH batteries, 4.0 sec. (approx.) with Alkaline-manganese (1.5V) batteries
  • Flash Duration
    1/1100 sec. at M 1/1 (full) output
  • Required Power Source
    2 AA-size batteries of the same brand from any of the following types: , 1.5V LR6 (AA-size) alkaline batteries , 1.2V HR6 (AA-size) rechargeable Ni-MH batteries
  • Flash-ready Indicator
    Fully recycled: lights up , Warning indication: flashes slowly
  • Ready Light
    Back
  • Flash Compensation
    Available via camera settings
  • Minimum Number of Flashes / Recycling Time
    100/4.0-30 sec. (Alkaline-manganese batteries) , 140/3.5-30 sec. (Ni-MH batteries)
  • Wireless Groups
    Two: A, B
  • Other Functions
    Firmware update, Thermal cut-out, LED light with three level brighness for close-up photography, modeling light or recording movies - maximum output: approx. 100 lx at 1 m (3.3 ft.), high power
  • Approx. Dimensions (Width x Height x Depth)
    2.6 in.67 mm x 4.5 in.114.5 mm x 2.8 in.70.8 mm
  • Approx. Weight (Without Batteries)
    8 oz.226 g

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