Nikon Speedlight SB-500 review

The Nikon Speedlight SB-500 is a compact and simple flashgun with an added constant attraction

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Nikon Speedlight SB-500
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

This flashgun runs on two AA batteries and is just about small enough to slip into a coat pocket. It’s Nikon’s most basic Speedlight, with no zoom facility nor a rear info screen and barely any onboard controls, but it packs a decent punch in terms of maximum output. It also features a constant LED lamp with three power levels, handy for close-up stills and video. All things considered, it feels poor value at the price compared with independently manufactured Nikon-dedicated flashguns.

Pros

  • +

    Compact and lightweight

  • +

    Additional LED lamp

  • +

    Simple to use for the basics

Cons

  • -

    No zoom facility

  • -

    Sparce onboard controls

  • -

    Poor value for money

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Small, simple and basic, the Nikon Speedlight SB-500 is the company’s most entry-level flashgun. It’s designed to fit in with Nikon’s Coolpix compact cameras as well as more up-market cameras with interchangeable lenses. It’s also compatible with the Nikon Creative Lighting System, featuring optical commander/slave modes, although the Commander mode only works with fairly recent cameras.

Specifications

Dedication: Nikon
Gn, ISO 100 (m / ft): Gn 24 / 79
Bounce range: 0 to 90 degrees
Swivel, left / right: 180 / 180 degrees
Zoom Range: 24mm (fixed)
Manual Power Settings: 1/1 to 1/128
AF-assist beam: LED lamp
Wireless: Optical commander / slave
Additional Flash Modes: HSS, RC, SS
Dimensions (W x H x D): 67 x 114.5 x 70.8 mm
Weight (excl batteries): 226g

Key features

When size matters, or at least the lack of it, the SB-500 is sufficiently compact and lightweight to take almost anywhere. However, compared with some independently manufactured Nikon-dedicated flashguns like the Nissin i40, which is even smaller, lighter and cheaper to buy, the SB-500 has a relatively limited feature set.

The basic head has no zoom facility, neither motorized nor manual, and no flip-out wide-angle diffuser nor a white bounce card. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

There’s no zoom facility for the head, which has a fixed beam angle that equates to a focal length of 24mm on a full-frame camera, or 16mm for DX (APS-C) format cameras. There’s also no flip-out wide-angle diffuser or reflector card, as featured in most flashguns. At least you get full a 90 degrees of bounce and 180 degrees of swivel to both left and right.

The rear panel is similarly simple and doesn’t feature an info screen. Most flash settings need to be made from the host camera’s menu, but indicator lights are featured for TTL, Manual and Commander modes, as well as for low, medium and high settings for the LED light source. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Around the back, the control panel is very simplistic and uses a few status LEDs instead of the more usual mono LCD panel. As such, most settings and adjustments need to be applied from menus in the host camera, including flash exposure compensation and manual power adjustments. An infrared wireless slave mode is featured (channel 3 only), but the commander mode only works with fairly recent cameras from the D5500, D7200, D750 and D810 onwards.

The LED is daylight-balanced (as is the flash) and it has the same beam angle, equating to a 24mm focal length for full-frame cameras and 16mm for DX (APS-C). However, you can’t use the LED at the same time as the flash. This could have been handy for fill-in light, or for AF-assist illumination in the absence of a red AF-assist lamp. The latter is superfluous with mirrorless cameras anyway, which can’t make use of one. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

A plus point for short-range stills and video is that the SB-500 features a secondary LED lamp. A button on the rear panel enables you to switch the lamp on or off, as well as cycling through quarter, half and full power settings, the last of which gives a 100 Lux intensity, with the same beam angle as the flash tube.

Just above the battery door on the right hand side is the infrared window for communication with cameras and other flashguns in wireless Commander and Slave modes. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Build quality feels pretty good despite, the compact, lightweight build. The mounting foot is metal rather than plastic and the locking lever is quick and easy to use. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Performance

In our tests, the maximum flash intensity matched that of the more up-market Nikon Speedlight SB-700 at the same 24mm zoom setting.

Unlike most flashguns, the SB-500 runs on two AA batteries rather than the usual four. It helps to keep the size and weight to a minimum but recycling after a full-power flash is comparatively lengthy. Battery life is for full-power flashes is around 100 (alkaline) to 140 (NiMH). Using the LED at the highest power setting, fresh batteries should last for around 30 minutes (alkaline) to 60 minutes (NiMH). (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

TTL (Through The Lens) flash metering is both accurate and consistent, and manual settings applied via the camera have a range of 1/128th to full power output. Recycling speeds after a full-power flash are relatively slow, typical of flashguns that only use two AA batteries, at 4.6 seconds for NiMH and 6.8 seconds with alkaline cells.

Switching from i-TTL BL (Balanced Light fill flash) mode to Manual mode is a time-consuming chore, as you have to rummage around the host camera’s Custom Setting menu to make the change. Manual flash is not available with D3 series, D2 series, D200, D80, D70 series and D50 digital cameras. A firmware update may be needed for other cameras. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Functions set via in-camera menus (where supported) include Auto FP high-speed sync, FV (Flash Value) lock, Slow-sync, Red-eye reduction, Rear-curtain sync and Flash exposure compensation. Regular i-TTL rather than i-TTL BL mode is only available when using the camera’s spot metering mode. For wireless remote flash, two groups (A and B) and four channels are available in Commander mode. Only channel 3 is available in Slave mode. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Like the mounting foot that’s supplied with the pricier SB-700, the one that comes with the SB-500 has a standard ¼-inch threaded socket for attaching it to a tripod or other support. This time, however, the thread is plastic rather than metal, so you need to be careful not tighten it too much. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Lab results

We test all available features for each flashgun that goes through out labs. To test power output, we used a Sekonic flash meter placed at a distance of one meter from each flashgun. We check the complete range of manual power settings, in one-stop increments. Based on a sensitivity of ISO 100, the figures correlate directly with the Gn (Guide number). The results are double-checked by taking shots of a gray card with the appropriate lens apertures and using the camera’s histogram display in playback mode. This is done for flash zoom settings of 24mm, 50mm and 105mm (in full-frame terms), where available.

We also check the accuracy and consistency of electronic/intelligent TTL (Through The Lens) flash metering, and the speed with which each flashgun can recycle to a state of readiness after a full-power flash, using both Ni-MH and alkaline cells, or a Li-ion power pack where supplied.

Power output:

(Image credit: Future)

The diminutive SB-500 draws close to bigger flashguns with a larger Gn rating at their 24mm zoom setting.

TTL accuracy (+/-EV) 0

As usual with own-brand Nikon flashguns, TTL flash metering is consistently accurate with zero over or under exposure.

Recycle speed:

(Image credit: Future)

Powered from two AA batteries rather than the usual four, recycle speeds are fairly slow.

Verdict

This flashgun runs on two AA batteries and is just about small enough to slip into a coat pocket. It’s Nikon’s most basic Speedlight, with no zoom facility nor a rear info screen and barely any onboard controls, but it packs a decent punch in terms of maximum output. It also features a constant LED lamp with three power levels, handy for close-up stills and video. All things considered, it feels poor value at the price compared with independently manufactured Nikon-dedicated flashguns.

The SB-500 comes complete with a tabletop/tripod foot and a carrying pouch, plus a printed user manual. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

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Matthew Richards
Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.