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
24m/78.7ft. (at ISO 100)Lens Coverage
24 mm lens (FX format) or 16 mm lens (DX format)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°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 mmApprox. Weight (Without Batteries)
8 oz.226 g
- Commander FunctionYes
- Remote FunctionYes
- Guide Number24m/78.7ft. (at ISO 100)
- Electronic ConstructionAutomatic Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) and series circuitry
- Flash Exposure Controli-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash with CLS compatible cameras
- Lens Coverage24 mm lens (FX format) or 16 mm lens (DX format)
- Other Available FunctionsTest 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 Time3.5 sec. (approx.) with Ni-MH batteries, 4.0 sec. (approx.) with Alkaline-manganese (1.5V) batteries
- Flash Duration1/1100 sec. at M 1/1 (full) output
- Required Power Source2 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 IndicatorFully recycled: lights up , Warning indication: flashes slowly
- Ready LightBack
- Flash CompensationAvailable via camera settings
- Minimum Number of Flashes / Recycling Time100/4.0-30 sec. (Alkaline-manganese batteries) , 140/3.5-30 sec. (Ni-MH batteries)
- Wireless Flash ModesCommander / Remote
- Wireless GroupsTwo: A, B
- Other FunctionsFirmware 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
Product Forum
Support
Product Registration
Registering your Nikon product allows us to send you (with your permission) important updates, service information and helpful hints, and it makes it easier should you ever need to call in for help.
Register your product online now.Nikon Answers Site
We store all resolved problems in our solution database. If you can’t find a relevant answer, feel free to submit a question to our technical support team.
View Questions & Answers