Product ReviewsNikon Speedlight SB-27 SB27 Shoe Mount Flash tested excellent++ japan

Excellent speedlight for almost any 35mm SLR, great for compact digitals.

The SB-27 is a TTL flash introduced in 1995 with a unique Nikon design. The flash head can rotate to a vertical orientation as well as turning 180 degrees where the pop out diffuser can also be utilized as a ceiling bounce/diffuser. It is considerably more compact than full sized flash units, but offers much greater power and flexibility than compact units. It weighs about as much as a full size Nikon Speedlight, with 4AA batteries and durable construction. It offers TTL flash control with capable film bodies, including the F100 and F5. It has a non-TTL auto mode, which must be switched on in the battery compartment for use with digital SLR bodies as it does not support D-TTL or iTTL. The LCD control panel on the back allows for a number of apertures and ISO speeds to be set in non-TTL auto mode and it also displays a distance scale range in this mode. In manual mode, the flash offers a number of fractional power settings and a handy distance calculator based on input ISO and aperture. I purchased this unit for use with a number of film bodies, plus for my Panasonic DMC-LX5 compact. This is a fully featured manual flash, and while it weighs as much as a full sized unit and is as large as my LX5, it is not clumsy like a taller unit would be, as it has a comparatively low centre of gravity.Read full review...

Very good value for money, with very good performance.

Looking for a compact used flash, i bought this Nikon SB-27 because of some features i like, such as the flat panel and relatively compact design, the power zoom heads: 24-50mm (horizontal) and 35-70mm (vertical), the power output is varied according to zoom head positions set, Guide number (ISO 100, m): 30 (with zoom head set at 35mm), built-in reflector cards/wide flash adapter and Red-Eye Reduction lamp. However, i would prefer lighter than the 340gr without 4XAA batteries. I paid 46 Euros(May 2015) inclunding shipping cost from S. Korea, for one in mint condition with soft case. I am very satisfied from my Nikon SB-27, and my overall rating is 4.5 .Read full review...

Still shooting film

Having just bought a Nikon FM3A film camera I now needed a flash to expand the camera's capabilities. The SB-27 has built in diffuser and bounce cards. So no fumbling around looking for them, they are right there on the top portion of the flash. The flash settings are fully adjustable to just about any situation. The size of the unit isn't too bad but it isn't "pocket' sized either. That means it isn't going to sit on the camera all the time just in case you need it. Think of an old Sony Walkman cassette player. It's just a hair smaller than one of those. Performance is great, about what you expect from Nikon. The FM3A is a manual film camera, so I can't say how well it'll work with autofocus or digital cameras. After reading the user manual online, I think it'll be great with those as well.Read full review...

nikon electronic flash SB- 27

This flash is capable of operating on a wide number of Nikon cameras and in all the body's many modes. It's small and light, but extremely powerful, with features that few other flash attachments have. You can position the flash for top left, top right, or top center. this will let you place the shadow directly behind your subject with no additional parts.Read full review...

It is limited for a lot of cameras.itt has a high learning curve. It is well made but to use all of its feature you have to refer to the manual.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: zaperoco

Very good very cheap option.

I got it very cheap (used), I was intended to use it only on manual, so it has everything that I wanted, the build quality is very nice as well. it has a bounce card installed, that seems that it can be broken very easily, but so far so good. It is a medium size flash, it isn´t a pocket size, nor a normal size flash.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: robertscamera

Great Speed lights

This is my third SB-25. I use them mainly for high speed photography and occasionally when I am on a photo shoot where I need extra light and to be mobile as opposed to studio lights. They are older models and relatively cheap which suits my budget and I can get the perfect freezing of action with them.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: track26

somewhat bulky for intended use

a little heavier and larger than expected,purchased as a tote along for rare use on bodies without the pop up flash. works well for the intended use

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: jdsutt86

great addition for my N80

I have been using an aftermarket flash for a couple of years with my N80 Nikon and got soso pictures I saw a good deal on Ebay for a Nikon sb27 and bought it what a differance in the overall lighting in my pictures balanced and much better color correction and shadows better taken care of I will hang on to this combo until I can no longer get film for it.Read full review...

Nikon's SB-27 Flash

Excellent small flash for the camera bag when the big units such as the SB-600 or 800 just won't do. Great coverage and long battery life.