Nikon FA, smallest TTL flash recommendation

zanxion72 · May 12, 2021

I am having fun with a Nikon FA lately. What I miss is a small TTL flash, just for the few cases of a quick shots of friends, family etc.
What is the smallest TTL flash I could use on it? It does not have to have a big GN, just small enough but with TTL function.

Chan Tran · May 12, 2021

I think the Nikon SB-15 is small enough

AgX · May 12, 2021

Metz
32 CT 3 (2-axis swivel)
32 Z 2 (zoom) (2-axis swivel)

Agfa
283 C (static reflector)

Cullmann
DC 32 (2 reflectors) (one 1-axis swivel)

GNm in the designations. (except for the Metz zoom one, where the GN-refernce refers to the 50mm setting...)

AgX · May 12, 2021

Chan Tran said:
I think the Nikon SB-15 is small enough

Amongst the proposed ones the Agfa one is the lightest with 240g, in case such slight difference matters.

ronnies · May 12, 2021

Nikon SB-30?

Huss · May 12, 2021

ronnies said:
Nikon SB-30?

Yup, SB30

Modern stuff like the tiny SB400 that I use with my F6 will not work on an FA

Chan Tran · May 12, 2021

Huss said:
Yup, SB30

Modern stuff like the tiny SB400 that I use with my F6 will not work on an FA

I think the newest Nikon flash that would support TTL on the FA is the SB-800. But the OP is interested in a small flash.

wiltw · May 12, 2021

OP, a key point to keep in mind in the selection of flash for your FA

flash for your film camera is referred to as 'TTL'; unfortunately flash for later cameras is generically often called 'TTL' as well, in addtion to specific DTTL or iTTL IOW, the universe of Thru-the-Lens flash includes film TTL and DTTL and iTTL, but your camera needs a flash unit which can support 'TTL' as one mode.of 'Thru-the-Lens'
DTTL is a flash compatible with what i will term 'interim' camera
iTTL is a flash compatible with current dSLR and mirrorless from Nikon

Some modern flash, but not all, can support old fashioned film TTL in addition to supporting modern iTTL; the aforementioned SB-400 unforntuately does NOT support old fashioned 'TTL'. Yet you will see descriptions from stores...
"Nikon SB-400 TTL AF Shoe Mount Speedlight E" seem to be compatible with the Nikon FA from the description, when it is not!
OTOH, the SB-600 supports all TTL modes. As described in a Ken Rockwell review:

"Works with every Nikon SLR:

i-TTL for Nikon's newest DSLRs, like the D7000, D700, D3X, F6, D70s, D200, D2X and D2H etc.
D-TTL for Nikon's earliest DSLRs likes the D100, D1, D1X and D1H
Regular TTL for all the film cameras from the FA and FE-2 through today."

You may be well served by buying a used flash contemprary with film TTL cameras, like this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/284292006441?epid=99592190&hash=item42311fc229:g:nNIAAOSwvpNgm6ZS
The only hesitancy with buying an old flash is the operational condition...usually flash units need to have their 'capacitor re-formed' with some regularity to hold charge to fire the flashtube. So you need some assurance that the unit fires properly, before buying!

AgX · May 12, 2021

ronnies said:
Nikon SB-30?

As non-Nikon guy I was not even aware of that flash. 92 grams, amazing.

Before I made my proposals of third party manufacturer flashes, I thought of such, but nothing came to my mind and I guess nothing of that kind existed from them.

There are many tiny autoexposure flashes by them, but no TTL one. Even Metz made a miniatur flash, but likely not to spoil the size they did not make it take SCA feet.

reddesert · May 12, 2021

I think the SB-50dx will do TTL with Nikon film cameras (those that are TTL capable), including the FA. It is smaller than the full size flashes such as SB-24 etc, but still has a tilting head for bounce flash.

wiltw · May 12, 2021

reddesert said:
I think the SB-50dx will do TTL with Nikon film cameras (those that are TTL capable), including the FA. It is smaller than the full size flashes such as SB-24 etc, but still has a tilting head for bounce flash.

I looked up a review of the SB-50dx, and it had this additional comment:
"If you have a film camera then also consider the tiny SB-23 unless you need to bounce, and if you need to bounce, the SB-22 also works fine. "
My prior link was to the SB-27, which is TTL compatible with film cameras and has a tilt/swivel head.

AnselMortensen · May 12, 2021

Will an SB-E do TTL on the FA?

wiltw · May 12, 2021

AnselMortensen said:
Will an SB-E do TTL on the FA?

Nope. SB-E is an Automatic photosensor flash, from the days before TTL flash control was invented.

Here is a nice list of film TTL-compatible Nikon models

SB-12, SB-24, SB-25, SB-27...TTL compatible flashes from Nikon were 2-digit modesl
All 3-digit are iTTL only, but the SB-600 and SB-800 could do all three (TTL, DTTL, iTTL)

zanxion72 · May 13, 2021

Size being the most important factor after TTL, SB-27 looks like a nice solution. Small, flat, will be easy to be slipped at the side of a pile of things. Would a third party one like the small meike mk-300 work with it?

AgX · May 13, 2021

zanxion72 said:
Size being the most important factor after TTL, SB-27 looks like a nice solution.

it weighs 100g more than the more versatile Metz I hinted at.

My advice:
Either the SB-15 or one of the ones listed by me
or
something tiny as the SB-30 (if compatible) or the Maike

You have to decide between versatility (output, swivelling) and size resp.weight.

Chan Tran · May 13, 2021

AnselMortensen said:
Will an SB-E do TTL on the FA?

No because it was designed for the EM which was released earlier than the FA and doesn't support TTL.

neeksgeek · May 13, 2021

One small flash not mentioned yet is the Nikon SB-18, roughly the size and form factor of the SB-E. It’s TTL and if I’m remembering correctly was some sort of a promo item with the Nikon N8008.

wiltw · May 13, 2021

neeksgeek said:
One small flash not mentioned yet is the Nikon SB-18, roughly the size and form factor of the SB-E. It’s TTL and if I’m remembering correctly was some sort of a promo item with the Nikon N8008.

The SB-18 is indeed TTL comatible with FA, but it is a high profile flash, unlike the low profile SB-27 I linked.

wiltw · May 13, 2021

zanxion72 said:
Size being the most important factor after TTL, SB-27 looks like a nice solution. Small, flat, will be easy to be slipped at the side of a pile of things. Would a third party one like the small meike mk-300 work with it?

The Meike description is somewhat vague and subject to misinterpretation. While they have modes 'TTL', 'M', and 'RPT', the truthe seems to be that 'TTL' is a reference only to the current 'iTTL' capable dSLR or mirrorless cameras, and not to 'film TTL' (meaning the FA and its contemporary cameras.

wiltw · May 13, 2021

AgX said:
it weighs 100g more than the more versatile Metz I hinted at.

My advice:
Either the SB-15 or one of the ones listed by me
or
something tiny as the SB-30 (if compatible) or the Maike

You have to decide between versatility (output, swivelling) and size resp.weight.

Does that 100g include the SCA 300 module which is needed to provide Nikon TTL compatibility, or is that 100m difference not including SCA 343 module? My SCA module for Olympus adds 30g, as a reference.

AgX · May 14, 2021

Well, I took that figure from memory...
As I stored those flashes away already, and as the dedicated feet are stored with cameras, I took 20g as an estimate for a dedicated foot.
Then that 100g gain comes true for the Cullmann flash (2 reflectors, one with single-axis swivelling).

For the Metz (1 reflector, 2-axis swivelling) the weight gain indeed is only 50g.

Of course the true weight difference should be taken with the batteries loaded (4 AAs with all those bigger flashes) and then the relative differences are less, but still it shows the weight range from tiny to advanced TTL flash. (But it seems the tiny ones are all too dedicated and not adaptable.)

It this context I wonder why TTL is such a prerequisite. With just thyristor controlled autexposure flash there is a choice of really tiny flashes.

wiltw · May 14, 2021

zanxion72 said:
I am having fun with a Nikon FA lately. What I miss is a small TTL flash, just for the few cases of a quick shots of friends, family etc.
What is the smallest TTL flash I could use on it? It does not have to have a big GN, just small enough but with TTL function.

I just thought about a key consideration to flash choice, which are likely unaware of:

When the flash lens forms a small angle to the position of the lens, the flash is more prone to cause 'red eye' because the lens sees a reflection of the flash in the blood vessel rich back of the eye. IOW, 'small' and 'low profile' are more prone to red eye capture in photos than a taller flash unit whose flash lens forms a larger angle to the lens center. 'Smaller' is not desirable for that reason! It is the reason why built-in flash is so prone to photos of glowing red eyes! So if you hate photos with glowing red eyes, you CAN avod that from happening by using taller flash units...less red eyes but less compact flash!

AgX · May 14, 2021

wiltw said:
'Smaller' is not desirable for that reason! It is the reason why built-in flash is so prone to photos of glowing red eyes!

Flash maufacturers applied different concepts on this. Many, if not most, designed the flash as upright box with the reflector at the top or as handle flash, next to the camera, with same effect. Metz and some others also had flat lying units (as the ones I hinted at) where the reflector sits at the front and thus lower.

That red-eye issue was approached already in times of flash-cubes: there had been extention collums to mount the cube upon.

wiltw · May 14, 2021

This example of red eye was achieved in spite of my Metz 45CT flash mounted so its flash head was over 10" higher than the lens axis! I was using a long FL lens, and the distance to the subject was far away (Let' say 50' away for discussion purposes). The the angle between lens center to to the subject 50' away and back to flashhead center was a small angle. Red eye.

So the Metz 32CT suggested by AgX to OP is somewhat less prone to red eye than the very low profile Nikon NB-27

MattKing · May 14, 2021

I can't resist...
Are you sure that is normal red eye, and not a crazed bride?
(I managed to mostly avoid those when I worked as a wedding photographer).

Nikon FA, smallest TTL flash recommendation

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency