3rd Party Speedlites (Flash, Flashguns)

Flashes traditionally have been underrated, because if you have a built in flash in your camera, chances are it is ineptly underpowered and lacks the capabilities that a flash is supposed to afford you in the first place. In any case, as Nikon users we have been accustomed to the best flash and metering systems in the market, so why risk going with 3rd party speedlites? Well, quite frankly, cost... For the cost of an Nikon SB400 (which is just a tad better than your on board flash) you can purchase a 3rd party speedlite with the power of the top of the line Nikon SB800, without the CLS capability of course. I have come across three brands that stand out, the Sunpack PZ42X, the Nissin Di622, and the Sigma EF530 DG Super.

All these flashes were reverse engineered from Nikon Flashes and will work with all the current DSLR/SLRs using Nikon's sublime i-TTL. Of the three, the Sigma is the most expensive and costs about the same as an Nikon SB600, which is really a mistake. I would definitely go with the Nikon SB600 because it can be used with CLS on D70, D70s, D80, D200, D300 with on board flashes. It comes down to the Sunpack and the Nissin, both are very good, with good history of making durable flashes in the past. Both have zooming heads (24mm to 105mm), wide angle diffuser (16mm coverage), tilt/swivel heads, manual output option (up to 1/64 for Sunpack and 1/32 for Nissin), the Sunpack has a built in rear LCD and Flash output can be adjusted +/-1.5 EV in 0.5 EV steps, the Nissin has no such rear LCD but a simplistic LED light arrangement for manual power adjustment, Flash output can be adjusted on the Nikon body itself, the Nissin has a built in catch light reflector also. Its a tough choice between the two, but you can't go wrong with either, so if you're on shopping for a flash on a budget (if you don't have one yet this is the first thing you should consider) try the Sunpack PZ42X or the Nissin Di622.