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6 Best External Flash for Nikon D3200 [2024 Review]

In: 
Published: 13/03/2023

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The Nikon D3200 laid the foundation for the introduction of new features of DSLR cameras such as wireless adapters. However, its flash could be better. With the best flash for Nikon D3200, you will be able to eliminate shadows and create sharper images.

Nikon D3200 External Flash Reviews

Nikon SB-910 

The Nikon SB-910 is the best match for Nikon D3200. Although it has a higher price tag, its functionality is excellent and is reputable in the photography community. The flash keeps upgrading since the release of its initial version, the SB-900. It has an easier-to-use menu which reduces the task of navigating through.

The flash has a filter system which is simply one of the best improvements so far, as there is no need for getting plastic filter fittings and swapping out the different color gels. The full range of plastic fittings present with diverse color ranges which do not tear.

Fast select buttons on the Nikon SB-910 allow you to trigger and change your flash exposure settings quickly. This feature allows you to save time by cutting back on the time you would have spent getting through the programs and taking several shots while still having excellent results.

Featuring Nikon’s versatile I-TTL, the Nikon SB-910 can operate as a wireless commander, hot-shoe mounted Speedlight or remote unit. This feature also drives the control of three small groups and is convenient for wide zoom range, specific shooting environments, and streamlined controls.

Another improvement of the SB-910 from the previous flashes is the auto-detection sensor.   The sensor will auto-detect the color or type of filter you've connected to the flash and change the output as required for the best possible photos. This will save you countless hours over the course of a working week when you would otherwise have to go back and tweak the settings manually.

Weather won't stop you from using the SB-910 outside, thanks to Nikon's addition of optional water guards to Nikon D3200, which keeps moisture out of the flash-to-camera link. Any photographer who wants professional-grade lighting will profit from the SB-910's pace.

The Nikon SB-910's overheating mechanism is one of the most significant improvements. If the flash sensed that it was overheating, it would simply power down and not let you use it at all in older models.

Nikon SB-700 AF

The Nikon SB-700 AF is the best contender as the best flash for Nikon D3200. Has a solid reputation as one with one of the best features and improved functionalities. It offers a 360-degree rotation of the flash head, total vertical bounce, and a +7 degree forward tilt.

The interface of the flash is easy to use, especially with people not familiar with the Nikon menu. It has a flash diffuser attached to the flash head and a bounce card that allows you to bounce photography by the fly. It also offers wireless commander mode that controls up to 2 remote Speedlights but can select up to 3 groups if used as the remote flash.

The flash is compatible with Nikon's i-TTL system, which allows for more accurate exposures and sharper focus by removing shadows. The SB-700 fires a series of pre-flashes before the main flash to relay details about the scene's lighting to the camera. The slight discrepancies are then automatically balanced by the I-TTL.

The SB-700, like the SB-910 before it, uses newer type flash molds rather than the older gel insert-based system. This will make your life simpler and your Nikon D3200 photography sessions a breeze because the chances of having to use a faulty flash filter on the SB-700 or discovering that you've misplaced one are almost non-existent.

The SB-700 flash has a robust auto-zoom coverage that can cover lenses up to 120 mm in diameter. Using the quick slider switch on the back, you can choose between three light distributions: center-weighted portraits, Standard, or Even illumination. It also monitors and regulates the temperature of the flash, preventing overheating and improving recycling.

Yongnuo YN-568EX II

The Yongnuo YN-568EX II flash offers decent quality light at an affordable price for skilled photographers. With the recent advancements, it is still considered reputable for most go-to-cameras for its price point. The menu interface is user-friendly. The buttons are easy to navigate through, and the control options are responsive.

Although some of the settings can be a little tricky to figure out, reading the manual for five minutes can show you how to make the most of the flash. After a few times using the flash, it soon becomes second nature, allowing you to tweak the flash settings quickly and easily. If you've ever used a Yongnuo camera flash before, you should be able to figure it out easily.

The flash has a good build quality, which reduces the risk of damage during shipping. Its auto-sync mode and TTL mode allow for uninterrupted shooting, saving you time from having to change each program manually.

The Yongnuo YN-568EX comes with a diffuser and flash bounce cards easily attached and pulled out when required. Unlike most flash diffusers in the market right now, this flash boasts highly functional and practical diffusers, giving you more reason to choose it as a third-party flash.

The Yongnuo YN-568EX flash supports Nikon I-TTL, has wireless TTL functionality, and can help you expand your lighting options by providing a great off-camera feature. Its auto-zooming range is 24-105mm, and it has a high guide number of 58m at ISO 100 and 105mm. It easily switches to instant sync mode when used off-camera by using its commander modes.

The flash has LCD panels that can be used to display settings before switching to several shots in a row. For real estate photography, the bounce card, wide-angle diffusion panel, sound alerts for audible notifications, and modeling light functions are ideal. It is powered by four AA batteries and has first and second sync modes for personal computers.

You can read more in my Nikon Yongnuo flash review article.

Neewer 750II TTL

The Neewer 750II TTL flash outperforms its competition, delivering exceptional performance at a lower price point. The improvement in the features, such as the introduction of the LCD screen, allows you to quickly see and adjust the settings while working on an image or a video.

The Neewer 750II's user interface is fairly simple, but that is to be expected given its price point. Nonetheless, it is capable of completing tasks quickly and is relatively simple to operate. If you're familiar with Neewer flash devices, there aren't many differences between the 750II and their other entry-level to mid-range models. The LCD screen, on the other hand, is very transparent and allows you to see the flash settings you're adjusting through the flash quickly and easily.

While the Neewer 750II has an autofocus assist lamp, it can be hit or miss at times. However, based on the general consensus and other third-party reports and reviews that i could find, the autofocus assist lamp appears to do a good job the majority of the time, particularly for such a low-cost flash.

Unlike the many other entry-level flash units, the Neewer 750II flash comes with a metal hot shoe that prevents it from warping. This feature also enables you to mount or unmount the flash for years to come without risking your camera from being damaged. Although it has a slow recycle time, this works to your advantage as it enables the camera to maximize heat dissipation and prevents overheating. 

The flash has a primary interface that is easier to use and helps you to work faster and effectively. At full power, the Neewer 750II allows you to use it for around 30 minutes before swapping to batteries. Although this is the lowest uptime I see so far compared to other flashes, it is still commendable considering the price.

Furthermore, AA batteries are inexpensive and easy to find, so you can stock up on them before heading to your destination if necessary. Overall, I believe this is a good Neewer flash for a Nikon d3200 camera that will last a long time.

Nikon SB 900 AF

The Nikon SB 900 is a successor of the Nikon SB 800 with high-performance features such as three illumination patterns designed to work with LCDs effectively. It offers exceptionally high operations with an extended zoom range and high speed. It incorporates a moving diffuser and a light source.

The flash has an automatic light detector that helps detect the correct color and light distribution pattern according to the sensor format of the camera used. Also, it automatically detects incandescent or fluorescent color filters and creates a balance in the long run. 

Designed for the modern era of high-speed digital capture, the SB-900 is perfect for successive shooting at high power. It also has a built-in thermal sensing system that detects overheating and protects it from damage. It achieves its bounce capability by tilting the head at 90 degrees and down 11 degrees, making the SB 900 essential in opening up many creative opportunities for the photographer.

When using rechargeable NiMH batteries, the SB-900 boasts a minimum recycling time of 2.3 seconds thanks to an improved booster circuit. It also has a Thermal Cut-out, which restricts the number of flashes to ensure that the light quality and intensity are maintained during continuous flash use. The flash can detect color filters automatically, allowing the camera to control color temperature based on this knowledge.

The SB-900 can be used as a standalone flash or as part of a wireless party, in Commander or Slave mode. With three remote i-TTL flash groups operated via the master SB-900, the i-TTL device in this flash supports Advanced Wireless Lighting and flexible functions for up to four groups of flashes.

Nikon's Advanced Data Communication system is used to monitor the i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash flash. This system, which forms the center of Nikon's Creative Lighting System, offers an improved method for monitor pre-flash and wireless operation, marking an advancement in higher precision over Nikon's acclaimed D-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash control system.

Nikon SB 600 AF

The Nikon SB-600 is built to complement Nikon D3200. It is a compact flash upgraded from SB-800 and serves as the foundation for Nikon Creative Lighting System. It can be used as a remote flash to create extensive creative possibilities and support Advanced Wireless Lighting.

The flash optimizes white balance through the use of color information. The SB-600 also has an easy-to-view LCD and delivers plenty of styles, from triangular motifs to compact dimensions. This feature makes the flash the best option for creative photographers. Its Auto FP High-Speed Sync enables the use of Fill-Flash for sharper images with creative outcomes.

The Nikon SB-600 Speedlight is a stand-alone i-TTL flash that can also be used as a remote wireless slave flash for the CLS device. However, it lacks the Master mode found on the SB-800. It's a simple but powerful Speedlight flash that works well as a slave for your D3200 or as a controller unit.

The Nikon SB-600 has a guide number of 30 and a length of 0.6m to 20m depending on the ISO and aperture used. The time it takes to get back to full power is about 2.5 seconds. The swivel head houses the flash tube, which can be tilted from 0 to 90 degrees and rotated horizontally 180 degrees to the left and 90 degrees to the right to allow bounce flash. To make these changes, simply press a large button that says PUSH in large letters; it couldn't be simpler!

Even though the flash comes at a low cost, it has features that are helpful for your photography needs. It will not only greatly improve the image quality of your photography as compared to the D3200's built-in flash.

Features to Consider in the Best External Flash for Nikon D3200

The Nikon D3200 is a crop factor camera meaning its sensor is a bit smaller than that of a full-frame camera, making it unsuitable for use in poor lighting conditions. 

The following features can help you choose an external flash that is compatible with your Nikon D3200, improving its performance when capturing interior photos of a real estate property. The following table highlights the key specifications you should look out for when purchasing an external flash.

Comparing External Flashes for Nikon D3200

FlashesZoom RangeDimension (Inches)Guide Number
Nikon SB-910 AF 17-200mm1 x 1 x 1111.5' at ISO 100 and 35mm
Nikon SB 700 AF 24-120mm4.1 x 2.8 x 592′ at ISO 100 and 35mm
Yongnuo YN-568EX 24-105mm8.27 x 3.74 x 3.15190’ at ISO 100 and 105
Neewer 750II TTL 14-105mm4.33 x 3.54 x 8.27190' at ISO 100 and 105mm
Nikon SB 900 AF 17-200mm3.07 x 5.74 x 4.6634/111.5 (ISO 100,m/ft.), 48/157.5 (ISO 200, m/ft.)
Nikon SB 600 AF 24-85mm2.7 x 3.5 x 4.930/98 (ISO 100, m/ft.) or 42/138 (ISO 200, m/ft.)

TTL

TTL is a term in flash photography that simply stands for Through The Lens. It helps in measuring the amount of flash output required every time before a photo is captured. This helps you prevent ending up with overexposed or underexposed images.

Although you can use a manual flash to manually adjust the amount of light for your photos regardless of your camera configurations, it can disadvantage you when shooting moving subjects as you have no time to stop and adjust the lighting.

If you want to avoid all these issues, you can consider getting a flash that supports TTL, such as Yongnuo YN 568EX, as it automatically measures the light needed to illuminate a subject even when using the burst shooting mode.

Guide Number

Typically, when capturing interior pictures of a real estate property, some subjects may be far away from the camera while others may be closer. The flash guide number is the measure of the distance at which a flash can illuminate a subject.

An external flash with a higher guide number can help illuminate distant subjects more than that with a lower guide number, as the higher the guide number, the brighter the flash. Therefore, if capturing using wide-angle lenses, consider choosing a flash with a higher guide number, such as the Neewer 750II

Recycling Speed

Batteries found in a camera flash do not provide the sufficient voltage required to power bursts of light. Fortunately, a flash is designed to overcome this issue by incorporating capacitors that can be recharged and discharged. 

Recycle speed is the amount of time that a flash takes to charge the capacitors before the camera takes the next photo. The less power the flash uses, the faster the recycle speed, and the more power, the slower the recycle speed.

If capturing using the burst mode, it is advisable to get an external flash with a smaller recycle time, such as the Nikon SB 700 AF. This allows the capacitors to recharge before the camera makes the next shot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Image Quality for Nikon D3200?

The latest pixel architecture with Nikon D3200 and the CMOS technology offers high sensitivity, boosting performance in low-light applications. Although the predecessor of the Nikon D3200 comes with the CMOS sensor, there is a great step up with this choice.

Which Is Better Between the External Flash and the Built-in Flash?

Generally, the external flash is far much better than the built-in flash because the built-in flash has a maximum flash-to-subject distance of about 9.8 feet. On the other hand, external flashes have a higher flash power as they are capable of illuminating objects that are more than 32 feet.

Is Nikon D3200 Good in Videography?

Similar to Nikon D3100, the Nikon D3200 produces good quality videos in 640 x 424 SD, 1280 x 720 HD, and 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolutions. However, the D3200 does not shoot in 4K, and it is not capable of video streaming.

Conclusion

Flash systems provide additional texture, depth, and functionality that can be achieved with natural lights. I hope that these reviews will assist you in selecting the best flash for your Nikon D3200.

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