Nikon flashlight accessories

Nikon produced/produces many accessories for its flash lights, aka Speedlights.

Not all flashlights will fit a camera body just using the ISO shoe on top of it. Some older cameras need a cable to make an electric contact to trigger the flash. Some modern flashes do have a built-in slave unit (= sensored trigger), so they can be used individually without physical contact with a camera. Although nearly all flashes do fit and work with whatever Nikon camera body (SLR, compact or APS) some flashes need an additional flash shoe and/or cable. To use more than one flash Nikon offers a variety of connectors. And not all camera-flash combinations will operate at all exposure and/or flash programs. So, please, read your camera and flash instruction sheet or manual carefully to learn what's possible and what isn't.

Important notes: The Nikon I and the older Nikon M rangefinder cameras do not have flash contacts at all! Nikon rangefinder cameras do have a metal accessory shoe on top which will take any flash with an ISO shoe, but all electric contacts at the bottom of whatever flash body should be covered by insulating tape in order to avoid short-circuit in the flashlight; no rangefinder camera has electric contacts in/on the shoe to trigger a flash. Any flash used on a RF camera will need a cable (without a code), supplied by Nikon is various lengths.

Read the manual of the flash in use carefully, as not all flashes can be used together, save via a slave unit. Each flash produces an ignition voltage that - together with other flashes - may damage one or all flashes or the electric circuit of the camera!

All flashes have a capacitor: so never open a flash as the capacitor - even after months of not being in use - may knock you out!

In this chapter nearly all known cables (also for flashlights) are listed. To place Nikon flashlights on the various compact and single lens reflex cameras Nikon provided a large range of flash shoes and connectors, bearing the AS code. Information on these shoes, adapters and connectors can be found here. Flash brackets received an SK code, battery packs a SD or LD code (see below) and flash sensors and slave units a SU code. Most modern flashlights came with a diffuser (to adjust flashlight angle) or a dome (to soften the flash beam).

Nikon flashlight battery packs.

SD-1: battery pack for Nikon SB-1, using one 510 Volts battery.

SD-2: battery pack for Nikon SB-1, using 6 AM2 batteries

SD-3: battery pack for Nikon SB-1, using 510 Volts battery + 4 AA-batteries to power the built-in Volts stabilizer.

SD-4: battery pack for Nikon SB-5, using 2 240 Volts batteries.

SD-5: battery pack for SB-6 stroboscope flash gun, using one SN-3 battery to be chagerd via the Nikon SH-3 charger. Total weight of this equipment = 3.6 kilo!

SD-6: battery pack for Nikon SB-11, SB-14 and SB-140, using 6 AA batteries.

SD-7: battery pack for Nikon SB-11, SB-14, SB-140, SB-20 SB-22, SB-24, SB-25, SB-26, SB-27 and SB-28, using 6 AM2 batteries. Cable SC-16 is needed for connection. It is avisable to remove all batteries from the flaslight when using the SD-7.

SD-8: battery pack for Nikon SB-11, SB-20, SB-22, SB-24, SB-25, SB-26, SB-27and SB-28, using 6 AA batteries. Via Nikon FM-6 it can be connceted to the camera tripod connector.

SD-9: battery pack for Nikon SB-900 and SB910, using 4 AA batteries.

LD-1: battery pack for Nikon SR-2 and SM-2 and Medical-Nikkor 200mm/5.6, using 8 AA batteries.

LD-2: battery pack for Nikon Medical-Nikkor 120mm/4 and SB-11, using 8 AA batteries..

Nikon flash sensors & slave units

US-1: Sensor for Nikon SB-5 and SB-6

US-2: Sensor for Nikon SB-11

SU-3: Sensor for Nikon SB-11, SB-14 and SB-140. Separate use possible via cable SC-13.

SU-4: Infrared remote flash trigger.

SU-800: Ifrared trigger for Nikon SB-600, SB-800, SB-900, SB-910 and SB-R200

Nikon flash brackets

These metal brackets are offered to use a flash light next to a camera.

SK-1: for Nikon SB-1

SK-2: for Nikon SB-1

SK-3: for Nikon SB-5

SK-4: for Nikon SB-11

SK-5: for Nikon SB-14

SK-6: for Nikon SB-22, SB-24, SB-26. It has an extra battery pack (4 AA batteries) integrated and the adapter AS-16. Via Nikon SC-16 the Nikon SD-7 or/and SD-8 can be connected.

SK-7: for Nikon SU-4

SK-8/A: for Nikon SB-28/DX, SB-80/DX and SB-800

SK-9: for various flash lights with ISO-shoe

SK-E900: for Coolpix 9xx-series