Nikon’s New SB-80DX AF Speedlight

February 24, 2002 - Nikon (www.nikonusa.com), the world leader in photography, today introduced its newest innovation in electronic flash photography – the SB-80DX AF Speedlight. Designed for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts, the SB-80DX incorporates an extensive feature set, provides seamless compatibility and offers enhanced creative lighting capabilities with most Nikon 35mm and digital SLR cameras. “Nikon’s SB-80DX opens up many new creative avenues for photographers by giving them additional power, zoom range and wide angle capability along with innovative new features that enable the speedlight to be used beyond its traditional role,” said Richard LoPinto, vice president, SLR Camera Systems, Nikon Inc.

“With built-in wireless TTL and manual functions, built-in modeling flash, custom settings and superior fill flash capabilities, the SB-80DX offers photographers an invaluable accessory to enhance their pictures,” he added. “One of Nikon’s major objectives for flash photography has been to develop systems that make creative flash photography easier and more versatile. Now, the Nikon Speedlight System is another step closer to accomplishing that and using two or more speedlights to illuminate a scene will become more accessible and perhaps commonplace,” said LoPinto.

Innovative New Design
A selection of new features make the SB-80DX versatile and easy to use. To ensure precious time is not lost in adjusting flash settings while shooting, the SB-80DX’s new selector style controller gives quick access to most functions of the speedlight in one or two jogs on the dial. An incremental auto-zoom flash head automatically keeps the flash coverage synchronized with the lens angle of view from 24mm to 105mm. Photographers who shoot with ultra wide-angle lenses have the added capability of adjusting the SB-80DX flash head to cover lenses with angles of view to 114-degrees with its built-in 14mm wide panel. For added control and visualizing the anticipated light effect, a built-in modeling flash feature lets the photographer preview the the light and shadow effects before taking a photograph. An interchangeable Diffusion Dome attaches to the flash head providing a soft light quality, which is especially useful for portraiture and many fill-flash situations.

Additionally, the SB-80DX’s multi-angle flash head tilts as low as minus seven-degrees for close up photography and up to 90-degrees for bounce flash photography. A new all-metal mounting foot with safety lock keeps the speedlight securely fastened to the camera in use.

Advanced Operation
The SB-80DX’s advanced circuitry enables the speedlight to exceed functionality beyond its traditional role. With off-camera, wireless TTL capabilities (up to 23 feet in TTL auto-mode and 131 feet in manual-mode), the SB-80DX can now be used with other Nikon speedlights and accessories including the SB-50DX, the new SB-30 and the SU-4 Wireless TTL Slave Flash Controller for unencumbered multiple flash photography. This offers professional photographers a new creative freedom by allowing them to carry two or more SB-80DX speedlights in their camera bag to meet most of their lighting needs. Flash compensation in the SB-80DX has been extended to offer up to +/- 3-EV of light control, which can be used when shooting subjects against a strong backlight, or under flat light conditions to provide natural looking fill-flash effects. Among the eight new built-in Custom Settings, the SB-80DX incorporates an all new Standby function that lets photographers adjust settings from 40 seconds to 300 seconds, providing power saving control during multiple flash photography. Additionally, a powerful guide number of 125 (at 35mm position, ISO 100) ensures that the SB-80DX will satisfy most demanding photographers.

Seamless Functionality Within Nikon’s Total Imaging System
The SB-80DX speedlight operates in concert with most Nikon 35mm and digital SLRs to provide advanced automatic functions and precise, well balanced flash exposures under diverse situations. The SB-80DX offers 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash function with the F5, F100, N90s and N80 film SLR cameras as well as D-TTL performance with the Nikon digital SLR cameras. These include the D1x, D1H, D1, and the new D100. It also offers Matrix balanced fill-flash with the N65 35mm film SLR camera. The SB-80DX will be available in retail outlets in March 2002.

SOURCE Nikon