Best External Flash For Nikon D810

Last Updated on February 2, 2023

man photographing mountain landscape

[The Main Museum is supported by readers just like you. Some links on TheMainMuseum are affiliate and we earn a small commission when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. As always, all recommendations are based solely on performance and value to you]

The Nikon D810 is a great camera. I’ve been using mine since it was released and absolutely love it. If you are looking for the best flash for your D810 then you will know my recommendations after reading this article.

Nikon SB-910 Speedlight Flash

The Nikon SB-910 offers the best flash performance you can get for your D810. You can operate this flash as a speedlight when mounted to the hot shoe, a wireless commander unit or a remote unit. You can control up to three groups and as many flashes as you want. This gives you ultimate creative control over your lighting configuration. This Nikon flash provides true professional performance including i-TTL a wide zoom range and manual power ratio. The settings are surprisingly easy to adjust for such an advanced flash. It does come in at a premium price but if you seriously want the best of the best here it is.

Check current price and customer reviews

  • True professional performance
  • Hot shoe mount, remote unit, or wireless commander
  • i-TTL compatible
  • Zoom range of 17-200mm
  • Advanced menu with illuminated buttons
  • Hard type color correction filters

Nikon SB-5000 AF Speedlight

Some photographers will put the SB-5000 at the top of the flash list and I understand why. It offers insanely good performance and offers all the feature you could ask for. The only reason this flash is not at the very top of the list is that the price is a bit high for some photographers. But if it is within your budget this is an absolute dream to work with. You get radio controlled advanced wireless lighting with a built in cooling system for when you need to take shots in rapid succession. You get a powerful guide number of 113′ at ISO 100 and 35mm and an impressive zoom range of 24-200mm. I got great bounce lighting when pairing my Nikon D810 with the SB-5000. This is a great investment if you are a serious photographer.

Check current price and customer reviews

  • Professional performance and features
  • Offers a recycle time of 1.8 to 2.6 seconds
  • Features slow, high speed, and 1st and 2nd curtain sync
  • Powerful guide number of 113′ at ISO 100 and 35mm
  • Built in cooling system
  • Rotation and tilt for bounce lighting

Godox V860II-N Flash

If you are looking for a more reasonably priced flash for your Nikon that still offers great performance and features then these next three speedlights are for you. Godox makes excellent third party flashes and the V860II is one of my favorites. You get Godox’s wireless X system and built in 2.4g wireless transmission. The recycle time is fast and you get multi channel triggering. You get a high guide number and a zoom range of 20-200mm. It is fully TTL compatible and features both auto and manual flash modes.

Check current price and customer reviews

  • Great performance
  • Reasonably priced
  • Wireless X system
  • Zoom range of 20-200mm
  • Fully TTL compatible
  • Offers high speed and 2nd curtain sync
  • Flash exposure compensation and flash exposure lock

Godox TT685N Flash For Nikon

The TT685N is another awesome third part option. It offers solid and consistent performance with a great feature set. It is fully compatible with TTL functions and offers both auto and manual flash modes. You get flash exposure compensation and flash exposure lock. It has high speed sync and 1st and 2nd curtain sync. The recycle time is quick and it has Godox’s wireless X system. Can be used as a master or slave and all this at a very low price.

Check current price and customer reviews

  • Great low cost flash ideal for the Nikon D810
  • Fully TTL compatible
  • Fast recycle time
  • Wireless X system
  • Master and slave
  • High speed and 1st and 2nd curtain sync
  • Quality LCD screen

YONGNUO YN685 Flash

The Yongnuo is the best budget priced flash compatible with the D810. You get a solid guide number and is compatible with TTL, manual and multi mode. This flash offers an ultra fast recycle time and you get 2.4g wireless. The flash can be controlled remotely with a separate transceiver. I really like Yongnuo flashes and own a bunch of them. At this price this is an excellent value flash.

Check current price and customer reviews

  • Best budget priced flash for the D810
  • TTL, manual and multi mode
  • Fast recycle time
  • Soft flattering light
  • Offers manual and auto zoom
  • Battery powered

Conclusion

If you have shot much with your D810 then you know why it has become one of Nikon’s most popular DSLR cameras. It provides amazing image quality and is really fun to shoot. One of the easiest ways to improve your image quality even more is with a high quality flash. Any of the flashes on this list will provide you with great results. If your budget is high the first two are the way to go. The two Godox flashes are a middle price range option and the Yongnuo is the budget model. All of them are worth their price.

For more Nikon flash guides and tips read these articles