We Checked Out the $40 Powerextra DF-400 Flash: Here’s How It Fared

How good is a $40 flash? We kick the tires on the Powerextra DF-400, a budget hot-shoe flash intended for DSLR and mirrorless shooters who want more power and flexibility than a built-in flash without breaking the bank. It offers only manual control plus a couple of simple wireless trigger modes.

The Thought Behind Reviewing Something Absurdly Inexpensive

If I review very inexpensive photographic gear, I sometimes find myself thinking about how it is to write a Yelp review for a ramen restaurant located in a remote rural place. Most of us wouldn’t expect ramen there to be as delicious as ramen in Tokyo. And so it is with a $40 flash. It would be unreasonable to think it could be as robust or consistent as a flash costing hundreds of dollars.

Therefore, I might write a review that seems critical initially, only to conclude that for the money, the flash is really quite useful.

As an analogy, I feel happy if I find mediocre ramen in a remote, rural, faraway place. In the same way, I feel lucky that I can get a flash that works reasonably well for the price of three drinks in a nice restaurant.

Let’s start right away with the specifications, and then we’ll talk about my impressions using the Powerextra DF-400.

Powerextra DF-400 flash with mini-stand.

Specifications

The following specifications and general information for the Powerextra DF-400 flash are from the manufacturer box:

• Guide Number (GN): 33 (ISO 100/1 m)

• Power Modes/Control: Manual (M), S1, S2 wireless trigger modes

• Brightness/Power Adjustment: 8 levels (1/128 to 1/1 full power)

• Recycle Time: As fast as 0.125 seconds at the lowest power, and ~3 seconds at full power

• Flash Duration: Between 1/200 s and 1/20,000 s (lowest power)

• Color Temperature: 5800 K (daylight balanced)

• Power Source: 4 × AA batteries

• Battery Life (number of flashes): Claimed 110–1,500 flashes depending on power level, using AA alkaline batteries

• Physical Size & Weight: approx. 190 × 75 × 55 mm, 315 g

• Head Rotation/Tilt: Vertical tilt: 0°–90°; Horizontal rotation: up to 270°

• Other Features: PC port for syncing; saves the mode automatically; power-off to save battery; mini stand; protective bag included

Powerextra DF-400 flash with mini-stand.

What’s Good

• The controls are simple, easy to see, and easy to use.

• The flash has a built-in bounce (reflector) card.

• The power is adequate. GN 33 isn’t a large amount, but it’s enough for many indoor situations or fill flash, especially when diffused or bounced. For a $40 flash, having this output is solid.

• Eight power levels provide adequate control. You can dial it way down for subtle fill or a small subject, or go near full for larger setups or to bounce off ceilings.

• At low power, the flash recharges at 0.125 s. I was able to fire off ten photos, one right after another, at a power level of 2 without issue.

• A warm light of 5800 K helps in daylight or mixed lighting without wildly shifting colors.

• The ability to tilt/bounce the head (0–90° tilt, 270° swivel) adds versatility.

What’s Meh

• Recycling at full power is ~3 seconds. That is slow. You’ll be waiting between shots, which is limiting in fast-paced shooting. As with most budget flashes, if you push many flashes in a row, you may begin overheating or draining the battery.

• The DF-400 in S1 and S2 modes fired inconsistently when someone was holding the flash, even when in very close proximity to the camera. This occurred whether the front of the flash was blocked or not.

• The flash does not seem very durable, particularly the battery door. Then again, it’s a $40 flash.

• The size is a bit large. At 315 g, it is not too heavy for a flash and is noticeably lighter than, for example, a Nikon Speedlight. However, it’s noticeably larger than one.

Powerextra DF-400 flash with mini-stand.

Build

After placing four AA batteries inside, I closed the battery door. This set off the proverbial red lights, as the door seemed to require a bit of pressure to close. It seems like the best way to close the battery door is to pull it out a little, close it, and then slide it back, rather than simply trying to push it down and slide it back immediately.

All four buttons, along with the on/off switch, do not feel wiggly or loose, and they feel reasonably robust.

The DF-400 does not feel like it would survive a fall onto a hard floor. Needless to say, I didn’t test it for this. I have, however, “tested” my Nikon SB-600 several times, although not intentionally, and it feels considerably more rugged than the DF-400. To be fair, the SB-600 is a considerably more expensive flash.

Using the Powerextra DF-400

Powerextra DF-400 flash mounted on a Nikon D750 hot shoe. It works with numerous camera manufacturers.

I tested the flash on a Nikon D750 DSLR and a Panasonic Lumix LX100 point-and-shoot camera. In both cases, it worked immediately when mounted in the hot shoe. It flashed very consistently, except when recycling.

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  Using a Panasonic Lumix LX100 without firing the flash.

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  Using the Panasonic Lumix LX100 with the Powerextra DF-400 flash.

Using the Panasonic Lumix LX100 without, then with the Powerextra DF-400 flash.

When I fired the flash while using the camera wirelessly on a table or a stand with the Nikon D750, the flash fired very consistently from as far as 25 feet away.

However, when I held the flash, or had an assistant hold it, there were several times when, despite using the flash within several feet of the camera, it fired inconsistently, sometimes only firing 60% of the time in 30 trials. This was despite the fact that we were not blocking the front of the flash with our hand.

A rather subtle but still noticeable difference here using bounced flash, with the first having no flash, and the second bouncing the flash from the ceiling.

Quality of Light

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  No flash.

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  Bounced flash from ceiling (set on 3 out of 8 brightness)

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  Bounced and diffused (not much of a difference from bouncing without a diffuser)

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  Bounced with diffuser and white bounce (reflector) card

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  Flash pointed directly at sculpture (1 out of 8 brightness setting)

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  Flash pointed directly at sculpture with diffuser (1 out of 8 brightness setting)

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  Flash pointed directly at sculpture with diffuser and white bounce/reflector card (1 out of 8 brightness setting)

Comparison of photos using flash (except for the first photo, which has no flash). All photos were taken at 1/100 s f/2.2 ISO 800 using a Nikon D750 DSLR with the Powerextra DF-400 flash on-camera. Each individual photo has a caption of how the flash was used.

I photographed several items around my house for testing. The light seemed consistent in brightness and color. The controls were extremely easy to use.

Using the Powerextra DF-400 flash off-camera via S1 (wireless) mode. When using the flash handheld, firing was considerably more inconsistent than my Nikon SB-600 used in the same manner. However, when using the flash on a stand or tabletop, it was extremely consistent. Holding the flash by hand seems to sometimes interrupt the optical communication more than my other flash.

I like using a handheld, off-camera flash to light people for night photography. This flash would be excellent for this purpose, as the controls are very easy to see and use, even in the dark. I could use this in manual mode, popping the flash by pressing the test button from wherever I wanted. And because of how inexpensive it is, I wouldn’t have to worry about bringing a more expensive flash and exposing it to dust or having it banged up in the dark. I’m already excited about keeping this in my car or camera bag.

To be clear, I did not use the Powerextra DF-400 for this photo, although it is perfectly capable of doing this. This is an example of firing the flash by holding it and hitting the test button for strange, surreal night portraits. This would be a great application for the DF-400.

Who Could Use This Flash

This flash is well suited for:

• Hobbyists or beginners who want more light than a built-in flash, for portraits, events, indoors, fill flash

• Off-camera use with simple optical triggering (S1 or S2) where you don’t need super-fast sync or long wireless range

• A secondary or backup flash for creative lighting, bounce, or accent lighting, or scenarios where you need many flashes but are on a budget

• Those on a tight budget who prefer cheap consumables (AA batteries) and are okay with manual control

Maybe not so great for:

• Fast action/fast shots where you need very quick recycle, or high frame rate. Three seconds is not very fast.

• Professional/advanced work requiring TTL, HSS, or consistent behavior across shots

• Situations demanding rugged build

Size comparison between the Powerextra DF-400 (left) and the Nikon SB-600 Speedlight (right).

Overall Impressions

For $40, the DF-400 delivers basic functionality and works well within its limited parameters, except when popping the flash while holding it. It doesn’t pretend to be a high-end flash.

However, many users could benefit from having one as an extra flash (or three), using it for indoor work, portraits, bounce flash, or as part of a small off-camera lighting setup. It does not have enough power for far distances or absurdly bright scenarios where it has to “overpower the sun” (not literally, you understand).

Also, because it’s so easy to use, this might be an excellent flash for beginners.

It is a little larger than my Nikon SB-600 or other flashes I have used. And at GN 33, it’s not a very bright, powerful light.

My one concern would be the battery door. As previously mentioned, it does not feel durable. However, if you pull the door out slightly before squeezing it shut, it should last.

The Powerextra DF-400 flash is available here.