Product Review: Neewer TT520 Speedlite Flash

(Photo left belongs to Neewer)
I recently purchased one of Neewer's "TT520 Speedlite" for my Nikon D3000. The box contained a velvet case, a shoe hold for off camera use, and the flash itself. The flash fits easily on my Nikon and I found it very easy to operate. Overall I was please with the resulting photographs. The few controls the device includes are light intensity adjustments, a test button, and a mode button (M, S1, S2). One thing I noticed was that I never set the intensity above the 3rd lowest setting. When I did go above this, the photograph would be overexposed. On some more expensive models the flash can be synchronized with the camera while set on the "automatic" mode. However, it is good to experiment with manual settings. You can set the flash head itself to basically every angle from 90 to 180 degrees. Neewer does include a built in diffusor that pulls out along with a reflector flap. The two are supposed to be pulled out at the same time, however the reflector would occasionally get stuck and be difficult to get back out. The actual light (depending on the intensity) charges very quickly upon start up and in between firings. The shoe holder I mentioned above can be attached to any standard tripod. Although the Nikon D3000 model does not have wireless capabilities, I tried it with a D90 and had difficulty getting the flash to fire off camera. My advice to anyone on a budget looking for an external flash would be to go with the TT520. For its low price it is definitely something good to have until you invest in a more advanced model. You can purchase this item on Amazon here. Below are some photographs I have captured using this flash (more after "See More").