Nikon 1 SB-N5 Flash Size Comparison

We were recently considering the Nikon 1 J1 and V1 digital cameras. One of the big differences between those cameras is that the J1 includes a built-in flash, and the V1 does not. The V1 offers a hotshoe though, and the Nikon 1 SB-N5 flash is available for it. The SB-N5 has a tilting, rotating head and a decent amount of power for the size.

Ah, yes, the size. How big is this flash? That’s the question I had: the dimensions of the flash are readily available, but it’s hard to grasp just how small this flash is when you can’t see one in-person. In the photo above, the SB-N5 is sitting on top of a standard 2 x 3.5 inch business card. In the photo below, the SB-N5 is sitting next to a Nikon SB-900 and an old Nikon 50mm f1.8 AF lens.

In the below photo, the SB-N5 flash is mounted on the Nikon 1 V1 (which has the standard 10-30mm kit lens mounted on it), to its right is the Nikon 1 30-110mm telelphoto zoom, followed by the same Nikon 50mm f1.8 and SB-900. Yep, the 30-110mm (80-300mm equivalent) is about the same size as the little nifty fifty!

Hopefully these photos serve as a good comparison for others interested in the flash.