I feel sorry for the pop-up flash. This appears to easily be the most hated of all camera features, and I just don’t know why.

For those not in the know, the pop-up flash is generally not considered a ‘pro’ feature, and therefore finds its inclusion on high-end cameras such as the D700 Nikon digital SLR camera highly criticized. I’ve also seen countless forum threads begging manufacturer X not to “mess the camera up” by including a pop-up flash.

But, no matter how you approach this, it just seems irrational to hate the pop-up flash.

Let’s start with the most common critcism: it’s not “pro.” IE, the highest end Canon digital SLR cameras and Nikon digital SLR cameras (like the EOS 1Ds Mk III and the D3) don’t have pop-up flashes. But, who’s to say that the no pop-up flash, integrated grip design is what makes the camera pro? Shutter life and body construction seem like better markers, and companies like Sony and Olympus and now Nikon (with the D700) are releasing pro models without integrated grips. So, it seems kind of picky to not like them just because they’re not pro.

Cost: Given that a $400 E-410 Olympus digital camera has a pop-up flash and the $5,000 D3 does not, I think we can safely say including a pop-up flash isn’t increasing cost.

Durability: Another popuar complaint is that they’re a weak point for durability, but I’ve ad a 17″ CRT monitor call over onto my E-3′s pop-up flash without it taking any damage (and, the E-3 also manahes to be water-sealed with the flash up, ruining the argument that it affects weather-sealing.)

So, where’s the harm in the pop-up flash? If you prefer a more powerful, less harsh light, using something like the SB-900 (in Nikon flashes) or 580EX II (for Canon flashes) is always an option and will over-ride the pop-up, but for users who don’t want the weight of a flashgun for some quick fill light or snapshots, the pop-up is useful to have around.

There’s so much in photography we could be focusing on, how about we stop complaining about the pop-up flash and see it for the value-added feature it is?