Quick question about the Nikon D40 and the SB 800

Trevlan

I know that the D80 has commander mode and I can take the sb 800 off the camera and fire it with the D80's commander function. Unfortunatley I only have the D40. Does this camera have a commander function? Or would I have to break down and get a set of Pocket wizzards? I just answered my own question.

Okay, now that we are on the subject of pocket wizzards, who here owns some? And how do they work? How many would I need to remotely fire 3 to 4 strobes?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Frank

pathfinder

One transmitter and one receiver, and a couple optical slaves will work. Or you can use multiple PW receivers, but that will cost a lot more. Depends, some, on how far apart your strobes all are, and whether you are indoors or in bright sunlight.

Trevlan

pathfinder wrote:

One transmitter and one receiver, and a couple optical slaves will work. Or you can use multiple PW receivers, but that will cost a lot more. Depends, some, on how far apart your strobes all are, and whether you are indoors or in bright sunlight.

Pathfinder, what are optical slaves?

One transmitter and a receiver would work in theory because I could then use the SB800's commander mode to control the other strobes. I basically need the 800 off camera and I hear the PW are very reliable, but costly. Eventually, as my lighting needs grow, I'll have to get more PWs to fire consitently over larger distances.

As an example, when I was doing the assignment for the "Shooting Glass Bottles" there were a few times when the SB 600 didn't fire. That was still studio photography, and I didn't care much. I can't afford for a flash not to fire when I'm out shooting live moments that will never happen again.

Tim Kamppinen

I would recommend saving yourself hundreds of dollars in the short term and just getting a set of gadget infinity (aka "ebay" aka "cactus v2s") radio triggers for a whopping $30. I have a set and have been using it with my SB-600 and honestly, out of several thousand shots so far, I could count on my fingers the number of times they failed to fire. I have been working with the receiver within 15 feet of the transmitter, however, so for long distance or with lots of walls in between you'd want something else. But, again, it's $30, so my thinking was that I couldn't afford not to at least try it, especially since I didn't want to and wasn't able to spend hundreds on pocket wizards. Turns out it was the best $30 I've ever spent and it works great for my purposes. If nothing else, you could get a set and use it while you save up for pocket wizards. Sure, there's a chance you could miss a shot because of a misfire, but you won't get any shots at all if you aren't shooting because you're still saving for your pocket wizards.

However, if money is no object for you and you're ready to order the PW's today, then go for it. I know that for me, my money is much better spent on things like lenses, light stands, umbrellas, whatever. Of course your needs may very well be completely different.

jbakerphoto

You might want to "wait" for the radio popper jr's to come out....Supposidly they will be coming out soon. and they should have good range and are supposed to be inexpensive ($25). Ofcourse they are not out yet so we have no idea if they are any good but I sure am excited.

www.radiopopper.com

pathfinder

Trevlan wrote:

Pathfinder, what are optical slaves?

One transmitter and a receiver would work in theory because I could then use the SB800's commander mode to control the other strobes. I basically need the 800 off camera and I hear the PW are very reliable, but costly. Eventually, as my lighting needs grow, I'll have to get more PWs to fire consitently over larger distances.

As an example, when I was doing the assignment for the "Shooting Glass Bottles" there were a few times when the SB 600 didn't fire. That was still studio photography, and I didn't care much. I can't afford for a flash not to fire when I'm out shooting live moments that will never happen again.

Optical slaves are little solid state light sensing switches, that trigger a flash via a PC cord when the optical slave sees the primary flash fire. There are several different kinds, but the peanut slave has been around for years, works, and is cheap enough to own several.

Using radio transmitters and receivers, of course, gives up ETTL/ITTL and requires manual control of the flash output and manual control of flash exposures.

You do not have to use PWs, there are several other brands, made by Calumet, Paul C Buff, and others, but all are similar. PWs are the most expensive, but just work like clockwork. Absolutely reliable.

Radio Poppers do offer iTTL control, but introduce their own challenges, keeping the receiver oriented properly on the flash.

Cactus transmitters and receivers do work ( I own a pair - cheap ~ $30) but I find them vastly less reliable and powerful than my PWs. For a hobbyist to use at home, Cactus v2s are fine, but a real Pro is expected to have working, reliable tools.


I am surprised you had difficulty with the Nikon Commander system in a studio setting. My Canon IR transmitter ( ST-E2) works very reliably, even in sunlight, when used at distances less than 15-20 feet as long as the red window on the flash is facing the IR tansmitter. IR is fairly directional. (I can reflect the IR from the ST-E2 IR transmitter off the palm of my hand to a Canon EOS system flash. )

Trevlan

The was the problem, I was shooting the bottles and I had the flash behind the bottle, behind my diffuser. Even last night, when I was shooting the cover of "TYME" magazine (lol) My remote strobe failed to fire atleast once.

That limits creativity if your flashes have to be in direct line of sight from the master. For now, I'm going to go with Tim's suggestion and get the quick little cheapy guys for 30 a piece. That should hold me off, and even getting the 800 off the flash for a few months until I get the D300. From there, it's L lenses and pro grade stuff. ;-)

Tim Kamppinen

Trevlan wrote:

The was the problem, I was shooting the bottles and I had the flash behind the bottle, behind my diffuser. Even last night, when I was shooting the cover of "TYME" magazine (lol) My remote strobe failed to fire atleast once.

That limits creativity if your flashes have to be in direct line of sight from the master. For now, I'm going to go with Tim's suggestion and get the quick little cheapy guys for 30 a piece. That should hold me off, and even getting the 800 off the flash for a few months until I get the D300. From there, it's L lenses and pro grade stuff. ;-)

FYI, you don't have to buy a bunch of sets. The receivers are available individually and about $10 cheaper than the whole set. I know http://www.mpex.com sells them like this... not sure who else does.