I have a Nikon D40X and want to trigger an SB600 off camera. Do I need some sort of connection/pocket wizzard or will the built in on camera flash trigger the SB600?
I do not believe that the Nikon D40x has a "Commander Mode" flash like some of the more advanced Nikon cameras.
You would need to add either an SU-800 or SB-800 to provide a Commander Mode capability.
For a short distance you could use an off-camera cord and it would provide i-TTL control.
Alternately you could add remote firing through either optical or radio controlled master-slave devices. These would be simple trigger control and would not allow i-TTL control.
I am looking to do some motorcycle photography at a rally. I plan to have a backdrop of some sort and a couple of light sources. This would be a portrait of sorts with the motorcycle and the owner in the photo. I was thinking of using a pair of Nikon SB600's if they can be fired remotly with the on camera flash or some other device that is built into the camera. I am on a limited budget and don't really have the money for pocket wizzards at this time.
I use the Elinchrom Skyport triggers to fire an Sb600 off camera. But they are $184 for a set. You could also look into the eBay seller Gadget Infinity. They have several trigger versions that work fairly well. And a third option would be the new triggers from Alienbees. They can be used for your SB600 as well. A setup is $130. A final option is to use a Hot Shoe Slave on your flash and trigger it with your on camera flash. I have used this one on my Sb600. I just set the on camera flash to manual, and set the power as low as it goes so it does not contribute to the light gathered.
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You would need to add either an SU-800 or SB-800 to provide a Commander Mode capability.
For a short distance you could use an off-camera cord and it would provide i-TTL control.
Alternately you could add remote firing through either optical or radio controlled master-slave devices. These would be simple trigger control and would not allow i-TTL control.
What is your application?
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