Nikon D200 w/ SB600 Off Camera Wireless- Does Built-in Flash Fill or Just Trigger SB?

jhelmsjhelms Registered Users Posts: 651 Major grins
edited December 9, 2008 in Cameras
I'm using a Nikon D200 and have been experimenting with the SB600 off-camera, being controlled / triggered by the built in on-camera D200's flash.

When I do this, I go into the menu structure and set the built in flash to "commander" mode. Having done that, am I taking away the ability for the on-camera flash to provide extra fill?

In other words, is it then ONLY triggering the off-camera and not providing any actual flash support in the picture; or is it triggering the off-camera flash while at the same time providing some fill flash during the picture?
John in Georgia
Nikon | Private Photojournalist

Comments

  • angevin1angevin1 Registered Users Posts: 3,403 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    Hey John,

    When you choose the commander function you go to the next menu automagically and then you can adjust compensation up or down for it and the the other off cam flashes as well. You also have the opportunity to change it all to manual control there and you then can dial them up or down.

    So you shoot lets say with the onboard flash setting off the SB600 off camera and the on-cam flash providing fill. Then after taking a photo you see in the review that the photo is a bit overdone on the fill, so you go back to the commander-> and dial down the "built-in" numbers.

    does that help?

    cheers, tom
    tom wise
  • dancorderdancorder Registered Users Posts: 197 Major grins
    edited October 22, 2008
    jhelms wrote:
    When I do this, I go into the menu structure and set the built in flash to "commander" mode. Having done that, am I taking away the ability for the on-camera flash to provide extra fill?

    I believe that on the D300 there is a menu option to choose whether the on camera flash provides fill or just triggers the other flash. Hopefully there is a similar option on the D200.
    dancorder.smugmug.com
  • sweet carolinesweet caroline Registered Users Posts: 1,589 Major grins
    edited October 22, 2008
    dancorder wrote:
    I believe that on the D300 there is a menu option to choose whether the on camera flash provides fill or just triggers the other flash. Hopefully there is a similar option on the D200.

    I have the D300 and use it to trigger the SB600. The flash contributes to the shot unless you set it so it won't. Of course, I don't know about on the D200.

    Caroline
  • jhelmsjhelms Registered Users Posts: 651 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    Cool - my SB600 just came back from Nikon after being serviced and I did some testing last night with the D200 and the on-camera did provide fill-flash as well as trigger the SB800 and SB600 in the same shot.

    Very cool... thanks!
    John in Georgia
    Nikon | Private Photojournalist
  • jasonstonejasonstone Registered Users Posts: 735 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    Get the SG-3IR to block light frm the built in flash but alllow the IR light thru which triggers the sb600 still
    Jase // www.stonesque.com
  • jhelmsjhelms Registered Users Posts: 651 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    jasonstone wrote:
    Get the SG-3IR to block light frm the built in flash but alllow the IR light thru which triggers the sb600 still

    I did some searches for that and couldn't find it but I don't think I need it - the menu settings on the D200 will allow for reducing the on-camera fill greatly when needed.
    John in Georgia
    Nikon | Private Photojournalist
  • jasonstonejasonstone Registered Users Posts: 735 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    jhelms wrote:
    I did some searches for that and couldn't find it but I don't think I need it - the menu settings on the D200 will allow for reducing the on-camera fill greatly when needed.

    I've reduced it too - to like 1/128 but sometimes you don't want any light from the inbuilt flash to influence the shot

    Here it is on bhphoto

    Cheers, Jase
    Jase // www.stonesque.com
  • jhelmsjhelms Registered Users Posts: 651 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    jasonstone wrote:
    I've reduced it too - to like 1/128 but sometimes you don't want any light from the inbuilt flash to influence the shot

    Here it is on bhphoto

    Cheers, Jase

    Cool, thanks for the link!
    John in Georgia
    Nikon | Private Photojournalist
  • LifeandLensLifeandLens Registered Users Posts: 48 Big grins
    edited October 25, 2008
    I have the SG-3IR and find it useful when close to my subject... otherwise I rarely use it. Best wishes.
    Tom Schauer
    Life and Lens Photography
    www.lifeandlens.com
  • dancorderdancorder Registered Users Posts: 197 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2008
    As I said I don't have a D200 to try this out on, but looking at page 163 of the manual here: http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/noprint/D200_en_noprint.pdf it looks like you can turn the built in flash off completely (for the shot, not the pre-flashes) in commander mode by choosing the "--" option for the built in flash in the commander mode menu.
    dancorder.smugmug.com
  • jhelmsjhelms Registered Users Posts: 651 Major grins
    edited December 9, 2008
    dancorder wrote:
    As I said I don't have a D200 to try this out on, but looking at page 163 of the manual here: http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/noprint/D200_en_noprint.pdf it looks like you can turn the built in flash off completely (for the shot, not the pre-flashes) in commander mode by choosing the "--" option for the built in flash in the commander mode menu.

    Cool, I'll test that out as well - the way the manual states the IR commander wouldn't be needed.
    John in Georgia
    Nikon | Private Photojournalist
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