Question about Nikon cameras and flashes

kgarrett11

I currently have a Nikon D3, D300 and an SB-800. I plan on getting something like Pocket Wizard or CyberSync. Do I have to stick with Nikon Speedlights like the SB-400's or can I get a couple of off brand flashes like Bell&Howell flashes? I would probably be shooting TTL and am not sure if Nikon cameras and the SB-800 would be able to work with the off brand flashes.

ImageX Photography

kgarrett11 wrote: »

I currently have a Nikon D3, D300 and an SB-800. I plan on getting something like Pocket Wizard or CyberSync. Do I have to stick with Nikon Speedlights like the SB-400's or can I get a couple of off brand flashes like Bell&Howell flashes? I would probably be shooting TTL and am not sure if Nikon cameras and the SB-800 would be able to work with the off brand flashes.

You can use any flashes you want with a Cybersync system. Just use the PC sync input on the SB800(if it has one like the SB900) or just buy a hot shoe sync adapter that has a PC input or 1/8 input. Then you just slide on any flash you want. Manual flashing only. You can only use TTL with Nikon's built in CLS system and speedlights... or a compatible TTL flash on a sync cord. I THINK Pocket Wizards do have a TTL system that might work though... and it's expensive. Will have to use Nikon's speedlights with that. No TTL with Cybersyncs. You are not going to get TTL with a Bell & Howell flash no matter what.

kgarrett11

ImageX Photography wrote: »

You can use any flashes you want with a Cybersync system. Just use the PC sync input on the SB800(if it has one like the SB900) or just buy a hot shoe sync adapter that has a PC input or 1/8 input. Then you just slide on any flash you want. Manual flashing only. You can only use TTL with Nikon's built in CLS system and speedlights... or a compatible TTL flash on a sync cord. I THINK Pocket Wizards do have a TTL system that might work though... and it's expensive. Will have to use Nikon's speedlights with that. No TTL with Cybersyncs. You are not going to get TTL with a Bell & Howell flash no matter what.

Thanks. That is what I thought about having to us Nikon flashes but I thought that I would ask just in case I could save myself some money.

sellis

kgarrett11 wrote: »

I currently have a Nikon D3, D300 and an SB-800. I plan on getting something like Pocket Wizard or CyberSync. Do I have to stick with Nikon Speedlights like the SB-400's or can I get a couple of off brand flashes like Bell&Howell flashes? I would probably be shooting TTL and am not sure if Nikon cameras and the SB-800 would be able to work with the off brand flashes.

With the Pocketwizard Plus IIs, you can use any flash with a synch port, it's simply a trigger to fire the flash. BUT you have to shoot the flash in manual mode. Pocketwizard makes a TTL supported system with the Flex and Mini combo, but they're not cheap. It uses their own radio signal, not the Nikon CLS optical signal. You can mix in the Plus IIs with that system to combine TTL and manual flash with an off-brand flash though. Radiopoppers are another TTL system that converts the CLS signal to their own radio signal, then back again on the remote flash, so you can't intermingle brands. They're also not cheap.