D700 / SB900 question

M38A1M38A1 Registered Users Posts: 1,317 Major grins
edited December 21, 2011 in Cameras
I'm not feeling the love in trying to figure this problem out. I've read the manual and still am not making progress so some help would be appreciated.

What I want to do is:
1. Use my SB900 on an umbrella stand remotely
2. Use the D700 to fire the untethered SB900 (ie: no triggers/no PC cord)
3. Be able to control the flash output of the SB900 from the flash unit itself

I don't have any triggers yet so I approached this from the Commander / Remote perspective.


What I've tried is:
1. Set the camera to Commander mode
2. Dialed down the power to -3.00 from the button next to the prism
3. Set the SB900 to Remote
4. This all seems to work fine

What I can't seem to figure out is how to set the SB900 to Manual Mode while in the "Remote" position where I think I'll be able to do the things mentioned above.

What am I missing here?


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Comments

  • Matthew SavilleMatthew Saville Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,352 Major grins
    edited December 20, 2011
    M38A1 wrote: »
    I'm not feeling the love in trying to figure this problem out. I've read the manual and still am not making progress so some help would be appreciated.

    What I want to do is:
    1. Use my SB900 on an umbrella stand remotely
    2. Use the D700 to fire the untethered SB900 (ie: no triggers/no PC cord)
    3. Be able to control the flash output of the SB900 from the flash unit itself

    I don't have any triggers yet so I approached this from the Commander / Remote perspective.


    What I've tried is:
    1. Set the camera to Commander mode
    2. Dialed down the power to -3.00 from the button next to the prism
    3. Set the SB900 to Remote
    4. This all seems to work fine

    What I can't seem to figure out is how to set the SB900 to Manual Mode while in the "Remote" position where I think I'll be able to do the things mentioned above.

    What am I missing here?


    .

    When using the built-in wireless system, the ONLY thing you have to do to the SB900 is set it to remote. After that, everything is controlled from the camera. In the wireless flash menu on the back of the camera, select the flash group and dial up / down when TTL is highlighted. Then, bump the joypad left or right to select the flash power, and dial that up or down.

    BTW, don't fiddle with the external flash compensation dial when using the more in-depth pop-up control menu. Just leave the regular flash compensation button at zero, and use the in-depth menu to dial the built-in pop-up flash up or down. You can actually go into high speed FP mode wirelessly even, if you set the pop-up flash to be "--" which is the OFF setting.

    Good luck!

    =Matt=
    “My first thought is always of light.” – Galen Rowell
    My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
  • angevin1angevin1 Registered Users Posts: 3,403 Major grins
    edited December 21, 2011
    Everything Matt Said, plus, you can use Manual mode on that flash, but once again it is controlled with the Cameras menu. Instead of choosing TTL choose manual ( after choosing Commander!) and adjust that remote from the menu!
    tom wise
  • M38A1M38A1 Registered Users Posts: 1,317 Major grins
    edited December 21, 2011
    Thanks guys! I'll run down that path today and see what I can get accomplished (in addition to a zillion other to-do's for the day)

    I do know a couple Cactus V5 triggers are on their way from the guy with the white beard and red suit so some insight on how those are configured would also be appreciated.

    What I'm trying to do is set-up some sports stuff knocking down the ambient light to have the flash just illuminate the subject, ie: black backgrounds. From there, I'd like to start allowing some of that ambient light to show, like sunsets etc.

    ~scott

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