Flash Sb800
scottphotography
Registered Users Posts: 91 Big grins
Can I use my sb800 (Nikon) off camera? if so how?:scratch
Scott
0
Comments
Almost definitely, I'd say, but I suppose that there are some cameras out that that might not work. What camera do you have? If you can use it on camera, you should be able to use it off. Here's a few links to get you going...
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1166287
http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/
http://jbrittphoto.blogspot.com/
Easy as pie. In your custom settings menu, choose the e3 menu (built-in flash) and set it to Commander mode. Unless you want it to add to the lighting, set the built-in to -- so all it does is controll the slaved SB800. You will have the SB800 in Group A, so you have to set Group A for whatever mode you want. THEN you have to set the SB800 to act as a remote. You do that with the TOTALLY NON-INTUITIVE controls on the back of the SB800. Who designs this stupid stuff for Nikon anyway??
Once you figure out how to set the stuff up, it works like buttah.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
All the replies have pretty much covered it but I just wanted to add that you can control multiple units off camera with your D200, some people use up to a dozen off camera all contolled wirelessly from the camera's menu.
Nikon has a very impressive built in wireless system.
Monte
it is sooo nice!
-Jon
D200, D80 does that as well without the added SU unit.:D
Monte
The way I see it is this:
1 BEST - SU-800 used as commander.
2 Good - SB-800 used as a commander (need multiple SB 6/800's)
3.Pretty good - D80/200 camera built-in flash as commander.
1 - most expensive, 2 - expensive, 3 pretty expensive.
I know it's easier to spend someone else's money. But if your shooting a client or the ambient lighting is rapidly changing. Your much better off shooting w/ the SU as commander since the changes are quick and intuative.
If you don't have the SU though. You can still definately controll your light though! Just a few extra steps.
-Jon
Is the SU more reliable outdoors than using a 800 as commander or the camera itself?
I find using the built in flash in commander mode quite unreliable outdoors unless you are really careful keeping the line of site open between the camera and flash's sensor, I usually need to twist a flash head around 180 to get the LOS set properly.
I use a 600 ws strobe in studio and have some radio triggers for my SB800 and 600 as fill flash and hairlights, kind of a waste of good technology but I prefer the reliability.
Can you use the SU in high speed sync (FP) mode? That is what I really would like, then I could just fire the strobe with it's optical slave and any shutter speed I wanted, the way I use them now I am limited to 1/250.
Monte
I use PW's for triggering since I can't justify the SU (can't even jsutify the PW's but I already own them
Auto FP high speed sync is available as long as you have a compatible camera.
Thanks for the info, sounds like it is just what I need, with ttl functionality it makes sense to use one, bringing back the Nikon CLS into play. Right now I may as well have $50 Vivitars the way I am using my SB's in the studio.
Monte
One of these days I'll get one. My next toy is a new body though, so I have a long wait ahead of me.
Glad I could help.
-Jon
Thanks again,
In my studio I want to use my SB800 on camera as commander to control SB600 being used as a backlight and my main light (large strobe in softbox) is being fired by optical slave.
I want to use an old Vivitar 283 in a snoot as a hairlight, any ideas on how I can get it to fire with this setup? I have radio slaves.
Monte
Not much of a reason to have sync speeds on the thousands if your shooting portraits in a studio. It's aperture that controlls your strobes NEway.
Unless I'm missing something, there's nothing you can do with an SU-800 you can't do with the on camera flash with the D-200. You can set each of four groups (including the on-camera flash) independently and control them entirely through the menu on the D200. iTTL, AA, M, whatever. Has nothing to do with the flash ev setting. I don't usually have the on-camera flash add anything to the shot, but you can if you want. I just use it to control the other groups.
If you have a D200, you're wasting your SB-800 if you use it as a commander. The on-camera flash will do it all. If you have a D70 (say) the SB-800 is more versatile than the on-camera flash, because you can't turn the on-camera flash off. If you use it, it adds to the photo. If you're shooting into a reflective surface, this is a disadvantage, so the SB-800 is a better commander. IF you have a D-200 though, there's nothing the SB-800 will do as a commander that the on-camera flash won't do (OK, it's less powerful). That's one reason my D-70 has been relegated to "back-up" status in favor of the D-200. I have an SB-800 and three SB-600's. I NEVER use the SB-800 in commander mode when I'm using the D-200.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
It's just MUCH easier to controll your lighting through the SU vs any other method of remote controll.
I've gone though the D200 to set strobe settings and I've gone through the SU to do the same. In regards to ease of use and "shift on the fly" the D200 doesn't hold a candle to the SU.
. . . to be convinced, but you haven't yet
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
No wait, that's aliens!
:s85
Would be an upgrade to Nikon Capture Control that would allow me to fiddle with the Commander Mode on my laptop while shooting tethered! That way I wouldn't have to squint at the little LCD, but could squint at the big laptop screen! God, I wish my eyes were as young as I wish I were.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
Not sure about this, go to their site >products>RX Multi Remote (I'd link you to it, but the site is 100% flash)
I love my SU-800.
For me, it is much simpler to use and control than the SB-800 as a commander. It is also much lighter and has a much greater range. I shoot a D2Xs with a 28-70mm, f2.8 lens so added weight is an issue. You also don't have the annoying preflash associated with using the SB-800 or the onboard flash of the D200.
http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/