SU 800 for Nikon CLS

Darren Troy C · November 3, 2010

Tried this in "Accessories" section with no responses thus far (50-ish views) so gonna try it here as the application will pretty much be for on-location bridal portraits.

Anyone care to share their experiences with Nikon's wireless transmitter? I have a SB 600 and just need a fairly reliable dock to toss signals between the two. Does the SU 800 fit the bill? Thanks for any information offered. :thumb

mpaulie · November 3, 2010

Interested as well, I use the on board flash in commander mode to control my SB600 but it becomes unreliable as I move around because the SB600 needs to see the flash.

Zerodog · November 3, 2010

If you only have the SB600 you should look at an SB900 or 800 to use as your commander when needed. But depending on your camera, it can do a great job as a commander for the 600. You just have to play around to figure out the limitations of the system either way. I am always surprised when I am inside how well it works between the D300s and the SB600 or 900 I have. Using the 900 as a commander seems like a waste of a good flash!

What body do you have? And have you played with the pop up as the commander yet?

p27rpy · November 3, 2010

Hey guys! I have the SU800 and am very happy with it thus far. However, I desperately need some new glass, so I am selling it to make a little more wiggle room in my budget. The FS thread is located below if anyone's interested. PM me for questions!

Thanks!

http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum/buy-sell/131796-fs-nikon-nikkor-af-s-55-200mm-4-5-6g-su-800-nikon-wireless-speedlight-houston.html

Matthew Saville · November 3, 2010

Darren Troy C wrote: »

Tried this in "Accessories" section with no responses thus far (50-ish views) so gonna try it here as the application will pretty much be for on-location bridal portraits.

Anyone care to share their experiences with Nikon's wireless transmitter? I have a SB 600 and just need a fairly reliable dock to toss signals between the two. Does the SU 800 fit the bill? Thanks for any information offered.

The SU800 is definitely one of the most reliable ways to implement Nikon CLS, you will get much better results than with the pop-up flash, and possibly better results than using a flash commander but probably not in most normal shooting conditions.

Others are correct in saying that considering the price of the SU800 you might first consider a used SB800 at least, in case you find yourself in situations that often require a bit of on-camera bounce-fill. I don't know though, maybe you have no need for on-camera light, in which case the SU800 will serve you nicely and NOT make the camera feel as top-heavy as an SB800 or SB900 would...

=Matt=

Qarik · November 3, 2010

The only reason one mught get an SU800 imo is if you want a "pure" wireless commander that doesn't effect exposure at all. All other commanders still flash and contribute very slightly to the exposure. In 99% of cases, this is probably acceptable. That said I would get sn SB700 instead of the SU800.

BuddyLee · November 3, 2010

Qarik wrote: »

The only reason one mught get an SU800 imo is if you want a "pure" wireless commander that doesn't effect exposure at all. All other commanders still flash and contribute very slightly to the exposure. In 99% of cases, this is probably acceptable. That said I would get sn SB700 instead of the SU800.

Wow, where have I been. I didn't even know the sb700 had come out yet.

I have used the sb800 as a commander/fill flash with an sb600 slave with good results. I have to agree with the thought that getting a commander flash is probably more financially productive.

Darren Troy C · November 3, 2010

Thanks for the responses everyone. Good info.

ARKreations · November 3, 2010

I regularly use the pop-up flash on my D300 as the commander along with an SB-800 and SB-600 remotely for both studio work and also for wedding formals with quite satisfactory results. The only real issues come when there are obstructions to direct line of sight. In those rare cases, I'll use the SB-800 as the commander with the SB-600 remotely. Nikon's TTL/CLS does a great job of taking the guess-work out of off-camera flash.

SU 800 for Nikon CLS

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