D80 flash sync

As discussed in this thread

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00I46J&tag= the D70 and D70s

provide flash sync at any speed (though not TTL-controlled).

 

Does anyone know if the same is true for the D80 ? It doesn't work on the D200,

so I guess it won't on the D80, too, but hopefully someone here who has a D80

can just try.

 

Many thanks in advance

 

Carsten

 

http://www.cabophoto.com/

Only if FP mode, otherwise 1/200 is the fastest.

True, Elliot, true.

Seems that the word "true" takes upon a strange meaning on the photo.net.

 

D80 does not have any FP fast sync mode. Does not have electronic shutter. D80 is just a bit inferior flash to D200 since no FP possible, (who really cares about FP?), but more importantly, D80 flash capabilities are inferior to D70 since no sync faster than 1/200 sec. possible, no matter how you twist the truth.

If the D80 doesn't have an FP mode, then why can you turn Auto FP off via CSM 25. Additionaly, why does Nikon Canada list FP as a feature in their D80 overview?

 

To answer Carsten's original question I tried my D80 with both a Nikon SB30 and a similar Olympus flash. With the Nikon flash, you can not set the shutter speed above 1/200 even with the exposure mode set to M. With the Olympus the flash fires at all shutter speeds I tried, but the you don't always get full frame coverage. For example at 1/800th, the whole frame is covered, but at 1/640th, it's not. Weird.

 

From reading my manual, it looks you get only get FP when you hook up a SB800 or SB600, although the Olympus experiment seems to indicate that you might be able to use higher speeds as long as the flash is a non Nikon model.

 

Hope that helps.

FP is very useful for fill flash on sunny days [when it's needed most with digital]. I've never used a D80 so have no idea of it's capabilities, but use it a lot on a D200.

I just double checked with Thom Hogan, and he confirms that the D80 does support FP sync.

Frank, it's frustrating that you keep spreading the same misinformation on thread after thread.

 

(1) While I don't have a D80 to check, there are many web sources that say the D80 *does* have Auto FP (custom setting 25).

 

(2) Auto FP isn't useless. Sometimes TTL metering at short shutter speeds is useful, even at reduced flash power. True, it's not the same thing as the D70/D70s offers with a non-dedicated flash. They're different tools for different purposes. Some of us get good results with both.