Compatibility of Older Speedlights in a New Digital System

Can older Nikon Speedlights like SB-25 SB-26, and SB-28 be used with newer flash and camera technology when mounted on SU-4 Slave units? Example would be D750 with a SB-700 as main light and then the aforementioned Speedlights mounted on SU-4 units as slaves to light interiors, models etc. Any knowledge if these things would all work together would be appreciated.

I use SB-25 flash (up to eight of them) all the time with my D800E. I am using manual radio triggers (CyberSyncs) and have no problem. I chose the SB-25 because they are inexpensive, reliable, and plentiful. Considering you can buy SB-25 on ebay for something like $30, my box full of eight of them would cost under $250. That's a lot of light for the money! They will work in the hot shoe in either M or A mode too.

 

Kent in SD

Short answer - yes. I have 5 SB-25s and use them with Nikon DSLRs extensively. I prefer to use radio triggers rather than unreliable IR triggering though. I find that using them in AA mode gives just as consistent exposure as i-TTL, and in any case prefer to set the flash power manually for most setups.<p>I have i-TTL/CLS compatible speedlights, but hardly ever use their CLS function. Too unreliable!<p><br>Incidentally, no harm will come to camera or flash if you plug an SB-25 directly into the hotshoe of your D750. In fact the D700 used to recognise an SB-25 and automatically switch the shutter speed to 1/60th, but Nikon crippled the D800 onwards so that non-iTTL flashes are no longer recognised. Edited February 23, 2017 by rodeo_joe|1

SU-4 triggering should work across generations and brands of flashes. There should not be any major compatibility issue but you don't have remote control of flash output, it's just plain manual where you have to go to the remote flash to change its settings, when needed.

Thanks for those answers. It pretty much told me everything I needed to know. I appreciate ya'll taking the time.

I still use 5 old Vivitars 283, from 70is, and with remote radio trigger, and they work just fine :)

after I sold SB600 & SB800, got 5 of vivitars, and never looked back for small portables flash guns

"..vivtars, and never looked back.." - Well you wouldn't since they have no swivel head.<p>Sorry. I couldn't resist that.

I use several older manual and auto/TTL flashes on my DSLR.

On the TTL flashes, I did surgery on the hot foot. I opened up the foot and removed the pins for the dedicated TTL circuits, to turn the flash into an simple X-sync flash. That also allowed me to use non Nikon flashes, such as a Sunpack flash for a Canon. All it needs is for the X-sync contact to be in the "normal" place in the center.

There's no need to disconnect the old film TTL contacts. I use SB-25s on the hotshoes of my Nikon DSLRs with no problem or harm coming to cameras or flash. In fact I've used old Canon flashes as well. The Canon TTL pins are in a different position and don't contact anything on the Nikon hotshoe.

 

Same goes for 3rd party flashes, although I tend not to use those, because their power is usually about a stop less than an SB-25.