Nikon SB-16 trouble

<p>I just picked up a Nikon SB-16 speedlight at a thrift store today, and I have been planning for quite a while to build up an off-camera flash kit. This my first flash with manual control. However, it seems to me that the manual wheel isn't controlling the flash power. I get good results with TTL only (in the hot shoe), but in Manual mode it always seems to fire full power. No matter where I turn the wheel (it goes from ASA 25 to 800) I get the same bright flash and uncontrollable exposure.</p>

<p>Is it possible that the flash is functional, but that the control wheel is broken? Has anyone had a problem like this before? What can I do to troubleshoot this, and possibly fix it?</p>

<p>The SB-16 will always fire at full power when in M (Manual) mode (it says so in the manual). The "control wheel" is actually more like an exposure calculator - given ISO and aperture, it tells you the flash reach; or given the flash-subject distance, it will tell you which aperture to set on the lens. Looks to me the flash isn't suitable for what you want to do.</p>

<p>I don't have the manual for this *classic* flash. It also has two modes "A1" and "A2". At A1, it seems to fire a much lower power, like 1/4 maybe. At A2, it's even lower, maybe 1/8 power. Is there more to this than what I'm seeing?</p>

<p>Here's a link to info on the mir.com.my site about the SB-16 and to an instruction manual in HTML format: <a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf3ver2/flash/sb16ab/index.htm"><strong>SB-16</strong> </a></p>

<p>download the manual here: http://www.devicemanuals.com/guide/Cameras/Nikon/Nikon-SB-16-SB16-AF-Speedlight-Instruction-Manual-TmpNek9UWT.html</p>

<p>UPDATE: Thanks for the links. I was able to download the manual, and after a thorough reading and some more testing of the new flash, here's what I've learned:</p>

<p>The fancy wheel is, in fact, just a calculator. It has nothing to do with the mechanical operation of the flash. The different modes, M, MD, A1, and A2 are just ways to interpret the data from the calculator and use it to set an exposure. After all the hocus-pocus, here's the breakdown of the functions:</p>

<p>M = Full Power<br>

A1 = 1/2 Power<br>

A2 = 1/8 Power<br>

MD = 1/16 Power<br>

TTL = TTL, of course. Full auto exposure controlled by camera.</p>

<p>I confirmed these values with some quick informal testing. I am now satisfied that I will be able to use this flash as an off-camera with manual control. This is a huge relief to me. I was afraid that it wasn't working properly, or that I wouldn't be able to control the exposure off-camera. This isn't perfectly useful, of course, as there is no stop at 1/4 power, and it doesn't extend to 1/32 or 1/64, but it will work for starters. Plus, at the $8 I paid for it, you can't beat the price.</p>

<p>The above isn't right. The "A" modes are what is called "non-TTL auto", in which the amount of flash output is controlled by a sensor that sees how much light is being reflected back to the camera. They might have produced 1/2 and 1/8 power when you tried it, but only because of how reflective (and distant) what you pointed the flash at happened to be. (I'm assuming, of course, that the flash isn't broken.)</p>

<p>You need to read the manual more carefully, I think.</p>

<p>As an off-camera flash, I think you'd either want to control it with a Nikon SU-4, in which case you should be able to set things up for it to follow the master flash, or use it in one of the "A" modes, if the flash's view of the scene isn't too different from the camera's.</p>