problems with remote flash

[doug_buffington]

I am trying to trigger my sb-800 speedlight remotely and was told to buy a WEIN hot shoe

slave (HS). I use a D-100 with two Alien Bees units but I wanted to fire the sb-800 as a hair

light and can't get it to fire. Am I doing something wrong. The AB light is hooked to the

camera and this automatically fires the other one. I thought with the WEIN unit it would also

trigger the SB-800.

 

Thanks!

 

Doug

[frank_skomial]

Contrary to opinion express elswhere in photo.net, the SB-800 does not have any "optical slave trigger" built-in, that is why you need a third party trigger, or Nikon SU-4 that is also a controller (but not iTTL controller).

 

The SB-800 has CLS system that allows remove wireless trigger of SB-800 via light coded communication in iTTL mode that also provides controlling capabilities, and not just the trigger signal, but that is not compatible with AB or D100 camera.

 

You need to set your remote SB-800 in Manual mode, and use a third party optical slave. Your AB light shoud trigger the SB-800 in manual mode via an ordinary photo slave trigger device.

 

I do not have WEIN slave, but have Vivitar and Sunpak, but I assume WEIN slave should catch the AB light and trigger SB-800. Just make sure that SB-800 is in Manual mode (M).

[frank_skomial]

This is wrong:

 

"The SB-800 has CLS system that allows remove wireless trigger "

 

It should be:

 

The SB-800 has CLS system that allows remote wireless trigger "

[maxz]

<I>Contrary to opinion express elswhere in photo.net, the SB-800 does not have any "optical slave trigger" built-in, that is why you need a third party trigger, or Nikon SU-4 that is also a controller (but not iTTL controller).</I><P>

No, the SB-800 has a optical slave built in. This can either be set to "REMOTE" which means that it is a slave in the Creative Lighting System (CLS) using iTTL for measuring the flash, or it can be set to "SU-4" for it to operate as a flash with the SU-4 attachement. In the latter you can use either mode "A" where the SB-800 both fires and quenches synchronized with the main flash or "M" mode where it only fires and you can set power output from full to 1/128. On page 84-88 in the SB-800 manual this is described (page numbers are from the Swedish language version but I believe that all language versions share the same layout and page numbering).<P>

 

Be sure that you have fresh batteries in the flash. When I tried just a moment ago I couldn't get it to work first before realizing the batteries were almost empty. I had some trouble getting a picture of this since the only working camera I have now is a compact with digital pre-flashes that I cannot turn off (thus I must set the SB-800 to a power so low that it can recycle/not discharge completely to flash twice). Sorry for the lousy picture.<div></div>

[maxz]

Also, remember that the sensor of the SB-800 is the small round window on the side of the flash, just next to the door to the battery compartment. Make sure that it isn't obscured.<P>

 

Otherwise I second Franks advice to set the SB-800 to manual, <i>you</i> should do the metering/decisions in the studio, not the camera/flash, that is kind of the point :-)

[doug_buffington]

Max, Thank you so much. I'll try it shortly and get back to you if it works.

[doug_buffington]

Max, it worked fine. I set the SB-800 on remote and it still didn't work but then set it on

su-4 and it fired on que.