SB 800

[pia]

I have a wedding next weekend, my second, and I have purchased a Nikon SB800

and SB600 flash units. I wanted to know if anyone can tell me how to utilize

the flash units off camera. I want to try to sync the units to use them

together to create more effective lighting since the building that the

reception is in is really dark. In my home studio I utilize an RPS studio ir

trigger flash which makes my stobes all flash at the same time. When I tried

this with the onboard nikon sb600 and sb800 I got nothing. Any help would be so

greatly appreciated.

Peg

[chris_s___hampton_roads_va]

of the 2 flashes, the SB800 is the only one capable of controlling remote flashes, so it needs to be the one on the camera body (what body are you using?--it does need to be compatible with Nikon's CLS)... you can trigger/control the 600 from it. I trigger multiple flashes from my D2x using the SU800 (it replaces the sb800 in the hot shoe, allowing another off-camera unit)...it's pretty handy to have setting for everything right in front of me, so I can see flash outputs at a glance and adjust easily. These are multiple books on using this kind of setup, to get you rolling.

[stephen dohring]

Should have said what camera but this might help - keep in mind if using the d200 the on camera flash can be a commander and control both - dial the compensation down on the pop up so it has almost no effect.

 

http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/d200_and_cls/d200_and_cls_2.html

[frank_skomial]

Not knowing what camera you have, will be difficult to provide best advice.

 

Read you flash manual and perhaps you will find there a mode that it can operate on with your camera, whatever it is.

 

If your camera is CLS compatible, so you will find step by step instructions there.

 

Also look up the Nikon booklet that came with your flashes.

 

Your studio flashes are not compatible with Nikon strobes if used in any automated mode. Use all flashes in Manual, and you could get them triggerred at the same time, except SB-600 will need a triggering attachment of sort.

[errolyoung]

the thing that I do not like about the 800's remote function is the shutter lag. It takes time for the flashes to communicate. I am willing to not use a second flash just because of that.

 

There is a way to use the 800 with studio flashes using the sync outlet. I am experimenting with it lately and may use it soon. The studio flashes would be only manual but the 800 could use the ITT mode.

 

Errol

[pia]

Thanks for all your imput. I have a D200 and a D 80.

[Rick Waller]

"the thing that I do not like about the 800's remote function is the shutter lag. It takes time for the flashes to communicate. "

 

 

I regularly use the 800 to trigger up to 3 other 800's and also use an SU800 to trigger all 4 800's. I notice no delay whatsoever and find that the results using Nikon CLS are superb.

 

Not sure why you are having problems, but you should not be. Can you describe the problems that you have from this "delay" that you speak of? Poor exposures? The CLS system with the NIkon flashes is so easy and so good that it is almost uncanny. My studio strobes pump out more light when and if I need the extra power, but require more thinking and/or a flash meter. Even using just 2 800's (one for key, one for fill) the system is pretty amazing unless you are shooting in a cave over a long distance.

 

Maybe I or someone else on here can help you sort out what might be going wrong for you. What camera are you using?

[greg jansen]

Try not to get too crazy with the set-up first time you use it. Keep it simple. Keep your on-camera flash set as you normally would, and then try one remote on a lightstand. Place it up high, maybe near one of the DJ or band speakers. Use at is simple extra fill. Be careful where you put point the sensor on the receiving unit. Maybe set the receiving unit to -1. It's easy to toggle the receiving unit on and off by changing the channel on the main flash. Just a couple quick button presses.

 

Here is one from last week where I just turned the near band speaker remote to face the ladies catching the bouqet. You can clearly see the on camera flash on the bride, the remote lightng the others.

 

It's a really great system.<div></div>

[ShunCheung]

Either your D200 or D80 can be used as the master to control the SB-800 and 600 as remotes (slaves), or you can use the SB-800 on camera as the master.

 

The following thread in the Nikon Forum has a lot of useful information, esepcially from the links and attachments (near the end of the thread) there:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00LN0M

[marv_stasak___southfield__]

I use SB800s also, but find the CLS system to fiddly. I simply use Pocket Wizards. The 800s have PC outlets so the Wizards can be connected.

[david_banks2]

CLS works great indoors but is very unreliable outdoors, due to too much ambient IR.

Pocketwizards are great but do not allow for TTL.

[enzo_simonelli]

Peggy, I think to understand You tried on-Camera studio InfraRed trigger to trip remote SB600/SB800 wirelessly.

 

This configuration works with the SB800 only, if You switch it to SU-4 mode, turning the Speedlight into a strobe-wise unit whose output has to be manually dialed.

 

SB600 has not SU-4 mode; both the SB600 and the SB800 do have built-in optical slave-cell indeed, beeing place on a side, but there is an inner digital electronic-filter right after the slave-cell 's output. This filter wants digital encoded pulses of light as emitted by a Nikon Master/Commander unit, to react. SU-4 mode simply by-pass this filter, allowing the built-in slave-cell to act as a common one likewise strobes' cells.

 

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