70s and Speedlight SB-28

[andrew_wallace1]

I wonder if somebody could give me advice on the possiblity of using my old SB-28 with my new D70s,

and if I need additional hardware - I suspect that I may need to upgrade to something else, but seem to be

reading conflicting advice.

[Michael R Freeman]

TTL flash won't work (the camera will lock up) but non-TTL auto (A mode) and full manual (M mode) will work fine, if not as conveniently. But to get the most from the D70s flash system, you will need to upgrade to at least the SB-600.

 

See pages 186-189 in your D70s instruction manual. Page 188 has a table showing what you can do with the SB-28.

[benoit_deshaies]

<p>I have an SB-22 myself that I've used a bit with the D70. I think both flashes are of the same generation and so should work similarly. As Michael pointed out, it "works" in the A mode and in the fully manual mode.</p>

 

<p>In A mode, you set the aperture the the value indicated behind the flash, and the flash will adjust its output based on what it "sees", not what you see through the lens. While you can get lucky and get good results, be warned that the flash is easily confused and might meter on something closer that is not in your viewfinder. This is more of a problem with telephoto lenses.</p>

 

<p>In M mode, the flash always outputs at full power. You can get the right exposure using the guide number and guessing the subject's distance, or you can take a sample shot, look at the histogram, and adjust accordingly. It's a slow process, but it works for static subjects.</p>

 

<p>With the A mode only getting the right exposure sometimes, you better consider these old flashes as fully manual. If you want automatic flash, you'll need an SB-600 or SB-800.</p>

 

<p><a href=" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/44/128866599_8f557e4110.jpg" width="332" height="500" alt="roses" /><br>Taken with D70, SB-22 set to manual, and a bit of patience</a></p>

[jheimsch]

I had a D70 that I used briefly with a SB-24. On Nikon's more recent digital SLR's there is no practical distinction between the SB-24 and SB-28. While it was possible to get good flash exposure with this combination I found it tiresome to have to tinker and think to achieve it. This annoyance was compounded by the fact that the SB-600 & 800 make it almost fool proof. In the end I purchased a SB-800 and haven't looked back. If you aren't a flash guru that grewup doing all the flash calculations that were more prevelant back before excellent ttl flash metering was invented you'll be very happy with the new i-ttl found in the SB-600 and 800.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Justin

[andrew_wallace1]

Thank you so much to everybody for great advice - I am saving for a new flash already :)

 

Andrew