D90/D700, SB-900/600 & Wireless Triggers for Weddings

[wes_bob]

<p>I would first like to start out saying I do not want to use CLS. In my experience it is to unreliable and I really need something where I don't have to worrie about which side of the camera my flash is on.<br>

I am in need of a wireless flash trigger system (preferably Radio wave, not IR as the CLS system). I have seen a couple of things but honestly can not figure out exactly what the heck I need in order to make it work.<br>

Looking to use this with my D90 & D700 / SB-900 & multiple SB-600's</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>My suggestion would be Pocket Wizards, but I'm not sure if they can be wired to SB600's.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[william-porter]

<p>Start over at strobist.com. Tons of info there.</p>

<p>For basic use, you need a transmitter and one or more receivers. The transmitter connects to your camera - possibly directly to the hot shoe - and the receivers are "out there" with your flash units connected to them. When you press the camera shutter, an impulse causes the transmitter to send a signal to the receivers, and they set off the flash units to which they are connected. </p>

<p>There are a number of brands. Pocket Wizards are popular and well regarded. I use Flashwave 2 units from G9Chon.com and I think they're terrific. (Make sure you get the Flashwave 2 models, not the models identified as "FW-1".) The Flashwave 2 transmitter mounts right in my Pentax K20D's hot shoe, and the receivers have their own hot shoes built in, so I can connect the flash units directly to them without cables. Brilliant and could not be simpler to use. And in my experience they've been just about 100% reliable. Oh, and they're cheaper than Pocket Wizards. :-)</p>

<p>Will</p>

[william-porter]

<p>NOTE: An advantage of the FlashWave 2 units is that they do NOT require cables to make the connection. They can use cables if you like, but they provide hot shoe connections that seem to work with nearly anything. I use the system with my Pentax cameras, a couple of Pentax flash units, a Metz unit, and an old Nikon flash. </p>

[wes_bob]

<p>Yeah, I need to be able to keep my SB-900 on camera for bounce flash while still triggering my other wireless flashes.</p>

[wpahnelas]

<p>i've got mostly the same gear D300, D700, SB-900 and SB-600. i know what you mean about CLS but it still can be useful. if you want to use radio triggers, you already know the SB-600 doesn't have a sync port, so a hotshoe adaptor will be required for any wireless arrangement you decide upon. i use cybersync devices by paul c. buff, the alien bees people. but i've only used them with AB units thus far. i would venture to say they will work on what have you, however. quite a bit cheaper than PWs, too.<br>

after reading william porter's posts about flashwave2 units, which i have not heard of before, it seems to me that they would be a better solution for you, however.</p>

[john_deerfield]

<p>You need to answer if you are just looking to have the flashes set to "X" power and trip them via a radio signal (old Pocket Wizards, CyberSync, FlashWave, etc) or if you are looking to be able to <em>control</em> the flashes from the commander. In which case you need something like the Radio Poppers or the new (not yet released for Nikon) Pocket Wizards.</p>

[pete_s.]

<p>I use pocketwizards but have had all my speedlights modified to have a permanent cable to go straight from the flash to the transceiver. The tranceiver is mounted with velcro on the side of the flash (so you can still rotate the flash head).</p>

<p>That way there is one less connection to worry about while on the job and no cables to loose or forget. With this setup you can also put the flash in the hotshoe and use the PW to fire off camera flashes. That works regardless if you have the flash on the camera turned on or not. So you can use both on camera flash like your SB600 (which doesn't have a dedicated pc sync port) on your D90 (and the D90 doesn't have a dedicated pc sync port either). Of course if you only are using off camera flash you'll put the PW straight into the hotshoe.</p>

<p>If you're in the states and not handy with a soldering iron and small stuff I'm sure flashzebra and others could do the mod for you at a resonable cost.</p>

<p>The modification can also be undone but you will end up with a small hole in plastic surrounding the hotshoe unless you buy that part as a spare.</p>

<p>This setup works with different radiotriggers as long as they take a 1/8" mini phono connector as sync input/output.</p>

<div></div>

[pete_s.]

<p>PS. What I like about the PWs are that they are easy to connect to studio strobes as well and some of the profotos for instance comes with integrated PWs. It's easy to mix more powerful strobes with speedlights as long as you're not trying to work TTL. It's also what you can easily find at rental houses.</p>

[neilambrose]

<p>Any trigger will work with SB range of Nikon speedlights providing it has a PC cord. PW's work fine - use them myself.</p>

[wes_bob]

<p>It seems to be a toss up between the PW's & the Flashwave 2. I almost always have an assistant with me holding speed lights so they can also adjust the power, so do not need the more expensive yet to be releases PW's.<br>

I suppose my question still pending (forgive me if someone has answered this, I did not see it) is there a way to have a SB-600 or 900 set in my camera's hot shoe (for bounce flash) while still having the wireless trigger's transmitter in use?<br>

Pete S. I think you might have answered the question above. Does the Flash act as the bridge between the hot shoe & transmitter?</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Don't know anything about the Flashwave 2, and the old PWs are solid and reliable. I use plain Cybersyncs. So far, they have been 100% reliable--literally, and I shoot a lot of weddings. If I've had a misfire it is due to user error or something like the battery is dead...</p>

<p>You can use the SB-900 in your hotshoe in iTTL, but it will not be controlling any of the other flashes. You can plug a transmitter into the camera body's PC port. The transmitter controls the triggering of the off camera flashes. Alternatively, you can plug the transmitter into the PC port on the SB-900 (I think this works but don't know for sure since I use Canon, which does not have a PC port or has one that is crippled in some modes). You can have the flash modified any way you want using someone like Michael Bass.</p>

[wes_bob]

<p>Yeah, I've been looking around some more and decided I'm going to go with the cybersyncs. They seem like the best bang for the buck, epically with the new cyber commander.</p>

[john_deerfield]

<p>You can plug a <em>transmitter</em> into a SB900 (via the PC terminal) and it will fire the remote flash; at least with Pocket Wizards as I have done it! This is handy if you are using the D90 since the D90 does NOT have a PC terminal on the camera. If you are using your D700, you can use the SB600 on camera and trigger the 900 off camera: both the SB900 and the D700 have PC terminal built in. If you are looking to trigger your SB600 off camera, you will need something like this:http://g9chon.com/HS.html, a hot shoe adapter that <em>adds</em> a PC terminal to your SB600 since the wireless <em>receiver</em> will also need to plug into something. </p>

[pete_s.]

<blockquote>

<p>Pete S. I think you might have answered the question above. Does the Flash act as the bridge between the hot shoe & transmitter?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yes. In my case the extra cable give the transceiver (PWs can both transmit and receive on the same unit) direct access to the hot shoe of the flash. My SB600s have the same mod.</p>

<p>The pc sync is actually the same as the center pin in the hotshoe. So if a flash or camera has a dedicated pc sync connector it is basically just a connector wired to the center pin of the hotshoe (and ground).</p>

 

[wes_bob]

<p>Hey Guys! I went with the Cybersync's & picked up a hot shoe adapter for my SB-600. I will actually have a couple of configurations. The primary 2 are Using my D700 with just the transmitter triggering an off camera sb-900 to create dramatic lighting and the other will be using the SB-900 as on camera bounce flash and using SB-600 as remote flash for reception's with my speedlight hot shoe adapter.</p>

[wedding-photography-denver]

<p>Radio poppers. Been using them with near perfect results for a couple seasons.</p>

<p>You use the 900 to set the other units to whatever you like. Manual (as I mostly do), TTL or Auto.</p>

<p>The big down side is the cost, the big upside is they work better than any others I have had (inc. PW's).</p>

[brian_cesario]

<p>Hi all. I am new to the forum, but not to photography. I use PocketWizard Plus II's and love them. Currently contemplating purchasing the SB900, but am still on the fence about it. Love my SB800 speedlight. FYI, can't use a PocketWizard with an SB600...no PC sync terminal (unless you're brave enough to try to modify the flash, but then you will void out your warranty).</p>