Remote triggering issues.

Kenburg

Kenburg

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Hi there

My main photographic interests are landscape and motorsport, but I'm looking to develop my indoor photography. I have a couple of flashguns, a Nikon SB-400 and a Nissin Di622. I'm looking to use the Nissin off-camera so I have a bought a basic Bowens stand and a softbox combo. To fire the flash I also picked up a Lastolite "Straight i-TTL cord". However on connecting everything up, as per the instructions, the flash doesn't fire. Further research shows that some other users were having similar problems with Lastolite cables. I connected them with both flash and camera powered off, I switched the flash to manual mode, but still nothing.

So I thought I'd have a go with radio triggers, and ordered a set of Yongnuo RF-603N IIs. These arrived today, and I have set them up, again as per instructions. As before the flashgun doesn't trigger when the shutter fires. The little switches in the battery tray that set the radio frequency are matching, and indeed when I half press the manual firing switch on the Yongnuo unit attached to the camera the green light on the receiving unit lights up. If I complete the press the light on both units goes red, which indicates that they are firing. But they're not! Again I have tried switching the flash to manual mode to see if that's the problem, but still no joy. I have made sure that everything is firmly tightened up, I've gone through all the instructions (camera, flash, triggers) that I have but still nothing...

Both flash guns work fine directly on the camera, and the Nissin can be fired remotely when the on camera flash fires, but this isn't really ideal for how I want to use this set up.

Am I missing something really obvious? As I say this is all new to me, so is there a camera setting issue, or is it simply that the Nissin isn't compatible. I have access to a Nikon SB-600 so could try that? It just seems odd that the Yongnuo units seem to be talking to each other ok, but they're just not firing the flash...

Any wisdom greatly appreciated!
 
do u have the flash set to manual on the camera? maybe thats the issue
not used nikon so ive no idea what your ment todo :)
 
If the Nissin is reacting to other flash pulses, it sounds like it's in some sort of remote slave mode. You need to set it up as if it is on the camera - ie just "on", and manual - no remote modes or TTL etc, The 603N behaviour says the signal reaches the receiver, so the problem either lies with the connection between this and the flash, or the flash is ignoring the signal.

Do you get the same behaviour out of the Nikon SB400 on the 603N receiver?
 
I have the Nissin 622 Mk2 (Canon version), I've used it on camera, on a TTL cable and as an optical slave.
To use it as a slave, you have to change the mode on the rear of the flash.
When you turn it on, it automatically starts up in TTL mode, as you would use with it on camera. Press the little mode button on the back, this cycles through the modes. Press it once and then it'll be in manual mode, use this when using the TTL cord or on the radio triggers.
If you press it again it'll go into SD (Slave Digital) mode, this will mean that it's in *optical* slave mode, and will wait to see a flash before triggering, so it won't get triggered by the hotshoe. SF - Slave Film mode is pretty much the same, but designed for film cameras.

Actually, just checking, do you have the Di622 or the Di622 Mk2 ?
There's some slight differences in how you change modes and what modes are available.
Check out the manuals.
Di622: http://www.nissindigital.com/files/en_di622_users_manual.pdf
Di622 Mk2: http://www.nissindigital.com/files/en_di622m2_rev0211.1.0(A4 size).pdf

I had a problem with some cheap radio triggers, they were so cheaply made the contacts in the hotshoe wouldn't actually connect with the flash, so it wouldn't fire at all.
When I first started using flash I also had problems getting the flash to fire unless it the camera was in manual exposure mode. Worth checking.
I don't know about Nikons but if the Yongnuo 603 triggers aren't TTL, perhaps the camera isn't detecting a flash, so it's not firing.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, however I'm still not getting anything from the remote flash.

I have tried the camera in manual: no joy.
I have cleaned all hotshoe contacts with an eraser: ditto
Flash is set to manual (on the di622 mkI this is just a single press of the "mode" button if I'm reading the manual correctly). I am now getting the red "firing" led illuminate on the receiver when the shutter is fully depressed on the D7100, so I assume that the camera is talking to the transmitter and that that the transmitter is signalling the receiver, but that the receiver isn't firing the flash (either the Nissin or the SB-400).
I'm going to see if I can borrow a Nikon SB-600 to see if it's a Nissin problem, although odd that the SB-400 doesn't fire (although it is an incredibly basic unit...)

One further thought: am I missing some super-obvious in camera setting? Or should the flash just fire if it's on the camera or receiver?
 
After some searching about I have come across this on dpanswers.com:

Query
Hi, i just got my 2 Trigger YN RF603C for my Canon 5d mk2 to be used with Nissin Di 622 (first version). I've tried many times in different ways but it doesn't work.

When i press the shutter on my camera the led on the receiver on the bottom of the flash change color so it mean that it's working but the flash doesn't make any light.

I've also try to use it as a remote control and everything works! Flash by itself or on camera also works normally.

How can I fix this problem?

Answer
@eddy,
as far as I know, the first version of the Nissin Di622 is not compatible with hot-shoe triggers that do not relay all TTL signals to the flash.

YongNuo RF-603 for Canon have a Canon-compatible hot-shoe, but unfortunately, it does not relay all the TTL signals to the flash, and is therefore not compatible with the Nissin Di622.

Also see the note about the Nissin Di622 on our page about flash incompatibility.

Right, I'm off to borrow an SB-600 to see if that solves it. I'll report back...
 
Kenburg said:
Thanks for all the suggestions, however I'm still not getting anything from the remote flash.

I have tried the camera in manual: no joy.
I have cleaned all hotshoe contacts with an eraser: ditto
Flash is set to manual (on the di622 mkI this is just a single press of the "mode" button if I'm reading the manual correctly). I am now getting the red "firing" led illuminate on the receiver when the shutter is fully depressed on the D7100, so I assume that the camera is talking to the transmitter and that that the transmitter is signalling the receiver, but that the receiver isn't firing the flash (either the Nissin or the SB-400).
I'm going to see if I can borrow a Nikon SB-600 to see if it's a Nissin problem, although odd that the SB-400 doesn't fire (although it is an incredibly basic unit...)

One further thought: am I missing some super-obvious in camera setting? Or should the flash just fire if it's on the camera or receiver?
Click to expand...

Ken - you know its not your camera settings - the receiver light pulses.....

Together with the info you found on DP answers about the Nissin and this http://speedlights.net/nikon-speedlight-sb-400-flash/ about the SB400, the conclusion is that neither flash will just fire off of the centre (X-sync) pin. Sell them both and buy a bunch of Yongnuo 685's http://flashhavoc.com/yongnuo-yn685-for-nikon/ and a http://flashhavoc.com/yongnuo-yn-622n-tx-for-nikon-now-available/

:)
 
Given that both flashes work when on the camera, but not on the Yongnuo trigger, it does seem that the triggers are the issue.

You might be best getting the Yongnuo YN622N triggers which will do TTL, so that should work with your Nissin. (I've got a pair on their way to use with my Nissin 622Mk2 flash).
Otherwise you might have to settle for changing your flashes too.
 
ABTog said:
Given that both flashes work when on the camera, but not on the Yongnuo trigger, it does seem that the triggers are the issue.

You might be best getting the Yongnuo YN622N triggers which will do TTL, so that should work with your Nissin. (I've got a pair on their way to use with my Nissin 622Mk2 flash).
Otherwise you might have to settle for changing your flashes too.
Click to expand...

That is worth a go - as the YN622N receiver emulates the camera hot shoe faithfully.
 
Quick update: I have borrowed an SB-600, set up the triggers, and pop! Success! So for the time being I'm able to hang on to the SB-600, which is handy as a friend wants me to shoot some interiors for him next week (bit nervous!) Longer term, I'll certainly look at (probably) a pair of 685s and the 622 trigger, they look like great value for money.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, they've been greatly appreciated.
 
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