Nikon D300 Commander Mode help please

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Jas

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In the past, I have managed to successfully fire my SB600 remotely off camera by using 'commander' mode.

After setting the sb600 to work remotely on channel 1, group A, the camera has been set to pop up flash --, group A to manual 1/1. There is only one flash so no need for group b. Channel has been set to 1 for both camera and flash and both set to group A.

The issue is, to fire the remote the camera pop up needs to be raised. Strangely, despite the above settings, the pop up is still firing. Any clues on what I could be doing wrong would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Jas
 
its a preflash to trigger the SB600, its always been that way as far as im aware.

it wont show in the pics as youve selected "--" in the pop up flash section.
 
Monkey, thanks for the reply. The pop up is definitely gives a 'full' fire rather than a pre flash and this is the case on my D200 and my D300. I guess you are saying that my settings look right!
 
seem fine to me, i know mine always fires on the D300, and did on my D200 and D80, but never showed in the photo if it was set to "--"
 
I can see the pre flash through the viewfinder which is only a really low light. When I press the shutter, the pop up is definitely firing as I'm putting my hand in front of it to check as well. Firing the off camera flash in the other direction to make sure the only exposure I'm seeing is the pop up.

Back to the drawing board!
 
an SG3-IR would prevent any light from the onboard flash contributing to the overall exposure if it is a problem
 
Are you doing close up stuff? Even when set to '--' the built in flash will still contribute to the final image IF you are doing close up stuff. The manual backs this up (D200) and I've tested it for myself. Presumably there is still light coming from it, as it 'cools down' from the pre-flash.
 
Oli,

not closer than three or four metres. I'm know I had it working only three weeks ago where the pop up would not fire.

A supplementry question, to fire the remote SB600, should the pop up be down or up with the settings I described earlier?
 
The settings Monkey refers to are correct - see page 294 of the manual.

It will emit a pre-flash but there should be no viable output from the on-board tube, only the remote(s).

I'm at work at the moment so I can't try it. I'm fairly confident that what I've written is correct.

(BTW the flash head should be 'up')
 
Jas said:
Oli,

not closer than three or four metres. I'm know I had it working only three weeks ago where the pop up would not fire.

A supplementry question, to fire the remote SB600, should the pop up be down or up with the settings I described earlier?
Click to expand...


The onboard flash has to be UP to function. It is actually the infrared portion of the flash, not the visible light, that triggers the remote strobes, hence why Nikon sell the SG-3IR, which blocks the visible emission from the pop-up and only allows the ir to pass...
 
Ok,

many thanks for the replies.

As crazy as it seems, I know I have my flash settings on the menu correct in 'commander' mode, the pop up still flashes :shrug: I'll have to wait for the next camera club meet to see if anyone can spot anything else. My settings have been checked again against the manual and you have all confirmed I appear to have the right settings!

Jas
 
Jas said:
Ok,

many thanks for the replies.

As crazy as it seems, I know I have my flash settings on the menu correct in 'commander' mode, the pop up still flashes :shrug:

Jas
Click to expand...

It HAS to flash to trigger the slave units :bang:, you can't turn it off completely, which is why Nikon make the SG-3IR

SG3IR_D200.jpg
 
Thanks Flash,

I'll investigate where I can buy that from and order one!

Jas
 
just a thought cant you reduce the output of the popup flash in your menus could be right off the mark here as im only a part timer not a pro just trying to help:wave:
 
Jas said:
Ok,

many thanks for the replies.

As crazy as it seems, I know I have my flash settings on the menu correct in 'commander' mode, the pop up still flashes :shrug: I'll have to wait for the next camera club meet to see if anyone can spot anything else. My settings have been checked again against the manual and you have all confirmed I appear to have the right settings!

Jas
Click to expand...

As ive said, the pop up flash firing is the trigger for the remote flashes to fire, there is no way to fire them without this, unless you use the flash cord, which the SB600 doesnt support, you need an SB800 for that.

It is a pre-flash, as in it happens before the SB600 fires and the shutter opens, so it will not effect the picture.
 
dinorock said:
just a thought cant you reduce the output of the popup flash in your menus could be right off the mark here as im only a part timer not a pro just trying to help:wave:
Click to expand...

You can set output of ALL flashes using CLS, including the pop-up.
 
It is a pre-flash, as in it happens before the SB600 fires and the shutter opens, so it will not effect the picture.
Click to expand...

This is the issue, it is not firing as 'pre-flash' as that is just a very small amount of light, this appears to be a full on flash output.

You can set output of ALL flashes using CLS, including the pop-up.
Click to expand...

yes, thanks. I was also aware of this and could set it to the lowest setting for the pop up. It's just really irritating as I know it was working fine so am not sure if I have developed a fault or was doing something daft! It's probably still the latter and hopefully not wasting everyones time.

Anyhows, went on Nikon course a few weeks ago with Oz Kharawala on 'Portraits for Profit' which is where i learned to use the off camera flash and commander mode. Can recommend the course as I did this in Poole and we shot the now new Wonderbra model (Katie Gee) outdoors at Sandbanks. Lots of practical elements of flash and portraits which is what i needed this for.
 
I could have done an edit on my last post, but to put this to bed finally......

Flash in the pan and others, you were of course absolutely right. The reason i had not realised that the pop up actually flashes before is because I had only used it for outdoor portraits so it had made no difference to the exposures. I attempted this at the weekend thankfully only taking dslr snapshots at a relatives 21st and the first few shots were really overexposed due to shooting in much darker conditions indoors.

I think under this scenario in the future (having just done a few experiments) I will change the output of the pop up to the lowest setting or buy the thingymebob that fits in front of the pop up to block out the light. This is because the output on the lowest setting is slightly less than the output of the pop up when used in commander mode set to --.

Again, thanks all for the replies and your valuable input.
Jas
 
Weird.

When is shoot the d300 at a reflective surface I can see the flash reflected in the glass.

It is however, not bright enough to light a scene to any degree if I turn off the sb800.

Conclusion?

The flash isn't actually turned off when it's turned off in the menu, just dialled down as low as possible.

Or, it's just that the flashes are still communicating whilst the shutter is open?
 
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