FLASH, omg, PLease help!!

[ClaudioG]

Hi all..so I got the sb-910.. And the manuals in mandaren... omg. So..I'm getting to grips with it..but I have a problem..I have the D5100.. And no commander mode.so..if my flash is off camera..I can use my pop up flash to trigger it( in SU-4 mode)..

Not a problem..cos I can use foil to just bend the light getting to sensor instead of subject..wat I'd like to know is... What is best setting in SU-4 mode on my flash..Manual, auto? and is my camera pop up supposed to be set to ttl or manual?

And last thing.. Does the sb 910 flash power corrspond with the pop up flash or can I set its own power?... I'm sorry..this might be basic stuff but its going over my head.

Any help is greatly appreciated..ps..I've run the cash dry..so I don't want to have to buy the SU-800.

[charzes44]

Hi Claudio,
Ever thought of looking at Nikon's website for their support? They have a PDF for your flash gun:
http://www.nikonsupport.eu/europe/Ma...-910_En_02.pdf
Download it and study it!

[RustBeltRaw]

I second Charles's suggestion. RTFM for life!

That said, you'll probably find that SU-4 mode is only works for triggering the off-camera flash in manual mode. SU-4 does not accept TTL data from the camera.

Regarding your on-camera flash settings, you may find that running TTL mode causes problems. The SB-910 may trigger off the TTL pre-flash, and not fire during the actual exposure. Sometimes it's possible to set optical slaves to ignore the TTL pre-flashes, but then your problem is that the camera thinks the on-camera flash is the main light, and adjusts its power accordingly. Then it fires, triggering the main off-camera light. Suddenly there's more light on the subject than the TTL metering expected (assuming the off-camera light is your main), and you're at risk of blowing exposure. For rim, background, and accent lights, this is less of a problem. But blending TTL and manual flashes can be tricky.

Love the title you wrote for this thread. We've all been there.

[ClaudioG]

I totally agree with ya guys..so ..I've been through manual... But might as well be french right now. .. Jus kidding..I understand on board settings and modes.. I'm just struggling to understand the part about it been triggered by a pop up flash rather than a commander flash. the problem is..on D5100..I only have a choice of ttl or manual.. So Lex.. If I set my camera to manual.. And then set my sb 910 to su-4 and manual... Will my sb 910 flash power be what I punched in for it to be..or will it strength depend on strength of my pop up flash? ...

I will post this on nikon site as well ..
Have I put the question across right or am I also writing in french now?

[PhotomanJohn]

Claudio - The short answer is that you will need to use the SU-4 manual mode on the flash when it is not mounted on the camera and set the manual mode on the camera's flash. The power settings you make on either flash will not affect the other. If you have access to a flash meter it will make setting the exposure from the two flashes much easier. You will only be able to use TTL if you have another flash unit on the camera that can act as a CLS commander.

John

[inkista]

Just me, but AUTO mode might be worth trying with SU-4 if you don't want to have to manually set the power level on the flash. It's not a TTL mode and doesn't require communication with the camera (which is why it's still available to you in SU-4 mode), it's an authothyristor mode--the tech that was used in tons of flashes before TTL came along. Some oldtimers will tell you it's more dependable and accurate than TTL.

But if you use manual mode on the flash, whatever you dial in on the flash is the power level that will be used. Your pop-up flash basically isn't "talking" to the remote flash as it would be in CLS.

SU-4 mode is basically a "dumb" optical slave mode: the sensor "sees" a flash burst, and then the flash fires. [Think of CLS more as morse code communication between your flash and camera via light blinks.] You can set the flash off in SU-4 mode with ANY flash, not just your camera's pop-up. You could use it with a P&S camera's flash if you wanted. So, you also don't want to use SU-4 in an area where a lot of folks are using cameras with flashes going off.

The main thing with SU-4 mode is to maintain line-of-sight between your pop-up flash and the front red sensor panel on the flash's body (think of it like using a tv remote the sensor has to "see" the signal). Which is why a rotating head on a speedlight is a good good thing.

All optical slaving systems, both SU-4 and CLS, require that the signal from the mastering unit be seen by the sensor on the slave. These systems typically work well in lower-light situations with bounce surfaces around. Once you go outside and try to use these systems in bright sunlight, their range and reliability tends to go down, but indoors, they're relatively reliable.

You might want to consider radio triggers if you plan on doing on-location shooting with off-camera flash and the optical triggering no longer works for you. But until then, you should be fine.

Oh, btw, one more limitation you may not be aware of: the D5100 doesn't do FP mode (high-speed sync). So the fastest shutter speed you can use with flash is 1/200s. If you eventually upgrade the camera body, say to a D7100, that restriction will be removed. (Not to mention getting a CLS commander in your pop-up flash ).

[ClaudioG]

Thank you John and Kathy i think i've got it now... i believe Kathy you are correct in saying that auto mode is also available with the SU-4 mode.. i think i need to only set ISO and aperture to correspond with camera? And the Flash will adjust power... Am i correct in saying this?

[inkista]

... i believe Kathy you are correct in saying that auto mode is also available with the SU-4 mode.. i think i need to only set ISO and aperture to correspond with camera? And the Flash will adjust power... Am i correct in saying this?

Yes. That's correct.

[bambleweeney]

Possibly just as easy is to go wireless. Plug the transmitter into the camera's hot shoe and a receiver on the flash and you can put the flash wherever you like. Not neccessarily expensive, (I use YongNuo) which were about 40Euros for transmitter and reciever pair (assuming that the D5100 has a hot shoe). Or you could spend a small fortune on receiver/transmitters if you so wished. One of the useful things about wireless is that (depending on your camera model) you can also use them to remotely trigger the camera. So you set up your flash(es) with receivers, plug another receiver into the camera body, find a comfortable chair and a long drink (within radio range) and just press the button on the receiver when you want to take a shot. ... and no line of sight to worry about ...

[ClaudioG]

Hi Paul... can you recommend a well priced and effective transmitter that would work for the Sb-910 flash though? the D5100 has a hotshoe. the SU-800 is crazy price..might as well jus get another flash just to use it as a trigger

[PhotomanJohn]

Claudio - Sorry that I forgot that the SB-910 has that additional mode that the SB-700's I use do not. Even with full TTL/CLS capability, I still use manual most of the time. It's more predictable and stable when you have a more formal set-up.

John

[nimitzbenedicto]

Claudio - ......
I still use manual most of the time. It's more predictable and stable when you have a more formal set-up.

John

Hi Claudio, Definitely, most photogs I know use "manual".

HTH

[bambleweeney]

Hi Paul... can you recommend a well priced and effective transmitter that would work for the Sb-910 flash though? the D5100 has a hotshoe. the SU-800 is crazy price..might as well jus get another flash just to use it as a trigger

YongNuo - you buy the transmitter and receiver as a pair (about 40Euros ...). I think Amazon stock them, you can get to their home page there or via Ebay where they (and other manufacturers similiar offers) can be found. They don't do TTL but if your flash does auto no problem. I always use my flashes in manual and with these little gadgets I've had two speeedlights and a studio flash triggered off the same transmitter with a receiver on each flash AND used the remote control receiver to trigger the whole lot. I also did some shots of an abby for a book and remoteley triggered flashes about 30-40 metres away. If the Sb910 plugs into your hot shoe there shouldn't be a problem, my speedlights come from various sources, an old Nikon flash, an sb600 and a new YongNuo unit. Simple answer ... if your flash fits on to the receiver (either by hot shoe connection or by cable) then the YongNuo transmitter/receiver combination should function well as a pair. The transmitter that fits onto your camera's hot shoe is dedicated to the camera manufacturer/model (i.e a transmitter for a Canon 5d probably wouldn't work on your Nikon and the transmitter that I use on my Nikon probably wouldn't work on yours)
Also strongly reccomend you have a look at the Strobist web site which deals with and provides inspiration for using small flash creatively (can't find the link but googling it should get you there real soon)

[yauman]

I highly recommend this book if you are new at dealing with Nikon's flash system. I have recommend it to a couple of people on their first venture into flash (with Nikon) and they all agree it's basically the manual for the Nikon SB-series Speedlites written in proper English! I recommend the Kindle version so you can have it in your iPad or iPhone to refer to anytime.
The Nikon Creative Lighting System by Mike Hagen

[deetheturk]

Claudio,being a canon man I don't know much about Nikon but just had a look on YouTube and there are quite a few tutorials on your new flash,just type in SB910 tutorial and they pop up,hope this helps.

Cheers David

[ClaudioG]

Thank you Yauman book ordered! thanks David, already searching