Lighting tutorials

[Björn Carlén]

I've been looking for an online tutorial by Zack Arias and got thrown off as the photos for it were lost with a transfer to a different server. Pretty much the same information should be available at You Tube. Here are a couple of links...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2415wV8mE4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZwc-QBkOfg

Dave

Very good videos! Thanks a lot, Dave!

[David H. Hartman]

Preflashes will get you. They are means little ...

The best way to get past them is radio triggers from simple fire now triggers to those with all the bells and whistles.

With your D600 you can trigger those SB-800 in SU-4 mode if the D600's popup is set to full manual. Indoors maybe set 1/16 power. Outdoors get a radio system. The D600 will also control the SB-800 with the popup indoors pretty well. To keep the popup from putting its signature in many photos you'd want this...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/410445-REG/Nikon_4905_SG_3IR_IR_Panel_for.html

CLS/AWL works outdoors in the evening pretty well. 

Here is the site I turned to, to decide what triggers to buy. There are many new choices since I bought. Here it is...

http://flashhavoc.com/

Here are short reviews of many options...

http://flashhavoc.com/gear-guides/

More links...

http://flashhavoc.com/flash-trigger-guide-ttl/#PocketWizard_TT1_TT5_AC3

This is the Pocket Wizard that would interest me most...

http://www.pocketwizard.com/products/transmitter_receiver/plus%20iv/

This the setup I bought...

https://www.amazon.com/Phottix-Stratos-Multi-Transmitter-Receiver/dp/B0056MPWZU

The permalink at Flash Havoc when to the wrong place. These are reviewed at Flash Havoc.

I very much like the idea of not having separate speedlights and radio triggers. Here is what I'd like along with some LumoPro LP180R speedlights...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1219758-REG/phottix_ph89069_odin_ii_ttl_flash.html

There are a dizzying array of products available. What works with your camera I don't know. These probably do. They will trigger many brands of speedlight from one camera, e.g. Nikon, Canon and more.

Buying your first set of triggers is a journey...

Dave

Sorry this is a rambling mess. I'm off to bed. It's 3:00 AM here in the land of the Dirt People.

[Björn Carlén]

Big thanks for your links and help, Dave!

Here's what's new re: my sync problem.
After a bit of research I can conclude that my SB-800 is in sync with my E-M5 II through the the diminutive flash that comes with the camera.
BUT:
there is no sync from 1/2 power and up. The images clearly reveal it.
If I set the output to 1/2 minus 1/3 of a stop, it works,  though. And downwards from that, of course.

The guys at Oly Support Sweden didn't know more about the camera than I do, as it seemed. They told me Nikon speedlights work through IR, so the flash can't be triggered by an Oly commander, which is not IR based... I'll have to give Nikon a call.

[HCS]

...  Nikon speedlights work through IR, so the flash can't be triggered by an Oly commander, which is not IR based...

Did they also share whether its flash is IR blocked/filtered?

Nikon's flashes are also not IR (the pop-up ones at least), but there is IR in the visible light as well, so that works. Probably the CLS code cannot be generated by your Oly (i'm sure of that).

What is the sync speed of the camera?

[charlie]

Yes, you must put the on camera flash in manual mode so there are no pre-flashes. Pre-flashes will trigger the SB-800 and it will not recycle in time to fire again for the shutter.

Be sure to turn the on camera flash all of the way down or better yet use it as bounce flash and turn it away from your subject so it fires the SB-800 but does not contribute much to the exposure, unless of course you want it to contribute to the exposure.

[Björn Carlén]

Did they also share whether its flash is IR blocked/filtered?

I'm shure they (at the phone support) don't have a clue.

What is the sync speed of the camera?

It's maximum 1/250 s, as far as I know.

[Björn Carlén]

Yes, you must put the on camera flash in manual mode so there are no pre-flashes. Pre-flashes will trigger the SB-800 and it will not recycle in time to fire again for the shutter.

I've tried it in all the modes. Manual and Auto trigger the slave, TTL not so. How could the pre-flashes ruin the sync only at 1/1 and 1/2 output?

Be sure to turn the on camera flash all of the way down or better yet use it as bounce flash and turn it away from your subject so it fires the SB-800 but does not contribute much to the exposure, unless of course you want it to contribute to the exposure.

There is an option, in the flash menu, to turn the on-camera flash off. The slave is triggered anyway.

My E-M10 is showing the same behaviour, btw, with its popup flash.

[charlie]

I did not see that there was a 3rd page to this thread so my last reply was actually a reply to #29, which had already been answered by David.

How could the pre-flashes ruin the sync only at 1/1 and 1/2 output?

In SU-4 mode pre flashes will always trigger the the SB-800 before the shutter trips, throwing off the sync.
SU-4 mode works best when everything is in full manual mode with no pre flash events happening.
The reason you might no longer see it working above 1/2 power is that the flash could have recycled fast enough between the pre flashes and the shutter opening to fire again at the lower power settings. At the higher settings it takes longer for the flash to recycle and fire again. 



If you haven't already I would suggest to set everything to full manual modes.

 
Put your E-M10 in manual exposure mode & set the shutter speed to 1/125s, iso to 100, aperture to f/8.
Make sure the flash settings on the E-M10 is in full manual mode as well, no TTL, no auto trigger. Set it to half power or a bit less.
Point the camera at the SB-800 with the SB-800's optical trigger pointing toward the lens, SB-800 set to SU-4 Manual setting.
Now try the test again, is the E-M10 syncing with the SB-800 through the entire power range?

[David H. Hartman]

A word about SU-4 Mode. There are actually two SU-4 modes: Manual and Automatic. When people say, SU-4 mode today they almost always mean SU-4 manual mode. It's just a dumb fire now optical trigger. The Automatic mode is old film technology. The SU-4 Auto Mode tries to fire hosted speedlight in sync with the master speedlight that is synced to the camera.

So SU-4 Mode today means SU-4 manual almost always.

Dave

The name SU-4 comes from the SU-4 auto slave sold as an accessory to speedlights like the SB-16A or SB-16B.

---

Björn,

I would try firing an SB-800 in the Olympus in full manual mode. If it fires and syncs correctly the Olympus will fire most any manual trigger from the low end to the Phottix Strato II to the Pocket Wizard Plus IV high end. You can buy a pair of manual only triggers from about $35.00 (USD) to $300.00 (USD).  This way you skip all the hassles with preflash.

Even if you buy a top of the line TTL Pocket Wizard system for Nikon you'll probably want a backup system.

Dave

[Björn Carlén]

My latest finding is that the E-M10 can trigger and sync the SB-800 at 1/2 power (i. e. 1/3 of a stop brighter), and that's only in iAUTO mode. Yes, that's right.
I tried to duplicate the test with the E-M5 II - the first attempt was successful, the subsequent ones were failures. So, inconsistent results.

Maybe a cheap manual radio trigger will be the way to go.

[Björn Carlén]

I would try firing an SB-800 in the Olympus in full manual mode. If it fires and syncs correctly the Olympus will fire most any manual trigger...

I don't dare mounting the Nikon flash in the Oly hotshoe. Don't they have their pins in reverse order?

[charlie]

My latest finding is that the E-M10 can trigger and sync the SB-800 at 1/2 power (i. e. 1/3 of a stop brighter), and that's only in iAUTO mode. Yes, that's right.
I tried to duplicate the test with the E-M5 II - the first attempt was successful, the subsequent ones were failures. So, inconsistent results.

Maybe a cheap manual radio trigger will be the way to go.

You keep mentioning auto modes, did you try it in full manual mode like I mentioned in post #37?

[Björn Carlén]

You keep mentioning auto modes, did you try it in full manual mode like I mentioned in post #37?

Almost all my testing was done in manual mode, on all units. SU-4 manual on the slave flash.
I can't recall any mentioning of auto mode, except for this last unexpected iAUTO incident.

[Asle F]

How could the pre-flashes ruin the sync only at 1/1 and 1/2 output?

When using less than 1/2 output, the flash has enough power to fire twice. Once in sync with the preflash, and once in sync with the flash that is in sync with the shutter. At 1/1 and 1/2, the flash is empty or almost empty after the preflash, and it will not fire at the flash in sync with the shutter.

[Björn Carlén]

Hm, that makes sense. It's what charlie wrote too in his earlier post.