Flash Setter Offer

[Mr_T]

Don't know exactly what they are called but I think I need one. I have a D200 and an SB800 and it's always annoyed me that the wireless flash requires you to use the built in flash. At best you can turn down the power of the flash but even at the minimum setting it makes a difference. The obvious answer would be a cable that goes between the body and the flashgun however I would really prefer the flexibility of something wireless.

I've used infrared before and wasn't too keen but have heard good things about FM flash setter offers (transmitters? :shrug so perhaps I should be looking for one of those. I don't tend to use flash that much at the moment so I don't want to be spending lots and lots of money on overpriced Nikon stuff but then again I want it to last and to work. I've heard that a manufacturer called Cactus seem to make good ones but haven't been able to track these down in this country.

Any suggestions would be great

 

[reddeathdrinker]

Look on eBay for the triggers - not always called "cactus"...

found them - search for wireless flash trigger, normally labelled as PT-04

 

[Mr_T]

I noticed that they all seem similar externally, are they all identical then?

 

[reddeathdrinker]

Pretty much all the same. My PT-04s are (externally anyway) identical to those labelled "cactus"... Probably all made in the same factory in China!

 

[Mr_T]

Great, how well do they work? I won't be doing anything 'extreme' but I would like to be able to try a few new things.

 

[reddeathdrinker]

They don't send any info over the signal, it's a basic "fire" command. Press the button, flash fires. You need to set the flash manually (power, zoom), but it gives you a great deal more freedom when it comes to trying new things

 

[Mr_T]

That's exactly what I want . I'm not a fan of TTL to be honest, maybe I'm just strange.

 

[Diego Garcia]

Don't know exactly what they are called but I think I need one. I have a D200 and an SB800 and it's always annoyed me that the wireless flash requires you to use the built in flash. At best you can turn down the power of the flash but even at the minimum setting it makes a difference. The obvious answer would be a cable that goes between the body and the flashgun however I would really prefer the flexibility of something wireless.

I've used infrared before and wasn't too keen but have heard good things about FM flash setter offers (transmitters? :shrug so perhaps I should be looking for one of those. I don't tend to use flash that much at the moment so I don't want to be spending lots and lots of money on overpriced Nikon stuff but then again I want it to last and to work. I've heard that a manufacturer called Cactus seem to make good ones but haven't been able to track these down in this country.

Any suggestions would be great

You need to set the flash in the D200 body to '--' I describe it as dash dash, not M OR TTL - this will ensure that the on camera flash is a trigger and it has no effect on exposure. I give you my word on that....

You can then set you external speedlite to ttl, manual etc.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mr_T]

You need to set the flash in the D200 body to '--' I describe it as dash dash, not M OR TTL - this will ensure that the on camera flash is a trigger and it has no effect on exposure. I give you my word on that....

Strange, I thought I tested that. I think I gave up after I saw that the flash went off even when it was set to --. Will give it a go, thanks!

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Strange, I thought I tested that. I think I gave up after I saw that the flash went off even when it was set to --. Will give it a go, thanks!

If you find that the onboard flash is still contributing to the exposure then you can add a Nikon SG-3IR (under a tenner) and it will filter out all but the infrared portion of the flash output that is required to trigger your SB-800.

 

[Mr_T]

If you find that the onboard flash is still contributing to the exposure then you can add a Nikon SG-3IR (under a tenner) and it will filter out all but the infrared portion of the flash output that is required to trigger your SB-800.

Fantastic, thanks for that. I think I should be OK with anything other than macro work. Did a quick test and I'm now pretty confident it will be fine for most things but it's still nice to know the exact part I need is manufactured, and is cheap!