Flashgun query

realspeed

Suspended / Banned
Messages
8,827
Name
Bazza
Edit My Images
No
Setup
A Nikon D300 shooting continuously at 8fps together with a Nikon SB 900 this is with the camera on CH setting

When the SB900 is mounted on top of the camera the SB900 flashes at the 8fps ok in time with the camera shutter.

What I was wondering is if this is correct? when using the SB900 as a remote and set on remote with the D300 as the master, I can only get it to shoot/flash single shots, even when camera is still set for CH and the SB900 set still on repeat.

Any thoughts on it would be most welcome and thank you in advance

Realspeed
 
If the distance isn't too great, use an extension cable. You can buy some rather long ones (I have a 3M one) and they operate as if the speedlight were atop the camera.

I think the lack of high frame rate is down to the fact you are sending an IR signal to the gun to get a preflash, reading it, and then sending another IR signal tot he gun with the required settings and telling it to fire. Quite a bit of work in a split second.
If using a cable, it should work in an identical fashion to the speedlight being atop the hotshoe.
 
You can only get the HSS setting with the flash on camera, at what output are you trying to get it to fire 8 times per second off camera?
 
Thanks Michael think you may have hit the answer. After seeing the posting on water drops I thought I might have a go just using the kitchen sink. To tell the truth I was just messing about and came across this query.

Graham I was experimenting using the same settings apart from altering the SB900 to remote.

Thank you both for your replies
 
Graham, I'm not sure he means HSS, as he hasn't mentioned shutter speed, only fps

I just assumed, as realistically you're not going to get the flash to fire in regular mode continiously like that at anything apart from a very low power setting
 
iTTL will do it if he's already metering pretty much on ambient, as output would be minimal.
Personally,I think it's down to data transmission time with the IR, and an extension cable gets around it cheaply. Got any left Graham? I think Bazza could do with one :)
 
iTTL will do it if he's already metering pretty much on ambient, as output would be minimal.
Personally,I think it's down to data transmission time with the IR, and an extension cable gets around it cheaply. Got any left Graham? I think Bazza could do with one :)

Probably got a spare 1.5m one kicking around somewhere :shrug:
 
Thanks again all, I wasn't so concerned about shutter speed or ISO as I had the camera and flash already "balanced" with each other.
The trouble with getting a new toy ( en el4a battery bl3 end cap and mh-21 charger) is you want to test it to the limit. Well don't we all? ;). Think the next step as you all have mentioned is getting an extn cord when I can afford it, as I already have a wired and wireless remote which is brilliant for getting close to animals without them knowing your there . That is until the shutter goes.

Realspeed
 
Setup
A Nikon D300 shooting continuously at 8fps together with a Nikon SB 900 this is with the camera on CH setting

When the SB900 is mounted on top of the camera the SB900 flashes at the 8fps ok in time with the camera shutter.

What I was wondering is if this is correct? when using the SB900 as a remote and set on remote with the D300 as the master, I can only get it to shoot/flash single shots, even when camera is still set for CH and the SB900 set still on repeat.

Any thoughts on it would be most welcome and thank you in advance

Realspeed

You're using the D300's pop-up as the commander? Then it's simply down to recycle time. The pop-up just can't keep up.

Pop-ups aren't great at the best of times, and when it's putting out commander pre-flashes at the same time it's going to be flat out - two or three seconds recycle time between shots. The extra time taken by the pre-flash regime is neither here nor there really.

Only the most powerful guns, even an SB900, will only keep up 8fps for a few frames, and only at very close range when on minimum power.
 
Thanks Hoppy ,sorry for the long wait for a reply

Realspeed
 
Back
Top