Remote flash with Nikon D500

Gaz J

Gaz J

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Gary
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Trying to help a friend out here. They have a D500 and a SB 700 and they want to fire the flash remotely. I use Canon so my browsing in the web it seems that you need the Nikon WR-R10 and possibly the 10 pin adaptor WR-A10 to allow this to happen.

Can any one confirm this please. Also is anyone using yonguo triggers for TTL remote flash on a D500 and if so which ones.

Thanks in advance
 
Last edited:
Hi Gary,

The SB700 is not a Nikon radio controlled flash. The WR-R10 receiver is for remote control of the camera (with the WR-T10 transmitter) but does play some part in the new radio flash system. The D500 has no pop-up to control the SB700 (the optical Nikon AWL system controlled remote flashes by using the pop-up or other on-camera unit as a data transmitter). So you have a few choices:

1) Mount an AWL Master capable flash on the camera and use this to control the SB700 remotely. You'll need an SB800, 900, 910 etc. Or Yongnuo YN568 et al. (YN568 flash about £100; SB900 on ebay about £200)
2) Buy a Nikon SB5000 radio flash and the associated radio bits for the camera. (about £600)
3) By some Yongnuo YN622N's and a YN622N-TX to control them from the camera. (Both around £30)

The radio system is the future - Nikon just didn't build it into the brand-new-launched-at-the-same-time-as-the-radio-flash £2500 crop body camera for reasons' only known to them.

Owen
 
Scooter said:
Hi Gary,

The SB700 is not a Nikon radio controlled flash. The WR-R10 receiver is for remote control of the camera (with the WR-T10 transmitter) but does play some part in the new radio flash system. The D500 has no pop-up to control the SB700 (the optical Nikon AWL system controlled remote flashes by using the pop-up or other on-camera unit as a data transmitter). So you have a few choices:

1) Mount an AWL Master capable flash on the camera and use this to control the SB700 remotely. You'll need an SB800, 900, 910 etc. Or Yongnuo YN568 et al. (YN568 flash about £100; SB900 on ebay about £200)
2) Buy a Nikon SB5000 radio flash and the associated radio bits for the camera. (about £600)
3) By some Yongnuo YN622N's and a YN622N-TX to control them from the camera. (Both around £30)

The radio system is the future - Nikon just didn't build it into the brand-new-launched-at-the-same-time-as-the-radio-flash £2500 crop body camera for reasons' only known to them.

Owen
Click to expand...

That's a great help Owen. Much appreciated. I will pass this on.

Thanks again

Gary
 
Scooter said:
Hi Gary,

The SB700 is not a Nikon radio controlled flash. The WR-R10 receiver is for remote control of the camera (with the WR-T10 transmitter) but does play some part in the new radio flash system. The D500 has no pop-up to control the SB700 (the optical Nikon AWL system controlled remote flashes by using the pop-up or other on-camera unit as a data transmitter). So you have a few choices:

1) Mount an AWL Master capable flash on the camera and use this to control the SB700 remotely. You'll need an SB800, 900, 910 etc. Or Yongnuo YN568 et al. (YN568 flash about £100; SB900 on ebay about £200)
2) Buy a Nikon SB5000 radio flash and the associated radio bits for the camera. (about £600)
3) By some Yongnuo YN622N's and a YN622N-TX to control them from the camera. (Both around £30)

The radio system is the future - Nikon just didn't build it into the brand-new-launched-at-the-same-time-as-the-radio-flash £2500 crop body camera for reasons' only known to them.

Owen
Click to expand...

Good summary Owen. Option 3 looks favourite (y)

Nikon's problem with the new radio flash system is not that they didn't build anything into the cameras (no other manufacturer has built-in radio flash control) but that they've not got around to producing a radio version of the ancient SU-800 commander unit. If they did that, I don't see any reason why the new SB-5000 radio speedlight wouldn't work with any camera.
 
I agree - a radio based SU-800 was what the rest of us were waiting for - but given the size of the add-on radio for the D500 is tiny, and they already built the receiver into the flash - it's a no-brainer to build the transmitter into the camera.
 
Scooter said:
I agree - a radio based SU-800 was what the rest of us were waiting for - but given the size of the add-on radio for the D500 is tiny, and they already built the receiver into the flash - it's a no-brainer to build the transmitter into the camera.
Click to expand...

Not sure I agree. Additional cost, lack of space, and the problem of getting decent range from beneath the metal, given that it wasn't long ago transmitters had 3-inch aerials. The tiny WR-R10 is a neat little jobbie but a bit of a fudge, given that it needs a firmware upgrade for flash that only Nikon can do, and the firmware then renders it useless for any other purpose.

A new 'SU-800-RT' would get around all those issues, should work with any camera I think instead of just the D5 and D500, and would provide a proper user-interface for flash which is definitely preferable to an in-camera menu based system.

I think Nikon also missed a trick by making the SB-5000 a radio receiver-only, instead of master/commander as well like the Canon 600EX-RT. The way I often use multiple flash, I like to have one gun on-camera for bounce or fill-in and you can't do that when there's a transmitter-only unit in the hot-shoe.
 
Fair enough although it is small enough to go in the case, maybe where the pop up would have gone - no metal around it and the cost of the components are peanuts tbh.

A separate transmitter would however have more utility across existing bodies and no doubt more range. Less stuff to assemble out in the field is always good though.
 
mike weeks said:
Godox X1 series does all I need

Mike
Click to expand...

Godox? Never heard of them :D

It makes you think though - Godox, Yongnuo, Phottix etc etc are definitely setting the pace with radio flash over Canon, Nikon, Sony and all the big brand camera manufacturers. An extensive range of innovative products, with cutting edge technology at amazing prices. Godox has really got it right, looking at a total lighting solution for enthusiasts and professionals.

The Canon system is good, but pricey and the Tx unit has no AF-assist lamp and can't do second-curtain sync. Nikon, as above - only half-baked so far, expensive. Sony - a costly and cumbersome system of add-on Tx and Rx units - and that's from one of the world's greatest electronics manufacturers. What were they thinking?! All the other big camera brands are basically nowhere with flash. They're all missing an opportunity to put clear blue water between DSLRs/mirrorless cameras a big step ahead of smartphones. When it comes to real photography, being creative with actual light which is supposed to be what it's all about, and flash is what separates the men from the boys.

Rant off :p
 
HoppyUK said:
<snip>...The tiny WR-R10 is a neat little jobbie but a bit of a fudge, given that it needs a firmware upgrade for flash that only Nikon can do, and the firmware then renders it useless for any other purpose...<snip>
Click to expand...

Not true. Correcting myself, apparently upgrading the firmware in the WR-R10 to v3.0 for flash also retains all its other functions. I really shouldn't believe everything I read on the internet haha
 
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