Can a Nikon D90 trigger an SB-600 off-camera without using the built-in flash?
Asked 8/20/2010
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I have a Nikon D90 and an SB-600. I can use the D90’s Commander mode to control the SB-600 off-camera with TTL/CLS, but I’m confused about whether the built-in flash must still be used to trigger it. Can the SB-600 be fired wirelessly without any light from the on-camera flash, or is the pop-up flash always part of Nikon CLS? If so, what are the alternatives for off-camera triggering with this setup?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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You can absolutely use other triggering mechanisms, but the wireless part of the CLS uses the on-camera flash.
One way that's cheaper than the PocketWizard route is a cable. Refer to Strobist's Lighting 101 Series for hints on connectivity options.
If you're using Commander mode, did you set the on-camera flash to -- (essentially off)? From what I can tell, by shooting a picture of my camera and my SB-800 into a mirror, the on-camera flash does appear a little bit, so you might see it catchlights (as I recently did), but does not contribute significantly to the lighting of the scene.
Originally by user69. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user69
16y ago
0
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With the D90’s built-in Commander mode, Nikon CLS works by sending optical control pulses from the pop-up flash, so the on-camera flash is part of the triggering system. You can set the built-in flash to “--” in Commander mode so it contributes little or no meaningful exposure, but it still emits control flashes and may show up slightly, such as in catchlights.
So, with only the D90 and SB-600, true wireless TTL/CLS requires the pop-up flash to act as the optical commander.
If you want to fire the SB-600 without using the built-in flash as the trigger, you’ll need another method, such as:
- an off-camera flash cable
- third-party radio triggers
Those alternatives generally mean giving up TTL/CLS unless you use a system specifically designed to support it. A simple radio trigger setup typically means using the flash in manual mode.
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