Can a Nikon SB-600 be used off-camera with a non-Nikon camera?
Asked 4/15/2013
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I have a Nikon SB-600 flash but no camera body yet. I plan to use the flash off-camera only, and I’m considering buying a non-Nikon camera. Can the SB-600 be triggered from another brand’s camera body? Specifically:
- Does the SB-600 support being triggered by another flash on its own?
- Can I use a radio trigger system, with a transmitter on a camera such as Panasonic and a receiver on the SB-600?
- Can the SB-600 be safely mounted directly on other camera brands’ hot shoes?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
6
You cannot trigger it by flash. The SB-600 does not have an optical slave mode. You can buy an inexpensive optical slave trigger though and trigger it with the built-in flash on your camera.
You may be able to mount it in the hotshoe of a non-Nikon body, but it may not fire. In fact, it's possible it could damage the camera. Nikon flashes use 12V trigger voltage, and some cameras, like Canon, use 6V). There is some information here - Strobe Trigger Voltages
You can certainly trigger the SB-600 using a radio trigger, such as the Cactus, from a non-Nikon body. Whatever trigger you choose, you just need to make sure it's compatible with both the flash and the camera. The Cactus is compatible with the SB-600.
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, you can use an SB-600 off-camera with a non-Nikon camera, but with limits.
The SB-600 does not have a built-in optical slave mode, so it cannot simply be triggered by another flash by itself. If you want optical triggering, you’d need an external optical slave accessory.
A radio trigger setup is the most straightforward option. You can use a transmitter on the camera and a compatible receiver with the SB-600, as long as the trigger system supports both the camera and the flash.
Mounting the SB-600 directly on a non-Nikon hot shoe is not guaranteed to work correctly, and in some cases may even risk damage because trigger voltages and pin layouts can differ between brands. So direct on-camera use across brands is not the safest assumption.
If your goal is simply off-camera manual flash, a compatible radio trigger or external optical slave should work well.
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