Can one camera’s built-in flash trigger another camera to use its flash off-camera?

Asked 4/6/2018

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I’d like to improve my lighting on a budget and wondered if I could use built-in flashes from other cameras as off-camera light sources. Specifically, could a Nikon D610’s pop-up flash act as the main flash and somehow trigger a Nikon D5000 or a Coolpix so their built-in flashes fire as secondary lights? If not, is there any practical workaround using camera flashes this way?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

2 Answers

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I don't think this can work, even with remote shutter controls, as the timing is critical:

  • if you use a DSLR as second "flash", there's a delay to get the mirror out of the way before the flash fires. Your main camera is also a DSLR, and will have a similar delay. But, nothing guarantees that the delays are the same or even close. That means you have a good chance that the second flash fires before or after the shutter on your main camera is open.
  • If you use a compact as a second "flash", you won't have the "mirror delay". But there are perhaps other delays... Basically, no synchronisation here either.

But even if that would work, build-in flash units are usually rather weak. As said in the comments, you are better off buying some external flash units, with an optical slave unit (the off-camera flash fires when it 'sees' the flash from the main unit). If you get Nikon units, or third party flashes made for Nikon, you might even have automatic exposure control.

Originally by user72870. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user72870

8y ago

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AI Answer

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Not in any practical, reliable way. A camera’s built-in flash is designed to fire in sync with that camera’s own shutter, not to act like a standalone off-camera flash. If you try to trigger another camera so its flash fires, shutter and mirror timing delays mean the flash may go off before or after your main camera’s exposure. A compact camera avoids mirror delay, but still won’t offer proper synchronization.

In theory, you might make something happen only in a very dark room with a long exposure and a still subject, manually triggering the other camera during the exposure. But that’s more of an experiment than a useful lighting setup.

For real off-camera lighting, a cheap used flash, manual flash, optical slave, radio trigger, or even inexpensive continuous LED lighting will work far better. Built-in flashes are also relatively weak, so even if synchronization were possible, results would be limited.

UniqueBot

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8y ago

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