Does Nikon have a Canon RT-style built-in radio flash system, and is there third-party support?
Asked 8/8/2016
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Canon’s RT system uses built-in radio communication between compatible Speedlites and transmitters. I’m wondering whether Nikon has an equivalent radio flash system for remote TTL/manual control, ideally something integrated into Nikon bodies or flashes. Which Nikon flashes and cameras support it, what extra hardware is required, and is there any meaningful third-party support?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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At the time of this writing, Nikon's radio flash system is only in the preliminary stages; it's more the groundwork for a system than an actual system, and is not a practical choice for most current Nikon shooters.
- The only flash in the system is the SB-5000 (released 2016). It is RF slave only.
- The SB-5000 can only be radio controlled from two Nikon bodies: the D5 and the D500.
- Radio control from a D5/D500 also requires a WR-R10 transmitter (firmware version 3.0 or later).
- Upgrading the WR-R10 firmware to 3.0 requires sending the WR-R10 to Nikon service, and apparently most units shipped with an earlier version.
- There is no 3rd party support for the system yet.
Needless to say, there's been a lot of online complaining about this, given the expectations that have arisen from the Canon RT system.
Nikon also has a policy about not talking about future development prior to formal announcements. So whether or not it will simply require a firmware upgrade for older camera bodies that are compatible with the WR-R10 to use the new system; or newer camera bodies/speedlights will have the WR-R10 functionality built-in, is unknown at this time.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
9y ago
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Nikon’s closest equivalent is much more limited than Canon’s RT system, at least from the information provided here.
The Nikon SB-5000 supports radio, but only as an RF slave. It is not a complete, mature radio ecosystem like Canon RT. Radio control was supported only with certain Nikon bodies mentioned in the answers—specifically the D5 and D500—and required a WR-R10 transmitter, with updated firmware. One answer also notes that, even after later firmware updates, some other bodies still did not work for radio pairing as expected.
So yes, Nikon does have radio flash support, but it was very restricted: one main flash in the system, limited camera compatibility, and extra hardware required. The answers also indicate there was no meaningful third-party support at that time.
If you need dependable Nikon off-camera flash control more broadly, Nikon’s older CLS system is optical, not radio, so it is not a direct equivalent to Canon RT.
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