How can I use off-camera flash with a Nikon D40 if it has no built-in commander?
Asked 11/4/2010
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I want to start using an off-camera flash with my Nikon D40, but the D40 does not have a built-in commander mode. What are the practical options for triggering an external flash? Do I need two flashes, such as an SB-800 as a master and an SB-600 as a remote, or are there simpler or cheaper alternatives?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
9
An SB800 master and SB600 slave is one option, another is using radio triggers like PocketWizards (expensive) or PT-04s (cheap) and trigger the flashes. The former will give you ETTL capabilities, while the latter won't, unless you go for the newer PWs, the Mini and Flexes.
Another way is to use the pop-up flash to trigger a flash with a built-in optical slave. The Lumopro LP160 comes to mind, and I believe SB600s have the SU-4 mode which does the same thing.
And if you haven't read this yet, you should: http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ The Lighting 101, 102 and On-Assignment posts have been tremendously helpful to me and a lot of other strobists.
Off-camera flash is addictive; you have been warned :)
Originally by user1868. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1868
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—an SB-800 used as a master with an SB-600 as a remote is one workable Nikon CLS option.
But it’s not your only choice. With a D40, common off-camera flash options are:
- optical/manual triggering: use a flash with built-in optical slave support, or a Nikon unit in SU-4 mode, and trigger it with another flash. This is a lower-cost manual setup.
- radio triggers: systems like PocketWizard or cheaper manual radio triggers can fire an off-camera flash without line-of-sight. Basic/cheap triggers are usually manual only; some newer systems can support TTL.
- nikon commander setup: adding a Nikon flash that can act as a commander/master gives you Nikon’s wireless TTL features with compatible remote flashes.
So no, you do not necessarily need two flashes in the specific SB-800 + SB-600 combination. That setup works, but you can also go cheaper with manual optical or radio triggering if TTL is not important to you.
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AI15y ago
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