What do I need to use a wireless off-camera speedlight with a Nikon D90?
Asked 4/24/2017
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I have a Nikon D90 and want one speedlight I can use both on the camera hot shoe and off-camera wirelessly. What gear do I need besides the flash itself? For example, do I need a trigger, a stand or mount, and should I look for Nikon CLS/i-TTL compatibility or use radio triggers instead?
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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There are only a few possible ways to trigger a remote flash. And only a speedlight will have the foot to mount on camera in the hot shoe.
Maybe see http://www.scantips.com/lights/flashguide.html
Your D90 has a Commander in its internal flash that supports Nikons wireless method. Several Nikon flashes can do this, SB-700, SB-900, older SB-800 and SB-600. A very few other cases can do this too, like Yongnuo YN-565EX. This method includes TTL flash mode, and works pretty well indoors, less so outdoors. It uses infrared signaling, and requires clear line of sight between camera and flash.
Radio triggers will work, attach a transmitter on camera hot shoe and receiver on flash foot. This pretty much works anywhere. It will generally be manual flash mode only, but there are alternates.
Optical slave. Some speedlights build one in, some require adding an inexpensive attachment to the flash foot. This is manual flash mode, and are triggered in sync by seeing any other manual flash, like for example, the cameras internal flash can be a trigger.
PC sync cords are old standby, a cable from camera to flash. For cameras without PC connector, and for flashes without PC connector, adapters can be added to provide it.
Originally by user38978. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38978
9y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a Nikon D90, you have two main ways to use an off-camera speedlight:
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Nikon CLS optical wireless Your D90’s built-in flash can act as a Commander. To use this, buy a Nikon-compatible speedlight that supports CLS/i-TTL remote mode, such as Nikon SB-700/SB-900/SB-800/SB-600 or some compatible third-party models. This gives you TTL convenience, but it relies on infrared/optical signaling, so it works best indoors and needs line of sight.
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Radio triggers Use a transmitter on the camera hot shoe and a receiver attached to the flash foot. This is more reliable outdoors and over longer distances. Basic radio triggers are often manual-only, though some advanced systems support TTL/HSS.
For on-camera use, the flash needs a standard hot-shoe foot; for Nikon-specific features like i-TTL or FP/HSS, it must be Nikon-compatible.
Useful extras for off-camera use: a light stand, an umbrella/swivel bracket or flash mount, and optionally an umbrella or soft modifier. If the flash doesn’t include an optical slave or CLS slave mode, you’ll need the appropriate trigger system.
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