Why does a Nikon SU-800 trigger studio strobes too early and give a black frame?
Asked 10/11/2013
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2 answers
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I’m using a Nikon D800E with an SU-800 commander and trying to trigger Westcott studio strobes. The strobes do fire when I press the shutter, but the photo comes out black. It seems like the SU-800 is sending a preflash or firing before the shutter opens. If I connect the camera directly to the strobe with a sync cable, the strobe fires at the correct time and the exposure is fine. What camera/flash setting causes this, and can the SU-800 be used with studio strobes?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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It sounds to me like your camera is set for TTL metering. The commander is sending off the initial signal which fires the strobes at full power, which happens something like 1/10th sec before the shutter opens.
Studio strobes are not capable of this - you will need to be in manual mode.
Originally by user9999. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user9999
12y ago
0
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This usually happens when the camera/commander is using TTL. The SU-800 sends a metering preflash before the actual exposure, and a studio strobe will fire on that first signal. By the time the shutter opens for the real exposure, the strobe has already discharged, so the frame is black.
Studio strobes generally need a simple manual sync trigger, not TTL preflash communication. Set the flash/commander setup to manual rather than TTL, or use a direct sync cable/radio trigger that sends only one firing pulse at exposure time.
So yes—the issue is the preflash timing, not the shutter itself.
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