Why does the Nikon D7000 pop-up flash still show up in Commander mode set to "--"?
Asked 6/22/2011
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On a Nikon D7000, I’m using the built-in flash as a CLS Commander with the built-in channel set to “--”. The manual says the built-in flash does not fire in this setting, but I’m still seeing light from the pop-up flash in my photos, especially with nearby subjects. Why is this happening, and is there a way to stop the on-camera flash from affecting the exposure while still triggering remote Nikon flashes?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
14
They lie.
It does, it just not supposed to fire enough to matter. The flash is how it communicates with external units.
You can get an SG-31R unit to block it and let the IR only through.
Your other option is to ditch CLS and go with radio triggers - of which, if you search, we have various questions about.
Originally by user1917. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1917
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is normal behavior. In D7000 Commander mode, the pop-up flash still emits control/preflash pulses to communicate with remote CLS flashes. Nikon’s “--” setting means it should not contribute meaningful exposure, but at close distances those pulses can still show up in the image.
Ways to reduce or avoid it:
- Block the visible light from the pop-up while letting the command signal through, e.g. with a Nikon SG-3IR/SG-31R-style IR panel.
- Indoors, you can physically flag or cover the pop-up flash so it doesn’t hit the subject directly.
- Use SU-4/manual optical triggering instead of CLS TTL if you can work without TTL; then set the pop-up to its minimum power.
- Use radio triggers if you want to eliminate optical command flash entirely.
- In some cases, using shutter speeds above normal sync (FP/high-speed sync) can reduce the visible effect of the pop-up, though you lose flash efficiency.
So the camera isn’t malfunctioning—the commander flash is still firing for communication, and with close subjects it can become visible.
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