| Setting
Up the Nikon
SB-800 Speedlight Unit for CLS Now
we’ll depart a little from our camera, and turn to the setup
of the Speedlight units themselves. Most of us have a Nikon
SB-800 or SB-600 with our Nikon D200 camera. If you have both
that is even better.
Use
the information below to configure each flash unit you have,
and try to become familiar with the Wireless slave mode entry
and exit procedures. Once you learn how to get in and out —
you can usually figure the rest out by scrolling through menus
on the flash units.
Nikon SB-800 Speedlight Configuration
The
Nikon SB-800 Speedlight Unit has built-in Commander Mode functionality,
just like your D200. However, you probably will not use it
often, since you can control your external flash units with
your pop-up flash. Setting the Nikon SB-800 to be used in
a Group controlled by your Nikon D200 is nearly the same as
configuring stand-alone Commander Mode on the SB-800.
The
difference is in setting the SB-800 to REMOTE mode not MASTER
mode. When you are in REMOTE mode, the flash is ready to respond
to input from an external controller. In MASTER mode it wants
to be the controller itself. You’ll use REMOTE mode most often
with your D200. Here are the steps and LCD views to prepare
the SB-800 to be controlled by the Nikon D200.
Setting REMOTE Mode on the SB-800
Overview
of Settings:
1.
Turn the flash on with the ON/OFF button.
2. Press and hold the SEL button in the middle of the big
toggle switch for about two seconds. (see SB-800 manual page
68)
3. Once you enter the next screen press SEL once again and
OFF will become highlighted. Use the down toggle (-) to scroll
down to REMOTE and press SEL again to select it.
4. Hold SEL down for another two-second period, and the LCD
will switch to the REMOTE settings screen.
5. Press SEL once and CH will be highlighted. Now use the
up or down toggle to select the Channel.
6. Press SEL once and Group will be highlighted. Now use the
up or down toggle to select A or B. Don’t use C, since the
D200 cannot control that group.
7. Take the picture!
Detailed Settings, with LCD images:
Turn
the SB-800 on, then press and hold the SEL button until the
following Screen appears. (see Figure 3 below)
Press
the SEL button once more and Off will be highlighted. Scroll
down until REMOTE is highlighted and press SEL to select it.
When selected, the highlight will go away and an arrowhead
will appear to the left of the word REMOTE. (See Figure 4
below)
Now,
hold down the SEL button for about two-seconds and the camera
will change to the REMOTE screen. (See Figure 5) You can move
around this screen by pressing the SEL button. Move to the
CH setting on the top left, and select a channel with the
up or down toggle switch. Then use SEL to move down to the
GROUP setting on the bottom right. Use the up or down toggle
switch to select a Group. Remember, the D200 can only control
Groups A or B.
You
are now ready to shoot pictures with the SB-800 as a REMOTE
wireless slave flash. Do a test shot to see if your D200 will
fire the SB-800 remotely. If not, check to make sure the Channel
and Group on the flash are set to the same settings as on
your D200’s Custom Setting e3 Commander Mode screen.
How to Exit the REMOTE Mode on the SB-800 Flash
This
drove me nuts for a while, since the manual never really tells
you how to exit once you’ve set your flash to REMOTE mode.
Oh, it does tell you that you hold down the SEL button for
two seconds, or press ON/OFF to return to the normal setting
mode. However, what it does not tell you is that until you
get the blasted flash unit out of REMOTE mode it will never
go back to being a normal flash. Here’s how to do it:
1.
While in the REMOTE screen with the channels and groups, hold
down the SEL button for two seconds and it will switch back
to the screen that allows you to select MASTER, REMOTE, or
in this case the all-important OFF selection.
2. Press SEL again, and scroll up to OFF, then press SEL again
to select OFF.
3. Hold down the SEL button for two seconds again, and it
will then switch back to being a normal i-TTL stand alone
flash.
|
