Nikon Speedlight SB-400/SB-600/SB-800 Talks

[Peisqo]

Hi guys, just thought of creating a "club" or sorts for all nikon speedlight users to share tips and tricks of it :)

I personally just got the SB600 2 days ago ( won a bid in ebay, unexpectedly lol ) ... so yea i have 0 knowledge on this =.="

1st things first .. we kind of 100% need a diffuser right ? What are the different types ? Why some are cheap and some are so expensive ?

[ND40]

cheapest way, get it from CPS or Mitmivec... China made stofen...

Demb Diffuser and GaryFong work well too.. Depends!!

Not all people need and like diffuser. I had saw some photographer never use any sort of diffuser and they never trust diffuser. Really depends.

Don't know how to use? nvm la. The TTL works well with your camera. just play with the +/- compensation. hehehe...

If you got time for trial and error, try manual control on the flash. Quite fun to play with.

[Peisqo]

cheapest way, get it from CPS or Mitmivec... China made stofen...

Demb Diffuser and GaryFong work well too.. Depends!!

Not all people need and like diffuser. I had saw some photographer never use any sort of diffuser and they never trust diffuser. Really depends.

Don't know how to use? nvm la. The TTL works well with your camera. just play with the +/- compensation. hehehe...

If you got time for trial and error, try manual control on the flash. Quite fun to play with.

Oh im in aus now ler .. cant get it from the guys ..

I'm lucky to be staying in a college ( hostel ) everytime got ppl bday or some events .. i can try and experiment there haha ..

I actually read the manual and can't even undertsnad half of it lol .. there are 3 modes right ? Whats different btw TTL BL and TTL ? TTLBL works with P mode and TTL works with A n M ar ? =/

[galee]

hmm
ND40, can tell me ah about SB800... how to play with GN mode? :D

Sorry ya tumpang... cause i m also new with flash....

[ShaolinTiger]

TTL BL is for backlit scenes where you want fill light, TTL is just normal TTL.

You can just use a piece of A4 paper and a rubber band if you are on a budget.

If you have some cash you can get a GF Lightsphere, Whaletail, Demb Flip-it, or Lumiquest pocket bounce or mini soft-box.

I'm not a fan of Omnibounce myself, never use those type.

Prefer a small bounce card or straight bounce from ceiling preferably.

[ND40]

hmm
ND40, can tell me ah about SB800... how to play with GN mode? :D

Sorry ya tumpang... cause i m also new with flash....

don't tease me galee...i dun have SB800:tongue_roll: i'm also new to flash. everything still trial and error. Waste alot of shutter. ehhehe:D

And i also dunno how to differentiate the TTL and TTL-BL.... normally i make the flash auto. If the output on LCD not i want, then i put it in m mode and estimate roughly how much flash output. Everytime trial and error.

As for bounce card, you can refer to www.abetterbouncecard.com

i'm using it most of the time.

[Peisqo]

hmm
ND40, can tell me ah about SB800... how to play with GN mode? :D

Sorry ya tumpang... cause i m also new with flash....

np .. i guess i should change the title la .. flash knowledge in general :)

TTL BL is for backlit scenes where you want fill light, TTL is just normal TTL.

You can just use a piece of A4 paper and a rubber band if you are on a budget.

If you have some cash you can get a GF Lightsphere, Whaletail, Demb Flip-it, or Lumiquest pocket bounce or mini soft-box.

I'm not a fan of Omnibounce myself, never use those type.

Prefer a small bounce card or straight bounce from ceiling preferably.

BL sorts of light up the background too huh ?

U reckon this is good enough ? --> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/C04007-Flash-Dome-Diffuser-for-NIKON-Speedlight-SB600_W0QQitemZ290153302933QQihZ019QQcategoryZ4347 9QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I think that's very basic .. and what seems to be the furthers the light can bounce off the ceiling ? I juz tried just now .. the ceiling is about ... 3 or 4m above i think ... bounced nothing lol


edit : I can't change the title, can I ? Wanted to change it to "Nikon Speedlight SB400/600/800 talks" or something

[nivek]

galee - for GN mode calculate the distance of the subject to your camera. Set the distance in your flash to 1/3 of the actual distance. For example if the subject is 15m away, then set your flash to 5m. I use this for birding and the output is fabulous, thanks to my sifu. :)

[somy nex]

I'm just a noob and no expert myself, but here are a few sites which have been suggested to me, and that I've found, which have a lot of info about using flash & flash techniques. very interesting and definitely worth a read:

http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/
http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/index.htm
http://strobist.blogspot.com/

[qqmeng]

galee - for GN mode calculate the distance of the subject to your camera. Set the distance in your flash to 1/3 of the actual distance. For example if the subject is 15m away, then set your flash to 5m. I use this for birding and the output is fabulous, thanks to my sifu. :)

thanks for the info man...all the while i thot tht stands for Going Nuts ..(only the nuts use it) ...aarhhh, now i m better informed. :P

[Peisqo]

I'm just a noob and no expert myself, but here are a few sites which have been suggested to me, and that I've found, which have a lot of info about using flash & flash techniques. very interesting and definitely worth a read:

http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/
http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/index.htm
http://strobist.blogspot.com/

thats great dude :) thanks

[ShaolinTiger]

Good Websites/Books for Flash Photography (http://www.shutterasia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=246)

We already have our own list right here ;)

[Peisqo]

Hmm those sites are really useful hehe .. now that i've read some of them .. i have some ( alot ) question ...

1) If i use M mode in my camera .. do I HAVE to use manual flash as well ? Can i use M in camera and TTL/TTLBL in my flash ? Will the flash automatically change to suit the camera setting ? And how do i check back the setting of my flash in the previous shot so that i can re-adjust it in manual to compensate back ..

2) Ive been reading planet neil and that guy says alot about " I once again had my flash bouncing over my left shoulder, into the wall and ceiling behind me" I don't really get it .. does it really mean that he turned the flash 180 degrees back and fire it to his shoulder instead of shooting it to the subject ? If so .. he needs to wear a white shirt so that light can bounce back ? :P

[chuah406]

1. Yes. Can use M & TTL/TTL-BL. Flash will compensate based on yr aperture/shutter/ISO settings. If over/under, can compensate via flash settings +/- in camera.

2. I think he meant pointing the flash backwards towards the wall/ceiling to create a softer effect....and not reflect from his shirt.

[Peisqo]

1. Yes. Can use M & TTL/TTL-BL. Flash will compensate based on yr aperture/shutter/ISO settings. If over/under, can compensate via flash settings +/- in camera.

2. I think he meant pointing the flash backwards towards the wall/ceiling to create a softer effect....and not reflect from his shirt.

thnx for quick reply bro :)

[clax]

hi everyone,kinda new in here.need some info from members here
Actually, i own a sb400 speedlight.
q1:how do i use it with diffrent situation,eg like indoor with dim light setting?
q2:which ISO should i set to match with it ?
q3: confuse with which flash mode to use ?

[Chrischong]

hi everyone,kinda new in here.need some info from members here
Actually, i own a sb400 speedlight.
q1:how do i use it with diffrent situation,eg like indoor with dim light setting?
q2:which ISO should i set to match with it ?
q3: confuse with which flash mode to use ?


I haven't used an SB-400 before (I've got an SB-600), so I'm making assumptions about its capabilities, but here goes:
1. If you're not sure what you're doing, just leave the flash in TTL mode (I think you can only switch it to manual with the D40 and D40x - not sure, but that's what the specs imply) and point it straight at your subjects. Since the SB-400 isn't as powerful, you shouldn't use a bounce flash indoors if your ceiling is higher than 10 ft - otherwise, it may not be able to illuminate your subjects properly.
And since it runs on only two batteries, it'll drain itself faster if you relied solely on bounce flash all the time. In turn, it would also take longer for the flash to recycle - not good if you're shooting an event.

2. ISO 200 and below is fine if you've got the flash pointed straight towards your subject. If you're using bounce flash, keep the ISO to around 400 if the ceiling is 10ft high or less and maybe up to ISO 800 (or more, if required) for higher ceilings. Also make sure you're using the fastest apertures, as that would extend the range of your flash (and bounceflash). This is important - your flash would have the same range in ISO800 and f/5.6 as in ISO400 and f/4. And by keeping your flash in TTL mode with larger apertures (note, a smaller f-number means a larger aperture. i.e. f/2.8 > f/5.6), you'll extend the battery life of your flash too.

3. Again, use TTL in normal flash mode if you're not sure what to use. You can use slow-sync if you want more natural light to appear in your shot or rear-curtain sync if you want a cool action shot where your moving subject is sharp, but also has a trail of blur behind it.

Hope that helps :)

[clax]

ok thanks for the information