How can I run the SB-800 off camera? What cable do I need? I know of pocket wizards but they are $$.

Is there a cable DIY? I want to learn lighting.

(Using Nikon D2x and one SB-800)

 

Some options since you don't have a D70/D70s/D80/D200 that would trigger with the pop-up flash.
1) Get an SB-600 or 800 and fire that off camera using the SB-800 to trigger in commander mode. The plus side being you have a lot of flexibility with the SB-600/SB-800 placement.
2) Get a flash cord. I have one, but it's only 3 feet long (fine for photos with people, not very useful for cars)

 

That's what I thought. What about the cables, as I understood there are TTL cables and then there are "PC" cables? If you use the latter, you'll have to set the flash manually, right?

Nikon SC-28, but it's way to short, is there a DIY or something on how you can make it longer?

 

Yeah, for TTL you'll need an SC-28 or SC-29 cable. For manual, a PC cord will work fine. Paramount Cords sells custom length SC-28 and PC cords.


Mark

 

Would this Nikon SU-800 work also? Is it any cheaper than going with pocket wizards? I may need the same thing for my Kodak to get the SB-800 off the camera.

 

Yeah, that's designed to trigger the SB-800 (and SB-600) in place of a flash operating in master mode. Not sure how it works with the Kodak. I'd assume it would but I'm not positive.

It would, I think, be cheaper than Pocket Wizards (you'd need at least two), but possibly less versatile. You can't, for example, use it to trigger the camera and you're more restricted by distance and angle, though it works very well under a lot of conditions. The advantage of Nikon's Creative Lighting System is that you'd have TTL, if that matters much to you.

See the Sept 05 entry here: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006_09...t_archive.html for a great comparison of CLS and Pocket Wizards.

Mark

 

Here's a direct link to the Strobist article:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/09...-which-is.html

Mark

 

Yeah, but I don't think it makes much sense, that's why I didn't include it as an option.

That controler unit costs $250. An SB-600 is less than $200 and you'd get a second flash (by using the SB-800 as the controler). OR, for a little more than the price of the SU-800, you could buy another SB-800.

Hardware wise it's an option, but Nikon's pricing on it is a little screwy.

 

I use an SU-800 to trigger my SB-800s. I like the SU-800 because it's much lighter than a camera-mounted SB-800, and it makes an already heavy camera/lens combination a little easier to work with. Secondly, I don't work with an on-camera flash very much at all. Having an SB-800 on the camera just for the Commander mode seemed a waste of a flash unit to me.

The SU-800's greatest limitation is its useful range. On shoots where you have distant (>66 feet*) remote flashes that may not be within the SU-800's angle of coverage, you'll want to use Pocket Wizards instead.


*Nikon specified range - not necessarily the useful range

 

I just ordered these, http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobis...7594172539497/

Cheap and wireless, but if I didn't understood it wrong, you lose TTL, but oh well. I guess it has to be a little of a challenge or else its no fun.

 

I just bought one of these with a couple extra triggers
It would be cool if next months topic is 'remotely triggered off-camera flash'