Complete Guide to the Nikon D200- P18 pptx

V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 511 our repeats value (Step 1e in the above; as you can see from the steps in setting procedure, Nikon got things backwards—we’d really want to perform Step 1f first, not Step 1e). 2. Activate the flash by popping it up (press the Flash Release button). 3. Set the camera to Single Servo AF; flash only operates when the camera achieves focus; this step isn’t technically required, but I like to tell people to use it as a reminder that focus has to be achieved for flash to operate). 4. Focus on your subject by pressing lightly on the shutter release. Note the distance on the scale on the lens. 5. Select an exposure mode. Typically Shutter priority or Manual exposure modes work best, as we’re constrained by shutter speed due to our calculations in Step 1. 6. Set your shutter speed to the one you used in calculating the repeating flash effect (Step 1). 7. Set your aperture based upon calculating Aperture = GN / Distance . Determine the GN by looking at the tables in the Manual flash section, above. You know the distance from Step 4. If the aperture you calculate here can’t be obtained, you’ll need to go back and reset the manual flash power (Step 1d). If you can set the calculated aperture on your lens, do so and you’re ready to shoot. Wireless Flash The big trick in the D200 internal flash arsenal is its ability to completely control a multiple wireless flash setup. Specifically, the D200’s internal flash is a “Commander” and the other external flashes are “Remotes.” The way this works is that the Commander (internal flash) sends queries and instructions to each set of Remotes V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 512 (external flashes) by using special preflash sequences. Only i-TTL capable flashes can be used for wireless work, which means SB-600, SB-800, or SB-R200 flashes must be used for Remotes. For the wireless flash system to work, the remote flash units need to be able to see the light output of the D200’s internal flash, and the D200 needs to be able to see the light output of the remote flashes. You’re probably wondering about these preflash queries and instructions. Let’s say I have the full set of two Remotes in addition to my D200 internal flash (Commander). The preflash sequence that occurs when you press the shutter release now looks something like this: Commander: Remote Group A fire a preflash Remote Group A: Preflash fires Commander: Remote Group B fire a preflash Remote Group B: Preflash fires Commander: I’m firing a preflash Commander: Preflash fires [Camera calculates exposure] Commander: Remote Group A should fire at Level X Commander: Remote Group B should fire at Level Y [Camera mirror moves up, shutter opens] Commander: Fire! All flashes: All flashes fire at calculated levels Believe it or not, it’s a lot more complex than that simplification. All the Flash Options, like Rear Sync, still come into play, which means that the Commander has to do a lot more instructing than just ask for a preflash and a TTL fire level. Incredibly, all this communicating happens very quickly. If you’re not watching specifically for it, you can’t see the sequence of communication. On the other hand, you will almost surely note that there is more lag in the shutter release V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 513 and that the preflash sequence seems longer. It is, and that can trigger fast blinkers F 129 . Since the actual communicating is done via the near IR energy in the light each flash produces, there are limitations on both the distance and the environment where wireless flash will work. Outdoors has more ambient near IR and fewer reflections, so distance is usually restricted and there usually has to be direct line-of-sight between camera and remote flash units. Because of bounces off walls and ceilings, wireless flash is a bit more flexible indoors—you sometimes can hide a remote flash out of line-of-site of the camera because its light reflects well enough for the camera to still see. The jargon starts to get a little confusing, as Nikon uses different names at different places in its documentation. For example, Commander mode and Master flash get a little confusing if you read multiple Nikon manuals. I’ll try to stay a little more consistent. The D200 can control up to two groups of Remotes. Indeed, Nikon uses the label Groups instead of the Remotes name that I’ve been using. Each remote group can have multiple flashes in it, though Nikon doesn’t recommend more than three flashes in a remote group, and I don’t recommend that you use multiple flashes in a remote group unless they’re all trying to light the same thing and you need more power than a single flash would provide. That’s because the more flashes you set up, the more likely it becomes that one isn’t seen in the preflash sequence. But for a three-flash setup (the camera’s internal plus two remotes), the D200’s wireless abilities are excellent, and all that you need. (If you need more than two Remotes, you need 129 The solution for that is the same as I’ll outline a little later in this section for SU-4 type wireless: use FV Lock. FV Lock removes the preflash sequence from the shutter release, moving it instead to the FUNC button. Thus, you set flash exposure by pressing FUNC. Then you wait to press the shutter release for the right moment of action (or inaction, depending upon your subject ;~). You only have to press FUNC and do another preflash sequence if lighting conditions change. V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 514 to substitute an SU-800 or SB-800 on the D200 as the Commander instead of the internal flash. But that’s a subject for another book…) Here’s how to set up a three flash wireless shoot (I’ll use one SB-600 and one SB-800 as the Remotes so that we step through the remote setup for each; you could instead have two of either or even SB-R200’s): 1. Use CSM #E3 to set Commander Mode. a. Press the MENU button to show the menu system. b. Use the Direction pad to navigate to the Custom Settings tab. Press the > key to enter the Custom Settings menu. c. Use the Direction pad to navigate to Custom Setting #E3. Press the > key to enter the Flash Mode setting. d. Use the Direction pad to navigate to Commander Mode. Press the > key to enter the Commander Mode settings. e. You must set two things for each participating flash: the flash mode it’ll use (Mode) and the V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 515 flash output level (Comp.F 130 ). You navigate to fill-in-boxes with the < and > keys on the Direction pad; you set value in the boxes with the " and % keys on the Direction pad. i. For each flash (internal, Group A, Group B), set the flash mode. You can set TTL, AA (not for internal flash), M, or The last item, , means that this flash or Group will not participate in the exposure. ii. For each flash (internal, Group A, Group B), set the flash exposure compensation (for TTL) or power output level (for Manual flash). f. Finally, use the > key to navigate to Channel and then use the keys to set one of the four channels that the preflash sequence uses. 2. Let’s move on to our first remote flash, which for illustration purposes will be an SB-800. a. Press the SEL button on the SB-800 for more than two seconds to get to the Custom Settings for the flash. 130 I guess Comp. is supposed to stand for “compensation.” But that’s not quite accurate. If a flash is set to TTL, Comp. sets flash exposure compensation for that flash. If a flash is instead set to M (Manual), Comp. sets the power level (1/1 = full, 1/2 = half, etc.) for that flash. V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 516 b. Use the " and % keys on the SB-800 Direction pad to highlight the wireless flash icon. c. Press the SEL button to get to the options for wireless flash. d. Use the " and % keys on the SB-800 Direction pad to highlight REMOTE. e. Hold the SEL button down for two seconds to leave Custom Settings on the flash. The SB-800 should now be set for remote use: f. To set the Channel, press F 131 the SEL button until CH is highlighted (inverted white letters on black), then use the " and % keys on the SB-800 Direction pad until the channel number you set in Step 1f is highlighted. g. To set the Group, press the SEL button until GROUP is highlighted (inverted white letters on black), then use the " and % keys on the 131 I’m specific in word use. This is not the “hold down” that you used to get to the Custom Settings for the flash. Instead, when I say press, I mean a quick jab of the button. It may take multiple jabs to get to the right item, which is why I say “press…until.” V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 517 SB-800 Direction pad until the first Group letter you set in Step 1eii is highlighted. h. Orient the SB-800 so that its infrared receiver is looking towards the D200’s internal flash (note that you can rotate the flash head to fix the orientation, if necessary). 3. Now to our final flash, this time an SB-600: a. Simultaneously hold down the Zoom and - buttons on the SB-600 for more than two seconds to get to the Custom Settings for the flash. b. Use the " and % keys on the SB-600 Direction pad to highlight the wireless flash icon. c. Press the Zoom button until 0N shows above the wireless icon. d. Press the On/Off button briefly to leave Custom Settings. The SB-600 should be set for remote use: e. To set the Channel, press F 132 the SB-600 Mode button until the number above CH is blinking, then use the " and % keys on the SB-600 132 I’m specific in word use. This is not the “hold down” that you used to get to the Custom Settings for the flash. Instead, when I say press, I mean a quick jab of the button. It may take multiple jabs to get to the right item, which is why I say “press…until.” V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 518 Direction pad until the channel number you set in Step 1f is highlighted. f. To set the Group, press the SB-600 Mode button again until the number above GROUP is blinking, then use the " and % keys on the SB-600 Direction pad until the first Group letter you set in Step 1eii is highlighted. g. Orient the SB-600 so that its infrared receiver is looking towards the D200’s internal flash (note that you can rotate the flash head to fix the orientation, if necessary). 4. Activate the internal flash on the D200 by popping it up. (Press the Flash Release button.) 5. Set the camera to Single Servo AF; this step isn’t technically required, but I like to tell people to use it as a reminder that focus has to be achieved for flash to operate. 6. Set the camera’s exposure mode, if you haven’t already. In Aperture-priority (A), Shutter-priority (S), and Manual (M) exposure modes, make any necessary aperture or shutter speed selections. Note: In Program exposure mode you can usually override the camera’s selection of aperture and shutter speed combinations by turning the camera’s Rear Command dial (when the camera is active). But note that the maximum aperture you can use is restricted in Program exposure mode (the actual value depends upon ISO setting; see “Allowable Apertures in Program Mode” on page < H485>. You’re ready to shoot. Nikon includes a drawing showing where remote flashes need to be positioned relative to the D200. I’ve actually found their suggestions to be relatively conservative, especially in low light, where the infrared component of the preflash is easily seen by the remote flashes. In general, here are a few positioning guidelines: V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 519 • In low light, the remote flash sensor doesn’t always have to have a direct line of sight to the camera’s internal flash. I’ve successfully hidden a remote flash behind the subject (to light the background or provide rim light). This works better over short distances, though. • You should be able to achieve Nikon’s stated 33 feet (10m) distance (within a 60° angle) in most situations, but beware of situations where there is a great deal of infrared energy present (some incandescent lighting produces infrared)—you may have to give up some distance where other infrared sources are present, as they’ll overwhelm the sensor and it won’t see the faint output of the internal flash. • I’ve been able to achieve remote triggers at better than 120° angles, but only at close distances (10 feet [3m]). • Triggering the remote flashes is only part of the equation. In general, remote flashes doing TTL need to be within 30° of the camera-subject axis. In other words, the angle formed by the flash/subject/camera needs to be 30° or less. Why? Because when subjects are lit from the side, the camera—which after all is doing the flash calculations—doesn’t see the full reflection of the flash’s output and may adjust its exposure incorrectly. Finally, there’s yet one more wireless trick that isn’t described in the Nikon manuals that every D200 user should know: Flash Lock (called FV Lock by Nikon; FV stands for Flash Value). This answers the problem of getting the internal flash to trigger a multiple wireless TTL set up when you don’t have i-TTL flashes as remotes F 133 . For example, Nikon sells a wireless flash accessory called the SU-4, and some Nikon flash models can emulate that wireless function without being connected to an SU-4 (for example, the older SB-26). The critical element of the SU-4 circuitry is this: it triggers the flash connected to it to fire when it sees another flash fire, and it 133 Okay, it’s not perfectly TTL, as the other flashes aren’t considered in the exposure setting, but with a little trial and error, it effectively works like TTL. V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 520 shuts down its connected flash when it sees the other flash stop firing. Since the D200’s internal flash is already set to the right flash exposure via FV Lock, the flashes connected to the SU-4’s just do the same exact thing. As long as the flashes aren’t all throwing their light on the same spot (e.g., one is used for filling light on one side of the face while another is used for the background while the internal flash is used for key light), this trick works well. But even if they are all firing their light on the same spot, you can easily control this by simply dialing down the internal flash with flash exposure compensation—every other flash will respond in kind, so it’s usually pretty easy to dial in the right compensation. Here’s the trick in more detail: 1. Set the Custom Setting #F4 on the D200 to FV Lock. 2. Set Custom Setting #E3 to TTL (if it isn’t already set to that). 3. Pop up the internal flash (press the Flash Release button to do this). 4. Before turning on your remote flashes, fire off a test exposure by pressing the FUNC button on the camera (the internal flash should fire). Get your main flash setting correct before proceeding. 5. Turn the remote flash units on. They all either need to be connected to an SU-4 or have a built-in SU-4 type of wireless mode selected. 6. Take your picture. All the flashes should participate in the exposure. 7. Since the remote flash units may be more powerful than the internal flash, you may have to adjust the position of the external flashes to be further from the subject (or use their diffusion domes to limit their power). When I’m feeling especially daring and creative, I actually set my exposure in Step #4 to [...]... the > until you see the m/ft box highlighted on the LCD 3 Press the ø button again 4 Use the % and " buttons on the flash direction pad to highlight the value you desire (m for meters, ft for feet) 5 Hold the ø button for two seconds to complete the setting To cancel the lock, repeat the process and select the other value Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 536 V1.03 To Set Flash Exposure... lens Note: To cancel automatic zoom head setting and lock a manual setting, hold the Zoom and - buttons for two seconds to enter the custom setting mode for the flash Next, press the + button until you see the ë, and then press the Mode button to turn manual zoom On Hold the Zoom and buttons for two seconds to complete the setting 2 To cancel a manual zoom setting, press the Zoom button on the flash... Note: To cancel automatic zoom head setting and lock a manual setting, hold the ø button for two seconds to enter the command setting mode for the flash Next, press the Õ until you see the m above ê and the words SEL and OFF on the LCD Then use the < and > buttons to change the value (ON means the manual focus setting is locked, OFF means it isn’t) Hold the ø button for two seconds to complete the setting... exposures for the background! To Manually Set the Zoom Head 1 Press the < and > buttons on the flash direction pad to change the zoom setting Each button press selects the next higher logical setting (and you’ll eventually loop back to the lowest setting) The ë symbol appears on the LCD when the setting doesn’t correspond to focal length of the lens Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page... flashes) next to the ; should be highlighted If not, Press the ø button until the number next to the label ; is highlighted a Then press the + and - buttons on the flash direction pad until the frequency you want is shown on the LCD b Press the middle button (ø) again to lock in that value and the next portion of the entry is highlighted 6 The number (number of flashes) at the far left of the LCD should... of the flashtube, the SB-800 is set to the 14mm or 17mm focal length and the automatic zoom head function cannot be set to another setting Likewise, if you put the diffusion dome on the flash head, the SB-800 sets 14mm as the focal length, and this can’t be changed To Set the Distance Scale to Feet or Meters 1 Hold the ø button for two seconds to enter the command setting mode for the flash 2 Press the. .. Direction pad until the m no longer appears on the LCD (e.g., until the setting matches the lens being used) Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 525 V1.03 Note: Remember that the Guide Number of the flash changes with the zoom setting Note: If you pull out the built-in wide angle adapter and move it into position in front of the flashtube, the SB-600 is set to the 14mm and the automatic zoom... Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 533 V1.03 3 Put the camera in Manual (M) exposure mode 4 Press the middle button on the flash direction pad (ø) a Then press the + and - buttons to choose the flash power setting (only settings between 1/8 and 1/128 are allowed) b Press the middle button (ø) again to lock in that value and the next portion of the entry is highlighted 5 The number (frequency... rounded to the nearest integer That shouldn’t impact calculations by enough to be visible To Manually Set the Zoom Head 1 Press the Zoom button on the flash direction pad to change the zoom setting Each button press selects the next higher logical setting (and you’ll eventually loop back to the lowest setting) The ë symbol appears on the LCD when the setting doesn’t correspond to focal length of the lens... setting To cancel the lock, repeat the process and select the other value 2 To cancel a manual zoom setting, press the < and > buttons on the flash direction pad until the m no longer appears on the LCD (e.g until the setting matches the lens being used) Note: Remember that the Guide Number of the flash changes with the zoom setting Note: If you pull out the built-in wide angle adapter and move it into . pad to navigate to the Custom Settings tab. Press the > key to enter the Custom Settings menu. c. Use the Direction pad to navigate to Custom Setting #E3. Press the > key to enter the. Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 Page 516 b. Use the " and % keys on the SB-800 Direction pad to highlight the wireless flash icon. c. Press the SEL button to get to the options. otherwise, press the power (ON/OFF) button on the SB-600 to turn the flash ON. 2. Press the SB-600’s Mode button until Ë appears on the LCD. V1.03 Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D200