Help with getting the external flash to work when using a trigger...

Morning All,

I am newbie after some advice.

I recently purchased a Nikon D3200 to take photos of items to sell etc. I purchased a Yongnuo YN-560 iii to go with the camera to trigger a large flash behind my object to get a clear white background. In order to trigger the flash I purchased the Yongnuo flash trigger which works fine. However, here comes my problem...

I want the external flash built into my Nikon d3200 to work when using the Yongnuo flash from behind. However, when I put the trigger on the shoe it restricts the flash from popping up and working. Therefore wondering if there is any way around my issue to make both the external flash and Yongnuo flash to work at the same time possibly some sort of cable instead of the restrictive wireless trigger?

Many thanks in advance :tennis:
 

FastGlass

Senior Member
Just use a sync cord. I've never used one in the sense you want to but seems like it wouldn't get in the way of the pop up flash.
 

FastGlass

Senior Member
Depends on the cord. I've seen cords that mount to the front, side and rear of the part that sits on the hot shoe. Most of the ones I've seen the cord come off the front so yes it seems as though they wont work.
 

skene

Senior Member
If the OP is looking to use just the onboard flash on the D3200, you can do this by setting the Yongnuo to slave mode. Then whatever flash is recognized by the Yongnuo, this will cause your external flash to trigger. However, you may have to manually play with your flash output to get the light dim enough to not overexpose the item you are trying to photograph.
 

FastGlass

Senior Member
If the OP is looking to use just the onboard flash on the D3200, you can do this by setting the Yongnuo to slave mode. Then whatever flash is recognized by the Yongnuo, this will cause your external flash to trigger. However, you may have to manually play with your flash output to get the light dim enough to not overexpose the item you are trying to photograph.
This is such an obvious answer. Sometimes I'll look for my pencil for 20 min till I realize it's on my ear.
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Your easiest solution would be to get another Yongnuo to put on your camera to trigger the other flash.

And when you say the "external built into my Nikon D3200" you should write the "Built-in flash" as any external flash would be one standing on the camera, not into it.
 

fotojack

Senior Member
You want to trigger the YN560 III off camera, right? Get yourself the YN560-TX. The YN560 III has a built in receiver, so no extra trigger is need when using the YN560-TX. The -TX will trigger ALL YN560 III's. If not using the -TX, get yourself the RF603n triggers. Inexpensive and fully compatible with the YN560 III. This chart should explain further:

Yongnuo cheat sheet.jpg
 

catnamedog

New member
Hi! Newbie here!
I am the proud owner of a D3200.
I have a question about the in-built flash. I want to use JUST the external flash or the macro ring-flash I bought. However, the only time I can get any external flash to fire is in those settings which make the in-built flash pop up and fire. Can anyone advise me as to how I can suppress the internal flash please?
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Hi! Newbie here!
I am the proud owner of a D3200.
I have a question about the in-built flash. I want to use JUST the external flash or the macro ring-flash I bought. However, the only time I can get any external flash to fire is in those settings which make the in-built flash pop up and fire. Can anyone advise me as to how I can suppress the internal flash please?


For your other flash work, set the camera to M manual mode (indoors), or maybe A or P mode (outdoors). Any TTL flash is still automatic flash even in camera M mode. M mode lets you set any shutter speed you want (to allow or keep out the continuous ambient).

The internal flash will NOT pop up automatically in A, S, P, or M modes. In those modes, we open it when we want to use it .It pops up in the Auto modes.
 
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catnamedog

New member
Hi
I've tried every setting I can think of, and the only time I can get the external flash to trigger, is when the camera is in a flash-enabled mode.
Just to repeat my original question; how can I trigger an external flash on my D3200, so that the pop-up camera flash doesn't, well, pop-up?
I must be doing something really stupid!
 

WayneF

Senior Member
By "external", do you mean a hot shoe flash on the hot shoe (they are called "external", i.e., not internal), or do you mean a remote standalone flash?

If the internal flash pops up interfering with a hot shoe external flash, then get out of camera Auto mode. In camera A,S,P, or M modes, the internal flash is not involved at all, UNLESS and when you manually open its door. But in Auto mode, the internal flash pops up anytime it thinks flash is needed (surely presence of a hot shoe flash disables that, at least one with CLS communication, but I don't have camera with Auto to know).

If you mean a remote standalone flash, there are only a few ways to trigger a remote flash:

1. A sync cord, like a PC sync cord, or hot shoe extension cord, from camera to flash.

2. A radio trigger device, transmitter on the camera hot shoe, and receiver on the remote flash.

3. An optical slave on the flash, triggered by a flash from another flash, like for example the internal flash in Manual flash mode. (Nikon Commander is sort of a very special case of this).
I am guessing your remote flash has that capability, but it has to see a flash to fire itself.

It has to be one of those ways, the flash cannot read our minds. :)
 
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