Continuous Shooting with External Flash - D5100

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WhiteLight

Senior Member
Hope everyone had a fab Christmas!

I was doing some indoor shots last evening for a small family gathering we had for Christmas and realized i wasn't able to do continuous shooting with Flash (SB700).
If i popped the on camera flash up & used the SB700 as an external flash, i could just get one shot with the flash firing.
Holding the shutter down would not even take a pic.
If i closed the on camera flash, i was able to shoot continuously.
I tried all settings (in a not so sober state) but i could not find anything to get to work.

Is this a limitation with the D5100? or was i just unable to switch to the right mode?
this however, works perfectly on the D7000.. seems to have the same settings..

any ideas?
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
The internal flash will not trigger again if it has not recycled, and the Ready LED is not yet on.

Hot shoe flashes will trigger again anytime, but if not yet recycled and Ready yet, the results will be poor (and dim).

The flash is ready for operation only when the Ready LED is on.

On a hot shoe flash, low power level (like say 1/32 power) can recycle fast, and should work at several frames per second. Some flash models have a repeating mode, to flash several times a second, maybe 20 times per second, but which is of course only imaginably possible at pretty low power level, so they can recycle each time, for each flash.

To achieve low flash power (and fast recycle) for TTL, you need high ISO, or wide aperture, or close distance, or maybe some degree of all three. To give proper exposure, the flash needs to recycle for each flash. The Ready LED must be on.

The internal flash is a tiny flash, and probably needs near maximum power for about anything, where a SB-700 is larger and more capable (the lower power level it uses for same job will recycle faster). Saying, the internal flash will have to operate at an even lower power level to recycle quickly.
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
WayneF said:
The internal flash will not trigger again if it has not recycled, and the Ready LED is not yet on.

Hot shoe flashes will trigger again anytime, but if not yet recycled and Ready yet, the results will be poor (and dim).

The flash is ready for operation only when the Ready LED is on.

On a hot shoe flash, low power level (like say 1/32 power) can recycle fast, and should work at several frames per second. Some flash models have a repeating mode, to flash several times a second, maybe 20 times per second, but which is of course only imaginably possible at pretty low power level, so they can recycle each time, for each flash.

To achieve low flash power (and fast recycle) for TTL, you need high ISO, or wide aperture, or close distance, or maybe some degree of all three. To give proper exposure, the flash needs to recycle for each flash. The Ready LED must be on.

The internal flash is a tiny flash, and probably needs near maximum power for about anything, where a SB-700 is larger and more capable (the lower power level it uses for same job will recycle faster). Saying, the internal flash will have to operate at an even lower power level to recycle quickly.
Click to expand...

Thanks Wayne.
I did try with 1/128 power too.. No go
It's not just the flash that doesn't fire, the camera won't even allow for the shutter to be clicked again.
Like the shutter would behave in single servo mode.
Without making any other changes, just closing the on camera flash allows for continuous firing

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
B

Bill16

Senior Member
Yes I've noticed this, a while back on my Nikon D3100. I just don't think the built in fact is setup to do continuous shots. The fact that it won't even click the shutter seems to be a purposely designed feature. Maybe to keep the flash from overheating.But I honestly believe it was made not to be flashed continuously.
WhiteLight said:
Thanks Wayne.
I did try with 1/128 power too.. No go
It's not just the flash that doesn't fire, the camera won't even allow for the shutter to be clicked again.
Like the shutter would behave in single servo mode.
Without making any other changes, just closing the on camera flash allows for continuous firing

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
W

WayneF

Senior Member
WhiteLight said:
Thanks Wayne.
I did try with 1/128 power too.. No go
It's not just the flash that doesn't fire, the camera won't even allow for the shutter to be clicked again.
Like the shutter would behave in single servo mode.
Without making any other changes, just closing the on camera flash allows for continuous firing
Click to expand...



You're right, I realize now I see the same thing with my D300. I never tried that with internal flash.

D5100 manual, (the one called Reference Manual), page 220, Trouble shooting - Only one shot taken each time shutter button is pressed in continuous mode.

Solution: Lower built-in flash.
 
J

Just-Clayton

Senior Member
Everyone is right. The only way to achieve continuous using off board sb700 is to probably get a flash remote. This way the on board flash is down. If I'm wrong correct me.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
WhiteLight said:
How do i do that? :confused:
Click to expand...

Just push the door shut, to turn it off.

If in a Auto mode, it will pop open anytime it thinks the light is dim. Not much control, so don't do that.

But if in A, S, P, or M modes, it does not automatically pop open. You open it when you want it, and close it when you don't.
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
WayneF said:
Just push the door shut, to turn it off.

If in a Auto mode, it will pop open anytime it thinks the light is dim. Not much control, so don't do that.

But if in A, S, P, or M modes, it does not automatically pop open. You open it when you want it, and close it when you don't.
Click to expand...

Thanks.. but that would mean i still can't do continuous shooting with SB700 placed externally?
Like focus stacking? no other options? would a commander module help?
it's quite a bummer cos i wanted to use the D5100 specifically for macro only
 
W

WayneF

Senior Member
WhiteLight said:
Thanks.. but that would mean i still can't do continuous shooting with SB700 placed externally?
Like focus stacking? no other options? would a commander module help?
it's quite a bummer cos i wanted to use the D5100 specifically for macro only
Click to expand...

It is just the internal flash that cannot... I think the SB-700 should do repetitive flashes, if not going too fast to allow recycle.

For example, the SB-800 has a repeating mode with this rate/power chart in the manual.

repeat.jpg



The chart is both about recycle and about heat buildup.

The SB-700 should be vaguely similar. You will be able to see what works.
 
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