Flash problems
- Thread starter Pretzel
- Start date
Scott Murray
Senior Member
Set SB700 to TTL that should help! But am no expert. Or maybe the IR sensor on the SB700 is not picking up the flash from the D7100
Last edited:
Scott Murray
Senior Member
The flash is going off, no problems, but the light output doesn't seem to be synced properly. On board, it's perfect, even a little hot. Off camera, it's going off, but nasty dark...
Try it in manual flash at the highest output. You are sure all settings are the same?
Yup. Not changing anything... seems like it's going off early, so turned off modeling flash (one problem) and messing with modes now. Highly frustrating to be sure!
Scott Murray
Senior Member
Hmmmm not sure, wheres WayneF???
Don Kuykendall_RIP
RIP :(
I was having some of those same problems with my D7100 and SB700. When you set the commander mode there are options to change whether the onboard adds to the lighting or not. It you set it to off if will still fire but it is before the main flash so it does not add to the lighting. I think there is also a setting that can change the output of the SB700. Go to E3 under the Custom Setting menu / Bracketing/flash. Flash cntl for built in flash. That is where you set it for CMD mode (I know you know this but this is for the benefit of the ones who might like to try this) . Click OK on E3 - Scroll down to CMD and click OK. Here is where you can tell the camera if yoiu want the built in to add to the light or now and also the mode you want the SB700 in. There is a second column for COMP. This lets you tell the system to do an automatic exposure compensation on the lights.
I was not really happy with the CMD mode and it can get very picky and not go off every time if the slightest thing is not pointed in the right direction. That is why I went with trigger. They go off every time and I can control the posed of each unit directly from the transmitter on the camera. Wonderful system. I set it all up a few minutes ago for the first time and got a couple quick shots.
I was not really happy with the CMD mode and it can get very picky and not go off every time if the slightest thing is not pointed in the right direction. That is why I went with trigger. They go off every time and I can control the posed of each unit directly from the transmitter on the camera. Wonderful system. I set it all up a few minutes ago for the first time and got a couple quick shots.
Scott Murray
Senior Member
Finally got it to fire the way I was wanting... mostly. Need to go out and get some triple A's for my RF trigger set.
Any thoughts?
It's late night, so the edit may just be plain out nuts. SB700 firing through a white umbrella.
View attachment 168697
I really like what you have got in this shot.
Thanks. Really want to start pushing myself HARD in the one light flash photography. Scale of 1-10, I feel like this is a 4, maybe 5, and I want much much MUCH better! It's a marketable shot style, if I can get it down that is.
Scott Murray
Senior Member
You are on the right track
Need details.... what slave mode? That sounds rather wrong, SB-700 should be Remote mode if the Commander is used.
"All other settings same" sounds wrong. For commander use, the SB-700 is in Remote mode, and ALL SETTINGS (except group and channel) are in the Commander menu. None on the flash.
You mentioned radio triggers. That sounds very wrong with the Commander. Cannot mix manual gear with Commander gear.
Need details, better description, specifics of what you are trying to do?
To use the Commander, put the radio triggers up in a drawer. Set SB-700 to Remote mode (not SU-4 slave mode).
By slave, I meant remote. My settings are on, remote, master. If it's not On or Master, it's "slave" to me.
And by all other settings the same, I mean camera settings. Shutter, ISO, aperture. I had the camera in commander mode, using the on-board flash to trigger the SB-700 which was off camera, and the only mention of radio triggers was because I need to get fresh AAA batteries for them so I can quit having to mess with this commander crap.Basically, I was trying to get the same light output from the flash off-camera as I was getting ON-camera. Figured out the modeling flash was tricking the SB700 into firing a little early, and changed some other setting inside the camera menu, still not sure what I did, but got it all working somewhat normally. Need to test a bit more (and still need to get those AAA batteries, as RF triggers are much easier).
OK, sorry, then I misunderstood what you meant.
Well, the radio triggers are manual flash, which always has to be adjusted. TTL is at least a fairly close starting point.
My experience is that the Commander always needs a little +EV compensation. It does TTL BL mode, which is also the SB-700 default mode. I suspect that underexposure is an intentional safeguard (balancing with ambient or a second flash), but to me, speaking indoor flash, it seems that the Commander or a TTL BL hot shoe flash may normally always need maybe +2/3 EV compensation, maybe +1 EV compensation (as compared to actual TTL mode, which older flashes like SB-600 or SB-800 offer). We do what we have to do of course, but I just routinely and automatically include that +EV compensation that in my initial settings, then it always seems pretty good.
Well, the radio triggers are manual flash, which always has to be adjusted. TTL is at least a fairly close starting point.
My experience is that the Commander always needs a little +EV compensation. It does TTL BL mode, which is also the SB-700 default mode. I suspect that underexposure is an intentional safeguard (balancing with ambient or a second flash), but to me, speaking indoor flash, it seems that the Commander or a TTL BL hot shoe flash may normally always need maybe +2/3 EV compensation, maybe +1 EV compensation (as compared to actual TTL mode, which older flashes like SB-600 or SB-800 offer). We do what we have to do of course, but I just routinely and automatically include that +EV compensation that in my initial settings, then it always seems pretty good.