D800+sb910+sc-17

I still have my SC-17 flash cord from my F4/F100. Can I use it with my D800 no problem? The only thing I found on the Nikon Support pages is that the TTL might not work well and that the camera should be set to spot metering (?).
Anyone using the SC-17 with D800 (and SB-910)?

I remember attending a Nikon flash seminar and the presenter was pretty clear to ALWAYS use matrix when using TTL flash. Nothing like a trial run though.

Silver said:

I still have my SC-17 flash cord from my F4/F100. Can I use it with my D800 no problem? The only thing I found on the Nikon Support pages is that the TTL might not work well and that the camera should be set to spot metering (?).
Anyone using the SC-17 with D800 (and SB-910)?

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The SC-17 works fine. It is exactly the same as the SC-28 (just extension of four shoe wires), except it does not have the pin lock lever on the shoe. It still works fine though... the flash foot pin is spring loaded, so just drop it anyway, and it is not going anywhere.

I normally always use Center metering. The Matrix/Center/Spot business is about the ambient, and the flash has its own system.

I was puzzled what you may have seen on the Nikon site? I think it must have been this:

https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/59

which says:
Using the SC-17, SC-28 and SC-29 with i-TTL compatible cameras and Speedlights
When an SC-17, SC-28 or SC-29 cable is used for off-camera flash photography with i-TTL compatible cameras such as the D70 or newer DSLRs, correct exposure may not occur if using i-TTL Balanced fill-flash. It is recommended to select spot metering in order for the camera to use standard i-TTL flash metering instead. This will improve consistency of flash exposures when using off-camera flash photography.


That is not about just the SC-17, it is about off camera flash with TTL BL mode. TTL BL direct flash watches the D lens distance info to safeguard against overexposure. An off-camea flash is NOT necessarily at same distance from subject as the lens, so that difference could fool the D lens distance (which has troubles being correct itself).

The idea is that switching to Spot metering changes the flash metering mode from TTL BL to be TTL mode, which ignores D lens distance. Some flashes have a menu to set TTL or TTL BL (and could simply switch to TTL), but SB-700 and SB-400 do not... Spot metering is all that is available to them. But this is NOT in any way only about the SC-17.

And the flash system never does Spot metering, it only switches to TTL mode, which is similar to Center metering, and TTL only differs from TTL BL in that TTL is not reduced to not overexpose the ambient. Indoors, the ambient is probably too underexposed to matter if Spot or not, due to the 1/60 second Minimum shutter speed (which does not affect flash).

Ok Wayne, thanks. I find the Nikon Support info pages to be somewhat unclear at times or at least the context sometimes seems disconnected if you don't read entire paragraphs or pages. You know, trying to get information fast without having to read huge amounts of text. Which one really SHOULD take the time to do. I searched compatibility charts a while back and some of the older accessories' compatibilities are somewhat nebulous, almost as if Nikon is hinting "forget that old thing, buy our latest" which is seems contrary to Nikon's "philosophy" of interchangeability. (?) I've seen warnings about using older accessories that "might damage newer equipment". I know the contacts on the SC-17 match the contact points on the hotshoe, but there's always that "hesitation waltz" I do before using something on these expensive cameras and equipment, so I try to search out other's opinions and experiences. (I'm the D800 basket case guy: take the telephotos off the body while transporting!)

Silver said:

Ok Wayne, thanks. I find the Nikon Support info pages to be somewhat unclear at times or at least the context sometimes seems disconnected if you don't read entire paragraphs or pages.

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I think that too, manuals too. I don't think it is a translation issue, they just seem to avoid actually saying the right words that would explain. Seems to me that features often solve problems, and they don't want to mention any problems. For example, FV Lock solves the horrible blinking issue with the commander TTL, but they are not going to mention any blinking problem. Nikon info seemed better in the old days, but I guess times were simpler.

You know, trying to get information fast without having to read huge amounts of text. Which one really SHOULD take the time to do. I searched compatibility charts a while back and some of the older accessories' compatibilities are somewhat nebulous, almost as if Nikon is hinting "forget that old thing, buy our latest" which is seems contrary to Nikon's "philosophy" of interchangeability. (?) I've seen warnings about using older accessories that "might damage newer equipment". I know the contacts on the SC-17 match the contact points on the hotshoe, but there's always that "hesitation waltz" I do before using something on these expensive cameras and equipment, so I try to search out other's opinions and experiences. (I'm the D800 basket case guy: take the telephotos off the body while transporting!)

Click to expand...

The old SC-17 cable is not any issue, it still works fine with no issues. I have two of them, and never bothered to buy the newer SC-28, seemed no point. And the new one is surely good too, but again, the only difference is the new rotating lever pin lock on the new ones. And probably the new PVC cable cover contains no lead, sales banned in California now. These are just "hot shoe extension cords", just five wires with connectors.

The pin lock on the flash unit is spring loaded, so we can simply drop the pin anyway, onto the SC-17, and it will bind and hold fast, the flash can't go anywhere. This will not hurt the pin any. Maybe if you yanked the flash out of it by strong force, but which would be tough on the new one too.