Help with Commander Mode!

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km1520

New member
I've used commander mode on my D700 before and for some reason, when I set my built-in flash to "not fire anything but a signal" it still is firing the flash. I've reset the custom settings. It used to just fire the signal and not the flash, what happened? Any help is greatly appreciated!!
 
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Geoffc

Senior Member
It always fires but on a very low power. Try taking a photo just using the built in flash but set not to fire except as commander.

When you select the option be careful to press ok or it doesn't take the setting.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
km1520 said:
I've used commander mode on my D700 before and for some reason, when I set my built-in flash to "not fire anything but a signal" it still is firing the flash. I've reset the custom settings. It used to just fire the signal and not the flash, what happened? Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Click to expand...

The internal flash is both a flash unit and the Commander. We can set the mode (in commander menu) of the internal flash to be "- -", which disables it from contributing lighting into the picture (turns it off). But it is still the commander, and it still must flash commands to the remote units, which occur Before the shutter opens. Humans see that, but the picture does not.

But.... then after the shutter opens, the commander must still flash a "Everybody fire NOW" trigger signal to the remotes. There is no other way, like any optical slave trigger then. This is a very low level flash, normally quite insignificant to the exposure of anything.

With two exceptions.

For macro work, the flash may only be a few inches from the the subject, and even minimum power is still something.

And two, shiny reflective things in subject at a few feet might still show a catchlight from this flash. Like human eyeballs in a portrait, might show a catchlight.

Nikon makes the $12 SG-3IR filter panel for the hot shoe, for these special cases, which can cover the commander flash, to block visible light affecting our pictures, but still allows the infrared commander signals to pass. Normally, it is not needed, however it can always help to also minimize blinking by subjects at the commander flashes. The SU-800 commander builds in this same red infrared filter.

See Using the Nikon CLS Remote Wireless Flash System for much more about this situation.
 
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