Complete Guide to the Nikon D200- P18 pptx

For the wireless flash system to work, the remote flash units need to be able to see the light output of the D200’s internal flash, and the D200 needs to be able to see the light output

our repeats value (Step 1e in the above; as you can see from the steps in setting procedure, Nikon got things backwards—we’d really want to perform Step 1f first, not Step 1e)

2 Activate the flash by popping it up (press the Flash Release button)

3 Set the camera to Single Servo AF; flash only operates when the camera achieves focus; this step isn’t

technically required, but I like to tell people to use it

as a reminder that focus has to be achieved for flash to operate)

4 Focus on your subject by pressing lightly on the shutter release Note the distance on the scale on the lens

5 Select an exposure mode Typically Shutter priority or Manual exposure modes work best, as we’re

constrained by shutter speed due to our calculations

in Step 1

6 Set your shutter speed to the one you used in

calculating the repeating flash effect (Step 1)

7 Set your aperture based upon calculating Aperture =

GN / Distance Determine the GN by looking at the tables in the Manual flash section, above You know the distance from Step 4 If the aperture you calculate here can’t be obtained, you’ll need to go back and reset the manual flash power (Step 1d) If you can set the calculated aperture on your lens, do so and you’re ready to shoot

(external flashes) by using special preflash sequences Only i-TTL capable flashes can be used for wireless work, which means SB-600, SB-800, or SB-R200 flashes must be used for Remotes

For the wireless flash system to work, the remote flash units need to be able to see the light output of the D200’s internal flash, and the D200 needs to be able to see the light output of the remote flashes

You’re probably wondering about these preflash queries and instructions Let’s say I have the full set of two Remotes in addition to my D200 internal flash (Commander) The

preflash sequence that occurs when you press the shutter release now looks something like this:

Commander: Remote Group A fire a preflash

Remote Group A: Preflash fires

Commander: Remote Group B fire a preflash

Remote Group B: Preflash fires

Commander: I’m firing a preflash

Commander: Preflash fires

[Camera calculates exposure]

Commander: Remote Group A should fire at Level X

Commander: Remote Group B should fire at Level Y [Camera mirror moves up, shutter opens]

Commander: Fire!

All flashes: All flashes fire at calculated levels

Believe it or not, it’s a lot more complex than that

simplification All the Flash Options, like Rear Sync, still come into play, which means that the Commander has to do

a lot more instructing than just ask for a preflash and a TTL fire level

Incredibly, all this communicating happens very quickly If you’re not watching specifically for it, you can’t see the sequence of communication On the other hand, you will almost surely note that there is more lag in the shutter release

and that the preflash sequence seems longer It is, and that can trigger fast blinkersF

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Since the actual communicating is done via the near IR energy in the light each flash produces, there are limitations

on both the distance and the environment where wireless flash will work Outdoors has more ambient near IR and fewer reflections, so distance is usually restricted and there usually has to be direct line-of-sight between camera and remote flash units Because of bounces off walls and ceilings, wireless flash is a bit more flexible indoors—you sometimes can hide a remote flash out of line-of-site of the camera because its light reflects well enough for the camera to still see

The jargon starts to get a little confusing, as Nikon uses different names at different places in its documentation For example, Commander mode and Master flash get a little confusing if you read multiple Nikon manuals I’ll try to stay a little more consistent

The D200 can control up to two groups of Remotes Indeed,

Nikon uses the label Groups instead of the Remotes name

that I’ve been using Each remote group can have multiple flashes in it, though Nikon doesn’t recommend more than three flashes in a remote group, and I don’t recommend that you use multiple flashes in a remote group unless they’re all trying to light the same thing and you need more power than

a single flash would provide That’s because the more flashes you set up, the more likely it becomes that one isn’t seen in the preflash sequence

But for a three-flash setup (the camera’s internal plus two remotes), the D200’s wireless abilities are excellent, and all that you need (If you need more than two Remotes, you need

and do another preflash sequence if lighting conditions change

to substitute an SU-800 or SB-800 on the D200 as the

Commander instead of the internal flash But that’s a subject for another book…)

Here’s how to set up a three flash wireless shoot (I’ll use one SB-600 and one SB-800 as the Remotes so that we step through the remote setup for each; you could instead have two of either or even SB-R200’s):

1 Use CSM #E3 to set Commander Mode

a Press the MENU button to show the menu

system

b Use the Direction pad to navigate to the Custom Settings tab Press the > key to enter the Custom Settings menu

c Use the Direction pad to navigate to Custom Setting #E3 Press the > key to enter the Flash Mode setting

d Use the Direction pad to navigate to

Commander Mode Press the > key to enter

the Commander Mode settings

e You must set two things for each participating

flash: the flash mode it’ll use (Mode) and the

flash output level (Comp.F

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) You navigate to fill-in-boxes with the < and > keys on the Direction pad; you set value in the boxes with the " and % keys on the Direction pad

i For each flash (internal, Group A, Group B), set the flash mode You can

set TTL, AA (not for internal flash), M,

or The last item, , means that this

flash or Group will not participate in the exposure

ii For each flash (internal, Group A, Group B), set the flash exposure compensation (for TTL) or power output level (for Manual flash)

f Finally, use the > key to navigate to Channel

and then use the keys to set one of the four channels that the preflash sequence uses

2 Let’s move on to our first remote flash, which for illustration purposes will be an SB-800

a Press the SEL button on the SB-800 for more

than two seconds to get to the Custom Settings for the flash

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I guess Comp is supposed to stand for “compensation.” But that’s not quite accurate If a flash is set to TTL, Comp sets flash exposure compensation for that flash If a flash is instead set to M (Manual), Comp sets the power level (1/1 = full,

1/2 = half, etc.) for that flash

b Use the " and % keys on the SB-800 Direction pad to highlight the wireless flash icon

c Press the SEL button to get to the options for

wireless flash

d Use the " and % keys on the SB-800 Direction

pad to highlight REMOTE

e Hold the SEL button down for two seconds to

leave Custom Settings on the flash The SB-800 should now be set for remote use:

g To set the Group, press the SEL button until GROUP is highlighted (inverted white letters

on black), then use the " and % keys on the

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I’m specific in word use This is not the “hold down” that you used to get to the Custom Settings for the flash Instead, when I say press, I mean a quick jab of the button It may take multiple jabs to get to the right item, which is why I say

“press…until.”

SB-800 Direction pad until the first Group letter you set in Step 1eii is highlighted

h Orient the SB-800 so that its infrared receiver

is looking towards the D200’s internal flash (note that you can rotate the flash head to fix the orientation, if necessary)

3 Now to our final flash, this time an SB-600:

a Simultaneously hold down the Zoom and -

buttons on the SB-600 for more than two seconds to get to the Custom Settings for the flash

b Use the " and % keys on the SB-600 Direction pad to highlight the wireless flash icon

c Press the Zoom button until 0N shows above

the wireless icon

d Press the On/Off button briefly to leave

Custom Settings The SB-600 should be set for remote use:

e To set the Channel, pressF

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the SB-600 Mode button until the number above CH is blinking,

then use the " and % keys on the SB-600

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I’m specific in word use This is not the “hold down” that you used to get to the Custom Settings for the flash Instead, when I say press, I mean a quick jab of the button It may take multiple jabs to get to the right item, which is why I say

“press…until.”

Direction pad until the channel number you set in Step 1f is highlighted

f To set the Group, press the SB-600 Mode button again until the number above GROUP

is blinking, then use the " and % keys on the SB-600 Direction pad until the first Group letter you set in Step 1eii is highlighted

g Orient the SB-600 so that its infrared receiver

is looking towards the D200’s internal flash (note that you can rotate the flash head to fix the orientation, if necessary)

4 Activate the internal flash on the D200 by popping it

up (Press the Flash Release button.)

5 Set the camera to Single Servo AF; this step isn’t technically required, but I like to tell people to use it

as a reminder that focus has to be achieved for flash to operate

6 Set the camera’s exposure mode, if you haven’t

already In Aperture-priority (A), Shutter-priority (S), and Manual (M) exposure modes, make any necessary aperture or shutter speed selections

Note: In Program exposure mode you can usually override the

camera’s selection of aperture and shutter speed

combinations by turning the camera’s Rear Command dial (when the camera is active) But note that the maximum aperture you can use is restricted in Program exposure mode (the actual value depends upon ISO setting; see

“Allowable Apertures in Program Mode” on page <H485>

You’re ready to shoot

Nikon includes a drawing showing where remote flashes need

to be positioned relative to the D200 I’ve actually found their suggestions to be relatively conservative, especially in low light, where the infrared component of the preflash is easily seen by the remote flashes In general, here are a few

positioning guidelines:

• In low light, the remote flash sensor doesn’t always have

to have a direct line of sight to the camera’s internal flash I’ve successfully hidden a remote flash behind the subject (to light the background or provide rim light) This works better over short distances, though

• You should be able to achieve Nikon’s stated 33 feet (10m) distance (within a 60° angle) in most situations, but beware of situations where there is a great deal of infrared energy present (some incandescent lighting produces infrared)—you may have to give up some distance where other infrared sources are present, as they’ll overwhelm the sensor and it won’t see the faint output of the internal flash

• I’ve been able to achieve remote triggers at better than 120° angles, but only at close distances (10 feet [3m])

• Triggering the remote flashes is only part of the equation

In general, remote flashes doing TTL need to be within 30° of the camera-subject axis In other words, the angle formed by the flash/subject/camera needs to be 30° or less Why? Because when subjects are lit from the side, the camera—which after all is doing the flash

calculations—doesn’t see the full reflection of the flash’s output and may adjust its exposure incorrectly

Finally, there’s yet one more wireless trick that isn’t described

in the Nikon manuals that every D200 user should know: Flash Lock (called FV Lock by Nikon; FV stands for Flash Value) This answers the problem of getting the internal flash

to trigger a multiple wireless TTL set up when you don’t have

i-TTL flashes as remotesF

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For example, Nikon sells a wireless flash accessory called the SU-4, and some Nikon flash models can emulate that wireless function without being connected to an SU-4 (for example, the older SB-26) The critical element of the SU-4 circuitry is this: it triggers the flash connected to it to fire when it sees another flash fire, and it

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Okay, it’s not perfectly TTL, as the other flashes aren’t considered in the exposure setting, but with a little trial and error, it effectively works like TTL

shuts down its connected flash when it sees the other flash stop firing Since the D200’s internal flash is already set to the right flash exposure via FV Lock, the flashes connected to the SU-4’s just do the same exact thing

As long as the flashes aren’t all throwing their light on the same spot (e.g., one is used for filling light on one side of the face while another is used for the background while the internal flash is used for key light), this trick works well But even if they are all firing their light on the same spot, you can easily control this by simply dialing down the internal flash with flash exposure compensation—every other flash will respond in kind, so it’s usually pretty easy to dial in the right compensation

Here’s the trick in more detail:

1 Set the Custom Setting #F4 on the D200 to FV Lock

2 Set Custom Setting #E3 to TTL (if it isn’t already set to

that)

3 Pop up the internal flash (press the Flash Release button to do this)

4 Before turning on your remote flashes, fire off a test

exposure by pressing the FUNC button on the camera

(the internal flash should fire) Get your main flash setting correct before proceeding

5 Turn the remote flash units on They all either need to

be connected to an SU-4 or have a built-in SU-4 type

of wireless mode selected

6 Take your picture All the flashes should participate in the exposure

7 Since the remote flash units may be more powerful than the internal flash, you may have to adjust the position of the external flashes to be further from the subject (or use their diffusion domes to limit their power) When I’m feeling especially daring and creative, I actually set my exposure in Step #4 to

underexposure and then try to get the remote

Speedlights to fire a little hotter than the internal flash, but this is a big trial and error process you’ll just have

to experiment with yourself

External Flash Models for the D200

SB-600

The SB-600 is one of five external Speedlights that can

provide TTL flash with the D200 The SB-600 is similar to the SB-800, but with fewer features and lower power ratings The SB-600 was announced with the D70 and arrived in stores in spring 2004

Recycle Time: 3.5 seconds minimum (full discharge)

# of Flashes: ~200 at full manual

Flash Duration: 1/900 to 1/25000

Coverage: (120 degrees horizontal, 110 degrees vertical) 14mm

lens; also supports 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, and 85mm coverage

Case: SS-600 included

Key Features: TTL flash control on most TTL-capable Nikon bodies,

preflash on F90X/N90s or later bodies; Full power TTL, seven power level manual settings LCD panel shows settings Rear curtain sync Red-eye reduction The SB-

600 can synchronize with up to nine additional flash units, in groups of three controlled by one SB-800 master flash Head tilts from –7 degrees below horizontal up to 90 degrees above horizontal, and rotates -270 degrees to plus 180 degrees clockwise Built-in diffuser card Stand included Automatic or Manual wireless remote firing possible Wide angle autofocus assist light

To Set TTL Flash

1 Activate the flash If it’s already in Standby, a partial press of the shutter release activates it; otherwise, press the power (ON/OFF) button on the SB-600 to turn the flash ON

2 Select the type of TTL to be performed Basically, you only have one choice: whether to cancel the

“balanced fill-flash” mode (you do so by pressing the

Mode button on the flash until only the TTL indicator appears; if TTL BL appears, the camera is in a

Balanced Fill-Flash mode; see “Summary of i-TTL Flash Modes,” on page <H490>)

Note: When the D200 is set for spot metering, Standard TTL is set

automatically

3 Set the camera to Single Servo AF (flash only operates when the camera achieves focus; this isn’t technically required, but I like to tell people to use it as a

reminder that focus has to be achieved for flash to operate)

4 Set the camera’s exposure mode, if you haven’t already In Aperture-priority (A), Shutter-priority (S), and Manual (M) exposure modes, make any necessary aperture or shutter speed selections

Note: In Program exposure mode you can usually override the

camera’s selection of aperture and shutter speed

combinations by turning the D200’s Rear Command dial (when the camera is active) But note that the maximum aperture you can use is restricted in Program exposure mode (the actual value depends upon ISO setting; see

“Allowable Apertures in Program Mode,” on page <H485> Note: The D200 and SB-600 may warn you of several possible

errors when you partially press the shutter release to verify settings:

- The lens must be set on its minimum aperture, or else the error message FEE appears in the viewfinder

- Any HI visible in the viewfinder indicates that

overexposure (of the background exposure) is likely

- The shutter speed will be automatically reset to 1/250 if you selected a faster shutter speed in Shutter (S) or Manual (M) exposure mode (If FP is set, however, the camera will use any shutter speed.)

- In Manual (M) exposure mode, under and overexposure is indicated solely by the analog exposure display If the

exposure bar goes to either side of the $ point, the only lighting exposure will not be correct

ambient-5 Focus on your subject by pressing lightly on the

shutter release Confirm that the subject is within flash distance Unfortunately, the SB-600 does not have a distance scale on it, so you’ll have to either carry one

of the charts duplicated below or memorize what distance it can reach at each zoom setting Assuming you’ve confirmed the distance, you’re ready to shoot SB-600 Usable Apertures and Flash Range in TTL mode (Feet)

f/2 f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 3 – 32 4.9 – 52 5.9 – 62 6.6 – 66 8.2 – 66 f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 2.3 – 23 3.6 – 36 4.3 – 46 4.9 – 52 5.9 – 66 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 2 – 16 2.6 – 27 3 – 32 3.3 – 36 3.9 – 44 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 2 – 11 2 – 19 2.3 – 23 2.6 – 26 2.9 – 33 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22 2 – 7.9 2 – 13 2 – 16 2 – 18 2.3 – 23 f/11 f/16 f/22 f/32 2 – 5.6 2 – 9.2 2 – 11 2 – 13 2 – 16 f/16 f/22 f/32 f/45 2 – 3.9 2 – 6.6 2 – 7.9 2 – 9.2 2 – 11 f/22 f/32 f/45 f/64 2 – 2.6 2 – 4.6 2 – 5.6 2 – 6.6 2 – 8.2

Note: The SB-600 manual is incorrect in some of its range

specifications The above table is correct (though rounded slightly in some places) For ISO 100, shift the numbers in the first column down by one row (i.e the column for ISO

100 would start with f/1.4)

To Set Manual Flash

1 Activate the flash If it’s already in Standby, a partial press of the shutter release activates it; otherwise, press the power (ON/OFF) button on the SB-600 to turn the flash ON

2 Press the SB-600’s Mode button until Ë appears on

the LCD

3 Set the D200 to Aperture-priority (A) or Manual (M) exposure mode and set your aperture and shutter speed, as usual

4 Set the camera to Single Servo AF While not

absolutely required, this generally makes the camera’s response more predictable

5 Focus on your subject by pressing lightly on the shutter release Note the distance on the scale on the lens

6 Simply changing the aperture on the camera causes the SB-600 to match it Unfortunately, the SB-600 doesn’t have a distance scale, so you’ll have to use aperture=GN/distance to determine the correct flash

exposure, and use the Guide Number tables below to determine the GN

Note: With lenses that don’t have CPUs (AI and AI-S), the

aperture on the camera isn’t linked with the flash, so you have to adjust flash power settings on the SB-600 to control the flash output

Note: The power setting of the SB-600 is controlled in 1/6 stop

increments between ½ and 1/64 power (plus you can set full power, 1/1) You control the setting by pressing the < and > buttons on the flash direction pad to choose a value Wait a moment and the flash locks in the current value

Note: The SB-600 is capable of keeping up with the D200 at 5 fps

SB-600 Guide Numbers at ISO 100 (feet)

Power 14mm 24mm 28mm 35mm 50mm 70mm 85mm

Full (1/1) 46 85 92 98 118 125 131 1/2 33 60 65 70 84 88 93 1/4 23 43 46 49 59 62 67 1/8 16 30 33 35 42 44 46

1/64 5.9 10.8 11.5 12.5 14.8 15.7 16.4 SB-600 Guide Numbers at ISO 100 (meters)

Power 14mm 24mm 28mm 35mm 50mm 70mm 85mm

1/2 9.9 18 20 21 26 27 28 1/4 7 13 14 15 18 19 20 1/8 4.9 9.2 9.9 10.6 12.7 13.4 14.1

Note: All numbers above 16 may be rounded to the nearest

integer That shouldn’t impact calculations by enough to be visible

To Manually Set the Zoom Head

1 Press the Zoom button on the flash direction pad to

change the zoom setting Each button press selects the next higher logical setting (and you’ll eventually loop back to the lowest setting) The ë symbol appears on the LCD when the setting doesn’t correspond to focal length of the lens

Note: To cancel automatic zoom head setting and lock a manual

setting, hold the Zoom and - buttons for two seconds to

enter the custom setting mode for the flash Next, press the

+ button until you see the ë, and then press the Mode

button to turn manual zoom On Hold the Zoom and -

buttons for two seconds to complete the setting

2 To cancel a manual zoom setting, press the Zoom button on the flash Direction pad until the m no

longer appears on the LCD (e.g., until the setting matches the lens being used)