Flash Buying guide

[deepakaa]

I want to buy an external flash for my D3100 but after reading some online stuff about flash i am thoroughly lost and confused.

Please Help !!

01. Can I use Nikon SB700 on my Nikon D3100 in as simple manner as I use popup flash ? If not, what will be the limitations...what do i have to do to use external flash on D3100..

02. What is i-ttl ? Read some stuff on internet but they confused me even more than helpiing me.
Does D3100 support i-ttl flash like SB700 ? fully, partially ..? what are the limitations otherwise ? what are the advantages of i-ttl technology ?

03. what does it mean by triggering flash wirelessly ? does it mean that we want to trigger flash when it is not mounted on the hot shoe of camera it is off camera ?

04. what does it mean by setting up camera as commander ? OR flash as commander ?

Many thanks for the help.

 

[Designer]

1. Yes, you can mount the flash on the hot shoe and use it as the only flash. The advantages; the SB-700 has a higher guide number (more power), and you can direct the flash toward some nearby surface to "bounce" the light.

2. i-TTL is Nikon's terminology for "intelligent" flash, also called "Creative Lighting System". It means that a small "pre-flash" is emitted which is measured by the light meter to determine the proper light power and exposure settings.

3. There are different ways to trigger the flash wirelessly, one being the Nikon system using light signals from one mounted flash to a remote flash. One other method is to use a small radio transmitter on the camera and a receiver on the bottom of the remote flash.

4. Unfortunately, I believe your camera will not function as a wireless commander for the speedlight. The higher-end models do, and they do that by emitting a flash from the built-in flash, which triggers the remote flash.

 

[pixmedic]

your camera does not have the flash commander needed to trigger the flashes remotely. if you have a sb700 on your camera, i believe IT can act as a commander and trigger other speedlight flashes. otherwise you would need radio triggers.

 

[KmH]

If you want to explore the capabilities of the SB-700 you can always download it's user's manual from NikonUSA.com.

NikonUSA.com will also have other SB-700 information - SB-700 AF Speedlight from Nikon

For learning how to use a hot shoe flash unit, both on and off the camera visit planet neil and Strobist