** Help configuring >> Mono-Strobe + SB900 + SB600 w/ Pocket Wizards II

captive · Mar 8, 2011

Hello all,

Just need some advice on some configuration.
I basically want to connect the following. Using radio transmitters, (preferably not optically coz i know i need to pop-up the nikon flash which I hate).

- X1 Monolight studio strobe (has slave option)
- X1 Nikon SB900 speedlight
- X1 Nikon SB600 speedlight
- Pocked Wizard Plus II

So I connect my camera (D90) with the Pocket wizard (for transmit).

I then connect the studio strobe with another pocket wizard (receiver). I set this strobe as master (for main light).

I then set the SB900 as a slave (for fill light).
(My question here is does this SB900 need a pocket wizard to also sync with the strobe, or will it just work without the PW?)

I also need to make the SB600 flash (as a background light).

Can someone help me with the connection, and let me know how many pocket wizards I should get.

Thanks heaps

Big Mike · Mar 8, 2011

If you don't want to trigger anything optically, then you'll need 4 of the PW plus II units. One on the camera and one one each light. (yikes, that's expensive).

I then connect the studio strobe with another pocket wizard (receiver). I set this strobe as master (for main light).

Is there a 'master' setting? If there is, I'm not sure what it would do here.
You could call it your 'master' light, if you are triggering that one and then having the others triggered optically...but if you are triggering all of them (with their own triggers) then it's not really the 'master' is it?

I then set the SB900 as a slave (for fill light).

If it's anything like the Canon system, the 'slave' setting is ONLY for when using the Nikon wireless CLS system.

The studio light will have a built-in optical trigger (I'd guess that's what they call the 'slave option').
I'm not familiar with Nikon flash units, do they have a built-in optical trigger option?

So again, if you don't want to optically trigger anything, you would need a PW on the camera and one at each light. However, if you are in a studio situation, optical triggering is pretty much the norm...so you would only need a PW unit on the lights that don't have optical triggers. So you wouldn't need one on the studio strobe, if you are triggering one of the flash units with a PW.

If your flash units don't trigger optically (on their own) you could buy a simple peanut slave or optical trigger hot-shoe. This can save you from having to buy a bunch of PW units. But if you plan on using your gear outdoors or at great distances, then buying more PW units might not be a bad idea.

Of course, there are many other options for radio triggers that are less expensive than the 'Poverty Wizards'.