Off camera flashes with Nikon F5

colorsandlights · Aug 31, 2015

Hey friends, I need some help.

I have trouble triggering off camera flashes with the Yongnuo 622/TN for Nikon. These triggers are the same that I used on my D810, and since the pin layout was similar I put them on my F5 expecting it to work the same way, it just didn't. To add to the puzzle, I am able to "wake up" the flashes when I half press the shutter but when I fire the shutter, the flashes didn't fire. What could I be missing?

tirediron · Aug 31, 2015

What trigger system are you using, and are you trying to use any sort of TTL mode, or fully manual?

colorsandlights · Aug 31, 2015

Please check this diagram which will hopefully explain:Photo by metalheart_photo

colorsandlights · Aug 31, 2015

And all flashes are in manual mode.

tirediron · Aug 31, 2015

Okay, the flashes are in manual, but are the triggers (I don't know much about these) set to a TTL/non-manual mode?

colorsandlights · Aug 31, 2015

Yeah, all of them are in manual. I must be missing something very basic here. Either that or there must be some loose contact between transmitter and camera. But then how are the flashes waking up on half press of shutter but not firing on full press...

tirediron · Aug 31, 2015

Do you have access to a modern digital camera against which you can do a comparison? Since it only needs a centre-pin signal, there's no reason it shouldn't work, however, one of the problems with third-party, reverse-engineered gear is that they don't always get it 100% right. If you're able to "wake up" the flashes (confirm both wake up), then you know the signal path is complete, and everything can communicate, but for some reason, part of the signal isn't making it through. If you put the speedlight in the camera's hot shoe, does that work correctly?

colorsandlights · Aug 31, 2015

The exact same system works when using a D810 for which I originally bought this setup. We wanted some family portraits on film so I was trying this out.

Yes, the speedlight mounted directly on the hotshoe works and also optically triggers the second off camera flash.

I can try cleaning the centre pin and try again. Yeah this could be a case of reverse engineering failure.

tirediron · Aug 31, 2015

colorsandlights said:
...Yeah this could be a case of reverse engineering failure.

It sure does sound like that.

Derrel · Aug 31, 2015

I believe the F5 and its generation uses another, different TTL control protocol than newer flashes. Nikon has used two different TTL flash protocols during the digital era, as far as I know, the earlier D-TTL, and now the newer i-TTL protocol. It might just be that the engineers at Yongnuo have nailed the newer flash control protocol, but did not also include backward compatibility going back to the F 5 era. I am assuming that the D-TTL and the i-TTL flash control protocols also use different fire-control protocols. Word of warning: I am not a flash triggering expert!