Problem with SB-700--it WON'T turn off!

jwbryson1 · Jan 15, 2012

I tried to use my SB-700 yesterday off camera to do some water droplet shots. I was going to trigger it with my new Cowboy radio slave. 3 things happened that were bothersome to me.

First, the radio slave did not trigger the flash but just a few times. Most of the time, the flash did not fire. It was set up correctly I believe since it did fire a time or two, but the other times? For the record, I switched to using the YN 560 flash which worked perfectly!

Second, I tried to adjust the power output and nothing worked on the back of the flash. I pushed the buttons and nada. It was as if the flash had frozen.

Third, when I tried to turn off the SB-700 and turn it back on, it would NOT turn off even when I put it on the "off" position. It finally turned off but it took several minutes of me monkeying with it.

Has anybody else experienced these problems?

Shutter Nutter · Jan 16, 2012

I've got a completely different set up but with the same thing. If I use Yongnuo RF602 receivers with Sigma Super 530 flash guns they are prone to freezing up and the only thing that works is a 'battery pull'.

I guess some combinations of triggers and flashes just aren't meant to be.

HDeeZee · Feb 8, 2012

I had the same issue (not turning off) with my sb-700 with impact powersync16. I turned off the Standby mode in my sb-700 and it fixed this issue. Hope this helps.

LiliaNY · Jan 20, 2014

Hi, I was wondering if you ever found a solution to this problem over the past year. I have been experiencing it, exactly the same way, repeatedly with my two SB-700s. I am at my wit's end. I use Pocket Wizard TT5s to trigger them, and half the time they don't fire. The TT5s are fine, they work perfectly with my YN-502. The problem is only with the SB-700s. I need to take off the batteries and start over each time. It will be ok for a few shots, then it won't work. Sometimes they do shut off, but not always.
The "standby" mode is off. The batteries are new and fresh.