Using command mode with studio lights

[JerryPH]

You are absolutely correct. I think there is an easy way to turn off pre-flash, they call it FV lock and it only fires once and then not again until you turn it off.

It was makin me crazy at the site this morning. Thanks again.

OK, you are not clear on how CLS works. Manual studio lights and SB-600s do NOT play well together easily. If all you are using is CLS to trigger the SB-600s, you will *always* have an issue with pre-flashes. Using optical triggering mode will work, but range is limited and if anyone else has a flash in the same area, they will use your flashes, leaving you clicking away during those times your flashes are recharging... and you without light and scratching your head why only some of your photos show any light added. On top of that, SB-600s do not have an optical trigger added, but if you added a peanut slave, the above becomes true.

As for FV Lock, what it does, is measure the current lighting needs and then lock in those settings... hence remove the "measuring" pre-flashes... but NOT the pre-flash that tells the remote SB-600 to trigger!

If you want to mix and match SB-600s with studio lights, there is one and ONLY one way to make it work right... wireless triggers (or a long wire to the camera sync port). Well, there are 2 ways, but we will discuss that one later.

The reason you are banging your head against the wall trying to see something from your studio heads... and not seeing it is becuase ... using CLS in regular fashion:
1. preflashes go off, measuring the light and selecting the proper flash power.
2. preflashes set remote SB-600 power settings.
3. preflashes tell the SB-600 to trigger.
4. the SB-600 lights the scene during the camera shutter opening/closing.

With CLS, your optically triggered studio heads trigger at step #1 (way too early). Using FV Lock, your studio heads trigger at step #3 (closer, but still way too early). In either case, it is still the wrong time, becuase you want your studio head to trigger at step #4 and nowhere else. Step #4 is the only right time that it is adding light to the scene at the RIGHT moment, which it never is.

So, what is the answer? Get the SB-600 flashes and studio heads to trigger all at the same time. This means a few things:

Use wireless triggers to trigger the SB-600s and studio heads all at once. That means going manual on the settings of the SB-600s and manual on the settings of the studio heads. It also means that you have just discovered that the SB-600 has no sync ports built in to it, and that you now need to purchase a HOT SHOE adapter and a wire from that adapter to the wireless receiver!

It is VERY hard to mix and match TTL and non TTL sources (though there is a nice trick, which I will discuss in a second).

You also now have to set power levels manually at the SB-600 and on the studio heads to get the effect you want.

So, I mentioned that there is a way to mix and match TTL and non TTL light sources... and there is, but it doesn't work on all cameras and you must have a SB-800 or SB-900 as the commander in the camera's hot shoe. The technique is explained in detail HERE IN THIS BLOG entry (look for the 4th advantage, as I discuss it on the page).

Basically, I use on camera iTTL flash for front fill and I could use it as a commander for other CLS flashes if I am in a relatively close area. The studio heads are triggered by the transmitter plugged into the sync port of the SB-800 (the SB-800 is mounted into the hot shoe of the camera). In this way, the signal of the camera is sent to the sync port of the flash, which delays triggering the wireless trigger UNTIL AFTER the CLS preflashes are all done and the only thing left to do is send the signal to trigger the flash, which the wireless trigger receives and transmits in time to the studio heads... and voila... all the lights are in sync and all lights contribute to the scene in the proper manner.

Easy as pie!

Now, all that said and done... for someone that hasn't taken the time to learn off camera lighting AND how to control all their lights, I strongly suggest that you learn how to control your setups in an all manual mode for a good 6 months before mixing and matching. Once your foundation in off camera lighting is strong, then add more tricks to your bag for versatility!

 

[jpgnmt]

Thanks for your reply. I did read the pact so I understand that I have to be nice even if someone post a condescending pile of poo. One might wonder why you are referencing SB600's when I am using SB800's but not to worry. Other folks gave great suggestions and it was not difficult to use the 300 in the commander mode and fire both 800's and my Novatrons together with great results. I do like your suggestion on six months with just the Novatrons and since I completed that 24.5 years ago, I think I will move forward.

One area that I just can't figure out. I assume since the 300 was fairly expensive it could shoot digital or film. The only thing I can figure is that if I take the battery out I can slide the roll of Ektachrome in but with no battery, I can't get it to load. Perhaps with your vast experience you may have the solution.

Thanks again, see I am being nice,

jpgnmt