Using speedlight and studio strobe together

[Brand000n]

I'd like to use a strobe for my main light source and then use a speedlight just aimed at the background behind the subject so that I can get a pure white, blown out background. I only have two pocket wizards so I'd like to know how I can get the speedlight to fire as a slave to the strobe. Or maybe there's a better way of doing it?

I'm using an elinchrom d-lite rx 4 and a nikon sb700

 

[Designer]

Your speedlight will fire in "slave" mode.

 

[Brand000n]

So easy a half-wit could do it

 

[tirediron]

So easy a half-wit could do it

Even a 3/4 wit! Just based on positioning however, you may find that you need to use the PW to trip the speedlight, and have the Ellie in 'optical slave' mode just because of the relative positioning.

 

[KmH]

The SB-700 will trigger in response to the light from another flash unit when it is in SU-4 mode.
See pages D-3 thru D-18 of your SB-700 user manual.
Note: Be sure to cancel the master flash unit monitor pre-flash function or select a master flash unit flash mode that does not activate monitor pre-flashes.

 

[WayneF]

Just based on positioning however, you may find that you need to use the PW to trip the speedlight, and have the Ellie in 'optical slave' mode just because of the relative positioning.

Try it first. The Nikon SU-4 slave is more sensitive than any optical slave I ever saw. I know about 3x more sensitive than Alienbees (which itself is much more sensitive than the addons), and I'd assume also considerably more sensitive than the Elinchrom slave. My experience (in any normal portrait setup indoors) is that it does not matter where you put the SU-4 (hidden behind subject to light background, etc), or how you aim it... if in the same room, it will trigger reliably (from wall reflections, etc).

 

[tirediron]

Fair enough - I've not used it, so I certainly can't speak from experience, simply theorizing based on typical optical triggers.

 

[Big Mike]

Keep in mind that an AA powered flash unit will usually take longer to recycle than an AC powered studio strobe and it gets worse as the batteries run down. It's OK if you can take your time between shots....but when shooting kids or babies, where you basically have to wait for them to smile or look at you, it's a real PITA when one of your lights won't keep up when you want to shoot quickly and repeatedly.

 

[Braineack]

When shooting together my SB-700 (rated: 2.5 sec @ full power) and YN560ii (rated: 3 sec @ full power) seem to recycle much faster than both my Impact strobes (rated: 2 sec @ full power)...

I tend to use them for only kicker/bg sources, but I've found that if I fire too fast I won't have my main key and fill but I will have speedlights. It could be the speedlights allow me to fire without fully charging between clicks or that I'm using them at such a lower power (typically 1/4 or 1/8) that they have a much faster recycle time or my 160w strobes at a higher power level.