I covered a Sweet 16 last Sunday. I used 2 SB-600 as my remote and placed them diagonally across the dance floor both of them pointing towards the ceiling. I have an SB-800 on my camera to trigger the remotes. I set the two SB-600s on different groups so I can manually change the power each one gives as I move across the dance floor. My problem is, every now and then, one or both of them wouldn't fire. This happened several times and a couple of important moments were wasted because of this. I am guessing distance to the slaves might have been an issue. But sometimes, I am just underneath the slave and it won't fire. I am getting a little bit disappointed with Nikon's CLS :(...

Has anyone here used PocketWizard? I have another important event to cover and I don't want the same issue again. If you used PocketWizard, can it work with i-TTL? How do you set it up with the SB-600 flash which doesn't have any place where I can put a TTL-cord? Or, can it be used with the SB-600?

I really do not have any idea how to use PocketWizard. If all else fails, I may just use my single flash on-camera.

:(

Marco

PS

The dance floor isn't that large. I think it's around 25ft by 25ft.

There's no TTL/i-TTL on the Pocket Wizard. Sorry

Hi Marco,

I'm glad you posted this question because it only proves how superior Nikon is. You just have to know which arsenals to buy. You are also so lucky becuase you are based in New Jersey which is near New York - The Capital of the Photography World in the East Coast of the United States. At any rate, pls. check the availability of my suggestion at bhphotovideo.com and the technical specs & details at nikon.com. Let me now answer your questions.

1. The Pocket Wizard was designed for strobe lights and has a range of around 30 metres. It is however not compatible with the Nikon SB-800 and SB-600 speedlites because it wasn't intended to by the manufacturers. It uses radio waves instead of infrared, the frequency channel is therefore different.

2. From your avatar at DPP, I presume that you are using the Nikon SC-28 sync cord. If you want full control of the CLS, try testing and buying the SC-30 sync cord which has infrared capability with the SB-800 and SB-600.

3. There is a wireless remote speedlight right now called SB-R200. It can be used in iTTL, D-TTL, TTL & Manual modes. It can however not be mounted on the flash shoe of your camera but on a separate adaptor or portable light stand. It is so advanced that you will think it came from another planet. Now you will see the real power of Nikon CLS.

4. The Nikon Wireless Remote Commander SU800 is the solution to your problems. It can control three (3) separate groups of speedlights with different settings. Pls. bring your SB-800 and SB600 speedlites in BHPhoto-Video in New York for testing compatibility. I'm sure you will love your Nikon cameras and CLS more. Pls. share your findings with us. I'm also planning to buy this great invention but I am still saving up for my trip to the States next year.

5. In every problem, there is a solution. I love the quote of Nikon that there is no more competition. Nikon Rules.:-). It helps to make research, research and research. You will discover new things that you never thought were possible before. Resourcefulness is indeed one of the virtues of a good photographer. Until then. God Bless and Happy Shooting.

Hi Marco,

I'm glad you posted this question because it only proves how superior Nikon is. You just have to know which arsenals to buy. You are also so lucky becuase you are based in New Jersey which is near New York - The Capital of the Photography World in the East Coast of the United States. At any rate, pls. check the availability of my suggestion at bhphotovideo.com and the technical specs & details at nikon.com. Let me now answer your questions.

1. The Pocket Wizard was designed for strobe lights and has a range of around 30 metres. It is however not compatible with the Nikon SB-800 and SB-600 speedlites because it wasn't intended to by the manufacturers. It uses radio waves instead of infrared, the frequency channel is therefore different.

2. From your avatar at DPP, I presume that you are using the Nikon SC-28 sync cord. If you want full control of the CLS, try testing and buying the SC-30 sync cord which has infrared capability with the SB-800 and SB-600.

3. There is a wireless remote speedlight right now called SB-R200. It can be used in iTTL, D-TTL, TTL & Manual modes. It can however not be mounted on the flash shoe of your camera but on a separate adaptor or portable light stand. It is so advanced that you will think it came from another planet. Now you will see the real power of Nikon CLS.

4. The Nikon Wireless Remote Commander SU800 is the solution to your problems. It can control three (3) separate groups of speedlights with different settings. Pls. bring your SB-800 and SB600 speedlites in BHPhoto-Video in New York for testing compatibility. I'm sure you will love your Nikon cameras and CLS more. Pls. share your findings with us. I'm also planning to buy this great invention but I am still saving up for my trip to the States next year.

5. In every problem, there is a solution. I love the quote of Nikon that there is no more competition. Nikon Rules.:-). It helps to make research, research and research. You will discover new things that you never thought were possible before. Resourcefulness is indeed one of the virtues of a good photographer. Until then. God Bless and Happy Shooting.

This is indeed a very thorough and informative response! :)

your sb600's should "see" your commander flash. there's a sensor at the right side of your sb600 - it should be directed to your main flash (commander).

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/2622/sb600mm0.jpg

Hi Eric,

First off, thanks very much for the response. I do not like to contradict an answer or opinion of a fellow photographer especially of one I respect but I just need to post this so that others may not be misled. My answers below are just from my research and I might be wrong too. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Hi Marco,

I'm glad you posted this question because it only proves how superior Nikon is. You just have to know which arsenals to buy. You are also so lucky becuase you are based in New Jersey which is near New York - The Capital of the Photography World in the East Coast of the United States. At any rate, pls. check the availability of my suggestion at bhphotovideo.com and the technical specs & details at nikon.com. Let me now answer your questions.

1. The Pocket Wizard was designed for strobe lights and has a range of around 30 metres. It is however not compatible with the Nikon SB-800 and SB-600 speedlites because it wasn't intended to by the manufacturers. It uses radio waves instead of infrared, the frequency channel is therefore different.

Pocket Wizards have a range of 1600 according to strobist (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/09/pocket-wizard-vs-nikon-cls-which-is.html). It is actually compatible with SB-800 because it has a PC jack. The same time I posted my question yesterday, I also googled how I can use Pocket Wizards with SB-600, because the SB-600 does not have a PC jack, I found this (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/04/hook-pocket-wizard-to-any-hot-shoe.html). The main difference between Nikon's CLS and Pocket Wizard, I found, is that you have to control your flash manually using Pocket Wizard while you can use TTL using Nikon's CLS. And this is the main selling point for me.

2. From your avatar at DPP, I presume that you are using the Nikon SC-28 sync cord. If you want full control of the CLS, try testing and buying the SC-30 sync cord which has infrared capability with the SB-800 and SB-600.

I am actually using an SC-29 (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=257&productNr=4766) which is built mainly for the SB-800 flash. The SC-30 is a shoe cord for controlling SB-R200s when using non i-TTL cameras such as the D1 series/D100/F5/F100. This is according to DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0511/05110102nikonremotefl.asp).

3. There is a wireless remote speedlight right now called SB-R200. It can be used in iTTL, D-TTL, TTL & Manual modes. It can however not be mounted on the flash shoe of your camera but on a separate adaptor or portable light stand. It is so advanced that you will think it came from another planet. Now you will see the real power of Nikon CLS.

The SB-R200 are the latest addition to Nikon's already good CLS system. However, these flashes are built for close-up/macro lighting (http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/speedlight%20brochure.pdf).

4. The Nikon Wireless Remote Commander SU800 is the solution to your problems. It can control three (3) separate groups of speedlights with different settings. Pls. bring your SB-800 and SB600 speedlites in BHPhoto-Video in New York for testing compatibility. I'm sure you will love your Nikon cameras and CLS more. Pls. share your findings with us. I'm also planning to buy this great invention but I am still saving up for my trip to the States next year.

The functions of the SU-800 is actually the same function that are in the SB-800. The SU-800, though it can control the other wireless speedlights the same as SB-800, are built mainly for Nikon's close-up systems, the SB-R200. The advantage of the SB-800 over the SU-800 is that you also gain a flash on your camera. I've heard that SU-800 has longer coverage (66ft vs 30ft for SB-800) but it's not documented by Nikon.

5. In every problem, there is a solution. I love the quote of Nikon that there is no more competition. Nikon Rules.:-). It helps to make research, research and research. You will discover new things that you never thought were possible before. Resourcefulness is indeed one of the virtues of a good photographer. Until then. God Bless and Happy Shooting.

Maybe I'll stick with Nikon's CLS. I will have to work around its limitations so I do not have to make further investments in buying PocketWizards. Yup, Nikon Rules!

Thanks again.

Marco

what about the Canon Speedlites? Is it possible to use the PW ?

what about the Canon Speedlites? Is it possible to use the PW ?

I think from what I read PocketWizard can be used with any flash that has a PC cable connection. If it doesn't have that, see my above answer to Eric.

Hi John,

For Canon users, there is also this great invention called ST-E2 Wireless Transmitter. It costs around Php 9.5k in Hidalgo. It is cheaper than the Pocket Wizard and can control multiple flashes of the EX Series Speedlites. You might want to check the website of Canon for more details.


Marco,

Thanks for the info. I haven't used pocket wizard for quite some time now. I only use the built-in flash of the Nikon D70 to trigger the studio lights but when it is not permitted by the client, I simply use the Morris infrared flash trigger that has a maximum range of 30 metres. Your correction is highly appreciated and you did it in a very professional manner. As much as possible, I like to shoot on controlled situations and lighting. Instead of using multiple flash, I use available light and wide aperture opening. This was how I was trained at the yearly WPPP Photo Congress. No Flash allowed specially when shooting glamour and budoir. I think it is more on preference. Personally, I prefer to use studio lights since it would cost almost the same. There are good strobes from Korea and China and you can always try the ARRILITES used by the videographers or their Unomat Color Corrected Hot Lights from Germany. The pocket wizard is on my wish list but as of the moment, I simply maximize the use of available lights. It saves me cash and improves my skills as a photographer. Until Then. Best Regards. :-).

@Marc

Just got a pair of PocketWizards recently and I can confirm that the range is great! It was able to trigger the flash located in another room with one other room separating them.

It does appear to work with all flash modes but I haven't tested it's effectivity with TTL (I don't think it would work though since there is only one contact at the bottom of the PW transmitter)

regards.

a late reply. It definitely doesn't work with TTL, is has a rated range fo 500-550meters. Has trouble working with Canon Speedlites due to Canons lack of pc synch cord socket. But its very reliable compared to the China-made ones. Well, you get what you pay for.

a late reply. It definitely doesn't work with TTL, is has a rated range fo 500-550meters. Has trouble working with Canon Speedlites due to Canons lack of pc synch cord socket. But its very reliable compared to the China-made ones. Well, you get what you pay for.

I have the china made ones, those PT-04, they're like spitfires if frequencies are not set properly, but they work well with what I want to achieve. :)

I have a plan of getting a Bowens Pulsar Remote radio trigger similar to PW, to those who have already used it can you please give some comments on the product. :)

I am planning to use it with my Canon Speelite 580EX and Sunpak 120J (that is also on my list of things to have... he he he...). TIA

Just used Pocket Wizards yesterday at Frank Hoefsmit's studio and I was just amazed at how easy it was to use :)

I have the china made ones, those PT-04, they're like spitfires if frequencies are not set properly, but they work well with what I want to achieve. :)

how much are those china mades? thanks.

what about the Canon Speedlites? Is it possible to use the PW ?

found this link a DIY mod for 580EX so it could be used with pocket wizard without the hot shoe adapter.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157594332102266/#comment72157594337005618

:)

when you use wireles ATTL,E-TTL,I-TTL etc.. is useless b'cos when your flash was out of a distance to measure in the camera it wont give right exposure. you need manually the setting and I think this is more accurate setting. I don't own Nikon flash but I guest Nikon flash has PC connection and Canon which is I own doesn't have that connection. if your flash doesn't have that connection check this forum I made one for me http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=193908&highlight=kaiser
you won't regret to have pocket wizard! hope it will halp you.

Currently there is no Off shoe cord from nikon that can trigger slave flashes, SC-30 included, the SC-29 has a buit IR assist lamp, but its purose is similar to the red focusing lamp found on your flashes nothing more.

When a slave fails to fire, its often due to the slave sensor not seeing the commanders signal, a line of sight (bounce is also possible) is a must for these to work. Using a radio trigger no matter what brand, you must set your slave manually.

The SU-800 is not going to make things better, even probably worst, for one the power output is weaker than the SB800, so if your slaves are already not sensing a trigger from the SB800 then chances are it also wont sense the SU-800. THe SU-800 is designed to trigger the smaller ring flashes which are only inches away from the controller.

To use an SB600 as a slave in a radio set-up, you need to buy a hot-shoe to pc cord adapter for the flash then connect the PC cord to a radio receiver. Flash must be set to Manual mode, and you must turn off its sleep mode.

Ken

The SU-800 is not going to make things better, even probably worst, for one the power output is weaker than the SB800, so if your slaves are already not sensing a trigger from the SB800 then chances are it also wont sense the SU-800. THe SU-800 is designed to trigger the smaller ring flashes which are only inches away from the controller.

Ken,

I believe the SU-800 offers better range than the SB-800. It can control slaves up to 66 feet away according to Nikon. http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=4&productNr=4794

regards,

Ken,

I believe the SU-800 offers better range than the SB-800. It can control slaves up to 66 feet away according to Nikon. http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=4&productNr=4794

regards,

Nikon didn't give any specs on the SB800, but given the power of this flash it should be able to reach more than 66feet. You can also bounce it on the ceiling or a wall in case there is something between the camera and slave, which is not possible with the SU-800.

Nikon didn't give any specs on the SB800, but given the power of this flash it should be able to reach more than 66feet. You can also bounce it on the ceiling or a wall in case there is something between the camera and slave, which is not possible with the SU-800.
Actually, it is written on page 74 of the SB-800 manual.

"As a basic guide, the effective shooting distance between the master and remote flash units is approx. 10m (33 ft.)"

Pre-flash power is different from the actual flash power.

Not trying to start an argument, just stating the facts. :)

I stand corrected, but still having the option to bounce off something to reach the slaves seems to be a better option when in an event. Its hard to prevent something including the subject to stay clear of the commander and slave when using the SU800.

Marco, I also have a couple of SB800s and whenever I go on-loc to shoot. I bring lightstands with tilt/swivel heads. I mount all my SB800s on the lightstands barebulb, with stofens, umbrella or an Infladiffuser (available at http://echostore.echografika.com (http://echostore.echografika.com/)). With this setup, I have achieved the level of flexibility and control of my lighting system almost similar to how I work in my studio (with strobes).

By putting your SB800s/SB600s on lightstands, not only do you have flexibility and better control and ultimately usage with CLS. From your first post, I understand that you have placed your SB600s on the floor - which might be difficult to trigger when you have the dance floors packed with people. But by putting the flash heads on light stands, you can increase the height so that the heads can receive the signal from your commander or SB800 mounted on your cam's hot shoe.

Tip: Sometimes, by studying your environment and placing your remote SB800/600s strategically (on areas where light can bounce easily), your chances of triggering wirelessly is increased.

Alternately, I also bring a few Manfrotto Super Pro Clamps and Manfrotto magic arms, these just become indispensable tools when you have limited space.

With all these gears, it wouldn't definitely hurt if you have an assistant.

Cheers. Nikon CLS is really a gem... we just need time to experiment.