Comments on: Off camera flash with the D300 http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/ open source, technology, high tech toys and the communities around them Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:28:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Noah http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/comment-page-1/#comment-18620 Noah Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:54:44 +0000 http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/#comment-18620 Aymi: to "null out" the built in flash, use D300 control E3, which is the one you use to enable the off-camera "creative lighting system" in the first place. When you activate that control and select "Commander mode", you'll get a menu that looks like: Built in Flash TTL 0 Group A TTL 0 Group B TTL 0 Channel 1 CH Change the mode of the built in flash to "--", so it reads: Built in Flash -- 0 Group A TTL 0 Group B TTL 0 Channel 1 CH That's it. The built in flash will still do the control blinks, but won't do a bright flash while the shutter is open, and so will contribute little or nothing (not sure which) to the exposure. As others have noted, if that control flash is bothering your portrait subjects, you can get a little "blocker" from Nikon that hangs over it. I don't have that and haven't tried it. Good luck! Noah Aymi: to “null out” the built in flash, use D300 control E3, which is the one you use to enable the off-camera “creative lighting system” in the first place. When you activate that control and select “Commander mode”, you’ll get a menu that looks like:

Built in Flash TTL 0
Group A TTL 0
Group B TTL 0
Channel 1 CH

Change the mode of the built in flash to “–”, so it reads:

Built in Flash — 0
Group A TTL 0
Group B TTL 0
Channel 1 CH

That’s it. The built in flash will still do the control blinks, but won’t do a bright flash while the shutter is open, and so will contribute little or nothing (not sure which) to the exposure.

As others have noted, if that control flash is bothering your portrait subjects, you can get a little “blocker” from Nikon that hangs over it. I don’t have that and haven’t tried it. Good luck!

Noah

]]> By: Anders http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/comment-page-1/#comment-2549 Anders Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:20:19 +0000 http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/#comment-2549 Nikon produces the sg3-ir filter. You put in in the hotshoe, and it covers the flash, only letting the infrared signal through. This way you trigger the external flash, avoiding the "tiny point of light" mentioned by David Chin. The biult-in flash need never be part of the picture. Allso, with zero illumination (the -- choice in the flashmenu, makes for less batteryconsumption. Nikon produces the sg3-ir filter.
You put in in the hotshoe, and it covers the flash, only letting the infrared signal through.
This way you trigger the external flash, avoiding the “tiny point of light” mentioned by David Chin.
The biult-in flash need never be part of the picture.
Allso, with zero illumination (the — choice in the flashmenu, makes for less batteryconsumption.

]]> By: Aymi http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/comment-page-1/#comment-2352 Aymi Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:52:24 +0000 http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/#comment-2352 Which menu setting is it that lets you zero out illumination from the built in flash David? Cheers, Aymi :) Which menu setting is it that lets you zero out illumination from the built in flash David?

Cheers,

Aymi :)

]]> By: David Chin http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/comment-page-1/#comment-2287 David Chin Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:28:24 +0000 http://www.hohndel.org/communitymatters/photography/off-camera-flash-with-the-d300/#comment-2287 There's a menu setting on the D300 to totally zero out illumination from the internal flash when shooting CLS. With this option, you'd still see a tiny point of light if you're shooting shiny objects at close distances, but for most other kind of photography, the light contribution from the popup flash is negligible. You've probably tried this, but if you shoot in JPEG or 12-bit RAW, the "chatter" between the internal and external flash is very, very quick, so there shouldn't be a noticeable lag Shooting in 14-bit RAW results in a longer delay. There’s a menu setting on the D300 to totally zero out illumination from the internal flash when shooting CLS.

With this option, you’d still see a tiny point of light if you’re shooting shiny objects at close distances, but for most other kind of photography, the light contribution from the popup flash is negligible.

You’ve probably tried this, but if you shoot in JPEG or 12-bit RAW, the “chatter” between the internal and external flash is very, very quick, so there shouldn’t be a noticeable lag Shooting in 14-bit RAW results in a longer delay.

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