# White Lightning Ultra 1200???



## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

I have the chance to purchase one of these for $50. I have never used anything but my SB-600 flash. This is new territory for me, but a local photog, who is selling their studio, offered it to me. It seems to be in near perfect condition. Here are some pics... Advice? BigMike? Derrel?


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## MohaimenK (Nov 23, 2010)

Eric, WL are very good products. I own the 800 and couple 1600s
I am guessing these were probably replaced by the 1600 as I haven't seen the option to buy these on Paul C Buff's (same guy that makes Alien Bees)  website. Paying $50, is a steal for this! I would just check the normal functions to make sure its in working condition. The bulbs and flash tubes can be purchased from paul c buff's website.

Do you have any specific concerns about them Eric?


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## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

I guess no specific concern. These are older lights. I don't think they are in production anymore. Everything seems to work; modeling light, test function, optical slave, flash tube, power slider.


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## MohaimenK (Nov 23, 2010)

Oh, for $50 it's definitely worth the purchase Eric! You can find replacement parts (bulbs, fuses, etc) from PCB's website easily. How many do they have available? I'd try to get 3-4 if they had available. I'd definitely buy them if I were you.


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## tirediron (Nov 23, 2010)

At $50/each, as long as they test okay, I would buy as many as I could get my hands on.  Buff stuff is always at least decent or better.


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## Big Mike (Nov 23, 2010)

Go for it.


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## Derrel (Nov 23, 2010)

$50??? YES!

My buddy has a set of these...older, yet still working fine, after multiple tip-overs and "Ooops!-es".


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## MohaimenK (Nov 23, 2010)

tirediron said:


> At $50/each, as long as they test okay, I would buy as many as I could get my hands on.  Buff stuff is always at least decent or better.



My feelings EXACTLY! Hey if they have more than you need, hell I'll buy them off of them. Let me know shipping cost, I'll paypal you $$. I wouldn't mind having couple of them for backup :thumbup:


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## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

Thanks y'all. I actually think this was her last one, but I'll ask.


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## gsgary (Nov 23, 2010)

How can you o wrong for $50 you can't even have a good night out for that


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## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

So I was testing it out with my D90 using commander mode with the pop up flash. Setting was f5 at 125. I get nothing but a black screen. The flash is firing but no exposure.


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## MohaimenK (Nov 23, 2010)

huh?? That isn't the light. something must be up with the camera. hmm  do you have enough light? You may have to dial the light higher?


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## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

Still no. It's like the strobe is firing late. I took a picture of the actual flash while it was going off. It captures the modeling light but nothing else.


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## phiya (Nov 23, 2010)

I think it still might be worth it, even if the optical slave is firing late.  Can you try it with a cable or radio slave?


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## MohaimenK (Nov 23, 2010)

eric-holmes said:


> Still no. It's like the strobe is firing late. I took a picture of the actual flash while it was going off. It captures the modeling light but nothing else.



you tried to take a picture of the strobe firing??  

Do what Phiya said, try to use a cable. and not ur flash. Can you take a picture of something w/ the flash pointed toward it? Like use it on someone and take a shot and show us.


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## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

So it is possible for the slave to fire late?


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## phiya (Nov 23, 2010)

I think it is possible.  I couldn't tell you exactly what's happening, but I don't see why it couldn't be possible.  If you want to find out if it is start slowing down your shutter speed until you get flash from the strobe in the shot.  Start at 1/200 and keep taking shots until you see the strobe light.  You'll probably get a black bar on the first shot you get some light in it from.  That'll give you some sort of an idea to whether or not it is firing late, and how late it is firing.


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## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

Ok, I focused on the strobe in this picture. I took the picture and the flash fired (because I am still seeing spots) and yet the camera did not record the flash.

EXIF
Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D90
Image Date: 2010:11:23 17:41:21
Focal Length: 48.0mm (35mm equivalent: 72mm)
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
ISO equiv: 200
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Spot
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: Yes (Manual, return light not detected)
Color Space: sRGB


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## MohaimenK (Nov 23, 2010)

Eric, I'm lost, why are you trying to take a picture of the strobe itself??


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## Derrel (Nov 23, 2010)

You need to set the flash control to a MANUAL control level...say 1/16 power, MANUAL. That will cancel the pre-flash....the WL 1200 is sensing the pre-flash, and firing when the shutter is NOT open...

You do not want to fire a studio monolight using the camera as a commander....what you need is manual flash...the WL was developed years before the current Nikon multi-flash control protocols,and uses a simple, old-technology optical slave based purely on light from a simple "dumb" flash control protocol.


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## eric-holmes (Nov 23, 2010)

Bingo, Derrel! Thanks man.


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## KmH (Nov 23, 2010)

Or put another way. White Lightnings don't speak Nikon (CLS).

Only the Nikon SB-R200, SB-600, SB-700, SB-800 and SB-900, speedlights function with a Nikon camera set to CLS Commander mode. Pages 234- 235, D90 Users Manual.


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