# cheap fill light solution



## jamiebonline (Apr 7, 2015)

Hi everyone

So I need a speedlight and trigger. Perhaps in the form of a kit. It needs to work with Nikon and Sony. I don't know much about triggering systems but I would like to be able to trigger the flash remotely. My local camera store sells pocket wizards but I don't know what they can trigger. I have a Nissin flash which is not great but I could afford a newer, better one. The shop doesn't supply Yongnuo, by the way. 

My budget is around 200 dollars equivalent. Should be enough for my needs. Maybe someone can explain the triggering system to me. I had one before, Yongnuo speedlight with one 'trigger' on the hotshoe and the other attached to the speedlight on a lightstand. I would like a similar set up but with the option of adding more lights.

Thanks a lot


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## Designer (Apr 7, 2015)

I think Pocket Wizards can trigger anything.  They're at the top price-wise, but probably have the best reputation.  Some less expensive brands are reported to work well also, but I have not tried any others.  

As of now, I own a Nikon SB-910 and a Flashpoint monolight.  Recently I used the monolight as the key light and my speedlight as fill.


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## FotosbyMike (Apr 7, 2015)

So if you want to mix your wireless triggers with Nikon and Sony I would suggest Pocket Wizard Plus III or the PW Plus X (x3) and then 2 of PW PC to hotshoe Amazon.com Cowboystudio PocketWizard Hot Shoe Cable Hotshoe To Pc Adapter For Canon Camera Photo to go from PW to flash.


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## tirediron (Apr 7, 2015)

Is on-line purchasing an option?  Yongnuo makes some really good "universal" triggers which will be a lot easier on your wallet than PWs.


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## waday (Apr 7, 2015)

tirediron said:


> Is on-line purchasing an option?  Yongnuo makes some really good "universal" triggers which will be a lot easier on your wallet than PWs.


Agree. I have 4 Yongnuo triggers, and they work well enough for my current needs. And at $30 for a set of 2, it's hard to beat.


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## jamiebonline (Apr 7, 2015)

waday said:


> tirediron said:
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> > Is on-line purchasing an option?  Yongnuo makes some really good "universal" triggers which will be a lot easier on your wallet than PWs.
> ...




Hi guys , 

Thanks. I have two working Yongnuo triggers actually. (The speedlight is broken). The triggers are YN622N triggers for Nikon. I just put my cheap Nissin speedlight Di466, into the system and it flashes when I press the test button but won't work when I press the shutter. I guess these triggers are limited. Or should they work with any speedlight (without the option of ittl) ?


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## waday (Apr 7, 2015)

jamiebonline said:


> waday said:
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The triggers have a transmitter setting and a receiver setting. Make sure the trigger on your camera is set to transmitter and the trigger on your flash is set to receiver. If I remember correctly, in the receiver setting, the flash will not trigger when you press the button on the flash trigger?


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## jamiebonline (Apr 7, 2015)

waday said:


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I got it working  Thanks! Now I wonder if it works with a Sony A6000. I am getting one soon. The Nissin speedlite seems very poor to me. Perhaps I should buy a better one. So the Yongnuo are universal. Meaning they can also trigger a Nikon SB flash?


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## waday (Apr 7, 2015)

jamiebonline said:


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I believe the Yongnuo are universal, although I could be wrong. I have a Canon flash, Yongnuo flash, and recently acquired an Aperlite flash. The triggers work with all of them.


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## jamiebonline (Apr 7, 2015)

waday said:


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I find it odd that the hotshoe accepts any kind of Yongnuo trigger even though it says they are for Nikon. So I suppose if the triggers work with a non-yongnuo flash they also work with a non-nikon camera. But aren't there some limitations this way? Or should all functions work?


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## waday (Apr 7, 2015)

jamiebonline said:


> I find it odd that the hotshoe accepts any kind of Yongnuo trigger even though it says they are for Nikon. So I suppose if the triggers work with a non-yongnuo flash they also work with a non-nikon camera. But aren't there some limitations this way? Or should all functions work?


There very well could be limitations, such as only shooting in manual mode?


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## jamiebonline (Apr 7, 2015)

waday said:


> jamiebonline said:
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> > I find it odd that the hotshoe accepts any kind of Yongnuo trigger even though it says they are for Nikon. So I suppose if the triggers work with a non-yongnuo flash they also work with a non-nikon camera. But aren't there some limitations this way? Or should all functions work?
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Actually ittl seems to work! I mean, when I change the shutter speed and aperture, the flash intensity changes. However, the recycle time seems to be terrible and sometimes when I take a picture only a thin line at the bottom part of the picture is illuminated, the rest is dark. Do you know this phenomenon? I reckon the triggers are fine but honestly I think the Nissin speedlight is kind of rubbish.


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## Derrel (Apr 7, 2015)

jamiebonline said:
			
		

> SNIP>>>> sometimes when I take a picture *only a thin line at the bottom part of the picture is illuminated, the rest is dark*. Do you know this phenomenon? I reckon the triggers are fine but honestly I think the Nissin speedlight is kind of rubbish.



That is usually a sign of too fast a shutter speed, meaning a speed well above the X-synch limit. On some cameras, the maximum X-synch speed is 1/160 second, so any faster speeds, like 1/250 or 1/320, will have a black band. So, definitely check and see how well ANY flash/trigger setup actually synchronizes, by starting out with a slow, definitely safe speed, like say 1/30 second, and then increasing the shutter speed, until you KNOW for sure where that flash and that trigger WILL synchronize perfectly with that camera.

Actual test sessions with flashes and triggers are almost a necessity; sometimes weird stuff happens, sometimes equipment one thinks is compatible with other equipment is not, and vice-versa as well.


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## jamiebonline (Apr 8, 2015)

Derrel said:


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my D7000 has option of 1/320. I want to shoot outdoors but it seems I need to have the f stop high in order to counteract the slower shutter speed. I would prefer a wider aperture cause it is portrait work. I suppose high speed synch but my flash doesn't seem to have it. Most ones should have I guess (?)


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## astroNikon (Apr 8, 2015)

1/320 is usually above the normal flash sync speed.
You should be fine at shutter 1/200 so you can be within the flash sync speed... depending upon what you are doing.


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## jamiebonline (Apr 8, 2015)

astroNikon said:


> 1/320 is usually above the normal flash sync speed.
> You should be fine at shutter 1/200 so you can be within the flash sync speed... depending upon what you are doing.



Yeah, but if I am shooting outdoors normally and on a bright day and using the flash as a fill light, I don't see how I can have something like 1.8 or 2.8 and 1/200. Wouldn't the image be totally overexposed?


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## Derrel (Apr 8, 2015)

Yes, the image would be very overexposed. If you want to shoot at wide apertures like f/1.8 or f/2 or even f/2.8 in bright, outdoor lighting conditions, then that is where it pays to have a body that can do high-speed synch, and also a single flash or multiple flashes, which are also high-speed synch capable. Otherwise....things are going to be very overexposed.


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## KmH (Apr 8, 2015)

Some of the inexpensive Chinese knockoff triggers can't sync above 1/160 or 1/200.

See pages 222 & 223 of the D7000 User's Manual for details about using 1/320 (Auto FP flash sync) as the shutter speed with flash and the various shooting modes.


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## TCampbell (Apr 15, 2015)

jamiebonline said:


> astroNikon said:
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At high shutter speeds only a portion of the sensor is exposed at any one time and the shutter doors "sweep" across the sensor so that ultimately every spot on the sensor receives the same amount of light (just not at the same time.)  This creates a problem for flash because only the exposed portion of the sensor gets the benefit of the flash in the very brief moment when the flash fires.

If a flash supports "high speed sync" (HSS) then it fires rapidly to create a near-continuous burst of light as the shutter operates so that all parts of the sensor get the benefit of light from the flash.  The trade-off is that it can't do a single full-power flash... it has to reserve enough energy to keep pulsing out light while the shutter operates.  This means the distance your flash can cover when HSS is enabled won't be as great as what it can handle when it's just doing a single flash of light.

Another alternative is to use neutral density filters.  This allows you to reduce the amount of available light from other sources (e.g. outdoor sunlight) so that you can reduce the shutter speed.  If you're shooting at 1/320th then even a single stop of neutral density filter would drop you down to 1/160th (within your camera's flash-sync speed.)   A polarizer has the side-effect of also cutting down on a lot of light.  So if you don't have a neutral density filter, but you do have a polarizer ... that would be another way to work around the problem.  (And if you don't own a polarizer... why not?  Everyone should have a polarizer in their bag.)


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