# Radio Triggers - D90 & SB-700



## rgribbons

I have started to mess around with off camera flash but I don't like using the onboard flash to trigger the SB-700. While cable connection may be cheaper I'm thinking it may be a pain in the ass hence my thoughts have turned to radio triggers.

Is anyone using this combination and if so what triggers do you use. i want something fairly straight forward to use without costing an arm and a leg.


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## cgipson1

rgribbons said:


> I have started to mess around with off camera flash but I don't like using the onboard flash to trigger the SB-700. While cable connection may be cheaper I'm thinking it may be a pain in the ass hence my thoughts have turned to radio triggers.
> 
> Is anyone using this combination and if so what triggers do you use. i want something fairly straight forward to use without costing an arm and a leg.



Pocket Wizards are probably the best.. but aren't cheap! There are several threads on here ( a lot of them actually) on this issue... a quick search gives:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/lighting-hardware/259817-whats-good-cheap-wireless-system-flashes.html
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/lighting-hardware/263606-question-regarding-radio-slaves.html
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...confused-wireless-not.html?highlight=wireless
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...244451-cheap-triggers.html?highlight=wireless

and there are a lot more than that!


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## KmH

rgribbons said:


> I have started to mess around with off camera flash but I don't like using the onboard flash to trigger the SB-700. While cable connection may be cheaper I'm thinking it may be a pain in the ass hence my thoughts have turned to radio triggers.
> 
> Is anyone using this combination and if so what triggers do you use. i want something fairly straight forward to use without costing an arm and a leg.


TTL functionality, or you be the boss - manual mode?


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## jwbryson1

I have the D90 and the SB-700.  I also just got 2 of these through Amazon for X-mas:

Amazon.com: Yongnuo YN-560 Speedlight Flash for Canon and Nikon: Camera & Photo

I wanted a radio slave to trigger them.  The PW's are TOO damn expensive so I opted instead for these:

Amazon.com: CowboyStudio NPT-04, 4 Channel Wireless Hot Shoe Flash Trigger Receiver: Electronics

I got one transmitter and 3 receivers "all in" for about $80.  It's ALL manual, mind you, so you lose the ability to adjust the SB-700 through the D90's custom settings menu, but hell, I've only spent $80.  That's cheap!

I got all of the speedlights (SB-700 and the YN 560s) to trigger with these and this weekend I plan to shoot them all at the same time to see how I do with 3 speedlights.  I will post pics here.

So, I guess the lesson is that you can spend just a little bit of $$$ and get something that will "work" but no bells and whistles, or you can drop a TON on PW's (same set up with PW's would have cost about $700+), and get the bells and whistles.  Until such time as I've "outgrown" the Cowboy units, I'll stick with cheap.  If I get good enough and need the flexibility of the PW's, then I'll consider making the upgrade.

Hope that helps.


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## mjhoward

I like my yongnuo's.  Havn't had a sync problem at 1/250s yet!


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## D-B-J

I love my SU800-- but that is not radio.  I will one day spend the money and get radio-poppers.


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## jwbryson1

I was also eyeballing these which are not as expensive as the PW's but cost more than the Cowboy units:

Impact PowerSync16 DC Radio Slave System POWERSYNC16D B&H Photo


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## rgribbons

KmH said:


> rgribbons said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have started to mess around with off camera flash but I don't like using the onboard flash to trigger the SB-700. While cable connection may be cheaper I'm thinking it may be a pain in the ass hence my thoughts have turned to radio triggers.
> 
> Is anyone using this combination and if so what triggers do you use. i want something fairly straight forward to use without costing an arm and a leg.
> 
> 
> 
> TTL functionality, or you be the boss - manual mode?
Click to expand...



I would like TTL functionality if possible just to keep things simple until I get more comfortable.


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## KmH

That's just it. TTL is far from simple. It's quite a bit more complex than just using manual modes.

TTL does a lot of guesssing because it's has no clue what you are shooting, nor what your artistic goals are. It's just a not all that sophisticated software program that fires a couple of pre-flashes so the camea can mesure how much light gets reflected back. The software doesn't know if the reflected light came from a persons face, a tree, a park bench, a car, a forest, or clothes hung on an outside clothes line.

Consequently TTL flash has issues with consistancy.


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## rgribbons

That's a good point & well explained. As I said I am starting to explore this area and hadn't thought about it in that view. With that in mind would I be as well to go with something like the yongnuo s and mess around with different settings to learn what works or doesn't?

Anythign else i need to be aware of when buying these?


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## kylehess10

jwbryson1 said:


> I wanted a radio slave to trigger them.  The PW's are TOO damn expensive so I opted instead for these:
> 
> Amazon.com: CowboyStudio NPT-04, 4 Channel Wireless Hot Shoe Flash Trigger Receiver: Electronics




I use this exact type which I purchased from Cowboy Studio and I highly recommend them. I use a second one to set off 2 SB600's and they've never failed on me. It was a great start for my work with off-camera flash, and I plan on using them for a long time to come.


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## jane_530

As I knew that there a kind of High Speed Sync Radio Trigger for Studio flash, off camera Falsh and camera flash for sale. Competitive price, high quality. Brand: OJECOCO. Model: H550.


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## kassad

kylehess10 said:


> jwbryson1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted a radio slave to trigger them.  The PW's are TOO damn expensive so I opted instead for these:
> 
> Amazon.com: CowboyStudio NPT-04, 4 Channel Wireless Hot Shoe Flash Trigger Receiver: Electronics
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I use this exact type which I purchased from Cowboy Studio and I highly recommend them. I use a second one to set off 2 SB600's and they've never failed on me. It was a great start for my work with off-camera flash, and I plan on using them for a long time to come.
Click to expand...


I'm also using the NPT-04 from cowboy studio.  I'm happy with them.  The only issue I have had is the sync speed drops when with I don't use fresh batteries.   No the problem of the triggers,  I just need to remember to turn them off when done.


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## 2WheelPhoto

Pocketwizards and manual mode.  Achieve shutter sync speeds up to 1/8000th without TTL gimmicks such as firing a strobe many times at reduced power and horrid battery life.

Triggers are like any thing else, you get what you pay for.


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## kassad

2WheelPhoto said:


> Pocketwizards and manual mode.  Achieve shutter sync speeds up to 1/8000th without TTL gimmicks such as firing a strobe many times at reduced power and horrid battery life.
> 
> Triggers are like any thing else, you get what you pay for.



Am I correct in understanding that the "HyperSync" is only available in the Flex and Mini models.    It looks like the PW II,  PW III, and Multimax are all limited to the camera sync speed.    If the Hypersync feature is available in the new PW III's I would consider getting them.


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## 2WheelPhoto

kassad said:


> 2WheelPhoto said:
> 
> 
> 
> Pocketwizards and manual mode.  Achieve shutter sync speeds up to 1/8000th without TTL gimmicks such as firing a strobe many times at reduced power and horrid battery life.
> 
> Triggers are like any thing else, you get what you pay for.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Am I correct in understanding that the "HyperSync" is only available in the Flex and Mini models.    It looks like the PW II,  PW III, and Multimax are all limited to the camera sync speed.    If the Hypersync feature is available in the new PW III's I would consider getting them.
Click to expand...


Partially right.  a TT1 or TT5 on the camera will drive a million PWIIs and such.

A tiny inexpensive TT1 on the body of my D700 drives all my PWIIs with hypersync and works great, simple to set up. You simply "calibrate" or "offset"  the TT1's timing with camera shutter actuation  for triggering remotes PWIIs.


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## skinnyboy_74

I woulda loved pocket wizards but they definitely cost an arm and a leg! after some research I settled on "Phottix Stratos" - I found there store online and got a transmitter and two receivers for just over 100$. So far, so good!


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## Balmiesgirl

Like others have said.... U get what u pay for! I have tried lots of cheap fixes over the years.... I could have bought a lot of pocket wizards for the $ I spent on all of those "duds". I now use radio poppers or a su800..... And they work nicely but they still weren't cheap (about 240 for my set of poppers and 300 for the su800)


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## Buckster

KmH said:


> That's just it. TTL is far from simple. It's quite a bit more complex than just using manual modes.
> 
> TTL does a lot of guesssing because it's has no clue what you are shooting, nor what your artistic goals are. It's just a not all that sophisticated software program that fires a couple of pre-flashes so the camea can mesure how much light gets reflected back. The software doesn't know if the reflected light came from a persons face, a tree, a park bench, a car, a forest, or clothes hung on an outside clothes line.
> 
> Consequently TTL flash has issues with consistancy.


I notice you run this same line whenever it comes up, so I thought I'd just chime in...

I have both Radio Poppers with TTL capability plus a few just for my studio strobes without, and half a dozen cheap ($30 per pair) Yongnuos without any TTL capability at all.

These days, I do almost all my shooting with just my speedlites (up to 4 of them), and I usually just use the Yongnuo triggers with them.  I use them because they're easy to set up (just connect them and turn them on) and they get the job done in manual just fine.  I'm comfortable with taking the time and making the effort to manually dial my lights to where I need them in most situations I shoot, which is more of a static setup studio environment, so I already have a good idea where to start, having set them up so often.  So, I'm kind of with you on the whole TTL being unnecessary, for the most part.  I rarely, if ever, have any real desire to shoot in TTL.

However, there are situations where I really do like to have my TTL, and it usually comes down to getting out of my studio comfort zone.  When I'm out in the field bug-hunting with my macro gear, for instance, I use TTL: Buck's Field Macro Setup With Example.  When I'm running around a kid's birthday party doing snapshots I still get the flash off camera with a stroboframe or stretched out to arms' length with my left hand or whatever else I come up with, but also still use TTL.  In fact, pretty much anytime I get off my tripod and get my flash(es) off their normal stands, I go into TTL because it takes a LOT of my guesswork out of the equation when my distance to subject is constantly changing and my light is changing, and all the rest of it.  When the situation is very fluid and dynamic like that, TTL gives me one less thing to deal with so I can concentrate on compositions and trying to capture the moments in a run and gun.

I'm also a big fan of Joe McNally.  I've read all his books, have several of his DVDs, subscribe to his blog, and just love the examples and setups he uses.  I went to the FlashBus roadshow tour (caught it in Atlanta), and loved every minute of it.  He shoots a LOT of TTL in a LOT of interesting situations.

In all of my TTL shooting, and the TTL shooting I've seen from McNally's examples, including the stuff that went on during the FlashBus tour, I've never had or seen the kind of trouble and problems you keep referring to when you talk about TTL in these threads, working to dissuade people from getting and using that feature.  Never.  Ever.

It's true that there are times when I've decided to dial it up or down a notch and reshoot, but that's the case with manual a LOT more than it's been with TTL, in my experience.  And even then, it's usually close enough that the first shot can be used, since I shoot in RAW and have the latitude to deal with it, and it's not that far off.  It's just a perception issue when I chimp the shot on the back of the camera that causes me to rethink it.

So, I'm speaking from experience and from seeing the results of some pretty successful TTL shooters like McNally who use TTL extensively:  It's not the bad or difficult or hard to control thing you tend to make it out to be.  It's not the wild, wild West of flash, just doing whatever it wants, lighting wildly off, either too much or too little, like it's completely stupid, the way you portray it to be.  It just isn't like that at all.  In fact, it's just the opposite.  It mostly just plain works and does a really nice job with little intervention at all.  

What experience are you speaking from?  Have you used Radio Poppers or Pocket Wizards with TTL and ratios?  Have you used a commander with ratios when controlling multiple TTL flashes or groups of flashes?  When's the last time you used TTL with one or more speedlights and really had a problem with it, such as those you describe to others?  Or are you speaking from a theoretical perspective, based on what you think it's like?

Bottom line: Based on my own experience with TTL and what I've seen from others who use TTL, your testimony about TTL doesn't ring true to me.


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