# determine zoom setting for Nikon SB-600 speedlight?



## nikonusersince2007 (Jan 6, 2012)

Can someone please explain what the SB-600 manual means regarding setting the "zoom" length?

For a 50mm lens do I understand the manual correctly that I set the zoom value at 60mm on the SB-600?

What zoom length would I set for a lens that is a zoom lens?  I have the following zoom lenses: 18-200mm and 70-300mm and 18-55mm?

*What is the purpose of setting the zoom number on the SB-600?

Thanks


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## 480sparky (Jan 6, 2012)

Push the Zoom button until there's no M over the word ZOOM in the lower left of the display.  Now, you camera will tell the flash what focal length you're set at, and the flash will set itself.


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## KmH (Jan 6, 2012)

For a 50 mm lens on a 1.5x crop body camera like the D80, you would set the zoom to....75 mm (50 mm x 1.5 crop factor= 75 mm).

The zoom tailors the shape of the beam of light projected from the SB-600 to the lens focal length.

The field of view (FOV) a 35 mm lens has is wider than the FOV an 85 mm lens has. So the beam of light the SB-600 projetcs has to be wider for a 35 mm lens than it does for an 85 mm lens. Consequently, when the lens focal length is 85 mm, the beam of light projected by the SB-600 is much tighter/narrower/zoomed than the beam of light projected for a 35 mm lens.

FWIW (for what it''s worth) the SB-600 has a max zoom of 85 mm, so using a lens focal length greater than 85 mm is problematic. 

The SB-800 can zoom to 105 mm and the SB-900/910 can zoom to 200 mm.

Note, the SB-600 has a special diffuser lens that has to be pulled out and lowered to use short focal lengths like 18 mm.


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## nikonusersince2007 (Jan 9, 2012)

FWIW (for what it''s worth) the SB-600 has a max zoom of 85 mm, so using a lens focal length greater than 85 mm is problematic. So I cannot use my 18-200 lens zoomed at any value over 85mm like 200mm-it would not work...?-What type of problem would it cause?
Up to what short focal length value 18-? does the special diffuser lens need to be pulled down?...Do I need to pull it down for my 50mm lens?
Thanks.  I find this information very helpful.  Just need a bit more clearification.





KmH said:


> For a 50 mm lens on a 1.5x crop body camera like the D80, you would set the zoom to....75 mm (50 mm x 1.5 crop factor= 75 mm).
> 
> The zoom tailors the shape of the beam of light projected from the SB-600 to the lens focal length.
> 
> ...


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## PhillOS (Jan 9, 2012)

You can use the flash with any lens.. just dont expect the flash to illuminate your subject, if your subject is further away from the flash than it's maximum reach..


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## nikonusersince2007 (Jan 9, 2012)

Do I need to use the pull out diffuser on a prime 50mm lens?





PhillOS said:


> You can use the flash with any lens.. just dont expect the flash to illuminate your subject, if your subject is further away from the flash than it's maximum reach..


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## 480sparky (Jan 9, 2012)

nikonusersince2007 said:


> Do I need to use the pull out diffuser on a prime 50mm lens?



No.


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## KmH (Jan 9, 2012)

480sparky said:


> nikonusersince2007 said:
> 
> 
> > Do I need to use the pull out diffuser on a prime 50mm lens?
> ...


But, you can if you want to.

RTFM!


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