Sorry for the repeat post, asked this in the lighting forum with no response a few days ago:
I'm increasingly impressed with the SB800 on my D2H and am thinking of putting together a wireless system. It seems to me that the minimum system that would be worthwhile would be three SB800s, one as a controller and two as lights. If anyone's doing this I have a couple of questions.
Is the power output adequate for editorial portraits and small groups? How easy/quick is it to set up? Finally, is it a reliable system over a resonable range in the real world? If I understand correctly, communication is via preflash rather than radio or infra-red, so can I hide one of the units in say, a doorway or behind an object and still expect it to fire or must the units be in line of sight of the master?
Thanks in advance
Tom
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I bought a d70 as a backup for my d1x and have loved its wireless flash capabilities! I have 2 sb-800's and use one on camera and one on a stand bounced into an umbrella. It works very well for me.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I have been thinking about doing the same thing... I have shot weddings in the pass, and now I'm recondisering it. If I were to get back into shooting weddings, I thought about a 3 flash lighting system.
Let me know what happens if you do it.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
The power output is enough for small to even medium sized groups, especially if you using more than one SB800 together. We typically use two for most of our reception work, with one being on camera (all shot on D2H) and one being on a stick for fill, creative, and side lighting.
The SB800s are easy to set up quickly, and even easier to adjust the power output for both remote(s) and master from the master unit. You can set them up in groups even and control them all via the master unit, making it very easy to place your remote and not have to move around to adjust them manually.
Firing reliability compared to radio based devices like a Pocket Wizard set up is not as good. It is line of sight for the most part, and from my experience, it seems that since the sensor is on one side (left side if facing the SB800) of the flash unit, we typically run into problems with reliability on how often it fires. Small variances in how the remote is facing makes all the difference. It seems to be hit and miss with obstructions and immovable objects as well, depending on whether or not the signals from the master can reach the remote. Around walls is not going to happen.
For us, we move around quite a bit, and very quickly. So some of the limitations I've noticed may be that the technology just isn't suited for my type of work. You may have more luck with stable environments, calculated shoots, and time to get your lighting right. But, in the heat of the moment and in a photojournalistic sense, they seem to work 75% of the time correctly (once you'd dialed in the trial and error mistakes on the user end). I am still considering pocket wizards for my work, but I also have more faith in my gear now since I've learned how NOT to use it in my work.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
That's helpful. I have a pocket wizard system and reliability, indoors, outdoors is near 100%. The only place I've ever found they wouldn't work was on the roof of a police station around the radio masts! Performance of the SB800 wireless system outdoors had been a concern and I do like to place lights out of sight. I remember once setting up a light in the subject's garden, bouncing the flash off the wall of the neighbour's house, which was painted white, and shooting the portrait in the kitchen by the window light I'd created, All triggered by pocket wizards.
I think my next step will be to hire another SB800 and make a few tests on range and reliability.
Regards
Tom
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
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