SB800 problem when Master in CLS setup

[PB&J photography]

Is it set for TTL and perhaps doesn't need much light from the main?

[larry_angier]

I've had this happen to me, too.

Check the Commander TTL mode (e3Built in flash) and also check your built-in flash controller. It seems to me these two settings will affect the settings on your SB 800. Make sure it is set to regular TTL mode.

Check the flash controller for the built-in flash (press the flash button on the left side of the camera and rotate the sub-command dial back to 0, +.3, etc. If it is sel to - something for fill, it may also affect your SB 800.

On the SB 800, also check the "M" setting for master and make sure it is set to TTL, since it can be set to several modes, including just master, no flash, to control the remote flashes.

If this doesn't work, try calling Nikon on their 800 number and hopefully save yourself the hassles of taking your stuff out of service.

HTH,

[Greg_Halinda]

Sebastian, I use 2500 or 2650 mAh AA batteries, rechargeable NimH type, in a set of four. What type did you have problems with?

I don't believe my SB800's tube is shot, but I'm suspecting non-D lenses just don't give the flash the information to make the TTL exposure correctly. I'm typically getting the right 25 per cent of the histogram empty with non-D lenses, and no such problem with my AF-S (does that imply "D" or distance information communicated to the flash metering system?) zoom VR 24-120 mm (except when I zoom out to greater than 70mm, when I seem to always need +0.7 or +1.0 flash compensation). This applies whether in a CLS setup with SB800 as Master, or with the SB800 on top of the camera in straight TTL mode!

[Greg_Halinda]

Larry, I have been leaving my e3 menu in "--" setting, as when I occasionally use the built-in flash as a commander, I don't want it to register in the photograph, although sometimes even its preflashes/control flashes still appear as a distinct hotspot on a reflective surface. One thing Nikon Tech Support advised was to set the SB800 to TTL and not TTL-BL mode...which isn't an option anyway in its Master configuration.

I'll be sure to do a test with both the e3 flash set to TTL, and the SB800 set to straight TTL, even when it seems redundant in an SB800 Master CLS setup, and post the results when I've got 'em.

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