The Nikon Speedlight is a fast hot shoe mounted flash gun. Each Speedlight is designed to work using through the lens flash metering, which allows the combined camera data and flash settings to compute the correct flash head settings and flash burst duration needed for a proper exposure without the need for complex calculations by the photographer. Using a Nikon Speedlight is designed to be both simple and fast, allowing the photographer to continue on with shooting.
Instructions
1. Prepare your Speedlight. Open the battery compartment located on the side of the flash head. For the SB-400, SB-600, SB-800 and SB-900 models, this compartment is located on the right-hand side of the flash head. Each of these flashes takes standard AA batteries. Insert the batteries as directed into the flash head and close the battery compartment door.
2. Test your Speedlight. Press the "Power" button located on the back of the flash unit on the SB-600 and SB-800. On the SB-900, set the power switch to "On." Point the flash head away from the eyes and press the "Flash" button located near the power button or switch. This will cause the unit to fire a test flash. Fire a test, then turn off the unit. SB-400 units do not have a flash test button.
3. Attach the flash to the hot shoe mount on the camera (with the camera power off). The SB-600, SB-800 and SB-900 may be triggered wirelessly as "slave" flashes. Set any slave flashes located in the shoot area. Make sure that it is in a position to be able to read the pre-flashes or infrared trigger from the master flash unit.
4. Power on the camera, then turn on the flashes. Set any slave flashes to slave mode through the menu commands by holding "ZOOM" and "-" to enter the CSM menu. On the SB-900, simply set the power dial to "Remote."
5. Select your flash head settings. Through The Lens (TTL) metering comes in several varieties, and these will vary in availability depending upon the camera body being used. The two basic varieties are TTL and manual modes. They can be accessed on each unit by pressing the "MODE" button. Metering with a TTL mode will ignore ambient light and calculate flash burst duration, sync speed and flash head distance based on camera data; manual modes require the photographer to set the flash head distance, sync speed and flash burst duration.
6. Fire a test using the "flash" button, if necessary. The master flash should fire, along with any slave strobes being used.
Tags: flash head, burst duration, flash burst, flash burst duration, flashes slave
