Nikon D200 flash overheat shutdown

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

09/19/2006 11:06:49 AM · #1

I used my D200 for the first time with the flash set to 1/32 manual to trigger my strobes. I was photographing a model and so was taking pics at a relatively rapid rate. After a while the flash ready light would go out and the shutter would be disabled for several seconds. The ready light would then come back on and I could take a few more pics before the ready light went out again.

Iâ��m assuming that it was the overheat cutout activating. It seems unlikely that it was just charging as the batteries were near full charge and it was set to just 1/32 power. It seems odd that the over-heat should cut in at just 1/32 power after about 20 shots at a rate of about one shot every 2-3 seconds. My D70 never went into over-heat cut out when used in the same way, it only ever did it when the flash power was turned well up, which is understandable.

Has anyone else noticed this? If this is normal I guess Iâ��ll have to come up with a radio trigger â�� I hate wires!

Thanks, Mike

Message edited by author 2006-09-19 11:09:37.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

09/19/2006 11:36:11 AM · #2

I'm guessing, but I don't think it's overheat. You're probably shooting faster than it can fully recycle, so eventually you get below firing voltage.
I could certainly be wrong, but I think this scenario is more likely than thermal cutout, which I think would take longer to recover from.

ralph

Nikon Z9

09/19/2006 11:41:23 AM · #3

another thought .. are you sure you haven't over filled the buffer ? (& get the [R00] when the shutter is half depressed ? )

Bugzeye

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

09/19/2006 11:41:33 AM · #4

I had the same thing happen yesterday, I thought it was do to the batteries going down. I was using the onboard to trip my speedlights. I normally have a speed light on the camera when I need flash so I have never noticed this til now. To me it seemed like the camera was taking a long time to process the shots. Which it shouldn't have because I was using a fast shutter speed and the photos were very bright and not very detailed .

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

09/19/2006 11:52:21 AM · #5

Definitely not the buffer, that was what I thought at first. The buffer reads ok but the flash ready light goes out, as soon as the ready light come back on itâ��ll shoot again. It could be that it is just charging but I donâ��t think so. It takes too long to come back to life (15-60 seconds) and at only one shot every 2-3 seconds and 1/32 power I would have thought it would be able to keep the charge up.

Interesting that you noticed the same thing Bugzeye, perhaps itâ��s just the way the D200 is. I find it odd because my D70 never had a problem and the lowest power setting on that was higher at 1/16.

Any other D200 users notice this? I may contact Nikon about it as it is most irritating and doesnâ��t seem right to me.

Message edited by author 2006-09-19 11:54:23.

ralph

Nikon Z9

09/19/2006 11:55:44 AM · #6

nah - usually shoot teathered or withthe sb800 on top /
ia am curious though ..

hyperfocal

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 105mm f/2.5 AIS

09/19/2006 01:02:26 PM · #7

I haven't tried it cause, like so many D200 owners I have only the battery that came with the camera since production obviously couldn't keep up with demand (come on Nikon).

My suggestion would be to pick up a SB-30. No i-TTL but it is much cheaper than a wireless trigger system, also useful as an ordinary flash (especially macro), and it is so light you won't notice it on the hefy D200. It has a built-in IR panel so there would be no visible effect on the resulting image, it has a slave (non-TTL) so it makes a great background/hairlight.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

09/19/2006 01:07:02 PM · #8

Eh... 15-60 seconds *is* too long for just recharging, so perhaps it is thermal cutout. Hmmm.

09/19/2006 01:21:26 PM · #9

I just tried a comparison between my D70 and D200. I set them both to small basic jpeg so as not to fill the buffers. Both on manual flash, the D70 at 1/16 and the D200 at 1/32 as the flash on the D200 is slightly more powerful to start with. I then fired them together at two-second intervals.

The D200 stopped responding with the flash ready light out after 18 shots. The D70 continued until 24 shots. The D200 came back to life after 8 seconds allowed 2 or 3 more shots then stopped again for 5 seconds. The D70 did exactly the same except it allowed 24 shots to begin with.
Not a lot of difference really. The D70 was on a higher power fraction setting but has a lower power flash. I did not experience any really long delays as I seemed to be having before. Iâ��m now wonder if it was just my frustration that was making it seem so long. I now think kirbic may be right and itâ��s just that the capacitors are getting below firing voltage and Iâ��m having to wait for it to recharge. The delay seemed a lot longer when I was doing real shots. I guess Iâ��ll have to make better observations next time I encounter the problem in real shooting. I was probably working a little faster with the D200 than I did with the D70 too.