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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Nikon D70 and studio lighting
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 07/07/2005 01:42:15 PM · #1
I recently invested in studio lights. I have 4 lights total, 2 strobe and 2 continuous. I don't have a PC outlet on my camera, and I was wondering which is better to get (since I have 2 that need to be plugged into the camera) Is a wireless slave or a hot shoe adapter better? I seen that with the hot shoe adapter, I can only plug one light into the camera... how do you plug more than one in? But with the wireless... I am going to be spending $40 per set, and I would need 2 - right?

So which is the best route, and how do I hook up 2 strobes to the camera?

Thanks again for all your help,
Lorrie
 07/07/2005 02:25:42 PM · #2
Lorrie,

I don't know what kind of lights you have, and even if I did I probably couldn't help your more. I have 3 Alien Bees and they trip from seeing another flash or from a input such as a PC outlet or hot shoe. As you already know D70=no PC outlet so I have a hot shoe which I connect to one of the lights and the rest trip upon seeing the flash.
 07/07/2005 02:46:55 PM · #3
Originally posted by jrtodd:
Lorrie,

I don't know what kind of lights you have, and even if I did I probably couldn't help your more. I have 3 Alien Bees and they trip from seeing another flash or from a input such as a PC outlet or hot shoe. As you already know D70=no PC outlet so I have a hot shoe which I connect to one of the lights and the rest trip upon seeing the flash.


I don't have bees yet.... I bought Yinyan lights for now. I don't know if they do the same as the bees or not.
 07/07/2005 02:51:07 PM · #4
your Camera as a PCsync outlet, you just need to get yourself:

A: a pc sync cord (25' or more) to signal your first flash to trigger...and set your second flash to "optical" so that when it sees the flash it will trigger

B: a wireless trigger system such as POCKET WIZARD from seconik or something more affordable like the one from NADEL.ca it's a little gizmo you put in your hotshoe that sends a signal to a receive that you've plud into your PCsync receptacle on your flash.

of course because your mixing hotlights and flash...you will have all sorts of issues with WB (unless you put Gels on your hotlighs Tungsen to daylight) and you will eventualy need a light meter.
 07/07/2005 06:13:32 PM · #5
Originally posted by Gil P:
your Camera as a PCsync outlet, you just need to get yourself:

A: a pc sync cord (25' or more) to signal your first flash to trigger...and set your second flash to "optical" so that when it sees the flash it will trigger

B: a wireless trigger system such as POCKET WIZARD from seconik or something more affordable like the one from NADEL.ca it's a little gizmo you put in your hotshoe that sends a signal to a receive that you've plud into your PCsync receptacle on your flash.

of course because your mixing hotlights and flash...you will have all sorts of issues with WB (unless you put Gels on your hotlighs Tungsen to daylight) and you will eventualy need a light meter.


Which do you prefer? wired or wireless?
 07/07/2005 06:19:33 PM · #6
I use two Britek strobes. Only one plugs into the adapter on the camera. Both strobes go off at once.
 07/07/2005 08:41:19 PM · #7
Pocket wizzards are nice too ;)
 07/07/2005 08:48:12 PM · #8
I have the $15 nikon hot shoe adapter (with alien bees I can sync up to 1/8000 second with the cable). When I fire with multiple alien bees I connect only one and let the built-in slave handle the other light. Alternatively I'll manualy set the flash output on the D70 to 1/16 power and not use a sync cable at all. At 1/16 the two alien bees completely over power the onboard flash (does effect exposure) and I can still sync at 1/500.
 07/07/2005 08:50:05 PM · #9
wireless triggering is obviously the BEST choice, I could not imagine being stuck with a cable... in fact, I even use wifi file transfers.

There are cheap wireless triggers available now (around 100$ cdn) and the best one, PocketWizard, is about 500$cdn.. the cheap ones work very well and will be well worth the investment.
 07/07/2005 08:52:02 PM · #10
Originally posted by rkfoote:
I have the $15 nikon hot shoe adapter (with alien bees I can sync up to 1/8000 second with the cable). When I fire with multiple alien bees I connect only one and let the built-in slave handle the other light. Alternatively I'll manualy set the flash output on the D70 to 1/16 power and not use a sync cable at all. At 1/16 the two alien bees completely over power the onboard flash (does effect exposure) and I can still sync at 1/500.


I have no clue were you got the 1/8000th info... I have never in my whole career heard of flashes that trigger at that speed....and AB's are at best, 1/250th for full power. I think you've mistaken flash sync with flash duration.

Message edited by author 2005-07-07 20:55:17.
 07/07/2005 09:42:15 PM · #11
IMO, you should get your money back for the 4 lights you have and purchase 2 Alien Bee B400 lights. They will certainly give you excellent results and you will be much happier with them. Alien Bee also makes a hot shoe adapter and you would only need to plug 1 light into it. The other light trips when the inital flash goes off.

If you have the means, go wireless. I recently got the Pocketwizard kit and the wireless adapter for my Sekonic Light meter and it is so much easier to work with wireless.

I must agre with the others, you will have problems mixing continuous and stobe lighting. Stick with strobes, much easier to work with, they will not make your room hot like tungsten lighting and strobes are safer.
 07/07/2005 09:49:55 PM · #12
just get some wein peanut slaves and stick em in the pc sockets of your strobes, theyll see the flash from your d70 provided your indoors and its not super bright.
you can also get a hot shoe to pc adapter like mentioned above, and connect one light via cable and the other with a peanut slave (about 20$ each)
its rediculous for you to get pocket wizards for a studio set up, they are great devices but unneccessary unless you are always outdoors and moving around or are shooting sports with remote strobes/flashes etc.
07/07/2005 10:51:51 PM · #13
Originally posted by Gil P:
Originally posted by rkfoote:
I have the $15 nikon hot shoe adapter (with alien bees I can sync up to 1/8000 second with the cable). When I fire with multiple alien bees I connect only one and let the built-in slave handle the other light. Alternatively I'll manualy set the flash output on the D70 to 1/16 power and not use a sync cable at all. At 1/16 the two alien bees completely over power the onboard flash (does effect exposure) and I can still sync at 1/500.


I have no clue were you got the 1/8000th info... I have never in my whole career heard of flashes that trigger at that speed....and AB's are at best, 1/250th for full power. I think you've mistaken flash sync with flash duration.


With the sync cord hooked to my D70 and my Alien bee I will get a proper exposure with shutter speeds in the 1/2000 second range. Above that I see noticeable light falloff (or issues with the shutter closing before all the light is emitted). My friend has a canon rebel. He can sync with my bee up to 1/180 ~ 1/250. Anything higher and he'll only get 1/2 a frame with the other half obscured by the shutter.
 07/07/2005 10:56:11 PM · #14
yep a d70 syncing at 1/8000 is correct. It syncs at anything you want it to, as long as the flash isn't dedicated, although the results aren't usually good, you can do it.
 07/08/2005 10:29:46 AM · #15
Originally posted by petrakka:
yep a d70 syncing at 1/8000 is correct. It syncs at anything you want it to, as long as the flash isn't dedicated, although the results aren't usually good, you can do it.


yes but the AB will not provide full power beyond 1/500th... no flash will even the Broncolor extreme which costs 4000$: maxed stored reactive time 1/2000th
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