9 replies to this topic

[adgjk]

Hi,

 

I recently got myself a Nikon D5300, my first DSLR, as part of a kit with a couple of lenses, filters and an external flash (Vivitar SF-3000). I'm aware that this is an off-brand, cheap flash and i wasn't expecting wonders from it, but i'm having an issue where it won't fire every time. 

 

I have the camera set to Programmed Auto - P mode, and the flash will usually fire the first time, I wait for the LED to light back up telling me it's recharged and take another photo... The flash doesn't fire... Note that the flash is set to "normal" mode and not "slave" mode. 

 

I'm using it on the camera's hot shoe connector, and have a brand new set of fully charged Sanyo Eneloops inside the flash unit itself, so i'm confident that it's not battery problems. I can also "test" the flash whenever i want to by pushing the "test" button. The flash fires every time i press this, but then won't fire on taking a photo. 

 

One thing to note - when looking through the viewfinder with the flash attached and after focussing there is a question mark in a box next to the flash lightning-style symbol (looks similar to this - ?/  ). Does this mean that there's a setting somewhere that i need to change in order for it to properly recognise the flash? 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if it was just because it's a cheap flash and not Nikon brand, but the fact that it was sold as part of a kit (and still works on occasional photos!) makes me think that it's something that i'm not doing... 

 

Thanks for your help! 

[Adam]

The question mark is just telling you that you can press the question mark button to get help/tips from the camera, but they probably won't be related to your issue.  Perhaps this particular flash isn't fully compatible with modern Nikon cameras...can't tell you more as I haven't used it myself.  I would give it a shot in M mode and see if that helps, though.

[adgjk]

I'm going to go ahead and assume it's just a bad/incompatible flash. I've tried multiple settings in P, A, S and M mode and just can't force the flash, yet when it's removed and I use the internal flash that triggers every time, without fail... A bit annoying, but I suppose the rest of the kit was worth the money... Are there any cheap (sub $50 - I'm currently in the States) external flashes that would be worth it, or am I better off sticking with the internal one for awhile? 

[Kenafein]

I'm going to go ahead and assume it's just a bad/incompatible flash. I've tried multiple settings in P, A, S and M mode and just can't force the flash, yet when it's removed and I use the internal flash that triggers every time, without fail... A bit annoying, but I suppose the rest of the kit was worth the money... Are there any cheap (sub $50 - I'm currently in the States) external flashes that would be worth it, or am I better off sticking with the internal one for awhile? 

I love the Yongnuo flashes, but the TTL ones cost ~$100.  

 

http://www.amazon.co...uo 565 ex nikon

[adgjk]

I love the Yongnuo flashes, but the TTL ones cost ~$100.  

What exactly is TTL? I know it means Through The Lens metering, but what exactly does this mean, and how does it differ from my Vivitar flash and the built-in Nikon flash? 

Thanks

[Kenafein]

What exactly is TTL? I know it means Through The Lens metering, but what exactly does this mean, and how does it differ from my Vivitar flash and the built-in Nikon flash? 

Thanks

It will basically work automatically.  It will adjust the flash based on your camera's focal length and aperture.  If you get a manual flash you will need to input that all yourself to get a proper exposure.  It's worth the extra money.  

[Eagles1181]

A TTL flash will communicate with the camera and work to get the lighting right (power, distance, ect...). On a manual flash the only communication is the camera telling the flash to fire.

[yauman]

If you look at the hot shoe of your camera, you'll notice that there's 5 contacts not just one.  This is because it's not just a trigger contact (only the center one is for use to trigger old dumb flashes) but rather it is a data port.  If you have a TTL flash, they come specialized for different brands of cameras, even is you buy a non-Nikon flash, you have to buy on made for the Nikon otherwise the camera cannot "talk" to the flash.

 

With TTL flash, the camera will tell the flash what the settings are (ISO, Aperture, Speed) including the zoom position of the lens use. The internal reflector (or bulb) in the flash will actually move back and forth when you zoom to accommodate the angle of the light spread.   So, when you press the shutter, the flash sends out a small series of pre-flashes for the camera to read the amount of reflected light through it's lens.  With that information, the camera than tells the flash how much power to use for that image and then fire.  Power is delivered by changing the duration of the light - so for the Nikon SB700, the power duration is 1/1000 sec for full power and about 1/40,000 sec for 1/128 power. That's why using a modern flash (now referred to as "speed light") is so much more simpler and reliable.  BTW, the Pre-flash can cause some of your more sensitive subjects with fast eye-blinks to blink and will be cause with his/her eyes close when the main flash comes on. To avoid this your camera have a Flash Lock (FV) function where you can manually send out the pre-flash. Your camera will read the light then set the flash light power for you way ahead of time and lock that in. Than when you actually snap the picture, there's no pre-flash - it uses the power level information stored when you did your FV. (The FV function must be programmed into one of the programmable buttons as none is assigned to it.)

 

Btw, with your manual flash, when you have it in the hot shoe, the reason the "flash" warning is still flashing in your view finder is that your camera does not know what your flash setting is as your Vivitar cannot communicate with the camera.  Hope that makes sense.

[adgjk]

Thanks yauman for clearing all that up  

[sixninefive]

I have a similar problem when using a manual lens on my D90. I have a Vivitar speedlight that has been 100% reliable when used with my modern lenses. This morning, I tried using this flash with a manual 50mm f1.8 lens, set the camera and flash modes to manual, but the flash only flashes sometimes. Sometimes 3 shots in a row, sometimes nothing for 10 shots. I can't determine a pattern to when it works. Switched back to modern lens with camera and flash still in manual mode and it works 100% again.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

Steven