The Nikon SB-80DX Hidden Features

I mentioned in an earlier post that I now carry two Nikon SB-80 DX speedlights in my Fuji XT1 kit. This may be considered overkill, since a Fuji EF-42 is always nearby should I need true TTL exposure. But the SB-80DX has proven a useful companion for a number of reasons:

• Built-In Optical Sensor: Like the SU-4 mode in the SB-800, you can trigger optically using another flash.
• Non-TTL Exposure Automation: I could use the built-in aperture based non-TTL exposure automation for run-and-gun (fast moving) situations. It's not as sensitive as true TTL, but it will work at short distances.
• SB-800 Form Factor: The body and head dimensions are nearly identical to the SB-800, which I find compact and easy to use.
• Lever Locking: The SB-80 has the same single lever locking mechanism as the post-SB-800 speedlights.
• Higher Profile Selector Buttons: Selector Buttons are easier to find, and feel, in low light conditions.Their raised contours make them easier to adjust.
• Supplementary Power: Accepts SD-8a supplementary battery packs, and SD-8 packs upgraded to the SD-8a cable, a service that Nikon no longer provides.
• Accessories: Flash head accepts SB-800 diffusion domes, both Stofen and OEM.
• Gels: Head accepts SB-800 OEM color correction gels.
• Modeling Light: The SB-80 and SB-800 have a Modeling Light, which is in reality the ability to fire a burst of flash "pop" to give the illusion of a continuous light source. Think of it as a emergency flashlight.

Cool Stuff: Here are some features that aren't so obvious:

• On Camera / Off Camera Sensing: I noticed that when I set my SB-80s to the optical slave mode, they would automatically revert to on-camera mode when slipped into a camera's hot shoe. Now I leave the speedlight in the remote/slave mode, knowing it will re-set itself as soon as it's attached to a hotshoe of some sort. This worked with both the Fuji and the Nikon cameras. Not so with the SB-800, however.
• Distance Indicator: This is the big one. As you decrease the (manual) flash output, the SB-80 displays the flash-to-subject distance for optimal exposure for your pre-selected aperture (see arrow). While this is based on an exposure made in a standard sized room with a white ceiling, it's close enough to serve as fill, and will get you in the ballpark when using the speedlight off-camera on a light stand. The emphasis here is on ballpark, because you'll either want or need to fine-tune the exposure by adjusting the flash-to-subject distance anyway, which is much easier than lowering the speedlight to eye level and pushing some buttons.

Some Cautionary Notes: Here's as good a place as any to issue some reminders about using non-TTL flash exposure.

• The Sensor Is Pointed Forward. Period: The sensor is sometimes hard to find, and merely points in the same general direction as the flash head. Best advise is to use your non-TTL flash at shorter distances with relatively large subjects. 
• The Sensor Is Not That Sensitive: Play with the non-TTL adjustments and you'll find that you'll need to use relatively small shooting apertures. For example, if the ISO setting on the flash is 200, the largest aperture you can use is 2.8. When set to ISO 400, the aperture is 4.0, ISO 800, 5.6. 
• The Sensor Can Be Fooled: When the Stofen domes are properly used (head facing forward, and 45 degrees from horizontal), the sensor MAY respond to light spill from the flash instead of light reflecting from your subject. The Vivitar 283 may have been more susceptible than most because Stofen actually made a special blinder to protect the sensor's eye. 
• Weak Batteries, Weak Response: I have found that when the batteries start to lose their mojo, the performance of the speedlight gets erratic. When the output and ISO settings start to wander, change your batteries. This usually does the trick.

The SB-28 shares many of the same features, but has some drawbacks.

• There's no built-in optical slave. You can always add a Wein Peanut, but built in is just so handy.
• Different Size and Shape: Ix-Nay on the advantages of a form factor shared with the SB-800. It's close in overall size, but not identical. 
• Recessed Control Buttons: The most annoying issue with the SB-28 is the recessed rubber control buttons. You almost need  a pencil to make the necessary adjustments, and certainly will if you want to make a test flash.

I know of my penchant for acquiring older Nikon speedlights. I don't even know how many I actually have. But I still get a thrill of seeing a multiple-speedlight solution create an abstract reality that washes over my subject, whether it's done with gels, definitive shadows, or deep, richly detailed shadows. It is so different from when a single on-camera Vivitar 180 flash was all I had to work with, so many years ago.

Balancing Flash Output To Ambient Light

I was assigned to make a photograph at the San Mateo County Bar Association's 100th Anniversary dinner. I had contacted the event coordinator and asked for a "Bride, Groom, Maid of Honor, Best Man" grouping, which is my way of saying I wanted only the most significant participants from the event.

Cave Photography: I often photograph in venues that aren't well lit, but this location was as dark a setting as I've ever seen. There was enough light to eat by, but not much more. I scouted a suitable location for my shot, and found a position that provided an interesting background in front of me, and a slightly warm bounce surface behind me. Next, I made four exposures to help me visualize the background. This is done without flash, since I wanted to establish a base-line exposure.

With an aperture of 5.6 and an ISO of 800, I made four exposures at the following settings:

• Upper left: 1/80
• Upper right:1/16
• Lower left: 1/8
• Lower right: 1/2

Making these four exposures helped me decide how much detail the background lights would add to the photo. The long exposure times are not a "free pass" when you combine speedlights into the exposure mix.

From my last exposure settings, I photographed my hand to see the amount of ambient light on my subjects faces.This photo showed that the ambient would add to any additional light from the speedlight. When I saw how warm the lighting was, I changed my White Balance setting to the Incandescent preset and made mounted my SB-80 with the CTO gel already installed. By taking a quick "selfie", I established a starting point for my image.

 

Here's the final image once again. You can see enough architectural details lit by the existing lights.But the long exposure time does have some side effects. You can see the blurred people moving in the background. What's worse is the bleeding of the ceiling lights into the edges of some of my subjects. Look at at the enlargement below, and you'll see what I mean.

Notice that the ambient light is adding to the shadows created by my speedlight key light, My incandescent compensation (gel on speedlight and Incandescent white balance preset) lighting should rendered more neutral skin tones, in spite of the walls being warm-toned (just enough to be considered off-white in color). I could have avoided this be simply decreasing my exposure time, but I would have lost a great deal of ceiling detail. I tried imagining the photo taken at 1/8 of a second, and was not to pleased at the prospect of a background that could pass for a "galaxy of stars".

In case you wondered, this is Marsha, my harshest critic. A San Mateo resident, she does peruse the San Mateo Daily Journal, and when the photo finally appears in print, I'm sure she'll see it, and through her thoughts and actions, let me know exactly how she feels about it lining the bottom of her cage. She pretty much has the same reaction to all of my work.

So be mindful of the contribution any existing light will have on your flash-lit photographs. There is a point where the color contamination may well ruin you photograph. Just be prepared to make some modifications on the fly, and be thankful for that little LCD panel on the back of your digital camera.