Hi! Using a camera with fixed 1/60 shutter speed when using built-in flash to optically trigger a slave flash.
It will work from 1/128 to 1/4 but starting from 1/2 to 1, nothing is captured.
Can someone explain what's wrong?
Shutter seems to be fixed 1/60 in aperture priority and MANUAL with popup flash on. With pop up flash off, it's possible to reach 1/16000.Perhaps you could try(as an experiment)setting shutter speed at 1/30 and see if 1/2 to 1 works.
(change your camera's flash syn menu accordingly too)
I'll upload later."Nothing is captured" - A bit ambiguous to me. Can clarify what you mean? You hit the shutter button, the slave flash was triggered, but the captured image is all white or all dark? Can share your test images at 1/128, 1/4, 1/2 and 1?
your issue is not with flash off. Try shutter speed of 1/30 or even lower to see if 1/2 and 1 power works. Set your camera's flash syn to auto, if it isn't.Shutter seems to be fixed 1/60 in aperture priority and MANUAL with popup flash on. With pop up flash off, it's possible to reach 1/16000.
Looks like the flash didn't fire during the shutter opening time. Try a lower shutter speed to see if it does(1/30 or even lower, experiment)
I'm not understanding your post here. It looks like you're saying there's 4 pics, but I only see 2 pics.
top image shows flash mode for all pics here, bottom shows yongnuo(1/2 power) in s1.
top image shows yongnuo off, nikon seems to be on ttl. bottom shows yongnuo(1/2 power) firing in s2 mode, but nikon doesnt always capture.
imaging.nikon.com/lineup/acil/bodies/j2/spec.htm
Hi! Using a camera with fixed 1/60 shutter speed when using built-in flash to optically trigger a slave flash.
It will work from 1/128 to 1/4 but starting from 1/2 to 1, nothing is captured.
Can someone explain what's wrong?
Exemplary effort! Very well detailed steps and guide for TS. You are truly an asset to this forum!I think you are not using the ....
...but nikon doesnt always capture.
Exemplary effort! Very well detailed steps and guide for TS. You are truly an asset to this forum!
It's 4 pics edited into 2 to save upload time.I'm not understanding your post here. It looks like you're saying there's 4 pics, but I only see 2 pics.
Yes Sir, I'm getting a headache too, sometimes the flash works, sometimes it doesn't...Jumping between S1 and S2 throws my focus off, in that are you doing manual and then TTL(typical uses of S1 n S2).
I doubt I can help you further, as I'm getting a headache trying to decihper.
Thanks for the advise anyway.Before I leave let me say this, since you want to know why your camera cannot capture the flash at 1/2 and full power, do the test in maunal mode to force the output.
Also on your camera menu , Nikon has a commander mode, make the appropiate selection, likewise on your Yongnuo.( I'm not a Nikon user I can't take you thru the settings for commander mode, ask a friend who uses Nikon). You may have done this already, but I thought I mentioned in case it wasn't.
I hope you'll find the answer, or perhaps another clubsnap member can better advise you.
Sorry I can't help you out on this.
:thumbsup:How to use flash and how to trigger a slave should be found in the body manual or in the flash manual...
I think you are not using the usual flash terms so everyone is getting confused with your explanations.
I'll try to understand your question by making some assumptions:
1. You're using Nikon J2's built in flash (probably in TTL metering mode, from J2's manual I don't see any option to set the flash power manually nor can it act as commander) as trigger
2. You're using one of Yongnuo's manual flashes as an 'optical slave', meaning it will flash when it detects another flash going off, and you can set the flash power manually
When a camera is using flash in TTL metering mode, what happens it will fire a pre-flash and the camera will use it to make a calculation of the flash power required, then pass the information to the flash then it will fire the actual flash at the power required. This happens in a split second so it probably only looks like the flash went off once.
Yongnuo flash's optical sensor can detect both flashes. In S1 mode, it will flash when it first detects a flash, which is the pre-flash, and is not what you want. In S2 mode, it will ignore the pre-flash and flash together with the actual flash of the camera, which is probably what you want. Thus in the above you can see in S1 mode the Yongnuo flashed too early and it's not captured by the camera. When in S2 mode the Yongnuo flash is too powerful so the whole image is blown.
'Nothing is captured', as others have pointed out is not clear. If the whole image is white / blown, that means the flash has fired but the power is too great so everything is overexposed. Just lower the flash power to your desired setting.
If the whole image is black, that means either the flash did not go off, so problem with the triggering or flash has not charged yet, or the flash did go off but not captured during the camera's exposure.
If you're not familiar with using flash, I'll suggest you take it step by step to see how the flashes work:
1. Set up your props, and set your camera on a tripod to minimize variables
2. Take the photo without flash first. Set camera to manual exposure mode, dial in the settings. I'll suggest something a bit more underexposed so the flash effect is more obvious, eg 1/60s, f4, ISO800. The box you shot should be dimly lit, if not adjust the ISO accordingly.
3. Now take another shot with your camera's flash, with the same exposure settings as above. Now the box should be brightly lit. So you know the brightly lit box is mainly due to your camera's flash. You can now play with your camera flash's flash compensation (Shooting Menu > Flash Compensation) to determine how bright the box should be. You should not change your camera's exposure settings (keep it at 1/60s, f4, ISO800 if you didn't adjust it from the step above)
4. Now set your flash compensation to a very low number, like -2 or -3 stops, so that now the box is dimly lit again so we can see the effect of the Yongnuo flash more obviously.
5. Turn on your Yongnuo flash, set to S2 mode, power maybe 1/32 and take a shot. Now how bright the box is lit will be mainly determined by the Yongnuo flash. If it is too bright then lower the power, or dial down the ISO or Aperture of your camera. Change only 1 variable at a time to see the effect. Make sure the Yongnuo flash has enough time to recycle it's power so it can flash with the camera's exposure. If it is still flashing but not captured by the camera then maybe change to S1 mode, I may be referencing a different Yongnuo flash mode and the modes are switched.
Hopefully with this experiment you can understand the effects of the different settings. Then probably read up more from books or online (eg strobist.com) and practice so that you will be familiar. Hope this helps
I was using a paper to block the built-in flash and may have prevented the YN flash from functioning properly.In a way, when using 3rd party equipment, that's not unusual. I use YN flashes with the built in radio triggers. It's safe to say there are definitely times when a flash might not trigger. You are using 3rd party equipment that's not designed to work 100% perfectly with your nikon. Sometimes even same brand family also can't guarantee 100% because of variables that can't be controlled, like environment... You're also pushing the J2 beyond what it was designed for. The flash does not have much manual control e.g. it doesn't give you the option to switch off ttl flash, so all these factors combined, there's always the likelihood that something doesn't work as expected. In this case, maybe despite the s2 mode, the yongnuo flash, somehow at 1/2 and 1 power, is being triggered by your J2's ttl preflash? *shrug*
I think you may have to accept that's a limitation with the two pieces of hardware you are using together.
Test images to gpgt here no need so serious and bother about iso :bsmilie:Another thing I noticed is the ISO at 3200, most probably camera is at auto program and auto ISo 100 - 3200.Ts should take control and use ISO 100 or 200 as 3200 is very grainy for such a small image sensor.
Ok more to research on. Thanks for all the replies.The thing about Yongnuo manual flashes is that although it has an "exposure" table in the user manual in the form of focal length and distance which is a far cry from the manual flashes of the film days that have a table at the back of the flash with distance and F-stop vs ISO.Yongnuo's table only give distance,focal length and ISO 100 only which is not intuitive so technically Yongnuo does not compute the F-stop for user as a starting point so unless a newbie knows how to calculate the F-stop by the flash guide number and distance to subject then these manual flashes are mostly used by "experts".Of course Yongnuo expects user to play with the power settings but if user does not know how the f-stop is calculated and the relationship of subject distace vis-a vis the lighting power ratio and f-stop they would be clueless and invariably sell their manual flash later on to buy a auto ,TTL flash which I would recommend to newbies at least they would have good exposure from the get go. Yongnuo is not doing itself a favour in terms of user friendlyness.
YN flash S1 mode works from 1/128 till 1/4 power. 1/2 and 1/1 produces a pop sound.
YN flash S2 mode seems to work now. I may have blocked the built-in flash earlier.