Pop-up flash

On the D7100, D7200, D700, D600, D610 and D750 and some older high-end DSLRS, you can use the pop-up flash as an optical line-of-sight trigger. From the camera’s menu, you can set the flash mode and power, and apply flash exposure compensation if required.

effect. Flash extension cords usually have a lot of play in them, the limiting factor is normally your reach. Another tip is to mount the remote flash on another tripod, so now you have much more flexibility in positioning your lighting.

Nikon has two wireless flash triggering systems: Creative Lighting System (CLS) and Advanced Wireless Lighting (AWL). Nikon CLS is an older (but still great) optical-based trigger that needs direct lineof-sight to the remote flash. It can use either a pulse of visible or infrared light. The AWL system uses radio signals, which is a more advanced and reliable method to use when triggering remote flashes. For either CLS or AWL to work, you need a commander unit on your camera and a receiver that is built into (or attached to) your Speedlight.

Depending on which commander unit you decide to use, you may be able to alter individual flash settings remotely from your camera. It’s also worth checking that the commander unit supports high-speed sync and lets you work in TTL mode. All of the current Nikon flash triggers support both of these features when paired with Nikon Speedlights.

Optical and infrared flash triggers offer a low-cost and easy-to-use approach versus radio triggers, although optical flash triggers do have some limitations you need to be aware of; the operating distance is not as far as a radio trigger and they do have to be used in direct line-of-sight of the remote flash. Also, if you are using an optical trigger outside in bright sunlight or with strong lights, this may interfere with the optical trigger signal. Radio triggers do not suffer from any of the above, so should be considered if you are serious about working with off-camera flash.