Nikon SB-800 Owner's Manual
SB-800
Autofocus Speedlight
Page numbers in parentheses refer you to explanations in the main instruction manual.
A collection of example photos
Enter the exciting world of
Nikon's Creative Lighting System
with the SB-800.
En
A wealth of advanced flash-shooting
techniques await you
with the SB-800.
Soften the shadows.
Record details of small objects.
Take life-like portraits.
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Emulate the results of
professional studio photographers.
Create more natural-looking
pictures by illuminating both
the subject and background.
Use colored gel filters to add
specific colors to the scene.
• Numbers on the pictures refer to page numbers of this booklet.
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Bounce flash
Normal flash
When photographing a person standing in
front of a wall, tilt or rotate the flash head up
to bounce the light off the ceiling. This softens
the light falling on the subject, while throwing
the dark shadow behind and below the
subject. This is an excellent technique to use
indoors to render the subtle tones of the
person’s face, where direct flash often
causes harsh, unattractive lighting (p. 98).
Shooting data
(Bounce flash)
Camera: D2H
Lens focal length: 60mm
Speedlight: SB-800 set to
D
with
flash head tilted up
Aperture: f/8
Shooting distance: Approx. 4m (13.1 ft.)
Shooting data
(Normal flash)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 60mm
Speedlight: SB-800
set to
D
with flash
head in normal
position
Aperture: f/9
Shooting distance:
Approx. 4m (13.1 ft.)
Tilting the flash head and choosing the
reflecting surface
Tilt the flash head up at least 50° for the most
effective bounce flash. Also, make sure that the
light from the flash head does not illuminate the
subject directly. Optimum results are obtained
when the flash head is positioned 1–2m
(3.3–6.6 ft.) from the reflecting surface.
When shooting in color, select white or highly
reflective surfaces to bounce the light off of.
Otherwise, your pictures will come out with an
unnatural color cast similar to that of the
reflecting surface.
Flash set-up
Bounce flash
Create more flattering portraits by tilting or
rotating the flash head to bounce the light
off the ceiling or walls.
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With Nikon Diffusion Dome
Without Nikon Diffusion Dome
Shooting data
(Without Nikon Diffusion Dome)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 105mm
Speedlight: SB-800 set to
D
Aperture: f/6.3
Shooting distance: Approx. 2.5m
(8.2 ft.)
Notes on using the Nikon Diffusion Dome
Good results are obtained when the flash head is
tilted up 60°.
Essentially the same lighting effect is produced
when the camera is positioned either horizontally
or vertically.
Use of the built-in wide-flash adapter in conjunction
with the Nikon Diffusion Dome produces the
maximum amount of diffused light.
Nikon Diffusion Dome
Shooting data
(With Nikon Diffusion Dome)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 105mm
Speedlight: SB-800 set to
D
with Nikon Diffusion Dome attached
Aperture: f/6.3
Shooting distance: Approx. 2.5m (8.2 ft.)
The Nikon Diffusion Dome diffuses the light
from the flash to soften shadows and prevent
the subject’s face from coming out too bright.
By attaching the provided Nikon Diffusion Dome
over the flash head, you can diffuse the light even
more when doing bounce flash, creating extremely
soft light with virtually no shadows, while insuring
sufficient illumination of the background (p. 101).
Flash set-up
Shooting data
(i-TTL Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 70mm
Speedlight: SB-800 set to
Do
Aperture: f/14
In this mode, the camera automatically controls the
flash output to keep both the subject and background properly exposed. This mode is especially
effective when shooting scenes that include a
mirror, white wall, or other highly reflective
surfaces (p. 37).
i-TTL Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash
Standard i-TTL flash
Auto FP High-Speed Sync
Shooting data
(Auto FP high-speed sync)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 125mm
Speedlight:
SB-800 set to
BK
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/3200 sec.
Automatic high-speed flash synchronization at
shutter speeds exceeding the camera’s flash sync
speed is possible. When shooting with flash
outdoors, faster shutter speeds allow you to use a
wider aperture to blur the background and/or
freeze fast-moving subjects (p. 60).
Auto FP high-speed sync
Flash shooting at normal sync speed
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i-TTL Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash
Flash Value Loc k (FV Loc k)
Using FV Lock, you can obtain the correct
exposure, when the subject is off-center and
positioned against a dark or light background.
Because the flash exposure remains locked in
even if you change the aperture or composition, or
zoom the lens in and out, you can obtain the
correct exposure for the main subject. Without FV
Lock, the main subject is overexposed due to the
dark background (p. 61).
Shooting data
(Without FV Lock)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 60mm
Speedlight: SB-800 set to
D
Aperture: f/8
Using FV Lock for an off-center subject
Without using FV Lock
for an off-center subject
FV Lock is unnecessary when
the main subject is centered.
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Shooting data (With FV Lock)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 60mm
Speedlight: SB-800 set to
Do
Aperture: f/8
Shooting data
(Without FV Lock)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 60mm
Speedlight: SB-800 set to
D
Aperture: f/8
Two flash units (one bounced from the side;
another used directly from the top rear)
Direct on-camera flash
Off-camera flash directly from the side
Off-camera flash bounced from the side
Three flash units
(one flash bounced from the side + two
flashes from the top and rear)
Close-up photography using multiple flash units
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Flash set-up
2
1
Dramatic close-ups of small objects can be
created by using one SB-800 off-camera as the
master flash and another as the remote flash.
A feeling of roundness is provided by this set-up.
One SB-800, the master flash, is used off-camera
via a cord to bounce the light off a reflector card to
diffuse the shadows, while a second SB-800, the
remote flash, is positioned above and to the left
rear of the subject, providing direct illumination.
In this situation, the master flash unit is the fill light,
whereas the remote flash is the main light (p. 102).
Shooting data (Using two flash units)
Camera: D2H
Focal length: 105mm
1Master flash unit: SB-800 set to
D
(bounced from the side)
2Remote flash unit: SB-800 set to
D
(directly from the top rear)
Aperture: f/22
Shooting distance:
Approx. 1m (3.3 ft.)
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