How to Use Forced Fill Flash Outdoors on the Nikon D200

Outdoor photographers use fill flash to remove shadows.

Even when you are shooting outdoors, you may need to use fill flash to remove shadows or brighten certain parts of an image to compensate for sub-optimal lighting conditions. Fill flash should normally be one or two f/stops under the nominal exposure for your subject. Set your shutter speed at 1/250 or less to sync with the flash unit and use aperture to adjust exposure if you are using manual modes.

Things You'll Need

• Nikon SB-800 or SB-600 flash units
• Tripod

Instructions

External Slave Unit

1. Use an off-camera flash unit for greatest flexibility. Nikon SB-600 and SB-800 units have built-in compatibility with the Nikon D200.

2. Turn on both the flash unit and the camera. Select matrix or center-weighted metering mode on the camera.

3. Go to the "Pencil" menu on the camera and select "Flash." Next, select the "Built-in Flash" option and then "Commander Mode."

4. Select the "CSM" menu on your flash unit. Press "-" or "+" to bring up the wireless communication icon and then press "Mode" to turn on wireless communications.

5. Use the flash compensation menu on the camera to adjust the intensity of the flash unit.

Using Built-In Flash

1. Use the on-camera flash unit for fill flash if you do not need the flexibility of a slave unit.

2. Select shutter-priority with an exposure of 1/250 and matrix or center-weighted metering.

3. Flip open the flash unit.

4. Use the flash compensation menu to select the intensity of the fill flash.

Tips & Warnings

• Flash units like the Nikon SB-24 will not work properly with TTL metering on the D200.

References

• SafariBooksOnline: Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide
• LetsGoDigital: Nikon D200 D-SLR Review Conclusion
• KenRockwell.com: How to Use Nikon Strobes Wirelessly, for Free!