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updated: 6/6/03
page removed: 3/15/06
updated: 7/22/2007

The information formerly on this page was seriously out of date. I'll eventually deal with this subject in considerable depth in my update to Nikon Flash Guide, as the combinations and permutations have grown to ridiculous proportions and aren't easily dealt with in a Web page any more.

Prior to CLS (Creative Lighting System) and i-TTL, digital wireless flash was a major headache, due to the not-cancellable preflash. Even with CLS, wireless flash is more complex than most people realize, though if you have the right equipment follow Nikon's instructions, it's easy enough to trigger i-TTL devices remotely.

Basically, there are three major iterations of Nikon flash, each of which has its own wireless issues:

1. Pre-digital--wireless flash is done using one or more SB-26 or SU-4 units with the preflash on the triggering flash cancelled. Only the Fujfilm S2 Pro can use this method.
2. D-TTL--the first of Nikon's digital flash iterations. Wireless can not be achieved with D-TTL. The D1 series and D100 are D-TTL only bodies and thus not capable of wireless flash.
3. I-TTL--the current Nikon digital flash system. Requires a "master" flash (D80, D200 internal, SB-800, or SU-800), which in turn controls the remote flashes (which must also be i-TTL capable: SB-600, SB-800, or SB-R200). All Nikon bodies introduced after mid-2004 are i-TTL capable, though not all have the ability of the internal flash to act as a master (which means they need either an SB-800 or SU-800 to do wireless flash).