I am enquiring if anyone knows if the pc sync socket on Nikon bodies will fire a remote trigger (and if so in sync with the main flash) when a flashgun is attached to the hotshoe in i-ttl mode. The purpose is for the remote trigger to fire manual strobes to provide background lighting in a large room whist the on camera flashgun gives fill to individuals being photographed situated throughout the room. The photographers and hence camera position is basically fixed.
Yes. There are no "pre-flash" signals in the PC socket. A radio trigger attached to it will fire the manual flashes in sync. with the hot shoe main exposure.
Since the flash on camera is providing the frontal lighting of the subjects (not just fill) you might consider raising the on-camera flash on a bracket. The difference is the downward angle from the bracket creates more natural downward modeling on faces and hides the distracting sideways and up shadows seen in portrait mode hotshoe flash shots. Paramount Cords sells a "piggyback" TTL cord with a second shoe to hold a radio trigger side-by-side on a bracket specifically for the type of configuration you are considering.
lifthard2001 wrote:
You could always purchase and optical trigger for you BG lights ,so no need for a long cord
The preflashes for the iTTL metering will trip the optical trigger prematurely unless one gets an "intelligent trigger," and even then it won't always work in bright ambient light or if the remote strobes are not in direct sight of the Speedlight.
The OP's idea of using a radio trigger tripped by the PC socket is more reliable.
dwalk wrote:
I am enquiring if anyone knows if the pc sync socket on Nikon bodies will fire a remote trigger (and if so in sync with the main flash) when a flashgun is attached to the hotshoe in i-ttl mode.
It does.
It also triggers with FP sync mode. You can use either the PC socket on the body or the PC socket on a Speedlight (if it has one) for the same results.
