Z7 with flash issues

ilanifer · Jan 13, 2020

Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

--
if it's not good enough , you're not close enough (R. Capa)

mrbr · Jan 13, 2020

ilanifer said:
Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Hi,

Only the SB-300, SB-400, SB-500, and SB-5000 are fully compatible with the Z camerabodies.

Maybe the firmware can/must be updated on your flashes ?

I suggest you contact Meike and Godox ( or look for information on their websites ) and ask/search information about the compatibility with the nikon Z camerabodies.

Good luck!

stevedigiphoto · Jan 13, 2020

ilanifer said:
Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Had similar issue with Profoto A1 but firmware upgrade from Profoto solved the issue. Also the flash won't fire with electronic shutter enabled or High Extended drive mode engaged.

aj_obx · Jan 13, 2020

mrbr said:
ilanifer said:

Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Click to expand...

Hi,

Only the SB-300, SB-400, SB-500, and SB-5000 are fully compatible with the Z camerabodies.

Maybe the firmware can/must be updated on your flashes ?

I suggest you contact Meike and Godox ( or look for information on their websites ) and ask/search information about the compatibility with the nikon Z camerabodies.

Good luck!

All of the SB-X00 and SB-X000 are fully functional. I have tens of thousands of shots with the SB-800 on a Z6 in all of the TTL modes that work the same as the DSLRs.

ilanifer · Jan 13, 2020

[No message]

ilanifer · Jan 13, 2020

mrbr said:
ilanifer said:

Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Click to expand...

Hi,

Only the SB-300, SB-400, SB-500, and SB-5000 are fully compatible with the Z camerabodies.

Maybe the firmware can/must be updated on your flashes ?

I suggest you contact Meike and Godox ( or look for information on their websites ) and ask/search information about the compatibility with the nikon Z camerabodies.

Good luck!

mrbr · Jan 13, 2020

aj_obx said:
mrbr said:

ilanifer said:

Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Click to expand...

Hi,

Only the SB-300, SB-400, SB-500, and SB-5000 are fully compatible with the Z camerabodies.

Maybe the firmware can/must be updated on your flashes ?

I suggest you contact Meike and Godox ( or look for information on their websites ) and ask/search information about the compatibility with the nikon Z camerabodies.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

All of the SB-X00 and SB-X000 are fully functional. I have tens of thousands of shots with the SB-800 on a Z6 in all of the TTL modes that work the same as the DSLRs.

Hi,

That is good news !

My SB900 also works with my Z6, with the exception of the focus assist light on the flash.

But there is a new concept mentioned in the Z6/7 manual : "unified flash control", see https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z7_z6/en/11_on-camera_flash_photography_07.html

Here is mentioned that only the SB-5000, SB-500, SB-400, or SB-300 are supporting this mode :

The flash information display shows selected camera settings, including shooting mode, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO sensitivity.
Flash settings can be changed by pressing the i button in the flash info display. The options available vary with the flash unit and the settings selected. You can also test-fire the flash.

For older speedlights all the flash control must be done on the flash and the advanced features may be more difficult to use.

I probably will buy a SB500 in the future, to have full control from the camera.

mrbr · Jan 13, 2020

From https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z7_z6/en/14_technical_notes_02.html

QUOTE

AF-assist illumination is provided by the camera, not the flash unit; the SB-5000, SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, SB-500, and SB-400 do, however, provide red-eye reduction.

UNQUOTE

aj_obx · Jan 13, 2020

mrbr said:
aj_obx said:

mrbr said:

ilanifer said:

Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Click to expand...

Hi,

Only the SB-300, SB-400, SB-500, and SB-5000 are fully compatible with the Z camerabodies.

Maybe the firmware can/must be updated on your flashes ?

I suggest you contact Meike and Godox ( or look for information on their websites ) and ask/search information about the compatibility with the nikon Z camerabodies.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

All of the SB-X00 and SB-X000 are fully functional. I have tens of thousands of shots with the SB-800 on a Z6 in all of the TTL modes that work the same as the DSLRs.

Click to expand...

Hi,

That is good news !

My SB900 also works with my Z6, with the exception of the focus assist light on the flash.

But there is a new concept mentioned in the Z6/7 manual : "unified flash control", see https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z7_z6/en/11_on-camera_flash_photography_07.html

Here is mentioned that only the SB-5000, SB-500, SB-400, or SB-300 are supporting this mode :

The flash information display shows selected camera settings, including shooting mode, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO sensitivity.

Flash settings can be changed by pressing the i button in the flash info display. The options available vary with the flash unit and the settings selected. You can also test-fire the flash.

For older speedlights all the flash control must be done on the flash and the advanced features may be more difficult to use.

I probably will buy a SB500 in the future, to have full control from the camera.

Correct on the focus assist. I forgot about that being the one feature that doesn't work. No flash works correctly on any mirrorless when it comes to AF assist.

Discombobulated · Jan 13, 2020

Chinese made products are always glitchy, their philosophy is take your money first and then get by.

ilanifer · Jan 13, 2020

mrbr said:
mrbr wrote:

aj_obx said:

mrbr said:

ilanifer said:

Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Click to expand...

Hi,

Only the SB-300, SB-400, SB-500, and SB-5000 are fully compatible with the Z camerabodies.

Maybe the firmware can/must be updated on your flashes ?

I suggest you contact Meike and Godox ( or look for information on their websites ) and ask/search information about the compatibility with the nikon Z camerabodies.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

All of the SB-X00 and SB-X000 are fully functional. I have tens of thousands of shots with the SB-800 on a Z6 in all of the TTL modes that work the same as the DSLRs.

Click to expand...

Hi,

That is good news !

My SB900 also works with my Z6, with the exception of the focus assist light on the flash.

But there is a new concept mentioned in the Z6/7 manual : "unified flash control", see https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z7_z6/en/11_on-camera_flash_photography_07.html

Here is mentioned that only the SB-5000, SB-500, SB-400, or SB-300 are supporting this mode :

The flash information display shows selected camera settings, including shooting mode, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO sensitivity.

Flash settings can be changed by pressing the i button in the flash info display. The options available vary with the flash unit and the settings selected. You can also test-fire the flash.

For older speedlights all the flash control must be done on the flash and the advanced features may be more difficult to use.

I probably will buy a SB500 in the future, to have full control from the camera.

mrbr · Jan 14, 2020

Discombobulate said:
Chinese made products are always glitchy, their philosophy is take your money first and then get by.

Hi,

I am not an expert on this subject , but IMO not all Chinese products are a bad choice.

For me the main problem is that nikon protocols ( eg flash and lens communications ) are not open to third parties.

Nikon makes little changes to these protocols which are introduced with firmware updates on your camera or when you buy a new camerabody. So , there is no guarantee that third party products will stay usable in time.

IMO it is important to verify that the third party product firm has also a policy of firmware updates for their product to overcome these problems ( eg sigma, tamron, … ).

ilanifer · Jan 16, 2020

mrbr said:
Discombobulate said:

Chinese made products are always glitchy, their philosophy is take your money first and then get by.

Click to expand...

Hi,

I am not an expert on this subject , but IMO not all Chinese products are a bad choice.

For me the main problem is that nikon protocols ( eg flash and lens communications ) are not open to third parties.

Nikon makes little changes to these protocols which are introduced with firmware updates on your camera or when you buy a new camerabody. So , there is no guarantee that third party products will stay usable in time.

IMO it is important to verify that the third party product firm has also a policy of firmware updates for their product to overcome these problems ( eg sigma, tamron, … ).

I came to a nice solution, not sure it wil work

:

If i put a Nikon remote controller in the hot shoe, the WR-10 for example.. Will it fully be functional on my Z7 ? Will it be able to operate my two Chinese flashes correctly ?

--
if it's not good enough , you're not close enough (R. Capa)

Discombobulated · Jan 16, 2020

ilanifer said:
mrbr said:

Discombobulate said:

Chinese made products are always glitchy, their philosophy is take your money first and then get by.

Click to expand...

Hi,

I am not an expert on this subject , but IMO not all Chinese products are a bad choice.

For me the main problem is that nikon protocols ( eg flash and lens communications ) are not open to third parties.

Nikon makes little changes to these protocols which are introduced with firmware updates on your camera or when you buy a new camerabody. So , there is no guarantee that third party products will stay usable in time.

IMO it is important to verify that the third party product firm has also a policy of firmware updates for their product to overcome these problems ( eg sigma, tamron, … ).

Click to expand...

I came to a nice solution, not sure it wil work :

If i put a Nikon remote controller in the hot shoe, the WR-10 for example.. Will it fully be functional on my Z7 ? Will it be able to operate my two Chinese flashes correctly ?

I wish that works too. The channel and frequency need to be the same...

mrbr · Jan 16, 2020

ilanifer said:
mrbr said:

Discombobulate said:

Chinese made products are always glitchy, their philosophy is take your money first and then get by.

Click to expand...

Hi,

I am not an expert on this subject , but IMO not all Chinese products are a bad choice.

For me the main problem is that nikon protocols ( eg flash and lens communications ) are not open to third parties.

Nikon makes little changes to these protocols which are introduced with firmware updates on your camera or when you buy a new camerabody. So , there is no guarantee that third party products will stay usable in time.

IMO it is important to verify that the third party product firm has also a policy of firmware updates for their product to overcome these problems ( eg sigma, tamron, … ).

Click to expand...

I came to a nice solution, not sure it wil work :

If i put a Nikon remote controller in the hot shoe, the WR-10 for example.. Will it fully be functional on my Z7 ? Will it be able to operate my two Chinese flashes correctly ?

??? I don't know ….. something to try I guess.

madecov · Jan 16, 2020

My Godox (Adorama) flash units work fine with my Z7. Have not tried the Z50 yet. I did update the firmware on them a few months ago through the Adorama website.

Initially I was getting intermittent falure to fire while using a controller and the flash units as slaves, but the newest firmware fixed that.

Discombobulated · Jan 16, 2020

madecov said:
My Godox (Adorama) flash units work fine with my Z7. Have not tried the Z50 yet. I did update the firmware on them a few months ago through the Adorama website.

Initially I was getting intermittent falure to fire while using a controller and the flash units as slaves, but the newest firmware fixed that.

I'm using godox R2proMark2 trigger to remote v860ii and ad400pro but getting intermittent failure. Which one do you use that's fixed?

madecov · Jan 16, 2020

Discombobulate said:
madecov said:

My Godox (Adorama) flash units work fine with my Z7. Have not tried the Z50 yet. I did update the firmware on them a few months ago through the Adorama website.

Initially I was getting intermittent falure to fire while using a controller and the flash units as slaves, but the newest firmware fixed that.

Click to expand...

I'm using godox R2proMark2 trigger to remote v860ii and ad400pro but getting intermittent failure. Which one do you use that's fixed?

I have the R2 and R2 pro, Once I updated my firmware I haven't had any misfires.

olyflyer · Jan 16, 2020

ilanifer said:
Hi

i have a Z7 and a Meike 900 flash - which was superb on my D750. i mean it could fully communicate with the camera knowing what iso, lens and aperture... And now with the Z7 it doesn't communicate at all! And the worse thing is that it sometimes just missing the click from the camera and doesn't fire ...

Same thing is happening with my Godox TT600...

Any ideas ?

Some flashes are better than others. Remember that those 3rd party knock off flashes just hacked the Nikon iTTL protocol, and some did a better job than others. I have two Nikon clone flashes, both worked perfectly on the D800 and none of them work in iTTL mode directly on the Z7. But I found a workaround to this. By using a radio trigger in between both of my flashes can be used in iTTL mode even on the Z7.

You can read more about these tests here:

https://adapting-camera.blogspot.com/2019/03/flash-use-on-nikon-z7.html

rich_cx139 · Jan 17, 2020

From what people have said, it does look as if the radio trigger is the way to go e.g. see also Jim Kasson's blog where he talks about another issue with a Godox

Nikon Z7 flash synch speeds - the last word

This is one in a series of posts on the Nikon Z6 and Z7. You should be able to find all the posts about that camera in the Category List on the right sidebar, below the Articles widget. There’s a drop-down menu there that you can use to get to all the posts in this

blog.kasson.com

There is also this thread on a similar problem with a Meike.

I don't use flash that much and then mainly for macro - usually an sb500 or sb910 on a bracket with the Nikon TTL cable - or miscellaneous flashes in slave mode but set manually using a sb500 on camera as the optical trigger.

Z7 with flash issues

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