Can I Use A Canon Flash On A Nikon Camera

Back when I was photographing Ontario's largest climbing gym, acute readers might have noticed that I was using both Nikon and Canon camera bodies interchangeably, but I was triggering a set of Nikon strobes (and one studio strobe).

To exist more specific, I was using a Pocket Sorcerer Plus X every bit a transmitter on a Canon 5D Mk Two, a Pocket Wizard Mini TT1 transmitter on a Nikon D300, and three Nikon specific Pocket Magician Flex TT5 receivers on my Nikon strobes (the remaining four strobes were triggered past optical slave – which merely thinks vivid light is brilliant lite).

However, since Pocket Wizard Flex TT5s are brand specific – Nikon or Canon (and especially if you have ever tried this), you lot should be having a saaaaayyyyy whaaaaat moment right almost now – because this unholy alliance won't work out of the box.

In this article, I will testify you how to convince your photographic camera bodies to love everyone.

My Gear

I primarily shoot Nikon (a Nikon D800 is my principal trunk) – my strobes are all Nikon, and my Pocket Wizard Mini TT1 triggers and Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 transmitter / receiver radio triggers are all Nikon models (you can also become Canon specific Pocket Magician Mini TT1s and Flex TT5s).

However, I also shoot with a Canon (Canon 5D MkII) body on a regular basis.

(If y'all're wondering, I like the Catechism better for work where the safety of my camera might exist in some doubt, or where I specifically desire smaller RAW files, like when shooting fourth dimension lapse sequences.)

This led to the issue of triggering Nikon strobes, using Nikon Pocket Wizards from a Canon camera.

Canon torso with Pocket Wizard Plus 10 triggering Nikon Pocket Magician Flex TT5 strobes.

Forget Most TTL With Your Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 (i-TTL or E-TTL Ii)

If you lot are working in a multi-brand environs, the first thing you should accept is that TTL (through the lens) flash functions are not possible.

That means that you accept to set your strobes to work in full manual.

If you are used to working with the TTL capabilities offered by using the Pocket Wizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 setup, this might be a bit of a limitation for y'all – so if you lot are planning a shoot that really requires TTL – stick with a single-make setup.

I should besides bespeak out that triggering strobes in a multi-make environment is only a problem if y'all are using Pocket Wizard Mini TT1s and Flex TT5s that are specifically built to piece of work with either Catechism or Nikon's TTL systems.

If you are using Pocket Magician Plus 3 or Pocket Wizard Plus X radio triggers / receivers, older Pocket Sorcerer brand radio triggers or other make radio triggers, you are already shooting in full manual and the make of the camera and strobes does not matter.

Nikon trunk with Pocket Magician Mini TT1 triggering Nikon Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 strobes.

How To Trigger Nikon Flash With Canon or

Trigger Canon Flash With Nikon

The solution is to ready your Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 to piece of work as a manual trigger simply – like to how the Plus III's and Plux X radio triggers/ receivers work.

To do this, you have to connect your Flex TT5 to your computer and utilize the Pocket Magician Utility to set ane of the configurations (C1 or C2) on your Flex TT5s to "Basic Trigger" and and so match the channel to the aqueduct you are going to use on your Plus X (the Plus X has 10 channels).

Crazy right – you'd think it would just work out of the box!

Of course I didn't only magically effigy this out, I searched everywhere for somewhere that would tell me how this was done.  The only guy on the entire internet who seems to have croaky it is my human being Chris Amini, to whom I owe the sinful relationship my Canons and Nikons have been enjoying to this day.

If you desire the details, step by footstep – here is Chris' video tutorial:

By the way, this tutorial is for using the older Pocket Wizard Plus IIs – but I can confirm it too works with a Plus 10, and I assume it would also piece of work with Plus IIIs.

The same process should besides work for using a Plus X on a Nikon trunk to trigger a Catechism specific TT5s on Catechism strobes.

It Gets Even Ameliorate!

Now that yous have prepare configuration C1 or C2 on your Flex TT5 to work as a "Basic Trigger" on a specific channel, you can now pop any brand (past whatsoever brand, I mean Nikon or Catechism of course) Flex TT5 on whatsoever brand camera and utilize it to trigger whatsoever brand strobe.

Canon torso with a Nikon Flex TT5 triggering a Nikon Flex TT5 and Nikon strobe – done.

Nikon body with a Canon Flex TT5 triggering a Nikon Flex TT5 and Canon strobe…now that'south only crazy…done!

(Unfortunately, it doesn't piece of work with Mini TT1s, considering as far as I can tell, you tin't set up them to behave as a basic trigger).

No go and share the love!

(Pb photo "Canis familiaris and Cat" by kitty.green66 (CC) )

Source: https://www.diyphotography.net/pocket-wizard-flex-tt5-trigger-nikon-flash-canon-trigger-canon-flash-nikon/

Posted by: haneywhisight.blogspot.com

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