Nikon SB-16 manual

Nikon Speedlight INSTRUCTION MANUAL[...]

-NOMENCLATURE------------ Wide - Fla sh Adapter SW -7 Main flash head ® Main flash unit (J) Light sensor ® nn . nn/~ln,oo'" knob 2[...]

Zoom scale @Shooling mode indicator LEO s @TTL multiple flash terminal 3[...]

CONTENTS------------- NOMENCLATURE . . . . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2rv 3 PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES ........... . . . 48 rv 62 ATTENTION!. .. . ......... .... . ... . .. .... . .. . . .... . 5 Synchro-Sunlight Fill-In Flash FOREWORD .. ..... ........ .. . ......... . ...... ... 6 Photography ..... .. .. .. .. . ............ 48rv53 [...]

ATTENTIONI-------------- The Nikon Speedlight S8-16 consists of two parts : the main flash unit and the flash unit coupler having the mounting foot. Depending on which type is attached , the flash unit is identified as the Speedlight S8 - 16A or S8-168 . The S8 - 16A 's Flash Unit Coupler AS-B· has a special mounting foot for the accessory sh[...]

FOREWORD-------------------------- The Nikon Speedlight SB-16 is a direct - mounting elec - tronic flash unit , providing automatic through-the-Iens (TTL) control of the flash ex posure when used with Nikon cameras hav i ng TTL flash capability . Through the use of an inte r changeable mounting foot , the SB - 16 can be at - tached to the special a[...]

BASIC OPERATION------------ 1 Set the openl closed knob • ® on the flash unit coupler to the OPEN position. 2 Attach the flash unit . coupler to the flash unit. Position the flash unit and flash unit coupler , so that the secondary flash head ® on the flash unit and the sen- sor (J) on the flash unit coupler face the same direction . Insert the[...]

-BASIC OPERATION-confinued---------- 3 lock the flash unit . coupler. Turn the open/clo s ed knob to the "c lo s ed " po s ition (indicated by a dot) to lock the fla s h unit coupler ; make sure the fla sh unit and flash unit coupler fit tightly together. 8 Note : To remove the flash unit coupler . set the knob to the OPEN position. and w[...]

5 Load the batteries into . the holder. Load four 1.5V AA - type penlight alkaline-manganese cells or 1. 2V rechargeable NiCd batteries into the holder , making sure that the positive and negative (+ and -) terminal s match the diagram s on the holder. Notes : 1) Use of manganese batteries is not recom - mended because their power is insufficient f[...]

-BASIC OPERATION-confinued---------- 8 Attach the flash unit to . the camera's accessory shoe. Notes : 1) If you are using an F3-series camera, make sure that the ASAIISO film speed is already set on the camera before attaching the flash unit, as the camera's ASAIISO dial cannot be changed after the flash is attached to the accessory shoe[...]

11[...]

-BASIC OPERATION-confinued---------- 9 Tilt the flash head ® to . the normal shooting position. Tilt the flash head 90° , so that it face s straight ahead , 1 2 10. Set ASAIISO film speed. Turn the ASA/ISO film speed setting ring @ around the exposure calculator dial @, until the ASAIISO index @ is opposite the speed of the film loaded in your ca[...]

12. Se k t b the zooh m setting @ no on t e exposure calculator dial. Turn the zoom setting knob at the center on the dial until the zoom set- ting index @ is opposite the same letter as you selected in step 11 . Note: The W, setting on the dial is used when the wide · flash adapter is attached to the flash unit with the zoom head set at Wi . 13. [...]

-BASIC OPERATION-continued---------- - A-14 Set the S8·16's mode . selector (45) to TTL Slide the mode selector to the right as far as it will go, so that the inde x on the selector is opposite the square mark for automatic through-the-Iens (TTL) flash e x posure control. With the F-501/N2020 or F-301/N2000 camera , set the camera's ex- [...]

A-16 Set the lens aperture . ring to the appro· priate fI stop. If you decide to s hoot at f / 4 , then you must s et the aperture ring on the len s to f/4 . 8-14. Choose an f/stop from the exposure calculator dial. For non-TTL automatic operation , the exposure calculator dial provides a choice of two f/stops. The blue and orange lines @ at the b[...]

-BASIC OPERATION-continued---------- B -15 Set the mode selector • @ to the blue or orange dot for automatic operation. If you select 1/4 , you m ust se t the selector to the orange dot , corres - ponding to f/4 on the exposure calcu- lator dial. 1 6 B-16 Set the lens aperture . ring to the appro· priate f/stop. In t he examp le , 1/4 is set on [...]

C-15. S~t ,lens to the minimum aperture (largest f· number), C-16. Set the 58·16'5 mode selector to TTL. 17. I • r I (I l 2 MD M fffIl .... ~ I For TTL operation • • I , , ) ( I { Al A2 MD .o. I I For automatic ope r ation (A2) Turn on the flash unit. Sl ide the S8-16 's O N /OFF switch to the ri gh t. Imm ediate l y , an L ED w i[...]

-BASIC OPERATION-continued---------- 18. Wait for the ready· light @ tocomeon. As soon as the f l ash ready-light built into the back of the flash unit c omes on , the 88 - 16 is ready to fire . Wi th the ex cept i on of the Nikon F2 - serie s, if your camera ha s an L ED ready- light inside the viewfinder , make s ur e t hat it is l it up , ind i[...]

After you take the shot, watch the ready - light inside the camera ' s view- finder or the one on the 88 - 16 . After a s hort while , it will light up again to tell you the fla s h unit is recycled and ready to fire for the ne xt shot. Note : If the flash un it fir ed at its maximum output, th e ready -lig ht blinks as a warning im - medialel[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL------------ AS -8 Flash Unit Couplers AS·S @ and AS·9 ® The detachable lower part of the SB - 16 , cal l ed the Flash Unit Coupler AS-8 or AS-9 , houses the mounting foot , the shooting mode selector with shooting mode indication LEDs , the ready - lightlopen - fla s h button , the light sensor , the sync/multiple flash termi[...]

Synchronization Speed In fla s h photography , the shutter speed with which elec- tron ic fl as h will syn c h r on i ze depends on t he camera in use . Th e table s hows the usable shutter speeds with variou s c ame ras . As s hown in the tab le , automatic Hlko" cam.r. Synch r on l zaUon s p •• d (a.c .) F3-ssrles (via AS · 4 or AS · 7[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAll-continued------- - - ZoomHead @ The 88 · 16 's zoom head has four settings which provide various angles of coverage as shown in the table. The number with an orange background indicates that you can use a lens with the same or a longer focal length at that setting. However, please remember that the lower the numbered setti[...]

Shooting Mode Selector @l The shooting mode se lector on the back of the SB-16 has five click-stop settings. Directly above the selector (read - ing from left to right) , there are the blue and orange dots for non-TTL automatic operation, two white dots in the middle indicating MD (Motor Drive) and M (Manual) operation respectively, and a white squ[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- MD (synchronization with motor drive) At the motor drive (MD) setting , the S8 -16 is able to recycle fast enough to sy nchronize with a motor - driven camera firing continuously up to four frames per second . It is possible to take up to eight flash picture s in rapid succession in this way . At the MD se tti[...]

2) Set the zoom setting knob Turn the zoom setting knob at the center on the dial until the zoom s etting inde x is oppo s ite the s ame letter as you selected in s etting the zoom head . For e x ample , if you set the zoom head at T for a 85mm lens , the zoom set- ting knob must also be set at T. Note : Th e W, setting on the d ial is use d when t[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- For through·the·lens (TTL) operation On the dial there are eight lis tops ranging from f/2 to f /22 . Each II s top determine s the us able di s tance range in which you can obtain the correct automatic exposure . The s e range s are indicated by a serie s of color-coded line s a bove the di s tance s cal e [...]

Ex ample 3 If y ou ar e us ing ASA / ISO 100 film (w i th th e zoom he ad se t a t N for a 35 mm le ns) and the s ubject is 2 m aw ay , you ca n se l ec t e ith e r 1 /2.8 , 1/ 4 , 1 /56, 1 / 8 , f / 11 or f / 16 . If a s hort e r r ecyc lin g tim e is pr e fe ra bl e , u se 1 /2.8. If gr ea ter de pth of fi e ld is d esi red , u se 1 / 1 6 . T he [...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- For non-TTL automatic (A) operation For non - TTL automatic operation , you can select one of two flstops , indicated by the blue and orange aperture indicator lines at the bottom of the calculator dial. After determining the aperture , set the shooting mode selector corresponding to the aperture you selected [...]

Ex ample 2 Auto shoot i ng r ange Unit: m(tt) If you are using ASAIISO 400 film, the usable aperture is now f/16 at A 1 and 1/8 at A2. The auto shooting range varies according to the zoom head setting as shown in the table . At the same zoom head setting, the range is the same regardless 01 the film speed and the corresponding Iistop available at A[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAll-continued--------- For manual (M) operation After setting the ASA/ISO film speed and zoom setting knob on the exposure ca l culator dial , focus on the sub- ject; then look at the lens and read off the focused dis- tance to determine exactly how far away the subject actually is . Now , find the end of the color-coded line direct[...]

The guide number at various film speeds and zoom head settings is shown in the following table: Guide numbers in the manual mode Unit ' m(tt) Zoom head ASAIISO film speed setting 800 400 200 100 50 25 T 119(390) 84 (276) 59 (194) 42 (138) 30(98) 21 (69) S 107 (351) 76 (250) 54 (177) 38 (125) 27 (89) 19 (62) N 90 (295) 64 (210) 45 (148) 32 (105[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued---------- Now, you are ready to read the usable f/stop from the dial. Each color-coded line indicating the auto shooting range for each f/stop has a notch on it. Find the notch directly above the flash-to-subject distance and read the f-number at the end of the line. Example With ASAIISO 100, zoom head set at N for 35m[...]

Exposure compensation In TTL or non-TTL automa tic operation with a dark sub- ject (one with low reflectivity) or one light in tone (having high - reflectivity) , over- or undere x posure may occur . To prevent th is, exposure compensation is required . Note : If you photograph a subiect of very high reflectivity. such as when shooting directly int[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- For examp le, if you are using ASAIISO 1 00 film with the ex p osure compensation dial set at + 2 (overexposure), you can r ea d 25 from t he tab le . Reset the exposure c al cu l ator d ial of t he S8 - 1 6 to ASA / I SO 25 , and then the cor r ect T TL au to s hoot i ng rang e to ma tch t he c om pen - sated[...]

Non-TTL automatic exposure compensation In the non-TTL automatic exposure mode , exposure compensation can be performed by stopping down or opening up the lens. With a dark subject , use a smaller aperture. When a subject is light in tone , use a larger aperture . 35[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAll-continued--------- F 3- series FE2 FE Ready· Light @ Aft e r t h e ON / OFF s w it ch is t u rn ed on , t he r e a dy -l i ght at t he b a c k of th e 8B -1 6 light s up to indicate that the 8B - 16 i s recyc le d a nd rea d y to f ire. A t t h e s am e ti m e, the ready- l ig ht i nsid e th e viewf i nd e r of all Nikon F 3-se[...]

Warning functions In the TTL or non - TTL automatic mode , both the ready- light s on the fla sh unit and in the camera's viewfinder blink for 3 seconds after the flash unit fire d at its maxi- mum output , ind ica ting that the light might have been in s ufficient for correct exposure. In this case, check the s ubj ect distance and if it is o[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- With the SB·16A As soon as the flash unit is turned on, both ready·lights blink in the following cases : 1) When the AS-8 's mounting foot is not securely locked . 2) When using the TTL mode with the Nikon F3-series camera and the camera 's film speed setting is set well beyond the usable range of [...]

C.mer. Shutt. r .peed Shooting mode SB · 18A '. Camer. '. read y· Ught Seil i ng ( •• c .) r e.d y· llght Mete r ON F 3· •• rle . All sel1ings TTL Llghls up· Lighls up· Al , A2 , M , MD Lights up·· Lights up · · All seUing s except M250 and B TTL Blink. Blinks FA 'I I. A S·' (In p. S , A and M modes) Al , A2 ,[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------_ With the SB-16B As soon as the flash unit is turned on , the ready- li ght on the flash unit l ights up when the flash is ready to fire , while the ready-light in the camera 's view find er blinks in the f ollowing cases : 40 1) When the shooting mode selector is set at TIL with any camera other than the [...]

Came r a Shutt.r .ptled Shoo t ing mod. S8 · 188 ' . Camera '. ready · light Setting ( .e e.) r.ady · llght Me •• rON Me'.rOFF F 3- •• rle . All sett i ngs TTL LI ht. u SUnks BUnks v ia AS ·4 o r 7 Al , A2 , M , MD Light s up Lights up Lights up A1I sett i ngs except M250 and B TTL L i ghts up Lights up" Does not tig[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- Open- Flash Button @ The ready-light on the SB - 16 can be used as an open- flash button to fire the flash unit manually without having to trip the camera 's shutter . In this manner, you can create multiple-exposure "stroboscopic" effects or paint the scene with light by firing the flash unit r[...]

In the TTL mode, test - firing must be performed by trip- ping the shutter . Note that , without film loaded in the camera , the ready-light will blink even if the correct exposure is obtainable . As a substitute for loaded roll film , you can use a strip of cut film (provided it is not too old) or a piece of gray paper . 43[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- Tilting/Rotating Flash Head ® For t r uly crea t ive boun ce f las h photogr a phy , th e 88 - 1 6 ha s two f lash h ea d s. Th e ma in h ea d tilt s b ack 9 0° wi t h c lick -s top s at th e 3 0° , 45° , 6 0° , 75° and 90° po s ition s. It al s o rot at es through an arc or 270° , 90° c lo c kw is e [...]

Secondary Flash Head ® The s maller sec ondary head is built into the front of the fla sh unit and f aces s tr a ight a head . It s purpo se is to fill in th e s hadow s in th e eye soc ket s and provide a ca tch - light for the eyes when doing bounce flash . The second- ary head ha s a guide number of 8 . 45[...]

-CONTROLS IN DETAIL-continued--------- Wide - Flash Adapter SW - 7 CD The Wide - Flash Adapter attached in front of the SB - 16 's main flash head with the zoom head set at WI (for a 2 8mm len s) increa ses the angle of coverage from the 70° horizontal and 53 ° vertical to 78° and 60° respec- tively , allowing the SB - 16 to be us ed with [...]

TTL Multiple Flash Terminal @ The TTL multiple flash terminal is provided for TTL multi- ple flash photography . (For more information, refer to pages 58-61.) Sync/Multiple Flash Terminal @ Located at the side of the AS-8 or AS-9 is a threaded terminal which serves two purposes: it can be used to attach a sync cord to the 88-16 for off-camera opera[...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES--------- Synchro-Sunlight Fill-In Flash Photography A backlit s ubject , s uch as a person outside with hislher back to the s un or indoors in front of a window , may come out almost as a s ilhouette if the background is correctly exposed . On the other hand , if exposure com- pensation i s made to give the correct exposure[...]

With fill - in fla s h : both the subject and the background come out properly exposed . 49[...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES-confinued - - ---- Synchro-sunlight fill-in flash photography is possible with the S8-16's shooting mode selector set to the TTL-auto- matic, non-TTL automatic, or manual mode. Operation in the manual mode assures you of good re- sults in virtually all cases, so we will describe this proce- dure first. In the manual mo[...]

In the TTL-automatic mode !~ Same as Step s 1) and 2) in the manual mode . 3) Take the picture. With the S8-16 se t at TTL and turn ed on, ju st take the pi c ture . Notes: 1) With a strongly backlit s ubject (s uch as a scene containing the sun) , the desired exposure balance may not be obtained . In this case , use the 8B - 16 on manual . 2) To g[...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES-continued------ Synchronization wi th slow shutter speeds If you are u s ing the 88 · 16 at a high s hutter speed under Note : W hen using color film , especially transpa r ency f ilm , unnatural color dim li ght, the background may come out too dark. To casts may occur when t he ratio of flash illumination to ambientlight[...]

Fast synchronization speed: the background is too dark . Slow synchronization speed: now detaifs in the background can be seen. 53[...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES-continued -- ---------: Diffusing the Light Light is what gives form to so lid objects . If the flash is point ed dir ec tly a t th e s ubj ec t a nd lo ca ted n ear th e len s, the su bje c t will l ook fl a t because of th e lack of s h adows . How eve r, if th e fla sh is moved off-axis , shadows s ta rt to appear on the[...]

Combination bounce and direct fla s h: soft , natural - looking lighting with a pleasing catchlight in the eyes . 55[...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES-confinued------ The procedure for bounce flash is as follows : 1) Choose the bounce surface. Select the ceiling or wall you want to bounce the flash off of ; then tilt and/or rotate the main flash head so that it pOints in that direction. The position of the flash unit, the bounce angle, and the setting of the zoom head sho[...]

Using a diffuser It is also possible to diffuse the light by placing a trans - l ucent mater i al , such as one or mo re sheets of tracing paper, between the flash and subject. You ca n create more pronounced d i ffusion by pl acing a certain dis t ance between the diffuser and flash t han by wrapping the diffuser around the flash head . Exper i me[...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES-continued------ Multiple Flash Photography If you have another flash unit, you can use it as a second- ary light s ource for multiple flash photography . When you use only one flash unit in front of a subject , harsh shad- ows may be produced or light m ay not reach the back- ground . But by using more than one flash unit, [...]

TTL multiple flash photography 8y using the S8-16 connected to an F3-series , FA. FE2, F-501/N2020, F-301/N2000, FG or Nikonos-V (via V~ype Sync Cord) camera as a master flash unit and either the Nikon 8peedlight 88-11 , 88 - 14 , 88-15, 88-16 , 8817 , S8-18 and/or 88-140 as slave flash unit(s), TIL multiple flash photography with up to five flash [...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES-continued------ SYSTEM CHART FOR TTL MULTIPLE FLASH OPERATION ffiOfJ 60 Nikon F3 @~ ~ @ ,Ikonos-v - 0 @~ @)~SB-18 @) ~ IJ~!5 ~ ~ @~ 5B" l1Jl9JJ ~ -----+-!=~~ Nlkon FE2 SC-17 Nlkon F-5011 ~L.- O -Q :r - ~ -"- -f-:-@)II I~II V-Type Sync Cord Nlkon F-3011 Nikon FG N2000 L- ____ __ -! @ indicates the "master &quo[...]

F~s." ~---- ~~S~= - 2=3=-- SB-11 I SB-14/ ~____. SB-140 SB-16B ~ -Ej ~ AS-11 O SC - 18 --= SC-19 o SC - 18 IlIL SC-19 ail . , ,jl lJIlll- SE? ~SB-18 ~-El ~ AS-11 SB-141 SB-140 61[...]

-PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES-confinued----- Manual multiple flash photography If the secondary flash unit is either a Nikon Speedlight S8-11, S8-12 , S8-14 , S8-15, S8-16 or S8-17 , use either the SC-11 (approx . 25cm) or SC-15 (approx . 1 m) sync cord to connect the flash units together via sync/multiple flash terminal. With the S8-7E or S8-10, use th[...]

ACCESSORIES------------- Sync Cords 10 , 11 , and 15 For use with cameras not provided with a hot shoe or for off-camera or multiple - flash l ighting s etup s. The 8C - 11 is 25cm while the 8C - 15 is one meter . To use the 8C-1O with F2 - or F3 -ser ie s cameras , use of the Nikon Flash Un it Coupler (A8 -1 for the F2 and A8 - 4/7 for the F3 ) is[...]

-ACCESSORIES-continued------------ TTL Multi·Flash Sync Cords SC·18 and SC·19 The SC-18 and/or SC-19 are used to connect the flash un i ts together for TTL multiple flash ope r ation . The SC- 18 is 1. 5m long , while the SC-19 is 3m . TTL Multi·Flash Adaptor AS·10 When you plan to perform TTL multiple flash operation with more than three flas[...]

Soft Flash Unit Case 55·16 The SS-16 accommodates the main flash unit of the S8-16 and both Flash Unit Couplers AS-8 and AS -9, one at- tached to the main flash unit , and one stored separately inside the pocket , with the Wide - Flash Adapter SW-7 attached to the flash head . If you do not store a flash unit coupler in the pocket , then you can p[...]

TIPS ON SPEEDLIGHT CARE--------- - To remove dirt or fingerprints, wipe with a dry soft or silicon-treated cloth . Never use thinner , benzine or alcohol, since they might damage the plastic parts . To clean the Wide- Flash Adapter , wash it with soap and water . Never use a brush, as this may damage it. 66 -If you do not plan to use the unit for m[...]

-If your 88-16 has not been used for a long time , its recycling time may be longer , To maintain the built-in condenser in peak con dition , there- by enabling you to use the 88-16 for many years , fir e the flash unit a few times every month , After firing, wait until the ready-light light s, then turn off the power sw itch , remove the batterie [...]

OPTIMUM BATTERY PERFORMANCE------- New batteries . Between manufacturing and first use , all batteries exhibit some drain. Therefore , care should be taken to purchase the newest (and freshest) ones possi- ble. To help you do this , some manufacturers stamp the date of manufacture on the bottom of each battery . Ask your camera dealer for assistanc[...]

SPECIFICATIONS------------- (The SB - 16 main flash unit ha s the following s pec i fication s when comb ined with t he Fla sh Unit Coupler AS -8 or AS -9) Electronic construction Automatic silicon· controlled Guide number at ASA/ISO 100 and meters (or at ASAIISO 25 and feet) Angle of coverage Flash heads Zooming capability rectifier and series ci[...]

-SPECIFICATIONS-confinued----------- Manual exposure control Synchronization with motor driven camera Dimensions (W x H x D) SB·16A SB·16B Weight SB · 16A SB · 16B Accessories provided Full output at M setting Possible at MD setting with 1/16th of full output ; guide number is 8 at ASA/ISO 100 aM meters (or 13 at ASA/ I SO 25 and feet) with the[...]

71[...]

No reproduction in any form of this manual , in whole or in part (except for brief quotation in critical articles or reviews) . may be made without written authorization from Nippon Kogaku K. K. (1IIIro,,) NIPPON KOGAKU K.K. Fuji Bldg ., 2 - 3, Marunouchi 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku , Tokyo 100, Japan Phone: 81-3 - 214-5311 Telex: J22601 (NIKON) Fax: 81 -3[...]