Custom Setting #E4 Dof Preview Triggers Modeling Flash566 - Nikon D300 Complete Manual

2. Commander mode may be where you want to leave
your camera set if you sometimes use wireless flash.
That's because you can still run the internal flash just on
its own for TTL at this setting. You have to set the flash
exposure compensation in this Custom Settings menu
rather than using the Flash Options button and Front
Command dial on the camera, though. And you need to
be aware that you'll extend the preflash sequence a bit
because the camera has to look for other groups, so this
might not be a good idea if you're shooting people or
things that react to light. But for someone like me, who
tends to shoot static objects (scenics) and often, but not
always, uses multiple flashes, leaving my D300 set to
Commander mode with my usual settings actually saves
me a lot of time and fumbling in the field (especially since
it's usually around dawn or dusk when I'm shooting with
flash).
3. If you use visual slaves to trigger studio lighting, try
leaving your D300 set at Manual flash mode at 1/128
power. That's generally not enough flash to do much
more than produce a minor catchlight effect on your
models, but it's usually enough to trigger you main studio
lighting.
4. Note that if you mount an SB-600 on the camera, this
Custom Setting changes to allow just the options available
with that flash unit (TTL and Manual flash).
Custom Setting #E4 DOF Preview Triggers Modeling Flash
(Modeling flash)
The internal flash, SB-600, SB-800, and SB-R200 have a
modeling light function, which triggers the flash to rapidly
pulse the light at low power. This is handy for seeing how
lighting hits your subject and what shadows might be
triggered. I find this especially useful for estimating shadows
in macro photography with flash. Normally, you'd have to
reach all the way up onto the flash and press the modeling
light button to trigger this function (and you'd have no way of
Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D300
V1.02
Page 566