Owner's Manual

119Technical Notes / Optional Accessories
Optional Flash Units (Speedlights)
The accessory shoe allows SB-series Speedlights , including the
SB-800, 600, 80DX, 28DX, 28, 27, 23, 22S, and 29S to be mounted
directly on the camera without a sync cable. It is equipped with
a safety lock for Speedlights with a locking pin, such as the SB-
800 and SB-600. Before attaching an optional fl ash unit, remove
the accessory shoe cover. The built-in fl ash will not fi re when an
optional Speedlight is attached.
When used with compatible fl ash units such as the optional SB-800 and SB-600 Speedlights
or SB-R200 wireless remote Speedlight, the D80 supports the advanced Nikon Creative
Lighting System (CLS), including i-TTL fl ash control (
141), FV lock (locks fl ash level; 92),
and Auto FP High-Speed Sync (synchronizes the fl ash and shutter at high shutter speeds).
With the built-in fl ash in commander mode, the D80 can be used to control remote SB-800,
SB-600, and SB-R200 fl ash units. See the Speedlight manual for details.
SB-800 and SB-600 Speedlights
These high-performance Speedlights have Guide Numbers of 38/125 and 30/98 respec-
tively (m/ft, 35-mm zoom head position, ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F). The fl ash head can be rotated
through 90 ° above the horizontal, 180 ° left, and 90 ° right for bounce-fl ash or close-up pho-
tography. The SB-800 can be rotated 7 ° below the horizontal. Auto power zoom (24–105
mm and 24–85 mm, respectively) ensures that the illuminating angle is adjusted in accord
with lens focal length. The built-in wide panel can be used for an angle of 14 mm (the SB-800
also supports 17 mm). An illuminator is included to assist in adjusting settings in the dark.
Use Only Nikon Flash Accessories
Use only Nikon Speedlights. Negative voltages or voltages over 250 V applied to the accessory shoe
could not only prevent normal operation, but damage the sync circuitry of the camera or fl ash. Before
using a Nikon Speedlight not listed in this section, contact a Nikon-authorized service representative
for more information.
Guide Number
To calculate the range of the fl ash at an ISO sensitivity of 100, divide the Guide Number by the aperture.
For example, the built-in fl ash has a Guide Number of 13 m or 42 ft. (ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F); its range at an
aperture of f/5.6 is 13 ÷ 5.6 or about 2.3 meters (or in feet,42 ÷ 5.6 = about 7.5 ft). With Guide Numbers
of 38 and 30, the SB-800 and SB-600 respectively have ranges of about 6.8 and 5.4 meters (22.3 and 17.5
feet) at f/5.6 (35-mm zoom head position).
The AS-15 Accessory Shoe Adapter
When the AS-15 accessory shoe adapter (available separately) is mounted on the camera accessory
shoe, fl ash accessories can be connected via a sync cable.