What light/non-bulky Nikon flash cord will let me control my flash from a camera without a sync cord socket?

Question

I have a D7000 (and a D50 and D80) that I use with a SB-800 speedlight.

I also have a SC-29 TTL coiled cord (which includes its own illuminator).

I have successfully used this with an optical slave trigger and my SB-28 Speedlight in studio situations.

I now have a Stroboframe Quick Flip flash bracket and had to swap off its built-in flash shoe mount for the flash shoe mount on the SC-29. I had to hack it with some washers to make the included screw work. I don't like this arrangement for two reasons: one, its a hack and two, the SC-29 is bulky.

I mindlessly bought an SC-15 sync cord thinking "Oh, I'll just plug one end into the camera and the other to the flash". Then I discovered/noticed that the D7000 does not have a Nikon sync cord socket!

So now I'm confused.

My primary question is "What is the lightest/least bulky corded cable that will optimally let me control my SB-800 from my D7000 while it's mounted on my Quick Flip flash bracket?" Ideally it would be something that did NOT include another shoe mount for the flash, allowing me to use the lightweight one that came with the Quick Flip. It would use a cable that plugged into either the sync socket or "other" socket on my SB-800.

Which brings me to my backup question: What is that "other" socket for (female with 3 male pins) that sits above the sync socket on the SB-800?

Answer 1

The "other" socket is for the SD-8A battery pack, an external pack using 6 AA-type batteries for quick recycling. If you want TTL control and need to use a cord (that is, for one reason or another you cannot use the pop-up as a controller, such as with a flash bracket) then the SC-29 is the correct cord. Note that the screw you need is a common thread (1/4-20) and that you should be able to find a replacement of the correct length at any reasonably well-stocked hardware store.