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I own a Nikon SB-600 flash and no camera. Now, looking for a new camera, I want to know if I could trigger the flash from another non-Nikon camera body.

I never use it on camera and therefore I think I have two options for off camera triggering. 1. trigger by flash 2. trigger by a remote control device (e.g. Cactus or something cheap )

Questions:

  1. Will flash triggering work?
  2. can I put transmitter on, lets say panasonic camera and sb 600 receiver ?
  3. Can the flash be mounted on other camera brands?
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  • I take it that you used to have a Nikon camera but no longer do? Or is there some other reason why you have a Speedlite but not a camera?
    – user9817
    Apr 17 '13 at 13:12
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You cannot trigger it by flash. The SB-600 does not have an optical slave mode. You can buy an inexpensive optical slave trigger though and trigger it with the built-in flash on your camera.

You may be able to mount it in the hotshoe of a non-Nikon body, but it may not fire. In fact, it's possible it could damage the camera. Nikon flashes use 12V trigger voltage, and some cameras, like Canon, use 6V). There is some information here - Strobe Trigger Voltages

You can certainly trigger the SB-600 using a radio trigger, such as the Cactus, from a non-Nikon body. Whatever trigger you choose, you just need to make sure it's compatible with both the flash and the camera. The Cactus is compatible with the SB-600.

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  • Thanks. Are the transmitter and receiver made the same to all cameras and flashes. ( Let me explain - If I buy Panasonic camera - do I need to buy transmitter for panasonic and receiver to nikon flash?
    – Bick
    Apr 15 '13 at 9:46
  • There are a few radio triggers like Phottix which do have Nikon or Canon versions because they support TTL. Those have additional contacts on them. But most triggers like the Cactus only have one version which works off the standard centre hotshoe contact. The Cactus is definitely compatible with the Nikon SB range - you may want to double check that it is compatible with whatever camera you end up buying
    – MikeW ♦
    Apr 15 '13 at 10:01
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    "all cameras" is very hard to say, but "most" will be fine. Some Minolta bodes have a strange hotshoe, and you need either a special flash, or an adaptor. Since Sony bought Minolta, some of their models use the strage, Minolta-style shoe.
    – Pat Farrell
    Apr 15 '13 at 13:45
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A Nikon SU-4 wireless remote TTL flash controller should resolve the problem.

Nikon SU-4

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  • With a non-Nikon camera, that's just going to work as an optical slave right? Is there any advantage to an SU-4 over a much less expensive optical slave or radio trigger?
    – MikeW ♦
    Apr 17 '13 at 10:34
  • The SU-4 is at it's best if you have a complete Nikon setup and the only advantage is if you are using TTL metering with a Nikon camera, which mostly you will not be doing. I've had mine for years so the cost is no longer an issue for me but I'd still consider buying one now because it's guaranteed to work with a Nikon Speedlite rather than probably working. They can be found cheaper on eBay and the like.
    – user9817
    Apr 17 '13 at 13:06

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