What cord/cable do I need?

**Bob Kerner** · 1-Jan-2011, 19:30

I'd like to try triggering my Nikon Sb 800s with my LF camera. I have a modern (I think) Copal shutter and I need help identifying what cord/cable I need to go from the shutter to the flash.

A picture is worth 50 words; see attached thumbnails. I think I need an ordinary PC cord but of course Nikon has fancy names for everything that plugs into their flashes.

Will an ordinary PC cord do? Is there any engineering limitation to length of the cord; what size do you suggest for a portrait lighting set up?

Thank you in advance. I'll need to order the cable on-line so I want to make sure I know what to search for.

Bob

**John Koehrer** · 1-Jan-2011, 21:19

A male to male cord would do it.
Paramount most likely has them available.

**Bob Kerner** · 3-Jan-2011, 19:39

Thanks John. Couldn't be sure I was looking at the correct cord on the B&H website, so I contacted Paramount directly and got an instantaneous response.

Thanks for mentioning Paramount specifically.

**dsphotog** · 3-Jan-2011, 20:46

Bob, you most likely already know.....
The TTL flash mode won't work, you could of course use "A" or manual mode.

Happy shooting!

**Bob Kerner** · 4-Jan-2011, 08:16

Originally Posted by dsphotog

Bob, you most likely already know.....
The TTL flash mode won't work, you could of course use "A" or manual mode.

Happy shooting!

Yes, I'm aware of that. I'm content using "old fashioned" manual mode!

**ki6mf** · 4-Jan-2011, 17:22

For the SB 800 the SU 4 mode works fine. I got a 30 foot cord from paramount last year. Paramount indicated that a common mistake when ordering cords is making the length too short. The excess length can be coiled and left hanging on the light stand holding the flash.

**Bob Kerner** · 4-Jan-2011, 18:16

Originally Posted by ki6mf

For the SB 800 the SU 4 mode works fine. I got a 30 foot cord from paramount last year. Paramount indicated that a common mistake when ordering cords is making the length too short. The excess length can be coiled and left hanging on the light stand holding the flash.

I ordered direct from Paramount to make sure I didn't screw up the connections. Very nice people to deal with and they took the time to remind me to slightly overestimate how much cord I need rather than come up short.

I'd highly recommend them for flash cords. A 20ft straight PC male to PC male cord cost $50 with tax and shipping.

I can use the cord to trigger one flash and then the SU-4 slave mode will trigger the second.