Nikon Speedlight SB-11 User manual

Nikon
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

NOMENCLATURE
CD Wide -Flash Adapter SW-3
oTilting flash head
mode selector
CD Sensor Unit SU-2
® ~ :Y,..,no",-., calculator dial
® flash sockets
G) Sensor socket
® Bracket mounting adapter
® Sync Cord SC - ll
@ Bracket mounting pin
@ Attachment screw
@ Bracket SK-4
@ Tripod socket
2

@ External power
terminal
f/stop scale (black) @
Power switch @
Di stan ce scale @
ASA/ ISO film ind ex @
Open -flash button @
Ready-light ®
dots @
Attachment screw slots @
Releaselloc
chamber Iid @
s
tand socket @
Handl e @
3

CONTENTS----------
NOMENCLATURE ....... .... . ... . ... . .. . . .. . ... 2- 3
FOREWORD ....... . ............ . . ... . .. . ... . ... ..5
BASIC OPERATION ....................... .. ... 6-12
CONTROLS IN DETAIL . ... . . . . . . . . . ..... . ... . . 13-21
Bracket SK-4 ..... .... .. ... . . .. .. . .... ... . .. .. 13
Bracket Mounting Adapter ........ .. . . . ..... ... 13
Tilting Flash Head ... . .... . .. . ................ 14
W ide -Flash Adapter SW -3 ..................... 15
Exposure Calculator Dial. . ... . .... ......... 16 -17
Sensor Unit SU-2 ...... ... ...... . . ... .... . .. . . 18
Ready-Light .. ... . ..... . . . .... . ... . . . .. ... . .. . 19
Open -Flash Button ....... . .. .. .. . ... .. . . .... .. 19
External Power Terminal ...... . . . . . . .. .... . .... 20
SynclMultiple Flash Sockets .... ... . .... .. ... .. . 20
Sync Cord SC-ll . ... . . .... . . . . .... .. . . ... . .. . 21
Synchronization Chart .. ...... . .... . .. .... . .... 21
ACCESSORIES . ........ ... ... . ... . .. ..... .... . . .. 22
TTL Remote Cords SC-12 and SC-23 . . .. ... .... . 22
Sensor Remote Cord SC - 13 .. . ...... . ...... .. .. 22
Sync Cord SC-15 .. . ........... . ............ . . 22
DC Unit SD -7 . . ... . ... ..... ........ . .. .. ...... 22
"RED EYE" .... . . . ... . ...... . .. . ..... . .. . . . . ... . . . 23
TIPS ON SPEEDLIGHT CARE . .... ... ........ . . 24 - 25
OPTIMUM BATTERY PERFORMANCE . .... .. ... . . . 26
SPECIFICATIONS ...... . .. ... .. .. . . . .. .. ......... 27
4

FOREWORD---------
Compafible wifh all Nikon SLR cameras, fhe brackef-
mounfing Nikon Speedlighf SB-ll feafures aufomafic
confrol of fhe flash exposure fo mafch fhe flash-fo-subject
disfance. By ufilizing a silicon-confrolled rectifier and
series circuifry, fhe speedlighf is also able fo conserve ifs
excess energy for fhe nexf shof when shoofing subjects af
close range thus reducing recycling fime and increasing
fhe number of flashes per battery sef. The opfional
accessory TTL Remote Cord SC-12 (for the Nikon F3-
series camera) or SC-23 (for fhe Nikon FA, FE2 , F-301l
N2000· or FG camera) allows fhe SB - ll to be used for
automatic TTL (fhrough-fhe-lens) confrol of fhe flash
exposure. In addifion, the SB-ll has a tilting flash head
allowing you fo bounce fhe lighf off fhe ceiling or walls
for more diffused lighting-a technique especially useful
when faking porfraifs or snapshots.
Even fhough fhe. SB-ll is exfremely easy fo use, you
should familiarize yourself wifh fhe unit's basic operation
as presented in fhe firsf section. For more de failed infor-
mafion, please refer fo "CONTROLS IN DETAIL. " A few
minufes wisely invesfed now will payoff lafer in years of
rewarding phofographic experiences .
• In the U.S.A. and Canada, the Nikon F- 301 camera is sold as the Nikon
N2000.
5

BASIC OPERATION------------
1. Open the battery
chamber.
Unscrew the lid @ at the bas e of the
handle and remove the battery clip.
6
2 Attach the bracket
•
mounting adapter ® to
the speedlight's handle @.
First, use the screwdriver provided
to loosen the two screws on the
br acket mounting adapter. Then,
slip
the adapter onto the speedlight's
handle and slide it to. the desired
position. Orient the adapter so that
its flat side is in the same plane as
the speedlight's
exposure calculator
dial ®. Make sure the locking wheel
® is facing toward the rear of the
speedlight.
3 Secure the bracket
•
mounting adapter.
Tighten the screws to secure the
adapter into place.

4. Load the batteries.
Insert ei ght AA-t ype penlight
batteries following the + and -
symbols on the inside of the battery
clip.
5. Install the battery clip.
Insert the battery clip into the
batte ry chamber. Make sure t he ter-
minal
end goes in first. Then line up
the V-shaped notch on the end of the
c
li p wi th the white dot on the rim of
t he battery chamber . Push the clip
unt il it drops into the fully seated
position.
6. Close the battery
chamber .
Screw the battery lid back into place.
7

- · BASIC OPERATION-continued------------
•
-f I
~ - - ~-
- -- --
7. Attach the bracket @ to
the camera.
Position the camera in the bracket
with the bracket mounting pin @) on
the same side of the camera as its
rewind knob. Then, screw the brack-
et's attachment screw @ into the
camera's tripod socket to secure the
two units together tightly.
Note: For attachment to the MD-4 Motor
Drive, you must reposition the bracket's
att
achmen t sc rew to the ather slot@. Fo r
details. refer 10
page 13.
8
8. Attach the .bracket to
the speedhght.
Insert the bracket mounting pin into
the hole in the bracket mounting
adapter with the two dots @ aligned;
rotate the camera forward.
9. Tighten the locking
wheel completely.

10. Attach the sync cord@.
Screw one end of the SC-ll
Sync Cord into either of the speed-
light's sync/multiple flash sockets® ;
screw the other end into the camera's
sync terminal.
11. Plug in the sensor 0 .
With the "Nikon" name up,
push
the Sensor Unit SU-2 into the
sensor socket
CD until it click-locks
into
place.
12 Rotate the flash head CD
• to the normal shooting
position.
9

-BASIC OPERATION-continued------------
13. Set the camera's shutter
speed for propersynchro-
nization.
Set the shutler spe ed dial to the
highest synchronization speed for
el
ectronic flash (e.g. set the F3 to the
"X" setting). For other camera mod-
els,
refer to the char t on page 2 1.
10
14 Set the exposure
• calculator dial ®.
Turn the dial until the ASAJISO
index @ is opposite the speed of the
film in use. T
he color-coded lines
underneath the £/stop scale@ indicate
the three usable £/ stops for automatic
operation, whereas the auto shooting
range indicators @ give you the
range of flash-to- subject distances .
For
example, if you' re using ASAJ
ISO 100 film and se l ect £/4, the auto-
matic shooting
range is indicated by
an orange line. Thus you can shoot
any subject located between 0.6 and
9 meters (2 and 30 feet) from the
s pee dli ght.
15. Set the lens aperture
ring to
an appropriate
f/number.