As already mentioned I have made over 10,000 exposures in two years with this unit. It is a part of Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (which employs iTTL control ) and comes in a large black case of goodies. If you buy the complete Nikon SB – R1C1 Commander kit it will set you back by around £600: the component parts: 2 x SB-R200 flash guns (£370) plus the SU 800 wireless speedlight commander control unit (£299.00) taken alone come to £669.00. In addition there is a substantial black fitted case with a host of goodies – the unit that holds the flash guns, adapters for various lens filter diameters (52/62/67/72/77 mm), stands for the SB-200 units, clamp, filters, diffusers for the flash guns and a diffuser sheet plus two close-up adaptors…not bad for the money. The simpler R1 Remote kit has the two flash heads, adapter rings etc but no commander unit since it utilises the internal electronics of those Nikon FX and DX digital cameras that support the Creative Lighting System (CLS).
The macro flash seen here on a D300 is compact and makes for a highly portable unit. Here the set-up is next to a macbook pro where Lois is checking images. If they pass inspection I can have my camera back...as long as I make lunch first
With the R1C1 Commander kit you get a flash system that copes with virtually anything you can throw at it (not literally – although it is well-made) in a close-up and macro sense. It is not a casual purchase, no commercial macroflash system is, but it is light, robust, compact, free of cables and, above all, has proved reliable under heavy use.
Exposure failures have usually been attributable to me :
a. inadvertently switching the channel on the radio control so it is different from the guns and they do not work.
b. fumbling on the front of the D300 and managing to switch on ‘bracketing’ so that subsequent exposures are over or under…that has now been adjusted.
With complicated DLSRs it is good to know how to reset the system and save fiddling.
The bulk of my macro work is in the field – for example in a meadow where, in May, there can be dozens of orchids, spiders, butterflies and a host of flowers that I want to capture in a day’s (or less) work . With a ‘macroflash unit’ (with which you have become familiar) you are almost at a ‘point and shoot capability’ where you can relax, wander and capture images consistently. When you want to change aperture to control depth of field the system compensates and you can do this without lifting your head from the viewfinder.
For orchid intimidation - a scarce serapias (S. neglecta) here I used elbows but ground, beanbags, camera bags...all provide support
I don’t always use a tripod – in fact with insects very seldom. I tend to work with a shutter speed of 1/250th sec and rest the unit on the top of my rucksack or use the Novoflex Minipod or a beanbag, log or stone….
I have also (as is my usual practice) been able to adapt this kit to become effective with ultra-wide lenses – there is an account here. You can use the macroflash kit as it comes or put on the diffusers for going close and more or less eliminate hot spots.
The component parts - flash heads and commander unit are clearly visible: this is an experimental set-up for throwing light on fish-eye close-ups
The SU 800 wireless control unit is simple to use with a clear reverse display. From it you can control multiple flash guns in three groups using one of 4 radio channels (just in case you have companions nearby who also have the same unit – you can change channels). It has a range of 20m with larger guns such as the SB-900, SB-800 and SB-600 and around 4m with the SB-R200 units.
A small switch in the battery compartment lets you choose a mode where each of the groups is displayed and you can adjust the lighting of each separately. The display takes two forms: Close-up Mode where you can adjust the lighting ratio of the guns and then increase / decrease the total brightness by simply pressing a switch. TTL control is available for groups A and B and manual for C. In Commander Mode all three groups are shown and lighting is adjusted in EV rather than ratios.
The commander unit allows much more than macro lighting and as well as controlling multiple units in three groups for a full indoor or outdoor studio set up there is a repeat flash mode. This allows stroboscopic photography – several images on the same frame as long as you use a gun that recycles fast enough (the more powerful SB 900,800,600 but not the SB-R200 heads).
The flash units in this system will work with High Speed Sync mode built into many Nikon DSLRs where in TTL mode you can use shutter speeds faster than the maximum sync speed of 1/250th sec. As the shutter curtains travel the flashes can be made to fire a series of rapid pulses thus creating the exposure in ‘sections’: the flash intensity is reduced and so the coverage is less.
The trouble is, as with all modern digital equipment there is so much that can be adjusted it is easy to make small errors at first. You learn by mistakes and problems are left behind.
this image with a 15mm rectangular fish-eye was taken with the macro flash system plus diffused light from the SB 900 and mixed with ambient light...not a problem with the sophisticated lighting control achievable through Nikon's iTTL (intelligent TTL) capability the day after heavy snow: my birthday.
For the SB-R200 flash unit:
Guide Number:
@ ISO 100 = 10m/33ft
@ ISO 200 = 14m/46ft
recycling time to full 6 sec
max flash duration 600μsec (0.6 millisec or 1/1600th sec)
Even with a 180mm f/3.5 macro lens these units are positioned far enough off axis to give some relief…if not you just unclip one of the guns and hold it in the hand.
I have found that the small stands that come with the kit let me set up the guns easily close to a subject for high magnification work at home and not worry about where the cables go…
Each of the SB-R200 flash heads and the SU-800 commander unit is powered by a 3 volt CR123A Lithium battery – weight is kept down compared with two AA type cells but more expensive. There are re-chargeable cells available and I have kitted out with six of these and two chargers that can be plugged into a car cigarette lighter socket.
Essential or not?
As I write this I have been trying to think whether this item is essential – the answer is “no” in the sense that I could do most of my photography with a simpler system, though perhaps not with repeat accuracy or the level of control but I would get there. It is just so convenient in simple things: for example, there are no coiled or trailing cables to get in your way or even to move and thus scare off subjects. When I had a system based on a Kennet Macroflash bracket it held a couple of Nikon guns and looked like a bedecked Christmas tree. It also had a ‘magnetic attraction’ for low branches and brambles…on one occasion wearing shorts and tee shirt I was in pursuit of a Camberwell beauty butterfly through a woodland ride and, thanks to adrenalin, oblivious to the pain of nettles and things that tore at flesh. I did not notice ‘that’ branch and it whipped off the flash.
ISO400 and a shutter sync speed of 1/250th with the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro isolated this comma butterfly on a leaf with enough light in the background to avoid darkening
If macro work is an essential part of what you do then I would unhesitatingly recommend this item or its equivalent from other manufacturers: it has served me very well in two years of hard use.
For occasional use you can do a great deal with a normal gun used off camera with a diffuser
If you have a product code then you can download a coloured Sample Guide for the SB-R200 from the Nikon site in your country: there is also a very detailed Guide/instruction book in pdf form
© Paul Harcourt Davies 2010
Thanks Paul, really useful.
Hi Paul,
At first look, a very detailed report, but then you seemed to get bored or got busy and then for some reason it was brought to a screaming halt. You certainly piqued my interest, but left me wanting more, a lot more. I want my unit delivered to the following address please. . .
But really, it did seem to end prematurely. I would have liked to have read about more in field results with different lenses/subjects/flash ratios, etc… These details were only given passing interest.
What I really liked is finally reading a reliable report about this flash combination from a person who has real world experience with the product over a period of time and who also has the required knowledge to honestly report the product without bias/prejudice.
Even without the required practical experiences, I find myself happily hooked and the R1C1 ‘cyborg’ is now on my shopping list.
Thanks Paul. . .
Bruce
Hello Bruce,
Thank you for your comment, I received it a few minutes ago it when the electricity came back on for the first time since yesterday afternoon…the delights of a rural life. I had timed the review to go up this morning without being able to chane a thing and it did not get the detailed check I make on links and content. I have put a comment about ‘relief’ with longer focal length lenses in the first page. I am sorry it did not come up to expectations but there are 1778 words up there and I try to strike a balance between content and length – not easy with Welsh garrulosity to contend with. It was not a case of getting bored – if ever that happened I would stop making contributions to this or any other blog. It is not a case of filling space for the sake of it…I see too much of that on the internet and writing a blog with articles takes a lot of time that could always be spent elsewhere. I do it because it is something I enjoy and is a way of getting info out there and maybe helping to create more interest in the close-up world and those creatures that get overlooked. I do tend to be a bit naively idealistic about that.
Regards
Paul
Adam,
Glad you found it useful
best
Paul
Hi Paul,
Please accept my apologies because i think that I may have worded my comments incorrectly. They certainly weren’t put down as a criticism. On the contrary, it was more like, Geez I’ve finally found someone who has actually used this thing in the field and now I want to know everything about it before I fork out my hard earned money for my own unit.
Your blog, to me at least, is a ray of light that I turn to every day. I read about your lives hoping that one day i might be so lucky.
Kindest regards,
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
No worries!
Best regards
Paul
Hi Bruce,
Now that I have had my ridiculously strong first espresso of the day (and knowing I do not have to do another five hours with a chainsaw)..I think I may have come across a bit ‘heavily ‘so mea culpa! It is just that I/we care about the things we write and our joint love of nature. In fact, you would not believe how much goes on behind the scenes on the edit side where we post/fiddle/abandon material.
If ever I am bored I get angry – with myself. We hope we can keep up the freshness and honesty of this blog. There is an in-built aversion to the kind of thing that looks as if the author got up in the morning, blew themselves a kiss in the mirror and set about writing about how wonderful they are (again). We know we are not – I suspect collectively we struggle mostly against ourselves and there is a very heavy tendency towards self-criticism. A bit of an angst- ridden collective this.
Enough confessions for today – the sun has come out and we shall visit a good site for orchids before the hordes go out on Easter Monday and pick the wild asparagus there. That’s Lois task for the day – it’s a way of effecting a ‘symbiosis’ and a very good wild asparagus risotto…
best wishes
Paul
Hi Paul
I wholeheartedly agree with your review of the kit. I bought one as soon as Nikon announced it, and have never regretted the purchase. Having used all manner of flash and bracket set-ups over the years, it’s a joy not to have cables snagged by branches or slave units blinded by bright sunlight. I don’t understand why Nikon don’t publicise it more. As an example of the attention to detail, one of the attachment rings is a special size which screws into a hidden thread on the old 105mm f2.8 MicroNikkor, leaving the filter thread clear for attaching filters or close-up lenses.
Best wishes
Mick
Hi Mick,
Thanks for your comment. It gives me a chance to mention two ‘minor’ things that irk me slightly about the set-up. First they use CR123A batteries that are not cheap (and not easy to find here in Italy) – I appreciate the weight factor over 2 AA cells. And the price of an extra/replacement SB-R200 flash head is a bit steep. Nikon have always charged premium prices for flash accessories…their cables used to cost an arm and a leg for what is after all two plugs (albeit with a few pins) and a length of cable (with a few wires). I never did find independent sources of such things. Having just come back from a windy hillside where I took over 200 shots with just a few duffs (wind movement and not exposure)…one should not complain!
best regards
Paul
Hi Paul,
You mention in your article that you love to wander through the fields with camera, and flash, in hand and see what comes up. When you are out and about, wandering, do you have a favorite ‘bias’ setting for the R1C1 unit; like 2 to 1, left against right, or something similar? I only ask this because I am assuming that it would take more than a few seconds to check a scene and decide on lighting, then make the adjustments through the SU 800 commander?
Working this system sans SU800, I would think that it would be for static subjects like plants or very cold early morning insects?
I realise that I am waaay out on a limb here by making assumptions, but I can’t base my thoughts on practical experience so that’s why I’m asking. . .hehe.
Regards,
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
Just to take an example – yesterday, with eight hours in the field I did not change the lighting ratio once: I find 2:1 works well for me and if I need to switch the ratios around I rotate the ring with flash guns… I do check periodically where the guns are pointing – the more powerful at the subject the other just slightly away and towards the background. You’d have to experiment with what worked for you. The R1 sans SU 88 works very well and I knew a few people who just want that and are happy without the potential to control other flashes off camera. One useful thing, rather than a change of ratios is the capacity to lift or cut the exposure of both guns (and retain the ratios) – I tend to use +0.7 EV or +1.0EV as a constant: if a white flower looks wrong then the adjustment is swift. You get to know which subjects are going to be a bit contrary very quickly. On a sunny day outdoors chasing insects I do tend to use “manual’ a lot with shutter on 1/250th the max synch speed and an aperture of about f/18 – f/22 There is enough background light to give a pleasant balance: if you get it wrong the LCD image/histograms tell you quickly.
best regards
Paul
Thanks Paul. . . . I’m learning all the time.
This blog is better than workshops.
Bruce…
Hi Bruce,
Thanks for the comment – appreciated.
Paul
Paul, you’ve just put this flash unit back on my shopping list. Not just because of your excellent explanation of using it in the field, but also because you’ve said there are rechargeable batteries available. I didn’t know that rechargeables came in this size – and the thought of buying dozens of non-rechargeable batteries had put me off.
Hello Annie,
I am just drying out after my wettest orchid sortie ever down south in Puglia: it tested the seals on these units! Just Google CR123A rechargeable batteries and there are a few makes such as Uniross – you can buy the batteries separately or with a charger. I bought two chargers (each with a cell) and then another four cells – enough to power 2 flash units and commander and a spare set. They do not last as long as the Li ion cells but that is a small price to pay. Get a known make some friends over here have bought chargers that seem to last a very short time…the Uniross chargers I have come with a 12V cigar lighter adapter as well.
Paul
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Hi Paul,
Just been reading your blog on the Nikon Macro flash units. Thanks very much for explaining things so clearly. I’m going to the butterfly house at RHS Wisley and was concerned about the amount and colour of light at such a place. It looks like the R1C1 will be the best thing for photographing the butterflies.
Happy New Year.
I am interested in buying one of these units but am concerned that the flash units seem to be very low powered. I see from one of your comments that you are using an aperture of f18 or f22. Can this be achieved with say butterfly size objects and say ISO 200 and a 105 lens? These are the sort of apertures I would normally use with my SB800 to achieve the necessary depth of field and I would not want to find myself having to work regularly with bigger apertures
Thanks Peter Wyles
Thanks
Up to around half life-size at ISO 200 and f/18 – f/22 there are no problems with these small units and I often use them on butterflies etc. For larger butterflies I would suggest using ISO 400 and this will, at f/18 let you use a reasonably high shutter speed and also allow sufficient exposure to the background via ambient light. In other posts on macro lighting I explain how to balance flash and ambient light for a natural look and high definition. The R1c1 set up really is first rate – accurate and reliable.
best
PaulHD
Paul
Many thanks
Most helpful
Peter