However, the D7000 and certain Nikon flashes provide a partial solution, called high-
speed syncor FP sync (focal plane sync). Those flash units can fire a series of flashes con-
secutively in rapid succession, producing the illusion of a longer continuous flash,
although at reduced intensity. These multiple flashes have a duration long enough to
allow exposing the area of the sensor revealed by the traveling slit as it makes its full
pass. However, the reduced intensity means that your flash’s range is greatly reduced.
This technique is most useful outdoors when you need fill-in flash, but find that
1/250th second is way too slow for the f/stop you want to use. For example, at ISO 200,
an outdoors exposure is likely to be 1/250th second at, say, f/14, which is perfectly fine
for an ambient/balanced fill-flash exposure if you don’t mind the extreme depth-of-field
offered by the small f/stop. But, what if you’d rather shoot at 1/1,600th second at f/5.6?
High-speed sync will let you do that, and you probably won’t mind the reduced flash
power, because you’re looking for fill flash, anyway. This sync mode offers more flexi-
bility than, say, dropping down to ISO 100.
High-speed sync is also useful when you want to use a larger f/stop to limit the amount
of depth-of-field. Select a shutter speed higher than 1/250th second, and the faster-sync
speed automatically reduces the effective light of the flash, without other intervention
from you.
To use Auto FP sync with units like the Nikon SB-900, SB-700, SB-800 (now discon-
tinued), SB-600, and SB-R200 units, there is no setting to make on the flash itself. You
need to use CSM #e1 to specify either 1/320 s (Auto FP) or 1/250 s (Auto FP). When
either of those settings is activated, when using P or A exposure modes, the shutter speed
will be set to 1/320th or 1/250th second (respectively) when a compatible external flash
is attached. Higher shutter speeds than 1/320th or 1/250th second can then be used
with full synchronization, at reduced flash output.
Working with Nikon Flash Units
If you want to work with dedicated Nikon flash units, at this time you have six choices,
the D7000’s built-in flash, the Nikon SB-900, SB-700, SB-800, SB-600, SB-400 on-
camera flash units, and the SB-R200 wireless remote flash. (The discontinued SB-800
can still be found on the used market, while the SB-600 is slated for replacement soon.)
These share certain features, which I’ll discuss while pointing out differences among
them. Nikon may introduce additional flash units during the life of this book, but the
current batch and the Nikon Creative Lighting System ushered in with them were sig-
nificant steps forward, so I don’t expect any major changes in the near future. First, a
quick introduction to the separate flash units currently available:
David Busch’s Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography418