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got a sc-29 remote cord for my flash unit

one clear advantage of using this cord over the sc28 is that sometimes when you hold the flash unit away from the subject in low light the af assist light on th eflash unit misses the subject because your looking through the viewfinder and trying to point the the flash in different directions, it's hard to point it directly at the subject if you can't see what your doing hence the camera cant focus. With the sc29 the af assist light is on the camera hotshoe which is in direct line of sight from above the lens barrel to the subject, where ever you hold the flash even pointing it up in order to bounce the af assist light on the hotshoe assists the camera at focussing on the subject regardless of where the flash unit is pointing.

I have wasted alot of time and opportunities with using the sc28 in this manner

I think it's one of the best accessories i have ever purchased

results are nice too essentially i really don't like the flash on the camera shoe images look flat most of the time you get harsh shadow in the background etc

here is an examples of what you can do with the flash off the hotshoe



the first two the flash is inthe near 10 'o' clock position at the distance i am form the subject

3rd on is more direct but flash but held slighty behind me from the left

holdign the flash can be impractical at times when you just have to get the shot, but if you have time for a shot it's just sweet.

wendellt wrote:one clear advantage of using this cord over the sc28 is that sometimes when you hold the flash unit away from the subject in low light the af assist light on th eflash unit misses the subject because your looking through the viewfinder and trying to point the the flash in different directions, it's hard to point it directly at the subject if you can't see what your doing hence the camera cant focus. With the sc29 the af assist light is on the camera hotshoe which is in direct line of sight from above the lens barrel to the subject, where ever you hold the flash even pointing it up in order to bounce the af assist light on the hotshoe assists the camera at focussing on the subject regardless of where the flash unit is pointing.
.

Definitely agree. Very handy for when you're holding the SB-800 in one hand off camera and trying to get the thing to focus - you don't have to co-ordinate exactly where the short burst of AF assist is going from the flash unit at the same time.

Also good if you've got the SB-800 mounted on a tripod pointing in some direction other than directly at the subject (sometimes the head rotation doesn't help here) or if you're using a brolly with it.

Well worth the extra money over the SC-28, and with the AF-assist switch on the front of the replica hotshoe, you can easily switch back to using the SB-800's AF assist.

One of the cheapest bits of gear in my kit, but one of the last I'd give up (definitely considering the limited availability these days of the SC-29).

I couldn't agree more, the SC29 is a great bit of gear. A real shame that it has apparently been
discontinued in favour of other (much more expensive) alternatives. I was lucky enough to
pick one up from D-D Photographics and have used it a fair bit.

Daniel Greg
yeah hard one to get i tried to source oe right after i figured out the sc28's weakness months ago, finally found it here

http://stores.ebay.com/Go4DC-Photo-Supp ... line-Store

they have stock

Is there any additional value with using the sc29 over controlling the SB800 wirelessly with the D70's in-built flash? Wendell, I know you have a D2X, so this might not apply to you.

I've done the wireless thing a couple of times, and seems to work pretty well (have to use the D70s' AF-assist lamp though, not the one on the SB800).

You can still pick them up on ebay. I was wondering what the difference between the 28 and 29 was, given the large price difference. Now I know, thanks Wendell!

losfp wrote:Is there any additional value with using the sc29 over controlling the SB800 wirelessly with the D70's in-built flash? Wendell, I know you have a D2X, so this might not apply to you.

For me, yes:
* There's not the lag that you get with the wireless setup
* if the contacts are clean on the SB-800, the SC-29 and the D70 and everything else is good, it will fire - not maybe
* my internal flash is dead

Raskill wrote:You can still pick them up on ebay. I was wondering what the difference between the 28 and 29 was, given the large price difference. Now I know, thanks Wendell!

SC-28 - best thought of as a simple flash hotshoe replicator with a bit of coiled cable (~80cm unstretched) between

SC-29 - same as above, but the mount that goes on top of the camera includes an AF-assist lamp with crosshairs like the one if the SB-800 (not like the white lamp in the D70). Also has a selector switch on the hotshoe replica that lets you switch between the AF assist on the cable (on top of the D70) or the AF assist on the front of the SB800.

FWIW you can achieve the same thing on the D70 with the SC 28 by cancelling AF assist in one of the SB 800's custom settings. It then gives control back to the on camera AF assist lamp. I'm not sure whether this applies to the D2X (or the D200 for that matter)

daniel_r wrote:* There's not the lag that you get with the wireless setup

Good point - I often find that the subject gets confused by the pre-flashes, and stops posing after the first burst

Still, the wireless option is not a bad one if you are on a budget, and you're not doing portraits a lot.

losfp wrote:I often find that the subject gets confused by the pre-flashes, and stops posing after the first burst

I thought those pre-flashes were not perceivable by the average subject. I certainly can't see them. Are you sure you're not talking about red-eye reduction pre-flashes?

Cheers
Steffen.