Setting Up Remotes and Remote Groups

A Remote flash (also referred to as a slave) is a speedlight used off-camera. In order to be fired wirelessly, each speedlight must be set to Remote mode. This is something that might be overlooked at 2 a.m., when you’re half asleep and still on assignment.

Setting the SB-700, SB-900, or SB-910 to function as a Remote is as simple as flipping the On/Off/Wireless mode switch to Remote. Be sure to press the Lock Release button in the center of the switch to enable it to be set.

To properly function as Remotes, your speedlights must be set to a group. Depending on your Master, you can control up to three separate groups of speedlights. Any number of speedlights can be assigned to each group, but you really only need one (or a few). The group settings are A, B, and C. To control all three flash groups, you must use an SB-700, SB-900, SB-910, or SU-800 as a Master. When using a camera that allows the built-in flash to act as a Master, you are limited to controlling only Groups A and B. The exception to this is the D70/D70s, which only allows you to control Group B on channel 3.