Nikon SU-4

The Nikon SU-4 wireless flash controller has been a real workhorse for photographers who need to control their lighting but are on the go and can't use wires or full studio lighting. The SU-4 has been especially important since Nikon removed the wireless flash capability when they introduced the SB-28 and discontinued the SB-26.

That was great when we were using film, but when the D1 and SB-28DX were shipped they were accompanied by dire warnings about how the monitor pre-flashes on the SB-28DX would trigger the slave flash early and cause it to fail.

While I'm sure there are cases where this is true, both Moose and I have used the SU-4 with an SB-28 as the slave flash and an SB-28DX on a D1 as the master flash and had excellent results. I suspect that the problem may occur more frequently when the flashes are being pushed to their capacity.

In any case, while we certainly can't guarantee that you can use an SU-4 with your D1, you should give it a try before you relegate the SU-4 to your closet!

-- David Cardinal, 8/7/01