Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I just recieved my AB800 I set it up in the studio and am having trouble because when I adjust the power from 1/32 power all the way to full power the power output is the same as I take pictures. I am using a Nikon D90 and the CST and CSRB+ I have the flash settings on the camera to commander mode M 1/1. I am afraid the unit arrived broken or there is user error in my setup, any ideas or should I call customer service?

OK, first, the flash settings in your camera will only affect the pop up and/or other Nikon speedlites. If you are using any of these currently, stop using them for the purposes of troubleshooting. Next, you say you have the CSRB+. Are you using the telephone cord that shipped with it? If so, remove that cord and use the 1/8" to 1/8" cord that goes to the jack marked "sync" on the light, and the similar jack on the side of the reciever. The telephone cord should only be used with Cyber Commander, and can give you no power adjustment when only using the CST.

Also, make sure you are in M mode on the top dial, with shutter speed settings of 1/200 or slower. Also, ISO at 100 or 200 is usually preferable, but it must be manually set regardless of the ISO you choose. From my understanding, some Nikons are a little more complex in the ISO settings, allowing them to be in AUTO ISO, even if a specific ISO has been chosen, so be careful.

If none of these suggestions help, please let us know!