How do I get my new flash gun to work outside the camera?

[Essy]

I own a Canon Rebel Xs and just recently bought a Nissin Di866 for it. It works great on the camera, but I want to practice with off camera lighting and I can't seem to get this to work. Thanks in advance.

[justin_ing]

I think you'll need to use a remote trigger for it...

rf-602 or 603 are a great place to start

[skipjohnk]

Hi, you need a strobist kit. You will need a wireless trigger system and a bracket and stand. Go to Strobist.com and can get all the info you need to shoot off camera.

[inkista]

You need to put the Di-866 in SD (slave digital) mode. Your XS's pop-up flash is forced to be in eTTL mode, so you need the Di-866's slave mode which ignores the 'preflash' burst. Then, when the XS's pop-up flash flashes, the Di-866 will fire.

The Di-866 will have to be in Manual mode, and the optical slave sensor needs to "see" your XS's pop-up (this is why the swivel head is important). You'll be limited by this "line-of-sight" requirement, and by the range of the optical slave (it'll be less outside than inside) and the Di-866 has to be in manual (non-eTTL) mode. To overcome these limitations, THEN a radio trigger is a good tool, but because the Di-866 has the optical slave mode, you don't actually need radio triggers to remotely fire the flash.

If you want eTTL, and the M or R modes, you need another flash. You either need a master unit on the camera (either mounted on the hotshoe, or in the pop-up flash (e.g., a D600, D60, D7--the XS doesn't have one), or another wireless-eTTL-capable flash as the slave to recognize the Di-866 as master.

[Essy]

Arrghhh! I'm getting so frustrated. I don't see an SD setting...but I do have a 'wireless' option that I can choose between Master or Remote. So I chose Remote and then I have the option of setting channel, group and zoom. Do I have to tweak my camera settings as well?

If you want eTTL, and the M or R modes, you need another flash

Ok...just re-read your reply. I guess I have to wait until I can afford another flash. Thanks.

[inkista]

It's buried. pp 17-20 of the manual.

I think it goes like this

M/Av, Set
M, Set
hold the Set button for 2 seconds until the Advanced Function page pops up. [this is probably what you've been missing].
Hit the down arrows to find Slave mode.
Select FD, hit Set.

that should do it.

I have never seen or touched a Di-866, but I am a professional technical writer, and I can find and read manuals like nobody's business.