I just bought a D70 to use for my racing photography; I had been using 2 different cameras for this purpose - a Finepix S5000 for daylight shooting and my trusty old AE-1 with a Metz Mecablitz 45 CL-1 for when the sun went down. (example below).

To be honest, after buying the D70, I just didn't have the funds to purchase the recommended SB800 flash. So I was wondering if there is any way I can make the Metz work with the D70. The guy at the camera store assured me there was not a way to do this; another fellow track photographer assured me he has seen it in action, just couldn't remember the details.

So I was wondering if anyone here knew if this can be done, and if so, how?

Since I am new around here, I'm hoping this is the appropriate forum in which to post this question. If it's not, please feel free to move it or to direct me to the proper place.

Thanks

You're in the right place, and welcome!

One thing to double check is what the trigger voltage is of the flash, and whether or not the camera can handle it. You're probably OK here (think Nikon is up to 250v on all cameras) but double check before using it. If it works on the Fuji, you're should be fine.

The Metz won't be ITTL supported because it's a proprietary Nikon thing, but you should be OK in Auto mode which uses the sensor in the flash rather than TTL. This is the same level of automation you'd have in something like a Vivitar 283 so you'll have to get used to it, but it it can work very well. You'll have to watch out for very light or very dark subjects and adjust your aperture accordingly but you'll learn it thru practice. The SB800 in ITTL will probably give you a higher percentage of accurately exposed shots, but with practice you should be able to do a good job with what you've got.

It's pretty similar to using center-weighted metering (like in the AE1) versus Matrix metering (like the D70) in existing light (as in non-flash) situations.