1/500 Sync Speed

<p>Any chance Nikon will bring back their 1/500 sync speed on their upcoming dSLRs like the D70?</p>

<p>I sure hope not. The 1/500 sec sync speed is achieved with an electronic shutter, which has plenty of disadvantages: <a href="00SuYs">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00SuYs</a></p>

<p>If you need to sync at 1/500, just juse FP sync.</p>

<p>Thanks for the link Shun and the tip.</p>

<p>I always thought that it was cool that I had 1/500 sync on my D50 and other guys with higher end cameras didn't.</p>

<p>Ask me how many times I used it. If you guessed zero... you're right...</p>

<p>1/500 sync speed can be useful if you need to do some fill flash under broad daylight or need some fill flash shooting sports. FP sync should get the job done at 1/500 sec.</p>

<p>The problem with FP sync is that the faster the shutter speed you use, the weaker the flash gets. When you get up to 1/2000 sec or so, the flash could potentially be too weak to be effective, but 1/500 sec should be OK. In fact, on the D300/D300S, D700 and D3, flash sync with Nikon iTTL flashes is 1/320 sec. That is pretty close to 1/500 already.</p>

<p>FP is great. But as Shun says, not enough power to overwhelm the sun when you want it 2-3 stops darker. I shoot mostly on manual mode with monolights so I guess the only solution would be to use a neutral density filter.</p>

<p>I'd all be for new cams to have the 1/500th second hybrid shutter like my D40 does, but reliability is compromised. The FP sync mode is a great idea in principle, but I'd need to be able to use this for shooting groups in bright light at f/5.6 at, say, 15 feet - the SB-800/900's cannot make that happen.</p>

<p>Realistically, we should shun those situations and find shade unless we are forced to shoot on a beach in bright sun. I have used a polarizer to help me with using the 1/200th second limit on the D60 and D80. Of course, you can't even see the results on the LCD with that kind of light. If only ALL wedding dates were overcast days, we would be better photographers.</p>

<p>Another very practical use of the 1/500th second sync speed is shooting interiors of houses - I am a Realtor by profession. I use bounce flash so not to blow out the windows, it's much easier to balance outside and inside exposures with such a camera.</p>

<p>Fill flash isn't just for opening up eye sockets in noon sun. It can be used to add pop or open shadows in photos taken in good light, too. I used 1/500 and ISO 125 on my D1X a lot. Being able to shoot at f/8 also meant I could get some distance out of my little shoe-mount SB-15 flash. If a 1/500 sync is problematic, then I wish Nikon would give us ISO 50 or 25 instead.</p>

<p>That's a good alternative Jon....ISO 25!</p>

ISO 25 would be useless since both flash and ambient exposure is affected by it. 1/500th would be great since it would halve the flash power I needed to use.

<p>Yeah, a lower ISO would be very helpful in shooting fast lenses wide open. I don't know why they don't do that. I find ISO 100 more limiting than my camera's high end ISO.</p>

<p>1/500th flash sync was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that you could flash sync in just about any conditions, but it required a CCD sensor, prone to blooming, and a fairly pointless physical shutter.</p>

<p>I know I used it on more than one occasion with my D40. Here's a nice little unadvertised feature with that: if you block the iTTL contacts, leaving only the dumb "pop the flash" contact connected, it will sync all the way up to 1/4000th <em>and work</em> -- no shutter blackout! Using an RF off-camera system with no iTTL contacts, such as Alienbees Cybersyncs, it still syncs up to 1/2500th. Fantastic.</p>

<p>Yes, FP sync works, but it sucks. You need to be able to afford huge flash power for FP sync to actually be useful. Plus, you need direct iTTL communication to use it wirelessly (CLS doesn't work for this).</p>

<p>As they say in motoring, there is no replacement for displacement. Likewise, there is no replacement for pure shutter speed.</p>

<p>Thanks Epp. Since I use Cybersyncs with my Photogenics, I'll give it a whirl.</p>

<p>Ebb is right and fast sync is a huge advantage I would gladly trade for the blooming problem, which isn't really a big deal IMO. The only time I ever had a problem with blooming was sometimes when shooting the sun, which can be worked around by using a tripod and multiple exposures.</p>

<p>The thing to remember though, when syncing at 1/1000 and faster, is the typical flash duration, *at full power*, of hot shoe flashes is between 1/500 and 1/1000. So you will lose light from ambient and flash as you go faster. But the flash duration is shorter at lower power. So beyond 1/500 or 1/1000 you don't get any more ambient balancing power, but it does let you open the aperture (if you want less depth of field) and shoot at lower power, getting faster recycle times, instead of using ND filters shooting at full power. Pretty big advantage if you use flash often, especially off camera.</p>

<p>Rob, the problem is not only blooming but also reduced area for light gathering on photosites. As a result, an electronic shutter will cost you in terms of high-ISO results and dynamic range. That is why there is no chance that Nikon, Canon, etc. will use the electronic shutter again.</p>

<p>Once again, see <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=587835">Joseph Wisniewski</a>'s explanation on this thread: <a rel="nofollow" href="00SuYs">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00SuYs</a></p>

<p>I do not understand this fragment, perhaps author needs to explain better ?<br>

<em>"FP sync to actually be useful. Plus, you need direct iTTL communication to use it wirelessly (CLS doesn't work for this)." - </em>why CLS doesn't work like WHAT?<br>

We know that latest version of FP impementation is part of the CLS wireless system, and FP remote multiple flashes provide more powerr than single FP flash and automated exposeure, thus combating in a way the power drop in the FP mode. FP CLS remote wireless flashes can be placed closer to the subject, and thus allow longer tele lenses use outdoors to shoot tight portraits in bright sun day light.</p>

<p>I think we're getting our lines crossed here. My intention was to shoot a moving subject under a mid day sun. The effect I wanted was a 2 to 3 stop darker ambient lighting and use my monolights as my main and fill lights. At 1/250 sec, I expect to have motion blur from the subject. I wasn't planning to use any hotshoe flash or eTTL. It's just wishful thinking to be able to shoot at 1/500sec just like a D70.</p>

 

<blockquote><em>"FP sync to actually be useful. Plus, you need direct iTTL communication to use it wirelessly (CLS doesn't work for this)." - </em>why CLS doesn't work like WHAT?</blockquote>

<p>Sorry, you're right; that is quite unclear. What I meant to say is that CLS doesn't work with FP sync, at least not on the D90. It turns out that I was incorrect, so ignore that claim.</p>

<p>Still, it does have the disadvantage of requiring more lighting power.</p>