Advice needed on FP mode with D200 + Sb800

Can anyone please give me advice on using the FP mode with the above setup,

primarily with social/wedding photography in mind.

To be honest I get by just fine with a 250th sec synch most of the time, but

occasionally would like to use larger apertures.

In 'real situations' (bright sunlight etc)... are the working distances too

short to be useful?

I'm gonna 'soft test' this myself over the following week, but would like some

informed observations if at all possible.

I find FP mode works well, but I often have to turn the flash exposure up to +2 or +3 depending on the distance to the subject, the amount of sunlight and the speed of the lens being used. It requires some practice to get used to it and get it right. The working distance depends on the lighting conditions and is very usable up to about 15 to 20 feet.

For those wondering what this is about: "FP" stands for "Focal Plane." The D200 only flash synchs up to 1/250th, which is, for some situations, too slow. In FP mode, the flash cranks out a longer pulse of light that stays lit as the higher-speed shutter slides across the focal plane. So, instead of the shutter being wide-open and the burst of the flash beginning and ending (very quickly!) during that wide-open slice of time... the strobe instead allows a longer, brighter burst to be there throughout the time that the slit of the shutter moves across the camera's sensor. This means a more substantial discharge from the SB800, of course, so that means slower cycling and less battery life. The advantage, of course, is that you can take advantage of the benefits of a much higher shutter speed (darkening the appearance of the ambient light, etc).

Does this work as a ttl or auto? Or manual.

Yes indeedy, it DOES work a la TTL. It's still not always the best way to freeze things, of course. Can be better to use a fast lens that, given the TTL math, will cause the strobe to (in normal synch mode) emit only a VERY short-duration flash. But either way, TTL handles the exposure juggling.

And it sucks your batteries dry, so get an extra set ready!

Peter Hamm, Apr 17, 2007; 11:47 a.m.

 

And it sucks your batteries dry, so get an extra set ready!

 

I use a Quantum Turbo on my main camera, so a 1 second recycle time and a 500ish full charge capacity is useful.

 

To be honest I'm not looking to use very fast speeds, probably about 1/750th or so at the most. My test shooting is looking favourable, though (as I feared) working distances become very limited as you push the shutter speed up. Hmmm... back to my testing :)