D70 Flash Sync, Faster Than 1/500 sec

I was recently very disappointed at getting to know that the D70 does not

support the High Speed (FP sync flash). Its max speed with the SB-800 is

1/500. I have the SB-800. A great piece of equipment! But, I also have the

Metz 45 CL-1. As many of you know, this is an old flash but very good. I love

it as much as my SB-800 if not more!

 

Today, it somehow occurred to me that I never tried shooting at anything

faster than 1/500 with it connected (via the AS-15 connected to the hotshoe).

So I quickly set it up, and began shooting. 1/500, then above, and all shots

came out perfect up to and including 1/8000. So I just realized than I

actually can shoot and sync speeds at above 1/500. I even tested this fast

shutter speed (1/8000) at the highest power of the Metz - thus the longest

flash duration. (see attached shot at 1/8000).

 

So my obvious question is this - why can't the D70 and the SB-800 sync at

faster speeds than 1/500? Did Nikon do it purposely such that only higher end

DSLRs can do so? Is there something Iﾒm missing out?

 

AJ<div></div>

The D70 does not need the fp flash mode! The shutter in the D70 never closes down into a moving slit, rather is always fully open throughout the exposure. The maximum mechanical shutter speed is 1/250 second. The CCD achieves faster shutter speeds with an electronic gate that affects the entire CCD at once. All you need to take advantage of this is to connect the external flash through the PC connection rather than through the shoe. You are on your own with regard to metering, however.

It wasn't that long ago the the maximum sync speed for fps cameras was 1/60 sec. Here I was thinking 1/250 was pretty good.

"why can't the D70 and the SB-800 sync at faster speeds than 1/500? Did Nikon do it purposely such that only" - Nikon performs flash make detection, and when Nikon flash is detected, it limits the electronic shutter speed to 1/500 second. As you discovered with Metz, the flash will synchronize all the way to 1/8000 second. Keep searching photo.net for more explanations.

 

D70 is a consumer camera, and that ie perhaps why Nikon did not implement FP, to keep the price lower.

 

There are other reasons, and major ones are:

 

- the power and the usable max range of FP mode flash is drastically reduced in the FP mode, when the flash produces many consecutive stroboscopic flashes of much lesses power, to extent electronically duration of the light, while the narrow slot of the shutter moves across the sensor surface. FP is practical in outdoor portraits, and that is perhaps all.

 

- FP mode for fast moving objects produces geometrical distortions that are resultant of many factors, like different frame slices are exposed by different consecutive (yet adjucent) smaller flash strobes, difficulties to keep the lighting uniform without oscillation, overlapping exposure from adjucent stobes, others...

 

You are in luck as the D70 is the best camera for fast sync exposing photo in single blast, and covering entire frame uniformly and without geometrical distorions caused by FP method.

 

To usitize faster shutter speeds of D70 and full power of electronic flash, you may need to get special flash that operates at much higher voltage (e.g. 2000 VDC) and discharges the capacitor much faster, but SB-800 has about 1/1000 sec at full power and uses 325 VDC capacitor.

 

With SB-800, (when flash make not recognizable as Nikon), you can use shutter 1/1000 at full flash power single shot, or at 1/2 and 1/2000 second shutter, something that is never possible with FP method.

 

Your Metz 45 CL-1 is perfect for using it with D70, at any available shutter speed of D70, and yet achieve full frame synchronization.

I would use it outside in Aperture priority mode, and Metz in Auto (thyristor) mode. (this Aperture priority auto may not work well inside as the camera would set shutter speed for ambient light that is generally too slow - use Manual camera mode than).

 

"Did Nikon do it purposely such that only higher end DSLRs can do so?" - No, the higher end, e.g. D200, D2X have FP mode that is of limitted usage and range. D200/D2X do not utilize the electronic shutter. With respect to fast sync flash D70 is far superior to those 2 higher end cameras, even if they have the FP that is mostly useless when shooting fast action of object at a bit greater distance.

A full power pop from an SB-800 is approximately 1/1000 of a second in duration. The sync limit on the D50 and D70 was chosen specifically to prevent power loss from the speedlights, which would cause metering problems (as the metering is not OTF, so exposure is determined prior to the actual exposure).

you'll like this...

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CZZW

this site is so great. Thanks for all your responses. I have always found my D70 to be such a great camera. Now i love it even more! your answers have been very helpful, and the last link was perfect. It seems that I have questioned something very debatable and that has sparked great discussions in the past. Basically, my main reason for wanting high sync speeds is to balance a back lit scene and the foreground, usually a person. Skys are bright here in sunny Malta. The 1/500 limit would required a small aperture, thus exhausting the power from flash.

Thanks again for your answers.

AJ

Edward,

 

and that makes the D70 one of the best flash cameras you can imagine (which is this reason why I keep one although I now use D200 cameras for most of my work). With a non-dedicated flash it syncs at any speed, which allows for effects like this (shot at 1/3200 s).

 

Does anyone know if this would work with the D80 ? It doesn't with the D200.

 

 

Carsten

 

http://www.cabophoto.com/<div></div>

"Does anyone know if this would work with the D80 ?" - NO.

 

D80 does not use the electronic shutter. Also, D80 does not have the FP fast sync mode.

Here is my first attempt at High Speed Flash Syncing. I covered the bottom contacts on my D70s Hot-Shoe and used my SB-800 in Manual at 1/125.

I used a Nikon Micro 105mm at 1/1000 F8.<div></div>

The D80 does have the FP sync mode.