Nikon D200 Studio Flash Synch

I use my D200 in full manual exposure and focusing when I'm using studio

strobes, my set up is Alien Bees strobes, with two pocket wizard plus ll

transceivers.

 

The problem I get is black banding/shading on the left side of the frame when

holding the camera vertically, at a shutter speed of 1/250, it disappears at

1/125. Normally the aperture is set to f16. Has anyone experienced this or know

what I'm doing wrong.

1/125 is as fast as you can synch to external strobes with the D200. Just the way it is, whether cabled or PW's, etc. Control light by doing what you can with the ambient light, ISO, and lens aperture.

Thanks Matt for your reply, I had thought the D200 shared the same pro features enabling the 1/250 synch as other models.

Are you using rear shutter curtain sync by any chance ?

1/250 sec. synchronizing OK with my D200.

No I'm not using rear curtain, no red eye and no flash exposure compensation. It happens with all my lenses.

Weird, you might want to send it in for a check. I can shoot 1/250 with no troubles with AB's. I usually use an SB-800 @ 1/32 or the onboard flash at 1/16 - 1/32 to trigger to AB's.

Nikon's D200 specs say that 1/250th is indeed the minimum X-sync speed. Try 1/200th and see if the problem persists. It reads to me like there is a slight delay in your system. Ih aven't seen thisproblem with the D200 bodies + Pocketwizard MultiMAX + monolights or pack and head system combination I've used.

 

To isolate the problem

 

- try just using the pw + each flash individually @1/250th. If the problem persists at 1/250th with both then you know it is likely with your combination of body + PW + ABs. If it goes away with one unit but not the other then you have a better idea of where the problem lies.

 

If it goes away with that problem unit when you use a sync cord instead of the AB's, then the problem is with the Pw's

 

Also try switching which AB has the Pw receiver connected to it.

Ellis: Thank you for your suggestions, the result: synch with coax cable at 1/250 perfect, with Pocket Wizards shading. I also noticed the exposure with the PW is nearly 1 stop less than with the cable.

 

I also went back to the instruction book, it showed a feature where you go to the slowest shutterspeed, bulb and keep going, there you will see a shutterspeed with an x beside it, this is your flash synch speed, which is adustable with the shutterspeed wheel.

 

Thanks again Ellis.

but what is wrong with 125 anyways, its not like you are going to get any camera shake in a studio.

"What is wrong with 1/125": the Archie Bunker response, if i paid for it I want it.

The more rational response, in a studio where you might have ambient light, I believe that the higher shutter speed reduces the impact on the image??

If you are shooting at f16 and 1/125 or 1/250 in a studio, the strobes are more than likely

the only thing lighting your subject. The different shutter speeds are not going to matter

exposure-wise.

I assumed it was 1/200 because I always have had banding at 1/250 too. I've used 1/200 since I've owned my first D200.

"the result: synch with coax cable at 1/250 perfect, with Pocket Wizards shading." - Pocket Wizard radio transmission introduces a little dalay that causing this to happen.

 

Someone argued that Pocket Wizard delay was published somewhere like a 1/2000 sec or less, but real life proves otherwise. The person also argued that he synchronizes with Pocked Wizard at 1/800 sec with D70 camera - that operates using electronic shutter, so that differs from D200.

 

Someone else proved the delay in terms of frequency and time computation needed to decode the channel number before triggering was considerable, and that makes more sense than supposedly published value that does not hold true.

 

Search to find the original post...

Here is the update on the D200 Pocket Wizard Plus ll synch problem.

Firstly the Nikon D200 max synch is 1/250, it's in the instruction book and in the menu of the camera.

 

I called the distributor of the pocket wizard and got this reply and fix. The Pocket Wizard Plus ll is a combined transmitter/receiver, the camera mounted unit sometimes does not recognize if it should receive or transmit, thus producing a micro delay, which at 1/250 is enough to give the tell tale shading of catching the shutter closing.

 

To ensure you don't get the micro delay, I was advised that the camera mounted PW, before you turn it on, hold down the test button while turning the one/off switch on, this tells the unit to go into transmit only mode.

 

The other thing I was told by the tech dept, was that you should not have the strobe mounted and camera mounted units closer than about 6 feet, as this can cause issues with the units.

 

So I tested the above instructions and now no shading at 1/250

 

Thanks to all who have offered me help with this problem.

Norman, how much light does your studio let in, and how weak are your stobes.

 

This reminds me of that seinfeld episode where kramer's apartment is lit up with the red light from the chicken shop.

 

Close your curtains and buy better strobes.

Hey Phil,

 

I guess you caught my B.S. I don't know why I need 1/250 for a synch, other than I thought it might be a tell tale sign of camera troubles. My studio does have a large window and I do have curtains that I close during a shoot.

 

My strobes are more than adequate, I have Alien Bees, 1600ws and 800ws a total of four units and I'm always shooting at f16 with softboxes etc.

 

Now I have figured out the "problem" with the Pocket Wizards, I can shoot at 1/250 if I want to.

 

Phil, do you know why 1/250 is the synch of professional DSLR cameras?

Norman, firstly I have to respect a guy with that name who shoots in the studio as my studio equipment is Norman, and i am very happy with it. Your equipment is much newer than mine, even more powerful, but I am very comfortable with mine.

 

I feel like this is a quiz, and I feel like I am walking into a trap, but what the hell.

 

Sync speed is the fastest shutter speed where the entire curtain is open at once. My old nikon fe sync'ed at 1/125 but my hasselblad 500cm will sync at all shutter speeds, the fastest being 1/500. I see faster sync speeds as useful for artistic intention outdoors, but I don't really see a need for it in the controled environment of a studio where strobes are going to completely over power any other light. I look in the lighting forum from time to time and I have answered a few questions where people are worried that there is too much ambient light in their studio. I have suggested to people that they set correct exposure with their strobes, then turn off their strobes and take a shot. When I do this, even with daylight streaming in the window the photo is still basically black.

 

So did I pass or fail the quiz.

I use 1/125 & 1/160 with my D200 using a radio trigger (the Alien Bees unit) and have no

banding problems. There is a slight delay with a radio link (transmission and decoding)

verus a wired connection, so it's not surprising that you gat some banding a the "rated"

minimum shutter sync speed.