Shutter closes too fast D200

[mksnowhite]

Yesterday I took the D200 into my studio to photograph a dog. I normally meter

with a sekonic but had left it at him in another camera bag so had to guess

exposure. I had moved the lights around so was winging it. I synch the camera

to a Bowens 750 which triggers another. I use 1/250th shutter at

5.6....pveresposed so went to f8....still overexposed so started powering down

the lights. A couple more over exposed then the shutter starting closing too

soon....first showing half a pic on the lcd and then just a quarter. I know

this happens if the shutter is too fast...and I didn't increase it beyond 250

so what do you suppose was going wrong?

[twmeyer]

Perhaps you were using aperture priority?... t

[frank_skomial]

What Tom says. The camera was adjusting your shutter speed to ambient available light level, and has no knowledge of Bowens light power contribution.

 

Adding Bowens light on the top of what camera had determined for the ambient lights, it will always overexpose. I hope you understand that.

 

Seems that you remember proper aperture for your light, so use Manul exposure mode, and force the camera to shutter at 1/100, or 1/200 at aperture that you already know/remember from you Seconic. At least you will reach the steady point where the light will be just perfect.

 

With what you are doing, you are making adjustment, and camera automation acts to new aperture or shutter, but will always try to open as wide or fast to provide proper exposure for the available light. The additional flash power will does the trich over exposing, and later, exposing only fraction of a frame, when the shutter slot gets narrower.

 

If your seconic discharchges flash in 1/180 sec, using 1/250 could overexpose.

 

If you want fo use flash sync at 1/500, (you got half-pic), or 1/1000 (you got quarter pic), 1/2000, or 1/4000, then use D70 or D50 cameras, since D200 is not capable to do it with Bowens light.

F70 electronic shutter allows that, while D200 does not.

[mksnowhite]

I was shooting in Manual...I always do in the studio so this won't happen. I just double checked the camera to make sure I didn't change mode while spinning the dials trying to get the exposure.

 

btw the sekonic doesn't trigger the flash...I use a synch cord. I didn't have sekonic with me which is why I couldn't get the exposure to begin with. The D200 will allow a 250 shutter as i have done it many times before...the only piece missing in the equation from other times is I didn't have a flash meter. By overexposing I mean the histo was off the chart...I mean total blown highlights. The ambient light according to my camera meter was like 1/15th f5.6 @ 400 iso.

 

The only thing I can think of was I kept powering down the bowen's...maybe powered them down so low the flash fired too short for the exposure to happen...I don't know it's a lame idea but all I have....but even that would be right as the pic would just be underexposed. I don't know.

[array_.]

This drove me and quite a few other people crazy for a while. Still unresolved. Nikon claim it's no fault of the D200.

<p>

<a href="http://www.bowens.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=generaldisc;action=display;num=1143222664">See here</a>.

[array_.]

Quick answer = Shoot at 1/160th sec or longer.

<p>

D200 has max flash sync of 1/250th with Nikon Speedlights but not other manufacturers studio strobes etc.

[frank_skomial]

In prior post was wrong: "F70 electronic shutter allows that, while D200 does not" - it should be D70.

 

I do not know Bowen 750. If it is a new and modern flash, the Varipower should control the flash duration.

 

I encountered an older huge strobe with Varipower knob, that also used different capactor voltage level (in addition to varying flash duration), to adjust for lower power levels settings. Perhaps Bownes is more modern flash than that? In the old unit, when you powered up flash at full power, then dialed down at that setting without discharging the capacitor first, the flash produced full power even though you dialed down the know. Since this behavior was explained in the flash manual, everybody understood and knew how to work with it.

 

 

Just try your flash:

1. power the flash down

 

2. adjust Varipower know to 1/16 (for example)

 

3. turn on the flash - and do not change Varipower knob.

 

4. test the flas output, should be not producing full blast.

[mksnowhite]

Array thank you so much. THough I am upset it is the camera I'm releived to know i'm not going crazy. The problem discribed on that link is exactly what i am going through. I am using a synch cord though and not a trigger from the hotshoe. I have used the the shutter at 250 before but now that i think about it, it has occasionaly done that...and yesterday it did do it on and off. I guess I will be giving Nikon a call.

 

I have 6000 shots on my D200 and it has worked great until now. Not very many studio shots though.

 

Frank Bowens are a brand of studio strobes...not a flash in the portable kind of way.

[frank_skomial]

If this is the Bowens 750 Studio Flash, so the instruction is available here: ttp://www.bowensinternational.com/manuals/750pro.pdf

 

This Bowens studio Flash has the Auto Dump function, so my prior advice to exercise discharging the capacitor after change in setting is not necessary. It is done for you slowly or quickly, is up to you. In some older studio flashes usage of TEST button after each Varipower setting change was required, that is why I came about that advice, that no longer applies to Bowens.

 

I use a 1800 Wattsecond studio flash, it has a stroboscopic function for special effects photography. I connect it via Safe Sync to D200, but Safe Sync is not really needed, just that it happens I got it for the D70 camera that did not have a PC socket.

The flash works reliably on D200 at all speeds down to 1/250 sec.

The same flash works reliably on D70 down to 1/8000 sec full frame sync with single flash blast.

 

I think you may need to experiment with settings for D200 internal flash. Best to try them all if any setting possibly confuses the camera computer. If problem persists, reset D200 to original factory settings. If there is really a problem, hopefully next iteration of D200 firware could fix it. I did not experience any problem yet, so that does not mean that there is not any.

 

Since Bowens is discharging full load at 1/1700 sec that is much faster than the 1/250, so the reason possibly is in the D200 programming of internal flash?

 

In the link provided earlier, some peole complained with dark band at the top of frame (not visible on LCD - since LCD does not represent well entire picture). In this case perhaps the sync was set at rear shutter edge synchronization, but I guess your case is not the same ? In vertical travel shutter designs, that is always possible, so lowering sync to 1/60 on D200 would eliminate this, but that seems that is not the exact solution that you need, just a "band aid".

 

Also, D200 works OK down to 1/250 sec with: Adorama Monolight II, Sunpak 555, 522, Vivitar 285 and 283, and a couple of older flashes, Honeywell, Printz, Metz, and 2 prototypes.

[frank_skomial]

The .pdf link above is not highlighted, so you may need to use copy and paste.

 

Or use this link:

 

http://www.bowensinternational.com/manual.php

 

if this link works?, and select your flash model.

[mksnowhite]

Frank thanks for the info and I will look at the links.

 

I called Nikon and they suggested i reset all my presets too...am reluctant to do that becuae all the time onvolved getting them just to where I want but if it saves me sending it in I will. Nikon said it was a lighting problem and no one had this type of problem with the D200. My lights are pretty new and tomorrow I will try with the D70 to see if I get the same problem.

 

I'll be happy to post a photo with exif info if anyone wants to see it.

[twmeyer]

That's why I said "Perhaps". <p>Sorry about your troubles. Just to add to the data base, I use my D200 with Dynalites, Lumedyne, Quantum and SB800 all the way to 1/250... no problems... t

[mksnowhite]

I've also used it with westcott lights with no problem. These are spiderlights with a master strobe bulb. And of course the sb800 is no problem.

[twmeyer]

Array said "<i>D200 has max flash sync of 1/250th with Nikon Speedlights but not other manufacturers studio strobes etc</i>"<p> but, per my above post, I have found this not to be the case. In fact, when shooting in bright sun (Lumedyne and Quantum), I can go to 1/320th without any trouble, as it just clips my fill flash from one edge. Pushing the envelope is fun... t<div></div>

[karyn_chapman]

Melanie

I just bought a bowens gemini 500 studio lighting kit today and found the same problem you have experienced with my d200. I had a look at the forums and found your thread. Is it just the bowens that is causing this black band at the top in speeds higher than that? Does anyone have any idea what to do about the problem?