Hi speed flash sync - adjustable?

[alec_myers]

Question about the electronic gating that I understand Nikon's sensors can do, to get very high speed flash sync.

Can the timing be adjusted anyhow to compensate for the long propagation delays in, for example, using pocket

wizards with studio flashes? I know my canon can only sync at max 1/160 with the pw's rather than it's rated

1/200 with on-board canon flash. So although I gather you can set Nikon's to gate the sensor for (say) 1/1000 sec

even though the mechanical shutter is open for much longer, can you adjust which 1/1000 that is so it coincides

with the flash discharge?

[frank_skomial]

Practical max sync speed with Pocket Wizards (PW) is 1/250 sec. on all Nikon cameras due to perhaps what you

call "long propagation delays".

 

Not all Nikon cameras can sync faster than 1/250 sec, and limit on some is 1/200 sec or slower.

 

Not all Nikon cameras have what you say "electronic gating". - what camera do you have ?

 

While yes "you can set Nikon's to gate the sensor for (say) 1/1000 " on some Nikon DSLR cameras, use of

Pocket Wizards either will use only part of remote flash light, or not synchronize remotely at all at that speed.

 

Rather use of good PC sync cables could possibly allow faster sync with D70, D50, etc., but not PW.

 

Some Pocket Wizard units allow programming of a delay in a very small increment, but that will not help you with

your desire to achieve faster sync. The camera trigger signal is the master source signal for Pocket Wizard, and

applying any delay on PW action could only delay use of the sync signal preventing proper exposure. You can delay

action of Pocket Wizard, but you cannot delay the camera shutter action that would be needed in this case. The

PW programmable delay is there for completely different purpose.

[alec_myers]

>>Not all Nikon cameras have what you say "electronic gating". - what camera do you have ?

 

I don't... but I was investigating the D3 and the D700 - although I can't find any reference to these models having this feature. Which Nikon models do/did, or have I dreamed the whole thing? Note: this is not the 'regular' high-speed strobed flash idea - but the ability to open the shutter with the sensor electronically disabled - enable it for the exposure period only, electronically, then close the shutter.

[frank_skomial]

You could possibly apply PW in relay mode,and trigger the camera shutter remotely via PW on a second channel, pssibly using programmable amount of delay. Not sure if that would work, perhaps not, since the original source of camera triggering would be perhaps too fast for camera mirror/shutter action. In this case the camera would not be released by a human finger on the shutter release button...even if that works?, not sure how reliable it could be.

[frank_skomial]

D3 and D700 do not have electronic shutter, and max sync shutter is 1/250 sec, and perhaps also there is 1/320

sec. at a limitted Nikon brand flash power output, (before it gets into FP mode).

 

D70, D50 do have dual shutter (electronic and mechanical), and max sync is 1/500 with Nikon flashes, and no limit

with other brand flashes, or Nikon flashes made not recognized by camera as Nikon brand. E.g. using Sunpak,

Vivitar, Metz etc brand, max sync is 1/4000 sec on D50, or 1/8000 sec. on D70.

 

I am not sure if D40 has also dual shutter ?, but perhaps D40X does not.

[frank_skomial]

D70 and D50 do not have FP mode, so there is no confusion about the "high-speed strobed".

 

Read more here:

 

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00JnXC

[Two23]

I use Skyports instead of the Pocket Wizard. They are every bit as reliable (made by Swiss Elinchrom after all,) range is out to 400-500 ft., and they sync at 1/1,000 second. I'm not aware of anything out there that let's you sync faster.

 

 

Kent in SD

[richard_driscoll]

The D40 is the only current Nikon DSLR with a gated sensor.

 

It works roughly as follows:

 

Shutter opens.

 

When shutter is fully open sensor is gated on.

 

After exposure time sensor is gated off:

 

Shutter closes

 

Fastest sync. time with Nikon dedicated flash is 1/500 second but with non-dedicated flashes the limit is really

only the fact that the flash duration may become longer than the shutter enabled time.

 

I find a non-dedicated flash (an old SB-23) will give full output at 1/1000 second. At 1/2000 there is some light

loss.

 

Strange that Nikon's least expensive DSLR has by far the highest sync. speed; it's due to the old fashioned sensor!

 

I'm pretty sure that the flash sync will occur at the time the sensor is gated on so if the flash duration of

your flash is long or there is a delay in firing it then you will have a problem.