Using SB800 for extreme sports?

paulbennett

paulbennett

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Paul Bennett
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Are there any tutorials tailored to using flashes in manual mode for extreme sports? I have checked out google and storbist however they're good reads they are tailored to a certain subject.

Any Ideas?
 
Not read any specific guides for extreme sports but the principles from strobist apply to whatever you're shooting. Is here something specific you're trying to achieve?

What about checking out images in the strobist group on flickr that look like what you want to achieve. They should if they're in the group pool have information on how they were taken.
 
Really its how they're set up. Deciding what power to use, and zoom etc etc. would just like abit more understanding.
 
I start with the basics every time I set my lights up. First thing to do especially if you're shotting sportsis to set your camera to it's fastest sync speed. You need to decide on how much you want the ambient light to be part of the photo and set your aperture and iso accordingly (remember that aperture and ISO affect the influence of the flash on the picutre). Then go to the flash and put in the settings for aperture and ISO you've got on your camera. It should then give you a working distance for you flash at whatever power it is set at. If it gives you more range than you need you can either turn the power down, move the flash further away (or change aperture but this will affect the ambient exposure).

There's a lot of variables and unfortunately no magic setting that will work everytime, the best way to learn really is trial and error I'm afraid.
 
Put the zoom to 85mm or the longest zoom. Then the power depends on the ambient and how many stops you want to underexposue it by.

Example -

2254990781_c4097c67c1.jpg


The ambient for this photo was f/2 @ 1/400th so I underexposued the ambient by two stops and shot at f/4 @ 1/400th. Therefore I used the flash to expose the skater correctly as I wanted this correctly exposued. The flash settings were as follows SB-25 close right 85mm 1/8th. SB-26 middle right 85mm 1/8th. SB-25 far right 85mm 1/8th. All fired via Skyports.

Paul Bennett seeing as you live in Farnborough I could tell you in person a lot easier and show a bit better.
 
1/400! I thought to myself how the hell is he syncing at 1/400 then I checked your kit bag, had to be a D70 of some sorts. As someone limited to 1/125 I'm very jealous of your flash power.
 
Cherry.

That would be alot of help mate, thank you for the offer. Add me to msn (its somewhere on my profile thingy) and we will talk about it :o) im very intrested! I would add you but im at work and they block msn, dam them!!
 
Kev M said:
1/400! I thought to myself how the hell is he syncing at 1/400 then I checked your kit bag, had to be a D70 of some sorts. As someone limited to 1/125 I'm very jealous of your flash power.
Click to expand...

???...Im rather puzzled as i could use the SB600 at any Shutter Speed on my Nikon D80 and im pretty sure i will be able to use the 430EX at any shutter speed on my 40D.

I was shooting 1/2000 with my SB600 a couple of weeks ago with no issues.
 
Maybe if if you've selected HSS but that won't work if the flash is mounted off of the camera and perhaps depending on mode won't work in manual either.
 
Kev M said:
Maybe if if you've selected HSS but that won't work if the flash is mounted off of the camera and perhaps depending on mode won't work in manual either.
Click to expand...

Never tried it off camera m8 but its all to do with an incamera menu setting so in the case of the SB600/ 800 firing wireless i wouldnt see it not working as the theory and math is the same.
I would guess it would work ok with an off camera cord.

Read this http://www.rpphoto.com/howto/view.asp?articleID=1026
It may help a few people who want to learn to use higher shutter speeds than are generally advertised. eg..Nikon D80 is 1/250th advertised with sb600/ 800 but you can use its max 1/4000th if you want with a menu tweak.
 
Yep HSS, which reduces the effective power output of the flash by firing a strobe of weaker pulses as the two curtain pass across the sensor instead of one larger, more powerful flash of light.

Most cameras have the HSS option but the D70's don't need it as they have an electronic shutter so don't have the problem of the 2nd curtain getting caught halfway across the frame when the flash goes off at shutter speeds above the sync speed.
 
on my D200. I have the flash settings to 1/250 AF - which will allow the SB800 to go up to any speed, i think this works off camera too.

Ah just checked the link...its all in there..but doesnt say if it works off camera but i imagen it would as you dont have to set the flash to anything
 
The duration of the flash is much shorter than 1/250 unless you use HSS, flash duration will be more like 1/10000 or something, fired off in one go. HSS is a series of lower powered pulses that last for the duration of the two shutter passing across the sensor.

With every camera apart from the D70 AFAIK (including the D200 and all Canons) you had a sync speed above which your flash won't function without being set to HSS or whatever your manufacturer calls it. It is possible under certain circumstances to use a faster shutter speed than the sync speed and fire the flash normally but you will get a black/underexposed portion of the frame because the 2nd curtain passes over the sensor as the flash goes off meaning part of the sensor doesn't see the light from the flash.

Check out the "hacking you camera's sync speed" articles on strobist for a fuller explanation. I suspect that if you watch the range indicator on the back of your flash, as you go past the camer'a sync speed you will see a dramatic reduction in the range of the flash due to it switching to HSS.
 
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