Why cant i trigger my camera above 1/200th sec with a 430ex?

Wayno

Wayno

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Wayne
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OK i`ve do a few searches but no luck.

I want to try doing the water splashes so far there are a tad soft beacuse i cant get my shutter speed above 1/200th!

i'm using a 400d with 430ex which i`ve also been trying on cam and off, but still no luck, if i fire above 1/200 i get half dark and half ok photo.....?

yet i`ve read a few `how to do water drops` and they all seem to be able to shoot above 1/200.
expample:-
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=41679&highlight=water+drops

"I used the camera on manual mode with ISO400, f/13 and 1/3200sec. My 430EX was on camera shoe and pointing slightly up to try to avoid harsh reflections but still get enough light. I can't remember the flash settings i'm afraid "



so what am i doing wrong?:bang:
 
So what did you do/change?
 
I think 1/200 will be the max sync speed for that flash but I'm not 100% on that
 
1/200th is the max sync speed for the body. you don't need to go faster than that because it is the duration of the flash freezing the movement, not the shutter speed.
 
The onyl way you'll get it above 1/200 is with high speed sync but that won't freeze the water. What you need to do is kill the ambient so that the flash is the only light. The flash duration is much shorter than 1/200 so it will freeze the water.
 
Big_Bill said:
I think 1/200 will be the max sync speed for that flash but I'm not 100% on that
Click to expand...


It's the body that has a maximum flash sync speed, not the flashgun - I could take that 430ex and put it on my my modded Nikon cable attached to my Canon G9 and get it to sync at 1/2000 without a problem....
 
Every day is a learning day!
So is the sync speed something that can be changed or is it something that gets better with the high end cameras?

Sorry for Hijacking your thread but I guessed your question had been answered :lol: sorry!
 
Wayno

The duration of the flash from the 430 is around 1/2000 sec. So if you are using the flash as the sole light source it's going to illuminate the subject for that short period only. Even if you have the shutter set to 1/20 the illumination time is still 1/2000. It's this duration that freezes the water droplet. Set the camera to 1/200 and you'll be fine.
 
On the 430 EX II there is a setting where you can change the flash between first and second curtain sync. In this menu there is also an option for high speed sync. This will sync at all shutter speeds but has a lower effective range than non high speed sync flash.

I don't know how you set it but on my 40D there is a menu for controlling external flash and I set it in there.

Also, this will only work when the eTTL ability is maintained, so the flash will have to be mounted on camera, attached with an off-camera cord or slaved to a Speedlite ST-E2 or a 550 or 580 ex.
 
ruvor said:
1/200th is the max sync speed for the body.
Click to expand...

the flash sync speed of any camera depends upon the shutter and in modern cameras is typically 1/200th or 1/250th. the way the shutter works varies on the length of exposure chosen and the sync speed is where the change happens.

the shutter actually consists of two curtains and at speeds at or slower than the sync speed, the first curtain will be fully open before the the second curtain starts to close. at speeds higher than the sync speed, the second curtain will start to close before the first is fully open, so you get a window between the two shutters traveling across the sensor. so if you use a flashgun at higher than the sync speed you get a partial exposure of the frame, hence the OP's half light/half dark exposures.

Modern flashguns offer high speed sync by repeatedly firing the flash during exposure to ensure that the whole frame is lit. this won't help the OP as the water droplet will move during the individual firings of the flash. Chappers has the right idea, use the flashgun as the sole illumination for the shot and the short duration of the flash will freeze the water droplet.
 
The only advantage to a higher synch speed is you will be able to darken the effect of the ambient light
 
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