I am interested in learning off camera flash, and was looking at different radio triggers. My question has to do with HSS (High Speed Sync) on my ex430. Will a manual trigger (like the Phottix Strato II) be able to fire at faster than the x-sync speed of the camera if I have HSS enabled on the flash? I was looking at getting the PW mini tt1/flex tt5, but my cameras are not compatible (original 1D and 1Ds). I don't need TTL when I am learning, but I would like the option of HSS. Any advice would be appreciated.
I could be mistaken (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I am), but I believe HSS has to be triggered via one or more of the dedicated pins of the camera's hot shoe, not the large center pin. It can also be triggered by coded pulses from a dedicated Master flash, but that flash has to have the appropriate pin connections to the camera.
That being the case, simple radio triggers without dedication capabilites would not work.
to connect camera and flash. I have both 3-foot and 24-foot versions, and both together are much less expensive than a radio transmitter and receiver set with the same capabilities. The downside, of course, is the cord, but it's not that hard to work with.
Thanks for the info Brian. I do have an off-camera cord. However it is the 3 foot coiled type. When I went into my local camera store, the 27 foot (7 meter) non-coiled off-camera cord was only $10 less that a set of Phottic Strato II manual radio triggers. So now I am stuck deciding between the conveinence of no cords (but losing TTL) versus going with a long cord. The TTL loss is not a deciding factor for me, but I would like to use HSS. The other option is to stay with my x-sync speed, and use my 1D (1/500) when I want faster than 1/250.
jason.alabama wrote:
...When I went into my local camera store, the 27 foot (7 meter) non-coiled off-camera cord was only $10 less that a set of Phottic Strato II manual radio triggers.
jason.alabama wrote:
...I would like to use HSS. The other option is to stay with my x-sync speed, and use my 1D (1/500) when I want faster than 1/250.
If 1/500 is fast enough, I'd go with that. When you use HSS you cut the flash exposure, and the faster you go, the more the loss just as with any other continuous light...which is what the flash becomes.
But at close ranges and large apertures, being able to go up to thousandths of a second can be useful sometimes.
I ended up putting that money towards a 580ex I. So now I can use TTL, HSS, off camera flash, and play with two light set-ups. I figured it was the best of all worlds.
OCf Gear has a 33' off camera flash cord for $65 and the 16' one for $48. Pretty much in line with the flash zebra mentioned. Very good quality. All the pins match the pin formation on hte canon speedlites.
Brian's original response was correct. You cannot do HSS with "manual" triggers. Even though manual mode HSS does not use TTL metering, the communication necessary in order to enable flash use beyond x-sync uses the same functions as TTL metering. You would need a TTL capable trigger in order to use HSS.
