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 p.1 #6 · How this pic done? Flash X-Sync at 1/500? | |
lynxlea wrote:
thus can i say out door with big apertures, like 135 2L
multiple 580ex II in high speed sync mode are better than studio flash?
Well for starters the only way you can shoot at wide apertures outdoors with fill flash is with high speed FP sync.
With conventional flash the x-sync limit of a camera with a focal plane curtain shutter limits shutter to 1/250th (or as high as 1/500th on some pro bodies). That requires apertures of f/11 - f/16 to match the background. Making the background darker than normal by overpowering it with flash requires even smaller apertures.
High speed FP mode cuts flash output, but at f/2 not much flash power is needed so its a even trade-off more or less. See this high speed flash test I did: http://super.nova.org/DPR/Canon/HighSpeedFP.pdf
But for a camera without a curtain shutter there is no x-sync limit. So in that respect the legacy optical viewfinder of a DSLR is the root cause of the problem. My camera prior to my 20D was a Minolta D7Hi with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) like a video camera. EVFs are an acquired taste, but they have several distinct advantages over a single-lens-reflex mirror design:
1) No x-sync limit - manual flash syncs at any speed
2) Better automatic exposure control: Pixel level evaluation of exposure is possible because sensor is constantly dumped and processed to create the viewfinder display. DSLRs by comparison meter from large zones on the viewfinder.
3) Overlay of shooting information / histogram information on screen
4) Amplification of the viewfinder image in low light conditions. The viewfinder of the D7Hi switches to B&W "night vision" mode under low light allowing the camera to focus in near darkness.
5) More compact, lighter camera: no need for the bulky mirror box or heavy glass pentaprism
The only negatives are resolution of the display and a slight latency which is apparent if the camera is panned while composing a shot. But curiously video cameras have had EVF since their inception and they haven't prevented videographers from producing great images. Ironically P&S cameras which use the back LCD for framing have all those advantages but there's no camera in the Nikon or Canon lines with 1.6 crop or larger sensors with EVF.
So what is standing in the way of a 1.6 crop or larger sensor camera with EVF and interchangable lenses from Canon or Nikon which would remove the technical roadblocks / limitations created by the mirror? Tradition and fear the marketplace wouldn't accept it.
But give me a choice between EVF version of a FF sensor camera that is lighter in hand and in the wallet and I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Live view is a step in the right direction, but it will take a bold move on the part of Canon or Nikon to lose the mirror. I'm just surprised that it hasn't been done yet on the entry level bodies.
While they are at it they should also replace the 1930s design of the hot shoe and PC connector with more robust designs. Minolta did with its hot shoes and it wouldn't be a bad design to adopt as a universal standard for hot shoe.
The PC plug / socket should be a connector which does not rely on friction. Nikon created a better screw-lock PC connector. Canon doesn't advertise the fact, but its PC connectors on the camera also use that Nikon design. So if buying PC cords for Canon use the Nikon version with the screw lock 
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