The set up: Simple studio. Camera with PW plus 2. Camera left are a 580EX with a Pocket Wizard and a 580EX2 with another PW. They are lighting the BG (white seamless). Camera right is an AB800 also filling the BG. It is firing optically off of the 580's. Also Camera right is another AB800 (mistakenly wrote 580 on first post) in a softbox on the subject, firing optically.
Camera is set to manual. Subject readings were 1/250th at f/8.0, ISO 200. 580's were on manual, I believe half power.
The problem: for my first shoot today, everything went as planned. Between clients, I changed the batteries in the 580's (I know, they are going to be replaced in this set up very soon). I turned them back on and reset them to manual, 1/2 power. From that point on, I could no longer capture a lit picture at 1/250th. I was getting fully dark photos at 1/250th. I was getting full across-the-sensor exposure at 1/30, 1/60, and 1/100. I was getting 25% shutter curtain shadow at 1/160th, about 75% shutter curtain shadow at 1/200, and full black at 1/250th. The flashes were certainly firing. My subject even verified it.
I know this has to be some setting that I'm missing, but as I am new to studio, it is just plain eluding me. Any ideas?
Have you tested it since then using a single AB light, various shutter speeds; a single Canon light, various shutter speeds; lights connected by cord, various shutter speeds; lights connected by PW, various shutter speeds; et cetera?
A few minutes testing may uncover the problem far more quickly than blind speculation out here in the cloud. And the results of your testing would give us more concrete information to go on.
The 1/250th sync spec. only applies to flash in a hot shoe. What you are getting is probably the result of latency between the time the radio triggers fire the 580ex and it optically triggers the ABs and your results aren't unusual for such a jury-rig arrangement.
You might try controlling the Canon flashes using its wireless protocol and using the radio triggers connected to the camera PC socket to fire the ABs. The Canon's will do their coded pre-flash signaling, then all the main flashes will fire in sync.
Thank you very much. I did not know the the 250th only related to the hot shoe. Chuck, I will be replacing the 580's with two more AB800's very shortly. If I can ever get a Radio Shack cable that will work with them and a PW plus 2, my intended set up was going to be 1 PW in the camera's hot shoe, and then one PW on each of the AB800's, connected by 1/8 male to 1/8th male cable. Will that, in your opinion, eliminate the latency that you describe?
I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean when you say to use the "radio triggers connected to the camera PC socket to fire the ABs." Are you saying that because, in your suggested arrangement, the hot shoe would be in use by the ST-E2, I assume? I don't own the ST-E2 and probably won't be buying it unless you see a reason.
sskoutas wrote:
Thank you very much. I did not know the the 250th only related to the hot shoe. Chuck, I will be replacing the 580's with two more AB800's very shortly. If I can ever get a Radio Shack cable that will work with them and a PW plus 2, my intended set up was going to be 1 PW in the camera's hot shoe, and then one PW on each of the AB800's, connected by 1/8 male to 1/8th male cable. Will that, in your opinion, eliminate the latency that you describe?
I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean when you say to use the "radio triggers connected to the camera PC socket to fire the ABs." Are you saying that because, in your suggested arrangement, the hot shoe would be in use by the ST-E2, I assume? I don't own the ST-E2 and probably won't be buying it unless you see a reason....Show more →
You need mono patch cable, not stereo. There still may be latency using the PW with the ABs but you need to realize flash duration not shutter freezes the action so unless trying to shoot action there's no real "penalty" shooting at 1/160th or 1/125th.
To trigger using the Canon / PC combo just use a 580ex in the hotshoe with a diffuser as Master and Fill.
I thank you again. I am using mono cable, not stereo. The first one I purchased was a faulty cable, tested and failed at Radio Shack on return. The second cable I purchased isn't firing the AB800 off of the PW either, so perhaps I have a second faulty cable. Don't know. Thanks again, Chuck.
cgardner wrote: The 1/250th sync spec. only applies to flash in a hot shoe. What you are getting is probably the result of latency between the time the radio triggers fire the 580ex and it optically triggers the ABs and your results aren't unusual for such a jury-rig arrangement.
You might try controlling the Canon flashes using its wireless protocol and using the radio triggers connected to the camera PC socket to fire the ABs. The Canon's will do their coded pre-flash signaling, then all the main flashes will fire in sync.
Chuck
sync speed has NOTHING to do with weather or not you're using a hot shoe, or monobloc/pack and head system. a flash is a flash is a flash is a flash. you're having issues with sync speed because of your triggers... chances are if you noticed that big of a drop in sync speed it's because the batteries in your pocket wizards are running low. Not because you're "jury-rig" set up(which is fine BTW)
Depending on what camera you have 1/250 may well be the max sync speed, but it should'nt cause a problem. I sync at 1/320 with a 1dmiii regularly with a mix of pw's, large flashes and 580's with no issues, PW in the hot shoe.
during the changing of the batteries, I have to wonder if any wires came loose?
are both of the lights wth PW's not syncing, or just one of them? Turn all the lights off except 1 to prove the they are syncing one at a time. if it's just 1 light that has a delay/pre fire, then investigate it. If they all have a delay, investigate the camera/pw at the camera end.
if you had pw multimaxes, I'd be asking if you had put in any delay on them, even by accident.
Merv.
Suggest you read the flash section of any Canon camera manual about sync speed, the source of the information I provided.
Chuck
Josh Evilsizor wrote:
sync speed has NOTHING to do with weather or not you're using a hot shoe, or monobloc/pack and head system. a flash is a flash is a flash is a flash. you're having issues with sync speed because of your triggers... chances are if you noticed that big of a drop in sync speed it's because the batteries in your pocket wizards are running low. Not because you're "jury-rig" set up(which is fine BTW)
cgardner wrote:
Suggest you read the flash section of any Canon camera manual about sync speed, the source of the information I provided.
Chuck
I REGULARLY sync @ my max sync speed of 1/200 with my elinchrom strobes while connected with the PC cord and the other with the built in optical slave. With fresh batteries I can get 1/250 with my triggers, but generally have to shoot at 1/160 and that's both using my hot shoe flashes, and my elinchroms.
The problem here was that he was triggering the 580ex via the PW then using the flash from the 580ex to trigger the optical slave sensor on the AB800. So he was encountering a double dose of latency causing the sync problem (the reference to "jury-rig").
I also have no problem when firing my lights with just the PW, which you might have missed is what I went on to suggest to him.
cgardner wrote:
Advice needs to be put into context...
The problem here was that he was triggering the 580ex via the PW then using the flash from the 580ex to trigger the optical slave sensor on the AB800. So he was encountering a double dose of latency causing the sync problem (the reference to "jury-rig").
I also have no problem when firing my lights with just the PW, which you might have missed is what I went on to suggest to him.
Chuck
that's not the problem, maybe you missed the part where he said it worked just fine with the 1st set of clients. and secondly, I shoot quite often with a speed light hooked to my radio triggers, then fire the elinchroms optically without issues.
problem is is spout off with the false sense of knowledge you get from a manual, but don't seem to ever have any real world experience to back your claims up.
cgardner wrote:
Been using optically triggered flash since 1972. How about you?
so your old using antiquated equipment... what's your point technology has come quite a long way since the 70's, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt I have no problems using the set up the OP described. and neither did he until after his 1st session.
Getting a little unnecessarily personal there Josh
As an aside- using cheapie eBay triggers my maximum flash sync on a 5D is 1/160 - which is fine - but as the battery power in the flashes (not the triggers) reduces, sync speed drops to 1/30 - with completely black frames at 1/40 and above.
paulhodson wrote:
Getting a little unnecessarily personal there Josh
As an aside- using cheapie eBay triggers my maximum flash sync on a 5D is 1/160 - which is fine - but as the battery power in the flashes (not the triggers) reduces, sync speed drops to 1/30 - with completely black frames at 1/40 and above.
it was a joke paul
and FWIW, I also use the cheapie ebay triggers... when they battery power drops, so does the sync speed. on multiple occasions I've noticed sync speed dropping with AC powered strobes and replaced the batteries in my transmitter and all back to normal....
RDKirk wrote:
Basic problem here, Josh, is that you're sparring with someone who has been an immense teaching benefit to many, many posters here for years.
Give it up...you're not winning.
I didn't realize I was in a win or lose battle? so what you're telling me is even if the almighty cgardner gives false information, it doesn't matter weather he's wrong or not, he'll always "win" got it! But hey.. even little mac beats tyson every once in a while.
technology has come quite a long way since the 70's, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt I have no problems using the set up the OP described. and neither did he until after his 1st session.
lighten up and get over yourself.