Camera sync speed with flash

13 years 4 months ago #8341 by Happy Hour
How come camera's are limited to 1/200 or 1/250th of the second camera to flash sync speed? Doesn't that seem restrictive?


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13 years 4 months ago #8342 by Screamin Scott
Different cameras have different sync speeds...The Nikon D70s that I have has a top sync speed of 1/500th. Back in film days, many cameras were only 1/60th max. If you set the shutter speed above the max sync speed, the result is only a portion of the frame captured if any at all. Once you press the shutter, the flash has to go off while the shutter curtains are open. Using too high of a shutter speed causes the flash be be blocked by a curtain that isn't fully open, resulting in only a portion of the scene exposed..

Scott Ditzel Photography

www.flickr.com/photos/screaminscott/

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13 years 4 months ago #8343 by Happy Hour

Screamin Scott wrote: Different cameras have different sync speeds...The Nikon D70s that I have has a top sync speed of 1/500th. Back in film days, many cameras were only 1/60th max. If you set the shutter speed above the max sync speed, the result is only a portion of the frame captured if any at all. Once you press the shutter, the flash has to go off while the shutter curtains are open. Using too high of a shutter speed causes the flash be be blocked by a curtain that isn't fully open, resulting in only a portion of the scene exposed..


So your D70 is faster than my D90? If that being the case, did Nikon just snooze on this or purposely reduced the sync speed in the D90?


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13 years 4 months ago #8346 by Screamin Scott
I'm not really sure why. Maybe the shutter unit itself is different, resulting in the change...Shame modern cameras don't have the old "in the lens shutters" that old cameras had. They could sync at all speeds...

Scott Ditzel Photography

www.flickr.com/photos/screaminscott/

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13 years 4 months ago #8347 by Happy Hour

Screamin Scott wrote: I'm not really sure why. Maybe the shutter unit itself is different, resulting in the change...Shame modern cameras don't have the old "in the lens shutters" that old cameras had. They could sync at all speeds...


Interesting, I think I'm going to spend some time on Google to find this one. ;)

Thanks Scott!


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13 years 4 months ago #8355 by Yasko
I'm not as familiar with Nikons as I am Canons, but I'm sure your D90 can synch to a lot faster than 1/250th. All you need to do is enable high-speed synch on your speed light ;)


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13 years 4 months ago #8358 by Screamin Scott
Nikon cameras offer it as well...Here's a link to some info

pixsylated.com/2008/11/simple-truths-about-high-speed-sync/

Scott Ditzel Photography

www.flickr.com/photos/screaminscott/

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