rmcgarry331

If your goal is to freeze motion, your shutter speed only needs to be fast enough to kill the ambient light, so you are using entirely flash to light the exposure. Back in the old film days, I was able to freeze rapid motion with a Canon FTQL with a flash sync speed of 1/30th of a second. Using 25 ASA film, and a narrow aperture, the flash duration on my Vivitar 283 was about 1/2000 of a second at 1/2 power. So my actual exposure time was 1/2000 even though the film was exposed for 1/30.

Using a modern digital camera, with an ISO of 100, a shutter speed of 1/125 or faster should work just fine.

MrPhotog

The physical size of a physical shutter serves as a limit to extremely short shutter speeds which expose the entire frame at the same time.

Focal-plane shutters are larger than (in lens) leaf shutters. In theory you could make a focal plane shutter that could synchronize at speeds of 1/1000 of a second, but those which have been tried have not been very durable. The rapid acceleration and deceleration of the shutter curtains acts like a pair of hammer blows inside the camera. The usual limit is 1/250 th second—but it is possible to replace the springs and use such a shutter at higher speeds, until it breaks. Make friends with a camera repair person if you want to try this.

Leaf springs have less mass, and don’t have as much hammering when they have completed an exposure. They typically can be found with top speeds of 1/500 th of a second, and can synchronize with electronic flashes at any shutter speed. I’ve read that Some were made which went as short as 1/800 or even 1/1000 th of a second, but I’ve never owned one like that.

I believe physical reliability was an issue. Also, leaf shutters working at such short exposure times tend to overexpose when used at smaller apertures. The faster the shutter ran, the greater the difference between an exposure with the aperture wide open, and one with the aperture stopped down.

Rotary shutters turning something like a propeller on an airplane, have been able to achieve very hogh synchronization speeds, but mostly for movie cameras, or super-expensive lab equipment.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

If I remember correctly the Nikon D40 (or maybe D50) synced at 1/500s. Good luck finding one.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Many (most) dedicated flashes and modern cameras that use them are capable of High Speed Sync (HSS). It's a setting on every Canon flash I've used the last 20 years or so.

Most of my Canon have 1/250 flash sync. Two have 1/200. HSS mode (selected on the flash) allows me to use up to 1/8000 shutter speed with flash on my Canon DSLRs, and 1/4000 on a Canon mirrorless. Those are the cameras' top speed.

Whatever system you're using, search for info on flash high speed sync mode. It may be discussed in your camera and flash user manuals, too.

HOWEVER...

HSS greatly reduces the distance the flash is able to reach. The higher the shutter speed, the more that distance will be reduced.

You mention wanting to freeze movement... which the flash might be able to do without need for HSS while using the camera at it's flash sync setting. The reason is that the flash itself will act as a fast shutter. A typical flash duration is equivalent to 1/720 shutter speed. A reduced power flash might be even faster. You should look into whatever flash you happen to have... some can do extremely short exposures.

To take advantage of the flash's short duration and make it act like a fast shutter, you need to make it the primary light source. In other words don't set it us as "fill". Make your settings so that as little ambient light as possible is recorded. If both the flash and ambient light are recorded in the image, it will cause "ghosting" with moving subjects and that will typically look odd... as if everything is moving backward.

I've used HSS during sports photography, where my flash was serving as fill (not as a "fast shutter", as described above). Using a fast shutter speed, made possible by HSS, reduces the chance of ghosting. But, in addition to the significantly reduced "reach" of the flash there are other problems. Often shooting action you may want to use a fast, continuous mode... such as 6 or 8 or 10 frames per second. Flash has to pause to recycle every so often, which will significantly limit any bursts you might try to do. I use fairly powerful flashes and optimize them with external power packs. I'm usually only able to get 2 or maybe 3 shots in a row before the flash needs to recycle for a few seconds. And that's using the flash as fill, at reduced power. Another problem is that the flash will overheat with so much use in a short period of time. The flashes I use will shut down temporarily to prevent damage, but won't be usable for 15 minutes or more.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

...only needs to be fast BRIGHT enough to kill the ambient light...

Since HSS reduces the power in the individual flashes making up the total exposure, HSS may not be what you need in bright ambient light.

Kelly Cherry

Look the specs of the Nikon D-500. It is Nikon's sports camera. Let me know what you think. Do a side by side comparison.

Bison Bud

I realize now that the flash duration can function as a faster exposure than the shutter sync might imply when it is the primary illumination used. This is indeed valuable information and one I'm already playing with on my T1i and it's speedlight. It would also seem that high speed sync is best used as a fill flash, especially when the ambient light is an important factor in the photo. I also now know that the power reduction of the flash output everyone brought up is a function of the multiple flashes needed as the shutter speed is increased. This too will take some practice to make good use of in the field, but I do now have enough information to try it out and will do more research as well. All in all, this has been a very informative and interesting thread and I thank everyone that tried to bring me up to speed. Good luck and good shooting to all.

D-5008 Loc: Raleigh, North Carolina

If one was flushed with money, you could go the Hasselblad route where the sync speed is not an issue at any
shutter speed! No HSS needed. ;-)

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

“…It would also seem that high speed sync is best used as a fill flash…” Really? In the Fashion Editorial image I posted for you Bison Bud the four SB910 Speedlight in HSS were the Key Light (casting the primary shadow). Ambient only lifted that shadow on this very talented agency model. Perhaps you might benefit from getting your head around Key/Fill ratios. In that Fashion Editorial image the Key to Fill ratio was 1.5:1.

The Key light is the Main Light used to illuminate the subject, while the fill light provides a lift to the shadows. However seems that many novices here on UHH seem to believe that Speedlights should only be used as “Fill”. This simply is not a universally valid inference. Although many starting out do indeed find the using their camera’s “Balanced Fill Flash” mode a.k.a. iTTL for Nikon results in pleasing imagery without having to understand what is occurring. They simply use “Exposure Compensation” to mange the lighting ratios.

That said lighting ratios are but a small component of the totally illumination mix. For use in photography every source light has four basic components: Intensity, Color, Direction and Texture. Each of these can (and do) determine the aesthetics of the final visual statement.

In my humble estimation the most appropriate way to come up the curve on use of flash in photography is through practice… A HUGE amount of practice… All the best on your epic journey Bison Bud.

Bison Bud

I agree completely with your last statement and understand the purpose of the rest. Practice is indeed needed and something I am currently working on. I've learned quite a bit already, but there is indeed much to learn about flash photography and lighting in general. Being retired and disabled, the new goal for my favorite hobby is to improve my knowledge and abilities in those areas and I have time to do so.

As for the picture you posted, it is indeed quite good and an interesting example. However, in my opinion her skin tones are a bit washed out due to the primary flash and even a pro can upgrade their game.

MrPhotog

Excellent point A classic example of this can be seen in almost any movie that contains a scene with news photographers, and set in the years of roughly 1930 to 1955. You’ll see that all the press photographers were using flashbulbs at all times.

The objective was to be able to use a fast shutter speed and a small aperture so they could have decent depth of field and stop action.

Before the advent of powerful, portable, electronic flash units ( with very short duration) photographers used an opposite method to achieve a similar result.

The ‘FP’ class of flash bulbs of that time were stuffed with flammable materials. Once they were ignited they could burn for 1/10 th of a second or longer. When used with a focal plane shutter on a Speed Graphic, the length of time the bulb burned was greater than the length of time it took for the shutter curtains to complete the image. So the fastest shutter speed, 1/1000 of a second, could be used. The synchronization set off the flashbulb about 20 milliseconds before the shutter curtains opened, and the light was pretty even for the duration.

The brilliant light provided great foreground contrast, which really helped with the photoengraving and pulp printing methods of the day. Ambient light was underexposed, but provided a fill which provided some detail. With daylight shots, the foreground was naturally brighter, but the background did not go black—just a couple of stops darker than usual.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"...improve my knowledge and abilities in those areas and I have time to do so..." Bison Bud I totally get this... and I'm hoping you are extremely successful here... That said I believe the "Key" concept is the word TIME... and the greatest impediment that I've witnessed with so many other emerging photographers is an ability to "Stay the Course" It takes fierce tenacity to persist with your chosen mission. So many variables to overcome.

The Japanese have a motto for this "Focus on your single purpose" believe they got this right.

And thank you for your kind words on the image I posted in your thread they are truly appreciated. However I hold a cosmetology license in makeup artistry and work commercially as bridal makeup artist who has done many hundreds of brides; bridesmaids; mothers of the bride not to mention way over 500 commercial models... Trust me, her skin tone is spot on... She is what is know in the industry as a "Porcelain Doll". I use RCMA makeup "base" i.e. foundation which has over 64 shades, tints and tones... She is the second fairest foundation available... Take a long look at a Beauty Rendering we did some time ago... Below
That is makeup artistry NOT retouching you're viewing.

I also noticed we are on the same team Bison Bud after reading your Jan 04, 2021 Post
"Covid Vaccine Distribution"

Little would you have suspected that this model is now an ICU Nurse who started her career Mid January 2020 in her hospital's newly created Covid-19 Ward... See her selfie below after several weeks doing back to back 12 hours shifts working non-stop to keep her patients alive. I actually tutored her through four years of college on her journey to become an RN (Registered Nurse). She was having an academic challenge with chemistry and called me asking for help (I was a Chem Major at the U of MD). The rest is history... we walked in lockstep through four years of college nursing in what was to become the most wonderful mission I've ever engaged in.

Her selfie below says it all...
"Courage is grace under pressure..." Ernest Hemingway

Porcelain Doll

(Download)

ICU Nurse coming of a 12 hour shift at the hight of the Covid-19 Pandemic

(Download)

Bison Bud

It would seem that we do have much in common and agree on many things. Maybe I over-reacted, but it sure seemed like you were knocking my desire to learn and still seems like your trying to discourage me while trying to set yourself up as an expert. Hell, maybe you are an expert and you have made some valid points, but I can't help but feel that your elitist approach could use some tempering here on Hedgehog. Good luck and good shooting to all.

Geegee Loc: Peterborough, Ont.

Dirtfarmer (on page one) got it right. His explanation was right on. I have used HSS on my Nikon D7200 with an SB-910 speedlight. I found that using an auxiliary power pack was useful to allow quicker recycle time. I have attached a skateboarder which I took at a shutter speed of 1/1,000 sec. and the flash set to one Hertz.

(Download)

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Very good, except for this part..
This is not how it works:



From the FAQ I wrote about HSS nearly 8 years ago and provided a link to in this post earlier:
"In High Speed Sync (HSS) the speedlight sends out multiple pulses of light, essentially creating a continuous light for a brief period, just long enough to make your exposure." (The FAQ needs to be updated as some links no longer work)

From the ProPhoto website: "Essentially, HSS is accomplished by flashing the strobe so fast that it is essentially a very bright, constant light source that turns on as the shutter opens and turns off once the shutter is completely closed. Because the shutter is moving during this “constant exposure”, the flash exposure does not create a shadow across the chip (or the film). To understand this, just think about a completely ambient exposure, it doesn’t create a shadow because the light is constantly on and the shutter curtain is moving during the exposure. HSS is doing the same thing by strobing extremely fast to mimic constant light."
ProPhoto makes some great equipment and I trust their explanation.

The rapid firing of the flash causes the gasses in the flash tube to stay charged for the entirety of the relatively short time the shutter is open. Because you're dealing with a continuous (though very brief) light, unlike regular flash, shutter setting does affect exposure.