How do I get this depth of field with strobes?

[Robin Usagani]

C'mon man its all good geez its the Internetz =)

"Schwetty was half right -- you get a lot less effective flash power since you're throwing away the peak)"

I haven't ever ever had that prob per my light meter but if I do I'll simply up the monolight pow-ah!

I will take half right :thumbup:. I am still not following though. If I read it correctly it will only HyperSYNC with a speedlite up to 1/320. If you go faster, it will be in HSS/FP mode?

Also most monolight you need to set it at FULL power. What if full power is too much? You have to use smaller aperture? What if you want shallow DOF? If you constantly shoot it at full power, wouldnt you drain the battery?

I think I am missing something here... explain it to me.

HyperSync - PocketWizard Wiki

Wrong dead wrong on full power, wrong on /320

I am not reading correctly then LOL. I cant follow that page.

 

[Robin Usagani]

"[h=3]Remote FlexTT5 with Speedlite in the Top Shoe[/h]With the default settings, you can sync at any shutter speed. HyperSync Automation will be used only at 1/320th with Speedlites, after which the transmitting ControlTL radio will switch to using High Speed Sync isntead. On the transmitting radio, adjust the "HSS/FP Begins At (HyperSync Ends)" control under the HyperSync/HSS Tabto specify the shutter speed at which HyperSync timings are no logner used and High Speed Sync/FP Sync is engaged.
Transmitter-side Automated HyperSync will be used at all shutter speeds faster than x-sync until High Speed Sync is engaged. Receiver-side HyperSync automation is not currently supported for Canon Speedlites, as they do not communicate their power level through the hot shoe. For full HyperSync Automation with Speedlites, their power levels must be controlled via a Speedlite in Master Mode or AC3 ZoneController at camera position."

 

[2WheelPhoto]

i've never used a speedlite/or anything mounted to a PW top shoe, nor that model PW as a reciever. but in that specific scenario its prob right

they way to mount speedlight or monolight on the PWII is with a chord, and none of those limitations apply

 

[amolitor]

I think PW spent some time actually characterizing the shape of the light output from various strobes, so their software helps with the setup a bunch. Using shutter speeds that are slow, but faster than the actual sync speed, is where things are likely to get dicey.

Paul C. Buff FORUM Archive • View topic - Flash Duration Explained

shows some stuff about the curve. He suggests that there is "useful light" available for 1/300th of a second, as a typical number.

So if you sync at 1/500th or whatever, then the shutter-open time is less than the total flash duration. If you clip off the peak, then it's "sort of" even for the right hand half of the graph, say. Say, from where t.5 ends to where t.1 ends, which is about 1/500th, he suggests, as a reasonable value.

You're using some "sufficiently flat" part of the light output curve, so fake a steady light source for the whole shutter-open time.

Does that help at all?

EDIT: I seems like you could theoretically adjust the effective power by using more or less delay, using different sections of the output curve. You leave the flash head on full power, always, to give you the maximum length of useful curve, and then synchronize the shutter to the flash (effectively -- you actually do it the other way around, but I find it's easier to think of it as 'the shutter opens HERE on the flash output curve')

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I think PW spent some time actually characterizing the shape of the light output from various strobes, so their software helps with the setup a bunch. Using shutter speeds that are slow, but faster than the actual sync speed, is where things are likely to get dicey.

Paul C. Buff FORUM Archive • View topic - Flash Duration Explained

shows some stuff about the curve. He suggests that there is "useful light" available for 1/300th of a second, as a typical number.

So if you sync at 1/500th or whatever, then the shutter-open time is less than the total flash duration. If you clip off the peak, then it's "sort of" even for the right hand half of the graph, say. Say, from where t.5 ends to where t.1 ends, which is about 1/500th, he suggests, as a reasonable value.

You're using some "sufficiently flat" part of the light output curve, so fake a steady light source for the whole shutter-open time.

Does that help at all?

perhaps with that strobe, I use elinchroms and profoto and not have to worry about "lost light" as you imply. I can run the lights low power to high power to achieve the output I need. NEVER been a prob "not having light" for the shot or underexposed due to such.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I will say this, I achieve faster shutter with elinchrom than profoto, but lack of light has NEVER been a problem.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Wrong dead wrong on full power, wrong on /320

dude if I run my 1200 watt elinchron on full I'll nuke a whole state =)

I have only used speed lights. I would like more information on the mono light subject lol.

I use two manual vivitar 285 speedlights I use on some remote outdoor shoots, or when its a BS shoot and I take limited gear on my motorcycle. I have great success with fast shutter using them as well.

 

[Robin Usagani]

I will invest on something like this eventually... right now I am happy with my ghetto setup LOL.


Learn something everyday... it was a good argument.

 

[Mach0]

I use two manual vivitar 285 speedlights I use on some remote outdoor shoots, or when its a BS shoot and I take limited gear on my motorcycle. I have great success with fast shutter using them as well.

I have two 285's as well. I need to use them more. They live in my camera bag. Lol

 

[Village Idiot]

An ND filter would be the easiest solution that wouldn't affect light quality. If you pull a light back you're making your source smaller, which will create harsher shadows. An ND filter just cuts the light coming into the camera.

When you put a blocker over the flash head, like a bit of gaffer's tape, or some cinefoil (or just store-brand, generic aluminum foil...whatever), it really does not serve to make the light "smaller" in any meaningful way....if that were the case, then a speedlight would look like utter crap, whereas a BIG, LONG Speedotron 200-series unit's flash tube would be super-soft, since the flash tube area is like 10x greater than the area of the front Fresnel lens of a speedlight....but that isn't the case now, is it...

Hard Light vs Soft Light | photomatters

Distance creates harsher shadows, not to mention fall off. If you have your lighting setup to way you want it, pulling everything back 5' for one stop can change the intended look of the photo. The link above can illustrate that for you.

An ND filter would be the easiest solution that wouldn't affect light quality. If you pull a light back you're making your source smaller, which will create harsher shadows. An ND filter just cuts the light coming into the camera.

Not for me. I've screwed NV's on, but much simpler for my monolights just to go to a faster shutter. A click of the dial =)

PocketWizard® - HyperSync

The PW Hypersync tech has limitations with some users reporting that they can't make it much past 1/250 with certain full frame cameras before the band occurs. Not to mention, if you're using a 6 stop ND to cut light to be able to shoot at 1/200, ISO 100, and f/2.8, your PW is going to have to let you shoot at 1/6,400 when you were originally shooting at 1/200, ISO 100, and f/16. That's not really achievable.

Also, buying a bunch of Pocket Wizard kit to solve this problem is just about the most expensive and least convenient solution proposed yet. ND filters and light modifiers on the strobes are somewhere between free and cheap, and don't require a lot of calibration.

Not to say the PW stuff isn't valuable, it's just not a kind of spendy point solution.

PW's site says you only need one Hypersync enabled transmitter. The PW mini should work well enough. After all, it's just a timing in the firing signal that allows this and not something that's also done on the receiver's end.