Radio Triggers for Sports-D300

[Guido44]

Hi All,

I'm getting a bit frustrated trying to figure out what I need to do flash sports photography with a radio trigger.

I like to shoot at 1/1000 or faster for sports. (More like 1/2000) I shoot with a D300 and I also have the SB-900 and 2 SB-600's. I'd like to use 2 flashes for sports like basketball and volleyball. (yes, I know how to use Nikon's CLS, but I'm trying to avoid blasting the athletes with direct flashes.)

If I want to get a fast shutter speed (over 1/250), is my choice limited to the Pocket Wizard? So expensive. Yikes.

Here's what I found on Amazon.

That listing is confusing to me. Is that 2 PW or 3?

Obviously, I need 1 transmitter and 2 receivers. Does the fact that I'm shooting with a flash change the need for a super fast shutter speed while shooting sports?

Update: I also found the Allenbees Cybersync. Much less expensive of course.

Help.

Thanks,

Dan

 

[KmH]

At full power the duration of the flash from a SB-600 is about 1/1000 of a second. At 1/4 power the flash duration is 1/3400 of a second. (SB-600 manual, page 90)

So flash can stop the motion. You'd want the flash to sync on the rear curtain

The problem with using flash for sports is fall off, or the Inverse Square Law of light.

For the most part, the athletes won't even notice the flash.

 

[Guido44]

The problem with using flash for sports is fall off, or the Inverse Square Law of light.

Uh, ............ yeah. Every moron knows that. I forgot mention that in my original post.
:er:

Dan

 

[epp_b]

CyberSyncs are fantastic and 100% reliable, but they don't do iTTL (so no FP sync ... I think) and can't adjust flash power remotely. So, I think your only realistic option for 1/1000 shutter speeds is iTTL Pocket Wizards.

You might be interested in looking at these, but I wouldn't expect anywhere near the reliability of CS's or PW's.

Does the fact that I'm shooting with a flash change the need for a super fast shutter speed while shooting sports?

Yes. If you're shooting at 1/30th, you're going to see light trails. If you're shooting at your sync speed, probably not.

The way flash works is by creating an extremely quick burst of light that is faster than the camera's max sync speed. So, yes, as long as you're willing to shoot at 1/250th or 1/320th, you'll be able to freeze action with a slower-than-typical shutter speed and the right flash power.

 

[KmH]

The problem with using flash for sports is fall off, or the Inverse Square Law of light.

Uh, ............ yeah. Every moron knows that. I forgot mention that in my original post.
:er:

Dan

Please forgive me for trying to help, Dan. :thumbup:

You seemed to be having difficulty with some of the basic technical facets of how a camera and strobed light work, so I thought I should add the comment. My mistake. :thumbup:

Never fear, I won't try to help you again. :thumbup: