flash sync speed

Mitch1640 · Mar 22, 2009

does anyone know if the d90 has high speed flash sync or am i stuck at 1/200. and what is FP high speed sync?

JerryPH · Mar 23, 2009

Don't be afraid to read your camera manual. If you have lost it, you can download for free, the manual from the Nikon website.

The answer is... yes it has it.

Village Idiot · Mar 23, 2009

JerryPH said:
Don't be afraid to read your camera manual. If you have lost it, you can download for free, the manual from the Nikon website.

The answer is... yes it has it.

It doesn't.

The flash does, but the camera will always have a set sync speed. So an SBXXX may have a high sync speed mode, but unless you have a special flash with that option, the D90 will only fire up to it's x sync without getting black bars. AFAIK, Nikon has not went back to the electronic shutter design that allowed the camera to have a really high x sync.

JerryPH · Mar 23, 2009

Village Idiot said:
It doesn't.

Hang on... the D90 doesn't have support for FP high speed sync? I would be very surprised to hear that. I am in a location that doesn't support downloading, but tonight I will download the manual from Nikon and check that out... I am almost willing to bet money that it does support high-speed focal point sync but you have introduced some doubt into my mind. If it does, which I am feeling it does, yes, of course one has to use Nikon flashes to access this feature... or one could use the new Pocket Wizards and get up to 1/500th sync speeds with ANY flash.

I'll come back with a "yea" or "nay" for sure tonight on this.

Village Idiot · Mar 23, 2009

Mitch1640 said:
does anyone know if the d90 has high speed flash sync or am i stuck at 1/200. and what is FP high speed sync?

JerryPH said:
Don't be afraid to read your camera manual. If you have lost it, you can download for free, the manual from the Nikon website.

The answer is... yes it has it.

JerryPH said:
Hang on... the D90 doesn't have support for FP high speed sync? I would be very surprised to hear that. I am in a location that doesn't support downloading, but tonight I will download the manual from Nikon and check that out... I am almost willing to bet money that it does support high-speed focal point sync but you have introduced some doubt into my mind. If it does, which I am feeling it does, yes, of course one has to use Nikon flashes to access this feature... or one could use the new Pocket Wizards and get up to 1/500th sync speeds with ANY flash.

I'll come back with a "yea" or "nay" for sure tonight on this.

Semantics? The D90 supports the high speed sync on Nikon speed lights, but the D90 itself does not have high speed sync mode. If he's using a flash that does not have high speed sync, then the D90 will not go over it's x sync.

The PW modifies this. It doesn't change the fact that the x sync on the D90 is 1/250, iirc. It's like using a set of cactus triggers; you might not be able to shoot over 1/160 without getting the black band but that doesn't change the camera's rated x sync.

JerryPH · Mar 23, 2009

Village Idiot said:
Semantics?

Perhaps.

Village Idiot said:
The D90 supports the high speed sync on Nikon speed lights, but the D90 itself does not have high speed sync mode. If he's using a flash that does not have high speed sync, then the D90 will not go over it's x sync.

The D90 has a leaf shutter, that means that it is 1/250, if it is electronic, it can do 1/500th with any light. It's native sync speed may indeed be 1/250th, but that doesn't mean that he has no options to get above that, this is what I will find out tonight.

Village Idiot said:
The PW modifies this. It doesn't change the fact that the x sync on the D90 is 1/250, iirc. It's like using a set of cactus triggers; you might not be able to shoot over 1/160 without getting the black band but that doesn't change the camera's rated x sync.

I understand how sync works, I just want to clarify (to myself more than anything) if I was right.

- does the D90 support CLS and therefore sync speeds up to 1/8000th
- leaf or electronic shutter? I believe leaf and hence native 1/250th

The op did not specify flash brand or even if he had a flash other than the on camera one. Downloading the manual will answer those all for me tonight.

As far as what the PW does, it doesn't modify anything, but it does "adjust" the TTL timing so that you can get full flash power with anything (studio strobes included) at up to 1/500th shutter speeds. Its not black magic, just a simple fact that most flashes are a lot faster than 1/500th in duration and hence if you play with the timing, should be able to adjust it so that full power is possible at 1/500th without banding at the bottom or loss of lighting strength.

GeneralBenson · Mar 23, 2009

So with PW's, can you shoot higher than your camera's x-sync, or will it still only let you shoot up to it?

JerryPH · Mar 23, 2009

GeneralBenson said:
So with PW's, can you shoot higher than your camera's x-sync, or will it still only let you shoot up to it?

Well according to PW, you can get up to 1/500th with almost any camera and any flash (studio strobes are included in that list and the 5D mkII is the current exception), irrespective of if your native sync speed is 1/160th, 1/200th or 1/250th. It has to be in TTL mode only, though.

Village Idiot · Mar 23, 2009

Why does it have to be in TTL mode? Most flashes don't have a TTL mode.

JerryPH · Mar 23, 2009

Village Idiot said:
Why does it have to be in TTL mode? Most flashes don't have a TTL mode.

Don't ask me, ask PW. :lol:

Thats a requirement for some reason. I think it has something to do with the way the PWs work and their timing of the flash and what not.

I am hoping this changes by the time they release the Nikon versions.

Garbz · Mar 24, 2009

All cameras have a bit of give in their sync settings to accommodate older slower flashes not keeping up with a strict 1/250th time. Think about all the electronics that go in for instance wireless-CLS and you'd see why a bit of give and take is important when syncing a flash.

Btw the D90 definitely does not have a leaf shutter. It has a vertically travelling focal plane shutter just like every other DSLR.

Flash Harry · Mar 24, 2009

leaf shutters are usually in the lens of large format cameras, I think some MF cameras (rollie) also had leaf shutters but I have yet to hear of any 35mm or digital come with a leaf shutter. H

Torus34 · Mar 24, 2009

For 35mm rigs with interchangeable lenses and leaf shutters, see

Leaf shutter, interchangeable lens rangefinder? [Archive] - Rangefinderforum.com

JerryPH · Mar 24, 2009

Ok... from the D90 manual from Nikon:

- Menu setting E5 activates FP. Page 195.
- It does support CLS. Page 233
- CLS sync speeds go from 1/200 to 1/4000th. Page 195.
- Using a nikon flash, you can get "native" sync speeds as high as 1/320th with minimal loss of flash power. Page 186.

As per Dpreview:
- Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter
- Native sync speed of 1/200th (thats a surprise, and disappointment)

Seems like an old D70s has more on the ball (except for MP size) than the D90!

Village Idiot · Mar 24, 2009

JerryPH said:
Don't ask me, ask PW.
Thats a requirement for some reason. I think it has something to do with the way the PWs work and their timing of the flash and what not.

I am hoping this changes by the time they release the Nikon versions.

That can't be right. You can use the mini TT with the last gen PII's and get the sync modification according to what I've read.