Oly C5050 Flash Sync Speed

[chippy]

Hopefully someone will be able to help on this one.

What is the fastest flash sync speed available on the C5050, and is there any way of changing it when in Aperture priority mode?

I think it defaults to 1/30th, but there are occasions where I'd prefer to use a faster shutter speed, such as when "shooting" fish.

Also would the faster sync speed (if it can be increased) effect the use of an external cordless TTL strobe (DS-50)?

Thanks

Paul

 

[James connell]

I don't know your camera but i can give you some general info.

slow shutter speed has little effect on flash photography - a strobe fires in 1000ths of a second ( the exact times very but 1/1000sec is a ball park figure) it will freeze most action. the only time shutter speed is a factor is in ambient plus fill.

most modern cameras fill not exceed sync speed in aperture mode, they will warn of an over exposure or just refuse to shoot.
by definition you can't control shutter speed in aperture mode - the mode is designed to let you control the depth of field and the camera corrects the shutter speed for exposure.

BTW shutter mode is the opposite - you tell the camera you don't care about DoF, you only need to freeze the action. modern cameras in Auto mode often have a couple of program modes that vary both - 'portrait mode' will ( try to ) use a wider open aperture, 'landscape' will use a smaller aperture, 'speed' will use a faster shutter if it can, ect.

one problem with aperture mode ( at least on film cameras ) is the meter reads ambient light and set things up for that, it's not uncommon ( in low light ) to have speeds in the >1/2 sec range, than TTLs the flash for fill.

 

[ReyeR]

What is the fastest flash sync speed available on the C5050

Depends on your shooting mode:
- P and A: 1/2000
- S and M: 1/1000

and is there any way of changing it when in Aperture priority mode

No, but there are various factors that affect/influence the aperture and shutter speed calculations in auto (P) and semi-auto (A and S) modes on the camera. In low light conditions:
- Flash mode
P and A: fill-in flash (thunderbolt sign) will force shutter speeds between 1/30 and 1/100 (determined by some of the other factors mentioned below); slow will give you shutter speeds according to the ambient light reading
- Zoom setting
Depending on your shooting mode (P, A, S) the shutter speed and aperture can be affected. The more you zoom in the faster your shutter speed and smaller the aperture
- Focussing distance
Again, depending on your shooting mode the shutter speed and aperture can be affected. The closer you focus the faster the shutter speed and smaller the aperture.

I think it defaults to 1/30th, but there are occasions where I'd prefer to use a faster shutter speed, such as when "shooting" fish.

'A' is a good place to start but your shutter speed will be limited/determined by the factors above. With a decent strobe like your DS50 progress to 'M'.

Also would the faster sync speed (if it can be increased) effect the use of an external cordless TTL strobe (DS-50)?

Depends on the strobe design. Generally at speeds upto 1/500 it has little or no affect on strobe exposure. At higher shutter speeds it may affect strobe exposure because some strobes stay on longer to reach their stated intensity.

 

[chippy]

Thanks Reye and James,

I didn't really explain the scenario / effect I was trying to capture very well, but I've since managed to answer (sort of) my own question:-

Say for instance I found a beautiful sea fan on the edge of the coral, and wanted to shoot towards the surface, but wanted the background to come out with a black (or near black) background to obtain a "negative space" (putting aside the fact that I could go for a Snell's window shot providing the fan's in the right position etc).

In "A" mode, using the maximum aperture of F8.0, it's likely (in shallowish water) that the ambient light level will still bring the background out blue.

Therefore, if I use "M" mode, set at F8.0, but ignore the -3.0 under exposure warning and shoot at 1/250th, I get a black background with detail in only the area light by the flash.

The thing is, how far can I push the shutter speed before it goes outside the limits of the sync speed? I know cameras like my old EOS1 used to be 1/250th max sync from memory, so there must be a limit somewhere with the C5050 too?

Maybe it'll be worth doing a speed test next time I'm down

 

[ReyeR]

The thing is, how far can I push the shutter speed before it goes outside the limits of the sync speed? I know cameras like my old EOS1 used to be 1/250th max sync from memory, so there must be a limit somewhere with the C5050 too?

First, a correction re: the fastest shutter speed possible in M mode - it is 1/2000 of a second.
Your flash/strobe will still sync at that speed, though you may find a slight reduction in the brightness of the flash recorded, as compared to, say, 1/500.

 

[Steve Parkinson]

chippy once bubbled...
Thanks Reye and James,


The thing is, how far can I push the shutter speed before it goes outside the limits of the sync speed? I know cameras like my old EOS1 used to be 1/250th max sync from memory, so there must be a limit somewhere with the C5050 too?

Maybe it'll be worth doing a speed test next time I'm down

no limit

hth

 

[James connell]

Many digital cameras Not based on a film SLR body don't have true 'shutters' - the sensor is always exposed to light. the camera clears the pixels and then after a set time reads the data out. how long the time between reset and read is the "shutter speed".

if it has a physical shutter - what sycn speed is, is the fastest time both shutters are fully open. film plane shutter cameras have 2 shutters not 1! ( some cameras have the shutter in the lens - they sync at all speeds). what happens is first 1 shutter opens ( this takes a certain amout of time) if the shutter speed is <= sync speed this shutter will open fully - then the second shutter will start to close.
if the shutter speed is > sync speed the second shutter will start to close before the first is all the way open. above sync speed there is the effect of a moving slit acroos the film. when the strobe fires part of the frame will not get any light from the strobe! strobes also have a "rise" time. it takes a certain amount of time for the strobe ( particularly powerful ones) to come to full power and fall back to dark - if the shutter speed is > this time you wont get the rated light from the strobe.

anyway to answer your question -
yes 3 stops should give you a very nice almost black background. be sure you have enough strobe for that however. and if you use "TTL" fill at least 1/2 the center of the frame with the subject.