600ex rt high speed sync with strobes - Please HELP!

[dmfreckl]

Hi-

I'm new to photography and am struggling with what seems to be a simple problem but isn't.

I have a 600ex rt and 2 strobes (Alienbees B800)

I would like to shoot in high speed flash (shutter speed over 1/200)

I tried putting my 600ex rt in manual mode and HSS. The 600ex rt is connected to my camera body via the hot shoe. Then connected the 600ex rt directly to my alienbees using a pc sync cable.

I could never get the strobes to fire. When I disconnected the PC sync cable from the flash and attached to the camera body (mark IV) the strobes flashed perfectly (though did not pulse as in HSS [which I expected]) so therefore I know the PC sync cable and the strobes are working.

Can anyone please help me figure out how to make this work? I'm using as inspiration the following tutorial (http://www.callumw.com/blog/how-to-do-high-speed-sync-with-studio-strobes/) but must be doing something wrong here.

Much appreciated!!

 

[fotowbert]

Hi-

I'm new to photography and am struggling with what seems to be a simple problem but isn't.

I have a 600ex rt and 2 strobes (Alienbees B800)

I would like to shoot in high speed flash (shutter speed over 1/200)

I tried putting my 600ex rt in manual mode and HSS. The 600ex rt is connected to my camera body via the hot shoe. Then connected the 600ex rt directly to my alienbees using a pc sync cable.

I could never get the strobes to fire. When I disconnected the PC sync cable from the flash and attached to the camera body (mark IV) the strobes flashed perfectly (though did not pulse as in HSS [which I expected]) so therefore I know the PC sync cable and the strobes are working.

Can anyone please help me figure out how to make this work? I'm using as inspiration the following tutorial (http://www.callumw.com/blog/how-to-do-high-speed-sync-with-studio-strobes/) but must be doing something wrong here.

Much appreciated!!

You are basically using the "long burn" hypersync technique described in this article .

I'm not familiar with your flash but perhaps its PC port flash is sync in instead of a sync out port. Even if it is a sync out it's possible that Canon initiates its HSS flash on one of its proprietary hot-shoe pins and not the center-pin.

By the way your link clearly says to use optical triggering for the studio strobes. Also set them to min power. That is where they have the longest light duration since they are not IGBT controlled.

• John

--
"[If you don't sweat the details] the magic doesn't work." Brooks, F. P., The Mythical Man-Month, Addison-Wesley, 1975, page 8.

 

[Sailor Blue]

The sync port on the Canon 600EX RT is a sync IN port. You can connect the sync port of a camera to the flash and get the flash to fire in Manual mode only. You can not use the 600EX RT sync port to fire another flash unit since it is not a sync OUT port.

To get the 600EX RT to fire in High Speed Sync mode so you can use a shutter speed greater than the sync speed you need it mounted on the camera, or if off-camera triggered by an on-camera 600EX RT or 430EX RT II or a ST-E3-RT RF trigger. There are non-Canon flash units or RF triggers that will work as well.

High Speed Sync causes your flash to fire thousands of times a second at a reduced power for the length of time it takes the shutter to travel across the sensor of your camera. The light output is reduced by about 2-3 stops or more.

Demystifying High-Speed Sync | Fstoppers

The ABs will only fire in Manual mode - a single flash of light at the set power, no High Speed Sync, however some RF triggers there is a long-burn mode that lets you use a shutter speed higher than the sync speed.

Understanding HyperSync and High Speed Sync - PocketWizard Wiki

Paul C. Buff, Inc. | Flash Duration

 

[ScratchDisk]

"long burn" hypersync technique described in this article .

I'm not familiar with your flash but perhaps its PC port flash is sync in instead of a sync out port. Even if it is a sync out it's possible that Canon initiates its HSS flash on one of its proprietary hot-shoe pins and not the center-pin.

Hi, Confirmed correct on both points with Canon.

for the OP, this will help:

https://www.paulcbuff.com/Flash-Duration.html

. . which more or less rules out the Einstein for Supersync and even the Voltage controlled ABs are a bit quick even at their lowest power setting.

Still leaves the ND route, though.

 

[BAK]

There's always been a problem mixing technology from different manufacturers.

BAK