1/8000th second sync with SB800

[sirhc55]

Read an interesting report on DPreview where a guy has used the AS-15 plus a sync cord to enable up to 1/8000th second flash sync with the SB800

the ref is:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=11120671

Cheers

Chris

[Flyer]

You can fire SB800 at any speed if you cover the first 2 contacts of the hotshoe. I've tried it before using plain sticky tape.

[sirhc55]

Thanks Flyer - just tried it and it works fine

Cheers

Chris

[horstflotow]

[quote="Flyer"]You can fire SB800 at any speed if you cover the first 2 contacts of the hotshoe. I've tried it before using plain sticky tape. [/quote]I'm a novice, which first two contacts do you mean and how do you clean the glue from the sticky tape off the flash/camera afterwards? Can you achieve the same by changing the exposure compensation on the camera? Do you need to change the flash power (e.g. 1/8, etc)?

Thanks

Horst

[Flyer]

Hi Horst.

See photo below - two contacts marked red:


You can use anything to cover them - I found sticky tape to be the easiest. Never had any problems with glue residue, but if you do I guess use metho or similar to clean it off.
I don't think you can achieve the same by changing settings on your camera.
Changing the flash power would only affect flash duration, not the sync speed.

[horstflotow]

[quote="Flyer"]Hi Horst.

See photo below - two contacts marked red:
[img]http://FlyerOz.smugmug.com/photos/11866951-M.jpg[/img]

You can use anything to cover them - I found sticky tape to be the easiest. Never had any problems with glue residue, but if you do I guess use metho or similar to clean it off.
I don't think you can achieve the same by changing settings on your camera.
Changing the flash power would only affect flash duration, not the sync speed.[/quote]

Thanks Flyer,

Will give it a bell this week-end (if at all possible)

Regards

Horst

[Onyx]

Hey guys, I just tried this trick out.
I am not able to get TTL to function as it should - it's overexposing, consistently firing at close to full power.
However, in AA mode it's fine.

It seems that by blocking the two contacts, the camera is unaware of the flash's presence, yet a shutter release fires the mounted flash, and exposures are spot on.

This also has the implication that slow sync is now default. ie. it used to be that you were restricted to 1/60 or faster (or whatever shutter speed selected in custom menu) when using the flash in normal front curtain sync mode. Now, the camera always meters for ambient light, including multi-second exposures, yet the camera balances ambient and flash exposures surprisingly well! I like the results.

Plus, there's no longer the 1/500th barrier in daylight so it's a joy to shoot in bright light with fast primes wide open!

[horstflotow]

[quote="Flyer"]Hi Horst.

See photo below - two contacts marked red:
[img]http://FlyerOz.smugmug.com/photos/11866951-M.jpg[/img]

You can use anything to cover them - I found sticky tape to be the easiest. Never had any problems with glue residue, but if you do I guess use metho or similar to clean it off.
I don't think you can achieve the same by changing settings on your camera.
Changing the flash power would only affect flash duration, not the sync speed.[/quote]

Taping over the two contacts on the SB800 works fine, so I thought I'd try this with my SB28. If you tape over the same two contacts nothing happens, if you tape over the left hand one only it works and allows you to change shutterspeeds to 1/8000. I figure if you're going to use the flash this way you're pretty much winging it and you might as well put an older one to good use. It's certainly faster to change the shutterspeed on the camera than flash power manually (1/8th etc) on the flash to get the appropriate lighting, I wish I'd found this out a couple of months ago, could have put it to good use.

Regards

Horst

[Glen]

Nice find Sirhc55, thanks for sharing