Fill-flash technique

[LaurentiuB]

I have a Canon PowerShot S1 IS and I always use it on Manual mode.
I try to use fill-flash technique but when I activate flash the shutter speed is forced by camera at 1/250.

Before to activate the flash, I set up the shutter speed and F-number.
ex: 1/1250 sec f/8 after flash activation 1/1250 become 1/250

What can I do ? Where did I go wrong ?

[PacAce]

I have a Canon PowerShot S1 IS and I always use it on Manual mode.
I try to use fill-flash technique but when I activate flash the shutter speed is forced by camera at 1/250.

Before to activate the flash, I set up the shutter speed and F-number.
ex: 1/1250 sec f/8 after flash activation 1/1250 become 1/250

What can I do ? Where did I go wrong ?

Are you using the internal flash or an external flash?

If you are using the internal flash, then the camera may be setting the shutter speed to 1/250 because the internal flash does not have highspeed-sync capabilities.

If you are using an external flash and it's one of the Canon Speedlite models, then you have to set the flash to highspeed-sync mode in order to use the 1/1250 shutter speed. If you don't, the camera will automatically revert to 1/250 for normal flash photography.

[slin100]

You're running into what is called the maximum X-sync shutter speed. This is the fastest shutter speed at which a flash burst will expose the entire frame. At faster shutter speeds, the shutter operates like a moving slit, so a flash would result in a partially exposed frame. When you activated the flash, the camera automatically dropped the shutter speed down to the X-sync speed.

Canon DSLRs have a high-sync speed enhancement that allows you to take flash exposures at shutter speeds faster than the X-sync speed. This is accomplished by pulsing the flash as the shutter slit moves across the frame to achieve a uniformly exposed frame. The drawback is that flash range is dramatically reduced due to the extra energy required to pulse the flash. This feature is normally disabled.

I don't believe the S1 has a high-speed sync capability, so you are basically stuck at a fastest shutter speed of 1/250 when using flash. 1/250 is pretty decent, though. There are only a handful of cameras out there that can sync at a faster speed.

[LaurentiuB]

:( Yes, I talk about internal flash. So, if I understand well I can't use this technique with this camera?
As far as I know my Canon PowerShot S1 IS do not support external flash.

[slin100]

:( Yes, I talk about internal flash. So, if I understand well I can't use this technique with this camera?
As far as I know my Canon PowerShot S1 IS do not support external flash.
Correct. 1/250 is the fastest you can go.