Strobe / Monolight hyper sync

I came across this monolight in various posts online:

http://www.amazon.com …tudio-Flash/dp/B004QXMOZQ

I bought one and with a pocket wizard TT1 and TT5 I can sync at 1/8000 using the FP mode of the strobe. Did 2 outdoor shoots and was very happy with it.

It puts out much more light than my 2 speedlights and recycles faster. Used it with a Vagabond battery pack.

FWIW

chadgeek wrote in post #15871852
I came across this monolight in various posts online:

The Promaster brand is from Ritz camera.

Do they still even exist after Ritz went bankrupt again?

Heath wrote in post #15872361
The Promaster brand is from Ritz camera.

Do they still even exist after Ritz went bankrupt again?

My local camera shop stocks Promaster stuff. It's typically rebranded products from other manufacturers. My Eneloops, soft boxes and CF cards are Promaster branded as well.

being able to sync at 1/8000 is one thing. Being able to knock down mid day sun is another. Would the gentleman talking about 1/8000 show some proof of the pudding?

So far I haven't seen anything from any strobe and trigger combo with any decent modifier. And let us not forget FF camera. It is like chasing the holy grail.

Look at the CL180 thread, power goes down as you increase ss. Not sure why CL180 would work but Einstein can't do same job much better. Personally I have used Einstein at full power with kacey dish and I can match full day CA sun.

get most powerful strobe you can afford and use ND if you don't like shooting at smaller apertures.

I use the Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS unit with the "S" heads and the Pocket Wizrad MiniTT1 / Power ST4 and my 5D2 almost every day and it will reliably sync at any power level up to 1/640's. At full power it will sync at 1/800's. The power ST4 even has a setting in the software specifically for the Ranger. Use the "S" head for the longer duration and the stobe is simply on while the shutter is closing, don't over think it this setup works very well.

This was 1/6400 with a beauty dish. Promaster 300C, triggered by Odins. Damn bright day, I should have had the subject close his eyes until the shot was taken. He's squinting even though he's facing away from the sun.

bobbyz wrote in post #15872388
Look at the CL180 thread, power goes down as you increase ss. Not sure why CL180 would work but Einstein can't do same job much better. Personally I have used Einstein at full power with kacey dish and I can match full day CA sun.

get most powerful strobe you can afford and use ND if you don't like shooting at smaller apertures.

An ND filter doesn't increase shutter speed, and therefore doesn't help freeze action. Unless you're going to overpower the sun until its not in the image at all (and rely on the fast flash duration to freeze the image).

For portraits etc the Einstein has a big power advantage, but there's still no easy way to freeze action in bright ambient light with it.

The CL-180 doesn't have much power, but it will almost match an ND filter, and that's using high shutter speeds instead which will freeze action a lot more.
.

chris_holtmeier wrote in post #15872419
This was 1/6400 with a beauty dish. Promaster 300C, triggered by Odins. Damn bright day, I should have had the subject close his eyes until the shot was taken. He's squinting even though he's facing away from the sun.

Look at the exposure gradient from top to bottom. Now try same shot full length.

elv wrote in post #15872596
An ND filter doesn't increase shutter speed, and therefore doesn't help freeze action. Unless you're going to overpower the sun until its not in the image at all (and rely on the fast flash duration to freeze the image).

For portraits etc the Einstein has a big power advantage, but there's still no easy way to freeze action in bright ambient light with it.

The CL-180 doesn't have much power, but it will almost match an ND filter, and that's using high shutter speeds instead which will freeze action a lot more.
.

I know what ND does and I only mentioned ND for not using smaller apertures. How is CL-180 going to help freeze action and let you bring down ambient at the same time. Please someone post one shot to prove this. I will happily send $10 to buy them lunch. We all know as you increase ss, power is going to go down on CL-180. You guys showed it in your CL-180 thread. You can use that strobe for fill fine not over power full day sun.

Here Einstein at full power with Kacey dish. See I can barely match sun as light is far from the subject than just a head shot. ND filter used only to let me shoot at f2.8 instead of f11.

bobbyz wrote in post #15872388
being able to sync at 1/8000 is one thing. Being able to knock down mid day sun is another. Would the gentleman talking about 1/8000 show some proof of the pudding?

So far I haven't seen anything from any strobe and trigger combo with any decent modifier. And let us not forget FF camera. It is like chasing the holy grail.

Look at the CL180 thread, power goes down as you increase ss. Not sure why CL180 would work but Einstein can't do same job much better. Personally I have used Einstein at full power with kacey dish and I can match full day CA sun.

get most powerful strobe you can afford and use ND if you don't like shooting at smaller apertures.

This was just a test. I included the camera data, time shot, and equipment used.
I didn't go all the way to 1/8000 for this shot, see EXIF. I shot against a white wall at 1/8000 and saw very slight light banding which I assume was a ghosted shutter curtain, but there was never a hard shutter edge at either side of the frame. The image below is uncropped shot at 5:4 ratio, FF camera.

I had been using the pocket wizards with Nikon flashes up until this point, and that works great for HSS, but this will be my goto setup now.

Hope this helps someone. It's not the only way to accomplish this. FWIW

EDIT: I will do a 1/8000 test outdoors as soon as I get a chance, to see if the very light banding I saw would even be visible in a real world environment.

IMAGE LINK: http://imageshack.us …images/594/hsss​ample.jpg/

Heath wrote in post #15872361
The Promaster brand is from Ritz camera.

Do they still even exist after Ritz went bankrupt again?

There were 8 on amazon when I ordered mine. As long as I can get flash tubes (which are available) then I won't be too worried

bobbyz wrote in post #15872647
Look at the exposure gradient from top to bottom. Now try same shot full length.

If that gradient was caused by the shutter, it wouldn't be darker on the bottom of the frame?

Come on guys let's try to use common definitions.
Over power the the sun could mean a lot of thinks.

I see good examples utilizing both ND approach and HSS approach.

Using HSS means that the lights turn into constant light sources and are not doing to contribute to action stopping. That is now the shutter's job.

As for Eintein, it has no HyperSync or HSS capabilities. At full power it could possibly offer a 1/3 to a little more Hyper Sync. And it does not offer any HSS rapid flashing capability.

ND filters are an aid for using wider apertures at a given shutter speed ISO setting.

Bobby, I'm can't figure out exactly what you want to accomplish. The HSS capable lights offer an option.
ND filters offer an option. I'd be disinclined to use them together.

Personally, I don't want to use ND filters. So, my options are X-Sync and small apertures, which taxes the flash. Or HSS which permits higher shutter speeds and also taxes the flash.

On a shoot I often go back and forth between the two options depending on the situation. That'a one of the benefits of the HSS approach.

LostArk wrote in post #15865544
I made this post thinking getting an Einstein would be a bad idea since you can really only use it with hyper sync at full power, but I can't think of a better alternative that wouldn't cost $5,000, like using eight 580ex ii's, lol.

I'd only ever need hyper sync every once in awhile so I guess I can make do with the Einstein.

Unless someone jumps into this thread and blows my mind.

You don't need 8. 4 of 600ex flashes does the job
Also take a look at this:
http://www.joemcnally.​com/blog/2009/05/16/mo​ving-fast/

dmward wrote in post #15877685
C
Bobby, I'm can't figure out exactly what you want to accomplish. The HSS capable lights offer an option.
ND filters offer an option. I'd be disinclined to use them together.
.

All I wanted to see was real fulll length shots with modifiers to show how well a flash/strobe does outside where HSS/HyperSync is useful. Everyone talks I can sync at xyz speed but then don't show shots and some other folks start believe with being able to sync at those higher ss they will be able to lower ambient, which is not the case most of the time. That is all.