Max Sync Speed of d-lite 2 & 4?

Yeah, IIRC al my DSLRs, starting with the EOS D30 stated that (1/125 of a second with studio flash). Which is pretty much spot-on!

Curtis N wrote in post #5657355
Which manual? The 20D and 30D manuals say 1/125 with "large studio flash".

Eh. I was just looking at manuals this weekend for the flash voltage requirements. Thought 1/60 is what I saw. Oops.

Village_Idiot wrote in post #5477393
What's the max shutter speed achievable with the Elinchrom D lite 2 & 4? ....

The short answer would be 1/800 with the D-lite 4.

The long answer:
The limitations that we have are only if you want to freeze motion and are given not by the D-lite's unites (with 1/800 you can freeze some motion) but from the camera's X-sync limitations (this varies from 1/90 sec on low-end cameras to 1/250 on pro cameras (with few exceptions 1/500 sec on the digital 1D, 70D, 70Ds,...) and the fact that would not be such a great idea (for now) to have an electronic shutter. The sync of the d-lite with the camera is not in fact the problem. The curtains have the given speed and that's the real "problem". In fact if you set your camera at, let say 1 minute, you'll still be fine if you are in total darkness:

Your actual shutter speed (if total darkens ) would be the one given by the flash duration of the d-lite (or any other unite that you use) witch in this case is 1/800. Try and see.

If we talk about strobes for the camera there we have the FP mode.
With E-TTL Canon introduced an implementation of an electronic FP flash mode, which is a way of circumventing the X-sync limitation in certain cases. This is a nice link about that:

http://www.photozone.d​e/hi-speed-flash-sync

Incorrect. You absolutely can not sync at 1/800s. A D-Lite can't sync at that speed. Elinchrom will tell you that first hand.

We have tried. Why don't you take a shot trying to sync at 1/800 and show it to us. We've done the work and the experiments.

When we talk about sync speed we ARE talking about shutter sync speed.

gabivali wrote in post #6095680
The short answer would be 1/800 with the D-lite 4.

The long answer:
The limitations that we have are only if you want to freeze motion and are given not by the D-lite's unites (with 1/800 you can freeze some motion) but from the camera's X-sync limitations (this varies from 1/90 sec on low-end cameras to 1/250 on pro cameras (with few exceptions 1/500 sec on the digital 1D, 70D, 70Ds,...) and the fact that would not be such a great idea (for now) to have an electronic shutter. The sync of the d-lite with the camera is not in fact the problem. The curtains have the given speed and that's the real "problem". In fact if you set your camera at, let say 1 minute, you'll still be fine if you are in total darkness:

Your actual shutter speed (if total darkens ) would be the one given by the flash duration of the d-lite (or any other unite that you use) witch in this case is 1/800. Try and see.

If we talk about strobes for the camera there we have the FP mode.
With E-TTL Canon introduced an implementation of an electronic FP flash mode, which is a way of circumventing the X-sync limitation in certain cases. This is a nice link about that:

http://www.photozone.d​e/hi-speed-flash-sync

The 1/800 speed you are referring to is the flash duration of the D-Lite 4 strobe and flash duration is just one of the factors that determines how fast a shutter speed the strobe can sync at. The other factor is the time it takes for the strobe to reach peak power. The longer this time is, the slower the max sync speed is going to be.

More details here:

https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=5060311&po​stcount=25

BTW, gabivali, I noticed this is your first post in the forum (but a long time lurker?). Welcome!

you did not understand
the camera's shutter speed will be set at any given speed (let's say 1/10 or any other but not faster then the x-sync of the camera (in total darkness if you wish) and then the flash duration will be the actual shutter speed.

gabivali wrote in post #6096484
you did not understand
the camera's shutter speed will be set at any given speed (let's say 1/10 or any other but not faster then the x-sync of the camera (in total darkness if you wish) and then the flash duration will be the actual shutter speed.

Yes, but 1/10 is not the max sync speed. And the max sync speed is what most people are interested in.

never the less the actual shutter speed is given by the strobe unite's flash duration not by the camera's sync speed.. so the d-lite is just fine for such a price and the 1/800 is more then fine

gabivali wrote in post #6096526
never the less the actual shutter speed is given by the strobe unite's flash duration not by the camera's sync speed.. so the d-lite is just fine for such a price and the 1/800 is more then fine

Unfortunately, you are mistaken. You cannot set the camera to a shutter speed of 1/800 and expect to get a usable picture with the D-Lite or any strobe for that matter if the max sync speed of the camera is 1/250. This thread is not about what the flash duration of the D-Lite strobe is which we know is documented as 1/800. This thread is about what the usable max shutter speed is that can be used with the D-Lite strobe.

You seem to have a very different way of viewing this than everyone else and you seem stubborn about it.

Unfortunately your way of thinking doesn't make sense. Duration is duration and shutter sync speed is shutter sync speed. No manufacturer of strobes specifies that the flash duration is the sync speed and if you look at enough specs given by the manufacturers of strobes you'll see that they don't see it your way either. They give a sync speed that has nothing to do with flash duration and are very clear about that.

Also, I have contacted Elinchrom personally and the response I got when asking about sync speed is 1/125s. Beyond that you begin to see hints of shutter curtain, even at 1/160s but many find 1/160 workable with good light. Anything over that and you can see the curtain working it's way in and by either 1/250 or 1/320 there is solid black band in frame from the curtain.

ok. try this.
set your camera at the same f stop and change just the shutter speed and you'll see that the actual images will be the same as long as the shutter is not faster then the x-sync speed.

why? Because the light source will still be the same so that is why the "shutter speed" in this case is = with the flash duration ...

gabivali wrote in post #6096595
ok. try this.
set your camera at the same f stop and change just the shutter speed and you'll see that the actual images will be the same as long as the shutter is not faster then the x-sync speed.

why? Because the light source will still be the same so that is why the "shutter speed" in this case is = with the flash duration ...

Did you even read what Robert was saying in the previous post? He cannot get his D-Lite strobes to sync at 1/250 which is the max sync speed of his camera. Based on your logic, he should be able to, no? So, either he doesn't know what he's doing (which I very highly doubt) or you are not grasping the concept of what we've been trying to tell you in these last few posts.

What is the source of your information? I'm very curious. I'm not going to do experiments when you are reinventing the way things work.

I believe that if you want to demonstrate that you are right then why not do the demos yourself and show us how you can sync at 1/800.

Flash duration is not shutter sync speed or vice versa. If you want to believe they are the same that is fine but please do not post that information as fact. It will confuse and mislead others and it is the opposite of what everyone else here already knows.

btw your D70 will go as fast as 1/500 if I well remember