help, EL-skyport users

Hi got a set of the EL-skyport triggers yesterday and took some shots at night.and this is how they turn'd out. looks like the shutter is to slow for the flash's. how do i fix this ? 5D . F2.8 , 1/400sec , expo comp -2/3 , iso 200 , eval meter two flash' either side of the subjct 1 set at 28mm, 1/8 . and the other at 24mm, 1/16 . my aim was to expose the light on the wall and let the flash fill in the rest. but the shutter seems to slow for the flash's.and in other shots i tried the flash's wash'd out all the subject, i could'nt seem to get it right. can someone please give me some info on what im doing wrong and some info on how to fix my problems. cheers

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Sync speed on a 5D is 1/200th (I believe) so basically, your shutter speed is too high. Try slowing speed down and lowering the ISO (you could even go to ISO 50 on the 5D) & you'll be fine.

Max sync speed with an strobe is 1/125th. Stay that or under it.

on the 430ex does it matter if you have the High shutter speed on ?
that works well with the ST-E2, does it work with the skyports ?
and ill try and slow the shutter down too thanks

my name is always taken wrote in post #6252133
on the 430ex does it matter if you have the High shutter speed on ?
that works well with the ST-E2, does it work with the skyports ?
and ill try and slow the shutter down too thanks

No, it only works in with a ETTL connection, and skyports are just a sync connection

my name is always taken wrote in post #6252133
on the 430ex does it matter if you have the High shutter speed on ?
that works well with the ST-E2, does it work with the skyports ?
and ill try and slow the shutter down too thanks

tim wrote in post #6252103
Max sync speed with an strobe is 1/125th. Stay that or under it.

Follow the advice already given, then come back and ask more questions.

ok , i habe been playing around some more with these things and still having mass problems with washing out my subjects. is there any tutorials on how to use these things? youtube doesnt have much does anyone know somewhere else ?

my name is always taken wrote in post #6252485
ok , i habe been playing around some more with these things and still having mass problems with washing out my subjects. is there any tutorials on how to use these things? youtube doesnt have much does anyone know somewhere else ?

Knowing wtf you're doing is underrated. Google "studio strobes for dummies".

Exposure is controlled by aperture, ISO, and power setting of the strobes.
If you get overexposure, lower power of the strobes, lower ISO, or close the aperture...

Using any radio trigger system means you're in a completely manual mode. You need to manually adjust the flash distance, output, aperture and ISO to get correct exposure.

If your subject is washed out (overexposed), you need less flash, or a smaller aperture (higher f/ number).

This isn't all that complicated, but you need to understand that there's no way the camera can help you get the right exposure, other than to give you an image review and histogram on its LCD.

ok after a few more attempts n hearing some more usefull info i have these. i still might be asking to much from what i want ,i was trying to expose the sky and use fill flash.but as the shutter speed was to high 1/1000sec at F5 iso 100 with a 50mm it comes out underexposed, now am i asking to much for the sky to be exposed and the subject ? i mean i can do it on a simple P n S why not with this ? but the second shot the shutter speed is at 200sec , F5.6 iso 100 n still 50mm and it came out alot better but still i would like more detail in the sky.....maybe i cant get that
anyways i shoot alot of DHMTB and would like to know if a shutter speed of about 125-200 would be quick enough to freeze the action?? meaning little to none motion blur?
pics are straight out of the camera .
and thanks alot for your advice i appreciate it
Smithers

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You need to think about the ambient and flash exposures separately.

First, adjust the camera settings (at 1/200 shutter speed or slower) to get the sky exposed the way you want.

Then adjust the flash power for proper subject exposure.

Keep in mind that adjusting the shutter speed will change the ambient exposure without changing the flash exposure. This is a critical concept to grasp.

You would do well to visit http://strobist.com and read the Lighting 101 lessons.

my name is always taken wrote in post #6252786
ok after a few more attempts n hearing some more usefull info i have these. i still might be asking to much from what i want ,i was trying to expose the sky and use fill flash.but as the shutter speed was to high 1/1000sec at F5 iso 100 with a 50mm it comes out underexposed, now am i asking to much for the sky to be exposed and the subject ? i mean i can do it on a simple P n S why not with this ? but the second shot the shutter speed is at 200sec , F5.6 iso 100 n still 50mm and it came out alot better but still i would like more detail in the sky.....maybe i cant get that
anyways i shoot alot of DHMTB and would like to know if a shutter speed of about 125-200 would be quick enough to freeze the action?? meaning little to none motion blur?
pics are straight out of the camera .
and thanks alot for your advice i appreciate it
Smithers

First - a question - what the heck is "DHMTB"?

If you want to mix an outdoor scene through a window with an indoor scene lit by flash, it's fairly simple but REQUIRES either a handheld flash/ambient meter (I like my Sekonic L-358 for the task) or a LOT of trial-and-error. Here's the way I normally do it:

1 - Set up the lights for the indoor shot and meter the light level. Since the shutter speed (with a camera having a focal plane shutter) makes absolutlely no difference to the exposure, you obtain the required aperture setting (for the ISO setting you've chosen to use).

2 - Meter the outdoor scene. For the aperture (and ISO value) from step one, choose the appropriate shutter speed for the outdoor scene.

3 - If the shutter speed required is faster than the maximum sync speed that you can use, you'll need to reduce either the ISO setting or the level of the light from the flash unit(s) and start all over again.

4 - If the shutter speed required for proper exposure seems too slow for your needs, then you'll need to up the ISO setting or brighten the flash output and start all over again.

Once again thanks for all your advice .. takes time to get it right i know ,but i will try what advice i am given and see what i can produce
thanks again

and skipd DHMTB = Down Hill Mountain Biking

thanks again

On the DH MTB-ing:

There's two ways to freeze action.
1) Use a fast enough shutterspeed
2) Use flash as main light. (since the flash duration is usually short enough to freeze the motion)

Couple of problems with both.

1) would require a shutterspeed of around 1/500 to 1/1000 I'd guess. Not do-able with normal flash. HSS might work (on camera flash or ETTL cord), but that has less power.
Either way, you're relying on a fast shutterspeed to freeze the action.

2) Overpower the ambient enough, so the flash is main light, and the ambient doesn't get the chance to give meaningful blur. You'd have to underexpose the ambient by a few stops, so there is no motion blur from ambient.
If your flash duration is short enough, it'll freeze the motion. This will depend on your flash.