Is the 5d's sync speed really that pathetic?

Lately I've been noticing that I'm catching the shutter curtain at about 1/160th of a second when using flash. Happens over and over again. Quite annoying when trying to get the ambient just right.

I haven't had a problem at 1/160 or 1/200. What settings are you using?

It depends on the trigger, I believe wireless ETTL and pocket wizards sync at 1/200 but things like yongnuos and optical slaves sync at slower than 1/160

An unlikely cause is a miscalibrated shutter assembly which can cause a problem

I use Pocket wizards and Cybersyncs and I sync at 1/200. What triggers are you using?

smorter wrote in post #11831788
It depends on the trigger, I believe wireless ETTL and pocket wizards sync at 1/200 but things like yongnuos and optical slaves sync at slower than 1/160

Not necessarily - just a quick test shot on the 5D at 1/200 with RF-602s:

Shutter curtains showing up can be inconsistent at times. Low batteries in the triggers can slow down the triggering too.

I'm using PocketWizard Mini/TT5/Ac3. It even shows up at 1/125th sometimes. Odd.

mikekelley wrote in post #11831907
I'm using PocketWizard Mini/TT5/Ac3. It even shows up at 1/125th sometimes. Odd.

Have you set these up for your camera? You can get at least 1/250sec out of a 5D2 in custom HyperSync mode. 5D should be the same.

With RF-602, I can just about get away with 1/200sec with the transmitter in the hot shoe (it doesn't use the central firing pin). This drops to 1/160sec if I plug it into the PC socket.

Yeah I've set them up, tinkered with and adjusted to the newest firmware etc. I can get high sync speeds up to 250th - just not consistently. Just kinda aggravating when it's not an every-time thing, you know?

It depends on your ambient vs flash exposure too. if you are using flash as fill, you won't notice it at the edges, but if you totally cut ambient and your flash is hitting the entire frame, then you will notice it (e.g. in a studio environment)

Otherwise, if under warranty may be worth getting your shutter assembly checked

Probably an overly simple suggestion, but are your batteries for the wireless triggers/receivers well charged? I have seen that cause a slight delay which results in shrinking sync speed.

I have noticed this with my 5D as well. My rf-602 work flawlessly with my 7D, but my 5D needs a slow down in shutter speed.

mikekelley wrote in post #11832037
Yeah I've set them up, tinkered with and adjusted to the newest firmware etc. I can get high sync speeds up to 250th - just not consistently. Just kinda aggravating when it's not an every-time thing, you know?

What settings?

Here is my test where I am using mini/flex. HyperSync offset was -570 and HSS Begins At = Auto

Ss are 1/160, 1/200, 1/250, 1/320, 1/400, 1/500 and 1/640

Remember that when the shutter opens and flash outputs its light, there is a latency in which the flash is NOT putting out light...and this period is longer for some studio flashes, so even 1/200 might be too fast and it is necessary to resort to an even slower 1/160 or even 1/125. Now stick a radio trigger in between, and we now add latency of the trigger send a signal and the receiver getting the signal and responding by triggering the flash unit, so even a flash unit which used to be able to work successfully at 1/200 might now be slowed down by the radio trigger to 1/160 or 1/125, and hypothetically the slow flash might be further reduced to even slower 1/80 or 1/60!

Keep in mind that when shutter curtains were horizontally moving cloth, rather than today's vertically moving metal blades, that 135 format SLRs were limited to 1/60 X-synch, and today's 1/200 or 1/250 dSLR X-synch speed is a miracle in comparison.

It's totally pathetic. Sell them, and stick with whatever you used to use to get the "ambient just right."
Criminy..if someting doesn't work for you, find something that does.