to strobe or not to strobe....

Rocketman766

I think I have gotten lost in the sea of information available. I shoot (mainly) all star cheerleading and currently do not use a flash. I am using a Canon 1D MKIII with a 70-200 2.8L (non IS) and can usually manage a 1/320 or 1/500 ss in the poor indoor lights. I have seen others mount strobes above and shoot with the flash. I have searched and searched for more info, but will I need the extra shutter speed if I have the flash when I stop motion? Any input will be appreciated. I generally don't shoot for series (spray and pray) so I don't mind having to wait for a short recycle time. I am already looking into some Alien Bees (B800s) for some studio work, but could get 4 to mount above in the corners if these will work for this. :dunno

Richard

I moved this to the Technique forum.

No, you won't need more shutter speed if you shoot with strobes, and in fact, you should be able to get by with quite a bit less, so you can lower the ISO if you want.

Rocketman766

Thanks for the move, wasn't sure where to put it. Thanks for the info about using the flash also, I think I was confusing myself with the amount of info thats available...

pathfinder

With studio strobes, ( not OEM speedlites ) your shutter speed should not exceed 1/160th or 1/200th to allow the studio strobe light to cover the entire sensor plane. Most studio strobes do not allow high speed synch.

If the strobes are your light source, ambient light will not affect your exposure and the slower shutter speed should not matter, unless you dial back the flash amount to match that of the ambient light intensity. Then you might notice movement with the slower shutter speed.