Just got my first set of Pocket Wizards...

Candid Arts

So I was testing them out the other night with my girlfriend and our room mate.

Here is the set up, Canon 50D, Aperture Priority, 50mm f/1.4, f/1.4, 1/500th.

I had a Canon 580EXII on hispeed sync with the pocket wizard...they are the PLUS II's btw if that matters. This flash was was on a light stand shooting through an umbrella. It was out to the left side (right of the subject), out front a little, and above the subject.

Also had a 420EX being shot through an umbrella below shooting up to the right side (left of subject) and out front a little of the subject. This flash was hooking up with the canon off camera flash (hot shoe - hot shoe) cable. This camera was also switched to hi speed sync.

The following photo was the result. If we left everything the same, but switched the flashes to not hi speed sync, then we got good results with proper lighting. SO...why would this be doing this????


Bad Result:


Good Result:


Thanks for the help.

jeffreaux2

You should stay below the native flash synch speed for the camera.....1/250 for the 50D.


...and this from pocket wizards website....

Utilizing advanced digital technology, four, 16-bit channels are available for selective firing of lights or remote cameras. Images can be captured at up to 12 frames-per-second, faster then any current DSLR. Ultra-fast microprocessors allow for top sync speeds of 1/250th-second for focal-plane shutters and 1/500th for leaf shutters

50D is a "focal plane shutter".

Candid Arts

Gotchya. Kinda makes sense.
Well one thing I forgot to add to the description was with the "Good Result" I used the flash sync of 1/250th and had to take my aperture from 1.4 - 2.5 because there was too much light, it over exposed at 1.4. Also, I wasn't on aperture priority, but rather Manual (reasoning for this is in the third paragraph).

So if I want to use the 1.4, I need to turn the flash output down? I think they were at 1/32nd power, maybe 1/16th. Some shots were at 1/8th (that was all on the 580, the 420 isn't selectable except for flash compensation which was turned down to -1.

So another issue is this: When the pocket wizards are hooked up, and I was in Av, I had the camera itself set to shutter sync of 1/250th - 1/60. Which normally when I have my flashes hooked up it makes the minimum shutter speed at 1/60th no matter the ISO or aperture. Well the room I was in was fairly low light and couldn't meter with the flashes, obviously because they weren't firing... So when I went to take a photo, ISO 100 - f/1.4, the shutter speed was 1.6 seconds. So I had to switch to Manual to bring my shutter speed up. Any ideas?

rwells

Candid Arts wrote:

...Any ideas?

Strobist ~ Lighting 101

You've described several different issues here. Really would be a lot to go through. The Strobist site will start at square one with off-camera-flash, and go from there.

As to your PW Plus II ~ You can't use HSS with those units. You CAN use PW TT5 units to utilize HSS, and all the other ETTL functions of your system.

Candid Arts

So then I should get the TT5 for my transmitter and use the Plus II's for the receivers on the flashes? This would get me HSS over all the pocket wizards?

I've looked through the strobist website a little bit, but not extensively yet.

No quick answer to why, when using the PW Plus II's, the camera doesn't default to a minimum shutter speed of 1/60th no matter the light, aperture, or ISO set?

I will be looking at the site more, once I have time to actually start playing with the lights more.

rwells

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"So then I should get the TT5 for my transmitter and use the Plus II's for the receivers on the flashes? This would get me HSS over all the pocket wizards?"

No, the TT5 and TT1 are the only PW units that will utilize ETTL info & capabilities. Plus II will not under any circumstance do this.

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"No quick answer to why, when using the PW Plus II's, the camera doesn't default to a minimum shutter speed of 1/60th no matter the light, aperture, or ISO set?"

Unlike your dedicated flash, the PW Plus II does not communicate with your camera. It is a simple trigger/receive device. So, your camera doesn't even know it's there.

Your dedicated flash communicates with your camera. When your camera is in AV mode and you have a dedicated flash mounted, your camera will use a shutter speed at or BELOW your max X-sync speed. In AV mode, Canon has decided that you want FILL FLASH, and will therefore expose for the ambient and let the ETTL flash take care of your subject. Depending on your ambient level, this could give you a very long exposure.

That's why you have the MOST CONTROL over your camera/flash if you use your camera in MANUAL mode for flash photography.

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