9 replies to this topic

[leighgion]

Subject says it all. Do you find high speed sync that useful? I’m pondering how much weight to give this feature while flash shopping.

[ScottinPollock]

You'd have to ask yourself how many times you've hit the wall with your current camera sync. For me, so far... never.

I can see it being really useful for outdoor portraiture and still life, but for a subject at any real distance you need more power than a speedlight. That stuff gets pricey fast.

[Merco_61]

I have not found a use for hss at all. The problem is that when the light levels are high enough to dictate a higher than sync shutterspeed, you will need all the flash output you can get if the flash is to have any input on the final exposure. HSS reduces output power significantly.

[dcbear78]

I can't remember the last time I took a photo outdoors with lighting that was actually under sync speed? So yes, I find it invaluable.

I've said it plenty of times, I love my Godox lights.

[TBonz]

I would tend to agree...only folks I have heard using it are some sports photographers using strobes and using the strobes to stop the action...I have never tried it and don't plan to...

[leighgion]

Thanks all for your thoughts. I've settled on a Yongnuo YN568ex, which does have HSS. I realized, belatedly, that my SB600 has HSS and tried it out a bit. Won't need it most days, but I can imagine applications and at worst, my spec-checking urge is satisfied that my new flash doesn't lack a feature my old one has.

[dcbear78]

I would tend to agree...only folks I have heard using it are some sports photographers using strobes and using the strobes to stop the action...I have never tried it and don't plan to...

Mostly used for outdoor portraits shot wide open. HSS is actually not good at freezing motion because the flash duration is much longer than when shot at under sync speed.

[leighgion]

Several months later...

 

I decided to really throw some effort into using the flash, any flash, even the pop up flash on the D700 for daylight fill. I use it so seldom I was doing some things wrong and getting overexposure, but it made me rediscover an appreciation for fill flash. Next step was to actually trouble to take an external speedlight with me for fill for the power, speed and maybe to try out HSS.

 

Today was the step. I brought my SB600 to a 6-year-old's birthday party, with my own kids in tow. Needless to say, I didn't get as much shooting done as I'd hoped, but the exercise amply demonstrated that A) HSS is indeed useful for my purposes and Trying to balance ambient and fill in changing circumstances is bad enough without minding a 3-year-old you can't trust in the open.

[dcbear78]

It's invaluable for me. Mostly shooting shallow depth of field portraits outside so I need the high shutter speed to bring the ambient down to where I want it.

[leighgion]

Yeah, being able to shoot all the way down to f/1.4 and still use fill was great. Also great though, not the flexibility in balancing against ambient. It was bright Spanish sun but with subjects mostly in patches of shade. Really helped keep the sun spots from blowing out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk