Advice on unit for HSS

[russellsnr]

Hi, I am wanting to try some HSS photography.
I have 4 Canon 540EZ flashes that I use with Cactus Tranceivers and works well, also have 2 x Sigma 500 super flashes again with the Cactus work well as you can mix and match the brands but I cannot see a way of having HSS with these even through the Cactus Tranceivers, yes you can use what is called pass through mode for ETTL but that requires a flash to be attached via a Cactus to the camera shoe and do not really want the flash on the camera.
Anyway after that story can someone advise a flash/es that will work and not have to take out a morgage to buy!
Many Thanks
Russ

[inkista]

First off, have you tried using neutral density filters instead of HSS? HSS is a nice feature, but there are sharply diminishing returns--you basically lose about two stops of light with it.

Secondly, I don't think even a 600EX-RT is at mortgage-levels of finance, but if you need cheap-cheap and are willing to take a little gamble on getting a good copy, then I'd say you could look at the TTL flashes from Yongnuo, Phottix, and Godox. They all make units that can perform HSS, but you'll have to do some research on the specific models. The YN-568EXII and YN-622C/YN-622C-TX triggers is probably going to be the most popular recommendation for a Canon shooter out on the interwebz, but there's also the YN-600EX-RT and YN-E3-RT/YN-E3-RX triggering combo.

Understand that HSS requires not just an HSS-capable flash, but also HSS-capable triggers. Cactus triggers are not HSS-capable. Most of the TTL-capable triggers can also communicate HSS, but again, you'll want to do research on specific model capabilities.

The Flash Havoc blog is a good place to do said research.

[William W]

. . . I am wanting to try some HSS photography.

Why?
To accommodate what shooting scenarios, specifically?

Anyway after that story can someone advise a flash/es that will work and not have to take out a [mortgage] to buy!

I’d suggest Canon 600 or 580 MkII.

However, I think that your answers to the two questions that I asked are most relevant to acquiring the best advice to satisfy your precise goals.

If you just want to ‘try’ HSS, then, simply borrow or at worst rent a 580 or 600.

On the other hand, if you need to use HSS for (just as an example) Outdoor Portraiture, then it is most likely that you’ll need more one Flash (probably four) and you’ll also likely require quite a bit of ancillary gear, too, (one example) a cradle to mount the array of four heads: and what Kathy wrote about triggers, too; the list goes on.

WW

[rpcrowe]

As opposed to many yahoos who are so anxious to go on YouTube with their new toys that they make a video about unboxing; this young man seems to know what he is talking about (in this case a Yongnuo YN622C).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UVfQMppO5g

I did not watch the video all the way through but, more information should be available at:

http://www.hkyongnuo.com/e-detaily.php?ID=348

[russellsnr]

Many thanks for the replies.
I had not even thought about ND filters when I posted the OP but then saw them mentioned in an article and as I have some so will give that a try.
Bill:- Shooting scenarios, trying to get the background Black when outside and have tried up to F22, ISO 100 with a 50mm lens but where I live bright blue skies and sunshine this time of year. I have seen what they are calling a Triple 3 Head Hot Shoe Mount 3-in-1 Adapter (
eBay item number:
151652077415
) to enable the use of three flashes at a time but it's not the amount of light I want on the subject it's the back ground to black I am trying to achieve outside.
Richard many thanks for the links will have a look at them.
Kathy:- If you are talking about the Canon 600EX-RT at around £360 on my pension way OTT but the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT 2.4G Wireless HSS looks a good option!! (Roll on Christmas)
Russ

[William W]

. . . Bill:- Shooting scenarios, trying to get the background Black when outside . . . where I live bright blue skies and sunshine this time of year.

Impossible.

(I don't use that term often, but for all practical purposes, 'impossible'.)

Hot Shoe Flashes, in HSS, unless several and all used and all are VERY CLOSE to the Subject, simply do not have enough power, to overpower the sun (EV 15~16) by at least 5 Stops, which is what you need to make the Sky / Background begin to tend toward black.

I'd suggest it is better look at Post Production Techniques, HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging) would be a good start. It's possible but difficult for Portraiture, you don't state Portraiture, but you imply it.

AND / OR -

Choose the shoot time when the sun's rays are weaker - AND - position the background such that the Sun is not directly illuminating it (including the sky or minimize the sky in the Framing of the Shot), i.e. shoot closer to the time of Dusk or Dawn.

AND - if you use FLASH:

> Do NOT use HSS
> Be prepared to use a lot of flash units – the ones you already have are OK
> Get the Flash Units as close as possible to the Subject
> Get them all working at their maximum power
> Use the Max Sync Speed of your camera
> Use the lowest ISO possible
> and Do NOT use HSS

Also – do NOT use HSS.

WW

[Manfred M]

Russell - I agree 100% with Bill has written.

The part I am missing is why you are trying to do what appears to be a night time shot in broad daylight. Wouldn't it make more sense to shoot at night and eliminate all the hassle of eliminating high amounts of ambient light?

[William W]

Also - 100% what Manfred wrote:

. . . Wouldn't it make more sense to shoot at night and eliminate all the hassle of eliminating high amounts of ambient light?

(Um . . . I am asking myself why didn't I write that as an option . . .) <scratches head>

WW

[rpcrowe]

I was perusing YouTube tonight and turned up this AdoramaTV video that might be appropriate to this conversation...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5kh2PyR99U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEnAhkL0i38

[William W]

I was perusing YouTube tonight and turned up this AdoramaTV video that might be appropriate to this conversation...

Very appropriate. Russell might consider changing his parameters from "a black background" to an "under-exposed background".

WW

[Manfred M]

Thanks Richard, good videos. The only thing I wonder about a bit is that he never covered off using ND filters in the first video and using that approach would have allowed a fairly large aperture setting, while still allowing the shot to be taken using normally synched flash and the benefits of two additional stops of light available out of the flash.

I think the other important thing that the video identified is that on-camera flash may not be an appropriate solution and the unit(s) will have to be on a light stand close to the subject. Unfortunately the images still had that hard small flash look to them

Agreed Bill; reduced ambient light photographs would definitely work, but based on Russell's original requirements, I'm not sure if he would ever get the background dark enough, even with a much more powerful flash or with a cluster of speedlights..

[rpcrowe]

Manfred mentioned:

"The only thing I wonder about a bit is that he never covered off using ND filters in the first video and using that approach would have allowed a fairly large aperture setting, while still allowing the shot to be taken using normally synched flash and the benefits of two additional stops of light available out of the flash."

However, if I have my mind wound around this correctly, IMO, although an ND filter would allow a slower shutter speed, the ND would reduce the light from the flash as well as the ambient light...

Here's an alternate suggestion...

Shooting at night or when the light is really low would allow you to get a black (or almost black) background. This was shot around sunset in the shade of a tree...



EXIF Data
Camera Canon EOS 7D
ISO 400
Focal Length 169mm (270.4mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/4
Exposure Time 0.0166s (1/60)

The main light was from an on-camera flash bounced into a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro with the FlipIt portion of the diffuser pointed towards the subject at about a 45 degree angle. The flash was mounted on the camera with the long side of the flash perpendicular to the long side of the camera and the Flash Diffuser Pro mounted at the rear of the flash tube.

Like this:



The side light fill is from the setting sun...

Another thought

IMO the absolute easiest way to come up with a black background is to shoot with a black background behind the subject.

You could also use a painted wall or something like this for head and shoulders.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/40-x60-5-in-...item35e74a5a94

This, obviously would have uses other than just being a black background...

[William W]

. . . reduced ambient light photographs would definitely work, but based on Russell's original requirements, I'm not sure if he would ever get the background dark enough, even with a much more powerful flash or with a cluster of speedlights..

I agree.

Also, it is likely that Russell, when he wrote the words in post #5 "the back ground to black", did not mean that phrase in its technical sense, i.e. background to go to 'photographic black-black', (aka in digital terms: '0. 0. 0').

WW

[rpcrowe]

Here is another YouTube selection concerning the YN622C used with both Canon and Yongnuo flashes. The last portion of the video has to do with HSS and really darkens the background...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTUuFGTHskY

This one refers to using an ND filter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ3t2zh9pAU