Godox 600 problem

[djp26]

Hey,
Been using 600's for a few years now, and for a while my main light has been failing on a few frames here and there, where the top third or so is black. This is on a Canon R1 shooting at 1/320. Half of the time it is perfect, and other times I get the attached problems.

First of all, dark top third of frame, and second problem is up close it shows horizontal light banding., like an LED light might do?

DP1 9786 copy

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DP1 9786

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DP1 9787

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DP1 9788

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DP1 9789

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DP1 9791

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DP1 9796

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DP1 9797

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[swanseamale47]

My first question is are you shooting in electronic or mecanical shutter? This cutoff is usually caused by the sync speed being too high, also are you using HSS on the flash?
Gary can probably help more than me , he's the lighting guru here.

 

[Graham W]

I suspect that you're at the limit of the cameras sync speed capabilities, if that's the case using a transmiter / receiver system can't be helping.
Can you "Hardwire" it with a PC sync cable?

 

[TimHughes]

R1s max sync is the 1/250th iirc. The results you have a consistent with shooting with shutter speed too fast to sync with the flash.

 

[Garry Edwards]

Yes, basically that's it. If we use a shutter speed that's too short for the camera, part of the shutter will always cover part of the film or sensor. The maximum stated usuable fp shutter speed for your camera is 1250th, and that assumes zero delay in communication between the camera and flash, i.e when using a hardwire connection. Add a flash trigger into the mix and there may or may not be a communication delay too.

I can see that, in bright sunlight, you may want to use a short shutter speed, but going shorter than 1/250th is a very bad idea for this reason, and isn't even a worthwhile reduction to the ambient light.

 

[Phil V]

As above.
In your shoes I’d choose a 3 stop ND and 1/250 with that flash close you can have a good go at overpowering the sun.
The blank frames are likely a case of the flash not quite being ready. An older battery might take longer to fully charge the capacitors.

 

[Hanley]

As the guys above have said, it's your shutter speed, ND filter to help you overpower natural light and still retain a shutter speed low enough to operate your flash in the right way.

Alternatively, sell your R1 and buy a Hasselblad X2D II, as their lenses use a leaf shutter you can use flash with a sync speed of up to 1/4000

 

[Faldrax]

As the guys above have said, it's your shutter speed, ND filter to help you overpower natural light and still retain a shutter speed low enough to operate your flash in the right way.

Alternatively, sell your R1 and buy a Hasselblad X2D II, as their lenses use a leaf shutter you can use flash with a sync speed of up to 1/4000

Or a Sony A9iii with Global shutter, able to sync at 1/80000 (yes, 1/80000 that's not a typo!)

 

[Hanley]

Or a Sony A9iii with Global shutter, able to sync at 1/80000 (yes, 1/80000 that's not a typo!)

That is pretty impressive

 

[LongLensPhotography]

As above try slowing it down a little and find a reliable setting. I have a feeling this may end up at 1/200 or 1/160s. All my godox lights and all triggers I ever had on all canon bodies result in a slightly darkened image bottom at max sync speed. This is negligible for portraits but unacceptable for interiors. Im a little surprised to see issue on the top half. Maybe you are on second curtain sync, in which case try to disable it

Good shout for a9iii or hasselblad - definitely the gear for such work

 

[TimHughes]

I checked the R1 manual. The max sync speed depends on the shutter mode. For a full-frame, the max sync for a mechanical shutter is 1/200th, for an electronic first-curtain shutter it's 1/250th, and for the full electronic shutter it's 1/320th.

 

[djp26]

Hi, thanks for all the replies!

I should have mentioned it is with full electronic shutter, at the sync speed of 1/320. That's why I have no idea what is actually causing the problem.

 

[djp26]

I checked the R1 manual. The max sync speed depends on the shutter mode. For a full-frame, the max sync for a mechanical shutter is 1/200th, for an electronic first-curtain shutter it's 1/250th, and for the full electronic shutter it's 1/320th.

Correct, 1/320 is what I shoot off camera flash on elec shutter, and with flash on camera I shoot at 1/400. Those are the sync speed limits on the R1.

 

[TimHughes]

Correct, 1/320 is what I shoot off camera flash on elec shutter, and with flash on camera I shoot at 1/400. Those are the sync speed limits on the R1.

I have R1 and AD600 and shoot full electronic shutter, and I have not had this problem. However with flash I am normally shooting a bit slower, 1/150th or 1/200th. I'll test it out.