Beginner Nikon D3500 and Godox TT685N- shutter speed faster than 1/200?

conanthewarrior

conanthewarrior

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Conan
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Hi everyone. I am still trying with photography and enjoying it.

I just want to freeze motion, but I can't seem to get my shutter speed to work faster than 1/200s with the flash.

If I got a transmitter would this allow it, or do I need to get a higher end camera body just to practice a technique?

Thank you all for your help.
 
For the majority of Cameras (your Nikon included) the Max Flash Sync Speed will be in the range 1/160th to 1/250th of a second.
This is due to the way the shutter works.
Karl Taylor explains it quite well in this video. Watch from about 2:45 in (watch the whole lot actually)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j5AHzAGaFk


Freezing motion with Flash isn't driven by the shutter speed, it's driven by the flash duration, which is typically significantly faster than your shutter speed.
So, as long as you have no ambient light affecting the shot, you don't need a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.
 
LC2 said:
For the majority of Cameras (your Nikon included) the Max Flash Sync Speed will be in the range 1/160th to 1/250th of a second.
This is due to the way the shutter works.
Karl Taylor explains it quite well in this video. Watch from about 2:45 in (watch the whole lot actually)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j5AHzAGaFk


Freezing motion with Flash isn't driven by the shutter speed, it's driven by the flash duration, which is typically significantly faster than your shutter speed.
So, as long as you have no ambient light affecting the shot, you don't need a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply. I may repeat myself, I do not mean to but had a brain injury that has really effected my memory.

I was wishing to be able to freeze things such as my Mum throwing a toy to my dog, or things in the air. Hopefully after that video I will have a better grasp how to so this, as I read some articles and they stated I needed a fast shutter and flash to achieve this. Hopefully there are workarounds.

Even if I had a more expensive camera, would it still be in the range of 1/160th to 1/250th or is this an issue with more budget cameras?

Thank you, Conan.
 
:agree: with Tim
My "lower end" Nikon D40 uses sensor switching above 1/60th so it will sync at 1/500th with full auto flash functions and at 1/4000th with a manual settings if I blank off some of the hot shoe contacts :)
 
LC2 said:
For the majority of Cameras (your Nikon included) the Max Flash Sync Speed will be in the range 1/160th to 1/250th of a second.
This is due to the way the shutter works.
Karl Taylor explains it quite well in this video. Watch from about 2:45 in (watch the whole lot actually)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j5AHzAGaFk


Freezing motion with Flash isn't driven by the shutter speed, it's driven by the flash duration, which is typically significantly faster than your shutter speed.
So, as long as you have no ambient light affecting the shot, you don't need a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.
Click to expand...
Ahh, now I have watched the video I understand! Thank you for your help, I will do some research into freezing motion during daylight with the equipment I have. I am sure there is a way for me to do it, and finding out is quite fun! It gives me something to do with my time and also learn something new at the same time.
EDIT: It may be HSS I am trying to get to work after re watching the end of the video. I have no idea where I put the manual for the Godox though, but if it can burst in that way with my camera it is probably what I am looking for. I do not have a transmitter and if I use the flash off camera trigger it from the built in flash but maybe for what I am trying it will work on the hot shoe of my camera I will play with some settings and see :)
 
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There are two ways to freeze things with an ordinary camera. Either set the camera at a fast shutter speed (say 1/1000) on a bright day without a flash, or use a flash in a darker environment, such as indoors or on a gloomy day where the flash freezes the action and the shutter speed doesn't matter. You don't need a camera with a higher synch speed to freeze images such as you describe.
 
Stegosaurus said:
There are two ways to freeze things with an ordinary camera. Either set the camera at a fast shutter speed (say 1/1000) on a bright day without a flash, or use a flash in a darker environment, such as indoors or on a gloomy day where the flash freezes the action and the shutter speed doesn't matter. You don't need a camera with a higher synch speed to freeze images such as you describe.
Click to expand...
Ok that is good to know. I am just trying to experiment with my camera, I have had it since joining the forums and wish to try some different things with it now to pass the time. I will try it indoors as today is pretty gloomy in Essex, and see how the results turn out :)
 
Manual for your TT685 :)
You want Page 36 for HSS.
I don't think it will work for freezing motion though as the point of HSS is to extend the flash duration.

What you need to do is overpower the ambient light.
I don't think your 685 is man enough to do that outdoors, well, until it gets quite dull anyway.

Indoors it will be fine. Just close down the aperture until you have a black frame (at 100ISO) and then light the subject with the flash.
 
Thank you all for your help, I managed to get my dog playing last night with one of her toys, I needed the shutter speed slower and aperture wide and it was still showing as underexposed on the in camera meter- BUT with the flash, I managed to get some good shots that I can print for myself to keep.
They aren't amazing photos, but are what I wanted to get. This forum really is helpful :)
 
conanthewarrior said:
Thank you all for your help, I managed to get my dog playing last night with one of her toys, I needed the shutter speed slower and aperture wide and it was still showing as underexposed on the in camera meter- BUT with the flash, I managed to get some good shots that I can print for myself to keep.
They aren't amazing photos, but are what I wanted to get. This forum really is helpful :)
Click to expand...
The in camera meter only measures the ambient, you can ignore it for now and just use the TTL flash metering to give the ‘correct’ exposure.

*all of those are simplifications and not ‘technically’ the whole story, but they’ll do for now.
 
Phil V said:
The in camera meter only measures the ambient, you can ignore it for now and just use the TTL flash metering to give the ‘correct’ exposure.

*all of those are simplifications and not ‘technically’ the whole story, but they’ll do for now.
Click to expand...
Oh I see. I've become so used to checking the in camera meter when not using a flash I was using it as a guide. I still often have to ignore it though and add some exposure compensation or if in manual change the shutter speed or aperture.
I will remember to ignore it mostly when using the flash, when you say the TTL camera metering what does that exactly mean? I know that means through the lens, but does it mean my flash will adapt to the lighting and fire at what it thinks is best even if the meter is showing ambient light as too low?
 
conanthewarrior said:
Oh I see. I've become so used to checking the in camera meter when not using a flash I was using it as a guide. I still often have to ignore it though and add some exposure compensation or if in manual change the shutter speed or aperture.
I will remember to ignore it mostly when using the flash, when you say the TTL camera metering what does that exactly mean? I know that means through the lens, but does it mean my flash will adapt to the lighting and fire at what it thinks is best even if the meter is showing ambient light as too low?
Click to expand...
Yes
What the camera / flash does is to fire a low powered pre-flash and measure the light reflected from the subject back to the camera.
from that the camera tells the flash how much power is needed to illuminate your subject.

Obviously it gets complex beyond that, where a subject can fool the meter (just like with the ambient metering), but the great thing about TTL flash metering is that it means we don’t have to recalculate flash power when the subject distance changes, also measuring for bounced flash is a nightmare.

in a perfect studio setting though, we’d be working with so little ambient light that without flash the frame would be completely black.
 
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