Stupidity? Incompatability? High expectancy?

[Tyke Tiler]

Right, bit of a long one this,

Here's one of the latest macro shots, don't ya just hate it when this kind of inauspicious circumstance rears its head and takes a bite?

Here we have an ant:

A nice shot in my opinion but a little spoiled by composition issues and focusing issues which brings me to my problem.

I'm using a 30D, a Sigma 150mm macro lens and a Sigma DG Super 500 flash gun mounted on a macro bracket. What I would really like to do is sync the flash so it can fire rapidly at shutter speeds of 1/500 or more to try and freeze the action, I take most of my macro shots handheld as I like the freedom, I can manage to achieve a single flash at speeds of 1/8000 and lower but no repeat or rapid fire. The flash just spits eratically and loses the plot after the first shot.
Is this flash gun incompatible or I am a dribbling cabbage? Am I missing something? Should I have gone the extra few sheets and bought the canon speedlite? Or am I doing something completly Dick Van Dyke?
Any help or tips would be appreciated.

Muchos Respect.

Tomas Whitehouse
www.primedirectivephotography.com

 

[CT]

To achieve shutter speeds with flash in excess of the max sync speed of your camera, both the camera and flashgun need to support hi speed sync. Hi speed sync needs to be selected on the flashgun, and on my 20D, when hi speed sync is selected, the letter 'H' appears in the viewfinder to the right of the flash ready symbol - that's using the Canon 580 EX.

It's important to understand that it isn't true flash sync at all. All that happens is that the flashgun pulses a continuous stream of small bursts of light throughout the travel of the shutters moving slit at higher shutter speeds, so that the whole frame is exposed to flash.

 

[Tyke Tiler]

To achieve shutter speeds with flash in excess of the max sync speed of your camera, both the camera and flashgun need to support hi speed sync. Hi speed sync needs to be selected on the flashgun, and on my 20D, when hi speed sync is selected, the letter 'H' appears in the viewfinder to the right of the flash ready symbol - that's using the Canon 580 EX.

It's important to understand that it isn't true flash sync at all. All that happens is that the flashgun pulses a continuous stream of small bursts of light throughout the travel of the shutters moving slit at higher shutter speeds, so that the whole frame is exposed to flash.

Thanks for the heads up mate, I'm setting it all up like that already though, I have the 'H' or a little lightning bolt symbol and next to that is a 'H' and as I mentioned the flash fires eractically not continuously. I really think that maybe as its a sigma flash and not the dedicated one, it won't work

 

[CT]

In theory at least, you shouldn't be able get a usable flash shot at all beyond 1/250th, so it would seem your flash does support hi speed sync., but the manual should clear that one up.

Pushing out that continuous pulse of flashes is an enormous load on your flashgun, even at macro distances so you shouldn't be surprised if it starts to struggle, Make sure you start out with fully charged batteries when using hi speed sync.

Nothing wrong with your shot at all btw - you've nailed the focus on the head and the antennae.

 

[CT]

Sorry - forgot to say - don't forget the smaller the aperture you use, the more the flashgun has to struggle to output the power needed, and the batteries will soon be exhausted and unable to cope. Try a more moderate aperture and fresh batteries.

EDIT... Raise the ISO if you need to

 

[Tyke Tiler]

Thanks for the tips, I tend to go between f2.8 and 8, which ever strikes me as right really depending on the framing.
The flash works at 1/250 and consisitently kicks out the goods but not any higher. Both displays, flash and camera signal that all is well and high speed/sync is enabled but no goods! I would have a more successful shoot if I could switch the drive to high speed and have the flash with me on it too. Ah well.
ISO is a tricky one for me, anything above 250 and noise is in yer face! I've used the sigma lens for portraits and out door sports and its ace up to around 320 before noise is prominent. I don't have noise ninja or anything similar.

Tomas

 

[CT]

Bummer! Those are quite moderate apertures, and hi speed sync should cope alright with those, so you could well have a compatibility issue. Sounds like a good excuse to get a Canon ringflash or macro twin light - both support hi speed sync.

 

[Tyke Tiler]

Bummer! Those are quite moderate apertures, and hi speed sync should cope alright with those, so you could well have a compatibility issue. Sounds like a good excuse to get a Canon ringflash or macro twin light - both support hi speed sync.

Yup. And now we arrive at every photographers nemesis, needing more or better gear and having the funds to go with.
I'm in the proceeds of buying a EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM from kerso's. That will wipe me out for some time methinks.
I'd love a MP-E 65mm and the twin light too, hmmm, possible career change to bank robber maybe? or if I could only master the art of teleportation?!

Tomas

 

[RobertP]

I use high speed sync with an aperture around f13 on a sigma 150 for macro. Using the 580ex I do get through batteries as the flash has to work quite hard. I've never tried continuous shooting but would guess the flash would not be able to do more that 2 shots in sequence. I can run the flash down just by taking single shots too rapidly in sequence.