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One sixtieth and flash

poledark

By poledark
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poledark Member

poledark

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Picked up on a point made in another thread; back in the pre digital age, if you took a pic with flash, the camera either set itself to 1/60 or you did it manually.

 

My understanding was that the shutter stayed open that long to make certain it was actually open when the flash fired, and the actual exposure was governed by the brightness of the flash. The actual flash duration was usually only about 1/1000th/sec.

 

We also used flash to "stop" movement, but still with a shutter speed of 1/60th, and I still do this on occasions.

 

Is this still the rule with digis ?

 

Den

"When through the woods and forest glades I wanderAnd hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,And hear the brook, and feel the breeze;and see the waves crash on the shore,Then sings my soul..................

for all you Spodders. https://youtu.be/XYxsY-FbSic

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MrWiggly Member

MrWiggly

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Hi Den ..

 

Modern digi cameras still follow the old 1/60 rule generally, altho' some up-market models use 1/125 as the baseline.

 

As you say, this is to allow enough time for the flash rate to expose the subject.

 

Going full manual, and with a dedicated flash fitted, it is possible to take flash exposures as fast as 1/1000sec and above. This allows for the "flash freeze" of fast moving subjects, much beloved by sports and wildlife photographers.

 

Wiggly. :rolleyes:

The Older I get .. The better I was.

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poledark Member

poledark

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Aha, glad I asked that question Wiggles, I have been puzzled at the failure to "freeze" with some bird shots. I shall try it out, thanks.

 

Den

"When through the woods and forest glades I wanderAnd hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,And hear the brook, and feel the breeze;and see the waves crash on the shore,Then sings my soul..................

for all you Spodders. https://youtu.be/XYxsY-FbSic

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MrWiggly Member

MrWiggly

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Glad to help Den ...

 

I must emphasize that it must be a "dedicated" flash for high-speed shots. These fit in the "hot shoe" on top of your camera, and are not the "in-built" flash that comes with the camera. As soon as you pop-up your "in-built" flash the camera usually auto sets to 1/60.

 

Wiggly. :rolleyes:

The Older I get .. The better I was.

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poledark Member

poledark

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Had a little play and set camera to shutter priority and set flash to always on. Took shots at 1/60 all the way up to 1/1500th OK. 1/3000 was a bit dark (actually well dark :) )

 

Had a look on PC and they are all about the same except the 1/1500th was slightly less exposed than the others.

 

Something else I have learned :)

 

Den

"When through the woods and forest glades I wanderAnd hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,And hear the brook, and feel the breeze;and see the waves crash on the shore,Then sings my soul..................

for all you Spodders. https://youtu.be/XYxsY-FbSic

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MrWiggly Member

MrWiggly

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Hi Den ..

 

Good to hear that you are having some success. :lol:

 

1/3000 ? Jeez ... You trying to catch speeding bullets ? :o:blink:

 

1/1000 should be plenty to freeze most subjects. Try playing with your ISO(ASA) for the faster shots.

 

Does your flash have a normal/high switch ? If so .. switch to high.

 

It's all about experimenting and increasing that learning curve !

 

Wiggly. :rolleyes:

Edited by MrWiggly

The Older I get .. The better I was.

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