Can PocketWizard MiniTT1/FlexTT5 use studio strobes like AlienBees above normal sync speed?
Asked 8/29/2015
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Can a PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 be used with studio strobes such as AlienBees to shoot above a camera’s normal flash sync speed? If so, does it work the same way as high-speed sync on speedlights, and can it help when shooting wide open outdoors at very fast shutter speeds?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
4
You can use higher shutter speeds than your sync speed, but it is not "true" HSS. PocketWizard calls this feature "Hypersync."
In "true" HSS, with hotshoe flashes, the flash sets out a serious of pulses timed to go with the travel of the curtain slit across the sensor so the whole sensor is evenly illuminated by the flash. This is not what Hypersync does.
Hypersync (or "tail sync") is taking advantage of the fact that at higher power levels, the duration of a flash pulse is longer. And that at high enough shutter speeds and high enough flash power levels, the tail end of the flash (which is more even in illumination than the beginning of the main burst), will cause less of a gradient across the screen. With tail sync, the sync of the camera shutter is after the main burst has passed. This tends to use more power than HSS, and is highly dependent on the pulse length of the individual strobe.
I'm not sure how it behaves with AlienBees, and googling around the 'net it looks like the behavior of hypersync is inconsistent with the Bees, so I'd do some search on your specific AB model and how it behaves with PocketWizard's Hypersync.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, but not as true HSS in the speedlight sense. With studio strobes like AlienBees, PocketWizard uses HyperSync, not true high-speed sync.
True HSS works by having a compatible hot-shoe flash emit a rapid series of pulses as the shutter slit travels across the sensor, giving even illumination at shutter speeds above normal sync.
HyperSync instead takes advantage of the long flash duration of a studio strobe, especially at higher power. It times the exposure so more of the flash tail is used while the shutter is moving. This can let you shoot above normal sync speed, but it is not the same as speedlight HSS and may not be as even across the frame.
So: yes, you can often go beyond standard sync speed with MiniTT1/FlexTT5 and studio strobes, but expect HyperSync behavior rather than full HSS, and performance may differ from speedlights.
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UniqueBot
AI10y ago
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