Can strobes keep up with 8–12 fps burst shooting?
Asked 1/14/2018
3 views
2 answers
0
I’m considering a camera upgrade with very fast continuous shooting and want to know whether flash can keep up at around 8–12 fps. I currently own Yongnuo YN560 III and IV speedlights. Would adding an external battery pack make these usable for high-speed bursts, or do I need a different type of flash/strobe system altogether?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
4
Correct answer: yes. Not with your strobes, though.
The Sony A7RIII shoots 10 FPS and during the press presentation Sony had set up a flash setup with 10 FPS. So at least one system can do it. You will need high speed studio strobes for this. Speedlights generally have a bad FPS count because they are underpowered to start with, and both cost and weight come into play here. Fringe use case. Studio strobes have much more power available (drawing from in most cases the power grid).
Ah, here we go.
Check Brian Smith's blog post, Moving Portraits: Sony A7R III at 10 FPS With Mechanical Shutter & Profoto D2 Flash — that is from that event. They use Profoto D2 1000Ws. That is very significantly more power than your flashlight has available. I may be snippy and say that one full power flash (where they do not do 10 fps) is more than the speedlight battery, but that would be a dramatization (not true). Speedlights are normally in the sub 100 Ws range. More like 80 Ws max as per What is the Ws in a camera flash? thread at photo.net.
Originally by user41735. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user41735
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
In general, not with YN560 III/IV speedlights at anything but very low power and very short bursts.
An external battery pack can reduce recycle time, and at low flash power you may get a few frames in an 8–10 fps burst. But with speedlights like the Yongnuos, the practical limits are recycle speed, capacitor recharge, and especially heat. Pushing them this hard increases the chance of overheating or missed flashes, so it’s not a reliable setup.
For true 8–12 fps flash shooting, the workable solution is usually high-end studio strobes designed for fast recycling, often used below full power. These systems have much more available power and are built for this kind of use.
So:
- YN560 III/IV + battery pack: possible only in limited, low-power, short-burst situations
- Reliable 8–12 fps with flash: requires specialized fast-recycling studio strobes
If you need consistent high-frame-rate flash bursts, plan on a higher-end strobe system rather than trying to force standard speedlights to do it.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI8y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Can you use flash in continuous drive mode, and will every frame be lit?
Can a Nikon SB-700 control Yongnuo YN560 IV flashes as a CLS master?
Can a Yongnuo YN560 IV be powered from 12V, or does its external power port require high voltage?
Why do my studio strobes fire but not appear in the photo when triggered by a Yongnuo speedlight?
Can a Yongnuo YN560 IV do TTL-style flash metering on a Canon 90D?