Why do I get a black bar when using flash on my Canon 5D Mark III?

Asked 4/28/2015

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I'm using a Canon 5D Mark III with a Neewer TT560 Speedlite and some flash photos are coming out underexposed with a dark/black band across the frame. One example was shot at f/2, 1/500s, ISO 500. Is this a battery problem, or am I using the wrong settings? How can I fix it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

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You see the curtain of your camera: nice, no?

If you want to avoid that with mark III , use a shutter speed lower than 1/200s

You could use high flash speed sync, but I am quite sure that your flash can't use that, so with this flash, your only solution will be under 1/200s or use a ND filter to have less light entering your lens

Check this tutorial on high speed sync - This man is a master of flash photography : http://neilvn.com/tangents/high-speed-flash-sync/

This video is also quite interesting : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j5AHzAGaFk

Christian, France

Originally by user39471. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user39471

11y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

This is not a battery issue. The dark band is your shutter curtain showing because you used 1/500s, which is faster than the 5D Mark III’s normal flash sync speed (about 1/200s).

With a standard flash burst, the whole sensor must be uncovered when the flash fires. At 1/500s, the shutter is moving as a slit, so part of the frame is blocked, creating the black bar.

To fix it:

  • Set shutter speed to 1/200s or slower when using this flash normally.
  • If your flash supports high-speed sync (HSS), enable it and you can use faster shutter speeds.
  • If your flash does not support HSS, use a slower shutter speed or reduce ambient light another way, such as with an ND filter or by stopping down the aperture/lowering ISO.

The Neewer TT560 is a basic manual flash, so HSS may not be available.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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