Why is my Canon T4i limited to 1/200 sec when using flash?
Asked 2/5/2013
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On my Canon T4i in Manual mode, I can normally choose shutter speeds up to 1/4000 sec. But when I use my 100mm f/2.8L with a macro twin flash, the camera resets the shutter speed to 1/200 sec when I take the shot. Is this caused by a camera setting, or is it due to the flash? I thought I had used faster shutter speeds before, possibly with other setups.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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The camera is likely setting the shutter speed to match the flash sync speed of the camera. If it was set any faster, you would get black bands of underexposure across your shots, or at the fastest speeds a completely black shot. This is because the shutters would have finished moving to some degree before the flash completed its fire.
Originally by user3205. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3205
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is due to flash sync speed, not the lens. On the Canon T4i, 1/200 sec is the normal maximum shutter speed when using a standard flash. Above that speed, the shutter curtains no longer leave the whole sensor uncovered at once; instead, a moving slit travels across the sensor. A normal flash burst is too brief to illuminate the entire frame in that situation, which causes dark or black bands.
So when the flash is active, the camera limits shutter speed to its sync speed of 1/200 sec. That is expected behavior.
If your flash supports it, you may be able to use High-Speed Sync (also called FP sync) to shoot faster than 1/200 sec. However, this reduces flash effectiveness because less of the flash output contributes to the exposure.
In short: the 1/200 sec limit is caused by the flash/camera sync limit, not by the 100mm lens.
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