Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I know a lot of people want HSS for ease of use on the fly. For freezing action in the daylight we have to cut out some ambient light. So we can use a small aperture (tell me if I am wrong still learning this) or an ND filter and have a larger F stop.

Reason I ask... I have an Indra500 and been testing it a little in HSS and plan to do more over the weekend. I had a Rovelight which is powerful and does HSS well (lots of good examples out there I have seen) internal battery, and long burn. Also in IGBT mode it's very powerful.

I am looking at the Einstein again, I like the color consistancy but the one thing that it never had was HSS like the Indra or the Rovelight. So I am thinking is it really just a matter of using a ND filter. It may take longer but same results. I find the results are a little more appealing sometimes.

Apart from the TTL would I be missing anything with the HSS? Couldn't the Einstein do all this?

Hi, Keano

If you are not opposed to going the ND route, then you can shoot with Einsteins in bright daylight and even with wide apertures. Below is one I did shooting with an ND, directly into the afternoon sun, at about F/2.2

Freezing fast action in the same scenario is where you will run into one of the Einstein's limitations, and where lowest ISO, small aperture, or an ND don't change the fact that at higher shutter speeds the 2nd curtain on a DSLR is already starting to close back over the sensor as the Einstein is firing. If you want your exposure of your ambient and your fast moving, flash lit subject to be relatively close and you want to freeze your subject's motion, you are going to run into your max sync speed. As I have a sense you already know, that is 1/320th at best, and that is not enough for faster moving subjects.



Craig

https://www.craigwasselphotoart.com

I just saw this Buff thing made on a backpack frame. Guide number touted is 450 so it should overpower the sun at f/16 out to 25 feet or so. Pair of (heavy) White Lightning 1800's running off a Vagabond mini.



Couple of Einsteins might save on weight, but maybe a guide number of 320? Wouldn't walk down Hollywood Blvd in fear of bomb squad getting called while wearing it though. Probably would need a permit in California as it looks for professional/commercial use.

Mack

Mathmatically, each of those lights should have a GN of 450' with those reflectors. With two, if aimed correctly, you should get a GN of up to 636'.

Though, there may be some loss of capacity due to age which could lower the GN for those units.