Hello,

I am sorry to bore you all, this question is probably asked a 1000 times before, but I have difficulty to understand it all and I hope someone can help me.

So here I go:

I want to make photo's like her: https://500px.com/wieselblitz.
So, Dog portraits, indoors, with global settings like: 1/640 - F10 - ISO 320-400-600
I got a Bresser BR-2245 Daylightset 1800W to test and I find it to not give me bright and sharp enough photo's.
I thought I can not make photo's like her with continues light, that's a shame because flashes and dogs... not a great combo, I think.

So is got a Falcon Eyes Studio Flash Set SSK-2200D, also to test.

The flash sync speed of the K5 is 1/180 max I learned afterwards, because I never use flash, so I can't get the 1/640 I need to have to make those kind of photo's...

So now what?
I need HSS right?

Must I buy a Cactus V6 trigger (or an other?) so that thing will make the alcon-eyes-studio-flash-set-ssk-2200d flash/work with the 1/640 (or 1/800 etc.), so it overrules the sync speed of 1/180?
Or do I also have to buy a Hotshoe flashgun to make this work?
Or is there a other way to make this all work with flash or with continues lights?

Can some one help and explain?

---

Last edited by Tuutje; 10-20-2018 at 02:17 AM. Reason: SOLVED

[JensE]

Your flashes will produce a very short and strong light pulse - the linked technical data sheet lists Flash duration: 1/700-1/1000 seconds. 1/180 is just the highest speed at which the shutter open completely so that the entire sensor can be exposed at once. So as long as you ISO setting together with 1/180 second shutter would heavily underexpose with ambient light, the short flash pulse will determine your effective exposure duration, freezing any motion.

The HSS feature is there to work around high levels of ambient light, you will not need it indoors. HSS sends a series on flash pulses while the shutter 'slit' travels over your sensor, in order to get all parts of the picture properly exposed, it 'smears out' the flash for the duration needed to cover the entire sensor.

Learning proper technique, basically any flash is able to give you sharp and bright pictures indoors, no need for more equipment.

[Paul the Sunman]

What JensE said. If you're shooting inside using a P-TTL flash, use X or M mode. Preselect ISO and aperture and shoot away. The effective exposure time will be the flash duration, not the 1/180 sync speed, so you will easily freeze any motion that a dog may make.

[JensE]

If you're shooting inside using a P-TTL flash, use X or M mode. Preselect ISO and aperture and shoot away.

The studio flash set is purely manual, no P-TTL. After setting X-Mode and the desired aperture, one then adjusts the flash power (usually at base ISO of 80 if the flashes are powerful enough) and distance to reach the desired exposure and light situation. This can of course all happen upfront with e.g. a friendly human (even the photographer, with timer or remote) placed where the dog later will be.

[pschlute]

that's a shame because flashes and dogs... not a great combo, I think.

I have to disagree with this. The Pentax AF360/540 will give you P-TTL and manual flash, and HSS, but you wont need that indoors. If you want to use multiple flash units which is essential for good flash portraits in my opinion, you can use cactus triggers and even add the Cactus RF60X flash unit into the mix.

I took these pictures with two or more off-camera flash units indoors. Shutter speed was the K1 sync at 1/180, aperture typically f8-f11, and the camera in Manual exposure mode. The flash units set to Manual exposure and flash output set with the use of a flash meter.

[mcgregni]

Looks like flashes and dogs mix beautifully! So do babies. I would not point a direct undiffussed flash and fire directly at such subjects, but that would give poor quality light anyway. I use three flashes with a softbox, umbrella and snoot for portraits of the kids (youngest when she was 10mths old), with no concerns, and as Peter shows the same applies to dogs.

HSS is not a solution for freezing movement blur .... The duration is usually longer than single normal flash bursts, and it is effectively a continuous light source lasting 1/180th sec. As others say, HSS is for allowing exposure balancing in bright conditions. For freezing movement then normal flash at low power settings is the most effective technique.

BTW, the 500px account you linked to looks like every dog shot uses flash! A lot of them look fairly direct and a bit harsh in my opinion.....better to look to someone like our very own pschute here for technique and inspiration using Pentax and flash!

[pschlute]

etter to look to someone like our very own pschute here for technique and inspiration using Pentax and flash!

Very kind of you Nigel. i cannot let that comment pass without mentioning that without your excellent flash guides and forum advice I would still be fumbling in the dark (literally)

That's a lot of info.
As I said, I got a Falcon Eyes Studio Flash Set SSK-2200D to test.
The flash sync speed of the K5 is 1/180 max
I can not freeze a jumping dog.
Now what?
Cactus V6 so I can get the 1/500?

[mcgregni]

I'm not feeling inclined to repeat myself. ..... Anyone else?

[squareeyes]

That's a lot of info.
As I said, I got a Falcon Eyes Studio Flash Set SSK-2200D to test.
The flash sync speed of the K5 is 1/180 max
I can not freeze a jumping dog.
Now what?
Cactus V6 so I can get the 1/500?

I can not freeze a jumping dog.

Post a photo you made with a blurred dog and the flash operating, Use Xmode and post it with the EXIF data.

Hello,

Thanks for all the info!
So I have been testing the lot and I think I have to make a lot more photo's to get more experience.
I also found out that if I want to get the 1/640 or whatever I have to buy two Cactus V6II and-or High-speed sync flashes.
This is an expansive hobby, lol, and I just bought the Falcon eyes set so i´ll wait a bit.
I´m going to research the whole studio photography more before I buy anything else.
So thanks for the help!

[altopiet]

I´m going to research the whole studio photography more before I buy anything else.

Have a look at...

https://www.pentaxforums.com/articles/photo-articles/comprehensive-pentax-flash-guide.html

[pschlute]

I also found out that if I want to get the 1/640 or whatever I have to buy two Cactus V6II and-or High-speed sync flashes.

That will certainly get you to a usable HSS set-up.

But HSS is no good for freezing fast action. HSS flash mimics continous light. Nothing will freeze action as well as a camera set on sync speed (1/180) and a flash operating in normal (non-HSS) mode. Is 1/10,000 second fast enough for you ?

[mcgregni]

Perhaps I'm just getting older and grumpier now Peter!

Tuutje, I'm glad to help, and please come back with any further questions once you've absorbed the points already made here.

One tip I thought of .... To get the very short flash durations as Peter described usually means the lower power settings. Now if you find that these low settings do not give enough brightness, then you can just increase the ISO until you get the desired flash exposure, while leaving the flash power at the lowest. This will work indoors and in low ambient light, but probably not outdoors as then raising' ISO just sends you straight up into HSS territory.

[pschlute]

Perhaps I'm just getting older and grumpier now Peter!

I got there a few years ago Nigel