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09-17-2012, 04:59 PM   #1
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Question on freezing humming bird wings

I have 540 FGZ and K-5, ( and I have a resident hummingbird.... well, I see him everyday in my back yard).

Can someone explain the flash settings, specific to 540 FGZ and the camera settings that I need to freeze the wings. I read an online tutorial on how freeze humming bird wings here Hummingbird Photography Guide Part 1 - High Speed Flash - Ralph Paonessa Photography Workshops & Photo Tours

But did not understand the flash settings.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

Mouli.

09-17-2012, 05:03 PM   #2
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The flash is maxed out at 1/180th for the shutter speed on Pentax cameras. Good luck.

Last edited by Docrwm; 09-17-2012 at 05:44 PM.
09-17-2012, 05:15 PM   #3
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Another thing you could do is place the flash fairly close to the bird feeder or where ever you intend to photograph him. You'll want the flash at either 1/32 or 1/64th power in order to have a short enough flash duration. Set your camera to 1/180 and then set a small aperture like f/16. Take a test shot, put something in place of the humming bird and see if you have enough power in the flash to illuminate your "stand-in" Since the hummingbird will only be properly exposed for a split second, the flash duration will essentially become the shutter speed, and it will be faster than anything your camera can achieve.
09-17-2012, 05:39 PM   #4
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Depends on what you mean by "frozen". Here's a hummer shot at normal sync speed with a single on-camera flash, where ambient light is still very much in play. Not perfectly frozen; there's some "ghosting" motion blur if you look closely. (Not perfectly sharp, either, but that's user error.) I don't remember what the power setting was, I'd guess 1/8.

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09-17-2012, 05:43 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by maxfield_photo Quote
Another thing you could do is place the flash fairly close to the bird feeder or where ever you intend to photograph him. You'll want the flash at either 1/32 or 1/64th power in order to have a short enough flash duration. Set your camera to 1/180 and then set a small aperture like f/16. Take a test shot, put something in place of the humming bird and see if you have enough power in the flash to illuminate your "stand-in" Since the hummingbird will only be properly exposed for a split second, the flash duration will essentially become the shutter speed, and it will be faster than anything your camera can achieve.
So second curtain flash would freeze wings that fast?
09-17-2012, 05:50 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
So second curtain flash would freeze wings that fast?
I think just normal flash would - as long as the flash duration is tiny.
09-17-2012, 05:51 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by JinDesu Quote
I think just normal flash would - as long as the flash duration is tiny.
Thanks. We have a little guy that shows up occasionally. I'll have to give it a go next time I see him.

09-17-2012, 05:51 PM - 1 Like   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
So second curtain flash would freeze wings that fast?
No, short flash duration would freeze wings that fast, and that is achieved by using a low power setting, but getting the flash very close. Read AstroDave's recent thread about this and the accompanying paper, it's fantastic. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-flashes-lighting-technique/198888-...us-540fgz.html
09-17-2012, 05:53 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
Thanks. We have a little guy that shows up occasionally. I'll have to give it a go next time I see him.
Just to be clear - the concept is that you want to set the flash duration extremely short (usually 1/64 power or 1/32 power is really fast already). Thus - the image as written into the sensor is whatever the flash hits - and since the flash duration is super short (possibly even 1/40,000s), you get things frozen.

However - this is easiest to do indoors with controlled settings. Outdoors, you are limited by your flash sync speed, and the ability for your flash to overpower the ambient light.
09-17-2012, 05:53 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by maxfield_photo Quote
No, short flash duration would freeze wings that fast, and that is achieved by using a low power setting, but getting the flash very close. Read AstroDave's recent thread about this and the accompanying paper, it's fantastic. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-flashes-lighting-technique/198888-...us-540fgz.html
+1 for that and the link! Thanks.
09-17-2012, 05:53 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
So second curtain flash would freeze wings that fast?
You can get an effective 1/20000s shutter speed with a Yongnuo YN-560 at 1/128 power if the ambient light is low enough, at 1/32 power it is 1/5000s, which is approaching the maximum shutter speed of a new Pentax body.

One trick for capturing really fast moving things is to set everything up in near darkness, put the camera's shutter speed at 5 seconds or higher, then trigger the flash when the event happens. It works well for capturing water droplets and things like that.
09-17-2012, 05:55 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by elliott Quote
You can get an effective 1/20000s shutter speed with a Yongnuo YN-560 at 1/128 power if the ambient light is low enough, at 1/32 power it is 1/5000s, which is approaching the maximum shutter speed of a new Pentax body.

One trick for capturing really fast moving things is to set everything up in near darkness, put the camera's shutter speed at 5 seconds or higher, then trigger the flash when the event happens. It works well for capturing water droplets and things like that.
I have a vague recollection of the old High Speed film cameras doing their best work in ambient darkness, or am I fabricating yet another memory?
09-17-2012, 07:11 PM   #13
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If you have a studio strobe available you can use higher power while maintaining a relatively short flash duration:

http://www.paulcbuff.com/manuals/e640.pdf

Not only is it more powerful, but you can get a short flash duration at closer to full power (i.e. 1/10,000s at 1/8 power).
09-17-2012, 07:46 PM   #14
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Essentially what you want/are trying to do is go above the sync shutter speed. theres no mods i know of but a friend has used automated timers and a cable release to get above. he also wasnt strobing, but had extreme amounts of LEDs and a partially enclosed pavilion where the feeder was hanging
09-17-2012, 09:30 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by baro-nite Quote
Depends on what you mean by "frozen". Here's a hummer shot at normal sync speed with a single on-camera flash, where ambient light is still very much in play. Not perfectly frozen; there's some "ghosting" motion blur if you look closely. (Not perfectly sharp, either, but that's user error.) I don't remember what the power setting was, I'd guess 1/8.
Very well done.
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