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06-11-2017, 04:54 PM   #1
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Pentax K-5iis+Cactus V6II=HSS success

I'm so excited...lmao...I bought my Viltrox flash for about $45 off Amazon. V6II on camera in TX set to Pentax. V6II on flash set in RX set to Canon. Flash firing up to 1/8000s. No bands. I can also adjust that flash power all the way down to 1/128th power. I love these Cactus triggers. Can't wait to test these out with a model outdoors. Thanks to everyone that explains this stuff on the forums or has made videos about this. I hope i can achieve that HSS look with my portraits that i see the Sony youtubers achieving.

TX trigger-Pentax Camera system...Canon Flash system
RX trigger-Canon Flash system.

edit: Thread title changed because i bought another flash to try out.


Last edited by raymondjackso25; 03-06-2018 at 09:48 PM.
06-11-2017, 05:41 PM   #2
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I've bought a Cactus V6ii and I'm just waiting for it to arrive. Have you got any links to videos that you found very useful?

In particular, I'd like to know whether I can use the trigger on my K-1 to optically trigger my off-camera AF540FGZ.

Thanks!
06-11-2017, 09:13 PM - 2 Likes   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by HarisF1 Quote
I've bought a Cactus V6ii and I'm just waiting for it to arrive. Have you got any links to videos that you found very useful?

In particular, I'd like to know whether I can use the trigger on my K-1 to optically trigger my off-camera AF540FGZ.

Thanks!
06-12-2017, 04:53 AM - 1 Like   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by HarisF1 Quote
In particular, I'd like to know whether I can use the trigger on my K-1 to optically trigger my off-camera AF540FGZ.

Thanks!
A trigger mounted on the K1 cannot optically trigger another flash. To do that you need two flashes and no need for the trigger.

Or get another trigger in RX mode for the flash and trigger it by radio from a v6ii in TX mode mounted on the camera.

Alternatively get a Cactus RF60X flash unit which has a built in radio trigger TX/RX function.


Last edited by pschlute; 06-12-2017 at 05:11 AM.
07-04-2017, 07:23 PM - 3 Likes   #5
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These were all shot using HSS through a 32 inch Neewer Octobox.





07-04-2017, 10:42 PM   #6
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It's good to see the technique working! You've certainly got those extremely bright highlights in the backgrounds well under control and you've created a good exposure balance between flash and ambient. A great start to HSS portraiture !

(No4 is the one that's too bright I think, that could do with faster shutter speed and a lower flash power as well ....the rest are great, they bring the subjects out while giving a good feel for the environment, plus you've got those wide apertures and OOF backgrounds).
07-06-2017, 10:10 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by mcgregni Quote
It's good to see the technique working! You've certainly got those extremely bright highlights in the backgrounds well under control and you've created a good exposure balance between flash and ambient. A great start to HSS portraiture !

(No4 is the one that's too bright I think, that could do with faster shutter speed and a lower flash power as well ....the rest are great, they bring the subjects out while giving a good feel for the environment, plus you've got those wide apertures and OOF backgrounds).
Thanks for the feedback. It's definitely going to be a learning process of using HSS.

07-23-2017, 10:17 PM - 3 Likes   #8
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07-24-2017, 08:36 AM   #9
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Did you use a grad on these, or did you add it in post? There's a really hard line just above her head in the first and third ones in particular where the exposure suddenly changes. It looks like you've used a grad that's too hard for your sensor size because the transition is coming into focus and would be better off with one with a slightly softer transition. If you did it in post then you just need to feather it in more.

I like the balance of flash to ambient in the 4th one a lot. The others look like the black level is a little high, so blacks are looking a little grey. If you've done a lot of shadow recovery then you can still pull down the black level a little, or up the contrast.
07-24-2017, 08:26 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by paulster Quote
Did you use a grad on these, or did you add it in post? There's a really hard line just above her head in the first and third ones in particular where the exposure suddenly changes. It looks like you've used a grad that's too hard for your sensor size because the transition is coming into focus and would be better off with one with a slightly softer transition. If you did it in post then you just need to feather it in more.

I like the balance of flash to ambient in the 4th one a lot. The others look like the black level is a little high, so blacks are looking a little grey. If you've done a lot of shadow recovery then you can still pull down the black level a little, or up the contrast.
That's a powerline. And i didn't use any gradients. The blacks look fine on both my monitor and my Galaxy S8's screen. They don't look gray at all to me.
07-25-2017, 12:42 AM - 1 Like   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by raymondjackso25 Quote
The blacks look fine on both my monitor and my Galaxy S8's screen. They don't look gray at all to me.
How many non-black squares can you identify in this "Black Level" test page?

Your black level seems highish in your images; I thought it was an artistic choice which would be fine, but I think it is fair to say that your lowest black levels are not near real black.
07-25-2017, 12:58 AM   #12
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They're all good examples of the technique and I think you've got the balance between flash and ambient exposures nicely done. I also feel that processing-wise they would benefit from more 'punch' in the contrast, and a higher 'black point' would help with this. The flash has created better contrast on the subjects generally, it is mainly the backgrounds that have a greyish, slightly washed out look.
07-25-2017, 06:49 AM   #13
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yeah, i don't know what you guys are talking about. Galaxy S8 is probably the best smartphone display available right now and the blacks look okay. I think my work looks amazing and seems rather nitpicky to come up with a problem with the blacks. Can you guys show me some of your own HSS examples that look better so i can at least know you know what you're talking about?
07-25-2017, 07:00 AM - 2 Likes   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by raymondjackso25 Quote
Galaxy S8 is probably the best smartphone display available right now and the blacks look okay.
A monitor that has been calibrated with calibration hardware (e.g., from X-Rite) will give you a more authoritative answer to the question whether the black point is too high or not.

QuoteOriginally posted by raymondjackso25 Quote
I think my work looks amazing and seems rather nitpicky to come up with a problem with the blacks.
Just to clarify: I don't have an issue with your blacks. I thought your look was done on purpose and it suits the photography. So no criticism from me.

If you want to know how your images look on other people's monitors, though, you shouldn't consult your smartphone but at least use the test page I pointed you to. Even better, you'd use a hardware calibrator. Perhaps you can borrow one. I don't believe manufacturers that state that there is a need to re-calibrate frequently. This may have been true for old CRT screens, but modern LCD displays seem rather stable.
07-25-2017, 08:06 AM   #15
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It's a low black point, not a high one .....it's a 'levels' term referring to the position of the lowest shadow data on the histogram and the relationship of that to the black slider ....moving the black slider to the right boosts the shadow depths and creates a higher black point.

This is all just a bit of normal photo critique, nothing about the key aspects here about the HSS techniques. If you are happy with the processing and look of the images that's ok, you don't have to accept the critique or make any changes ....it's just some personal responses and attempts to be helpful.
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