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08-28-2014, 07:25 AM   #1
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HSS with 645D/Z

Has anyone tried using the High Speed Sync feature with the 645D or Z? If so, what was the fastest usable sync speed. I'm planning on getting either the Pentax or the new Metz 64, but only if the sync speed was improved.

thanks

08-28-2014, 01:15 PM   #2
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I don't know about the 645D or Z but it shouldn't be any different than my K5 lls or any other HSS Pentax camera and should sync up to highest camera shutter speed. The problem starts when trying to shoot off camera HSS with Pentax cameras. You need a P-TTL HSS capable Flash on camera and/or A P-TTL wireless remote system with an HSS capable flash that can do HSS in slave mode for which from what I gather the Metz 64 AF -1 states it will do. I resorted to a Sigma 610 Super on camera with two Pentax 540 FGZ as slaves with the Aokatec AK-TTL system which is capable up to 1/8000.

PS. I bought my Pentax 540 FGZ's from KEH for around $240.00ea.

Last edited by Oldbayrunner; 08-28-2014 at 01:37 PM.
08-28-2014, 04:34 PM   #3
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I don't know about the 645D or Z but it shouldn't be any different than my K5 lls

I'm thinking that because of the size of the shutter on the 645D being larger than your K5, their may be some physical limitations to just how high it can sync. I'm not concerned about getting up to 1/4000 sec, but somewhere around 1/250 to 1/500 would be enough.
08-28-2014, 06:04 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by FrankC Quote
I don't know about the 645D or Z but it shouldn't be any different than my K5 lls

I'm thinking that because of the size of the shutter on the 645D being larger than your K5, their may be some physical limitations to just how high it can sync. I'm not concerned about getting up to 1/4000 sec, but somewhere around 1/250 to 1/500 would be enough.
I don't think the size would make a difference. It still uses a focal plane shutter so the flash should perform the same way. This is from pocket wizard and also the way I have learned hss flash works.

"High Speed Sync (HSS or Auto-FP sync) begins pulsing the flash before the first curtain opens and continues to pulse it until after the second curtain closes. From the camera’s perspective this pulsed light appears as continuous light during the exposure. HSS uses a lot of energy, however, which means there is less light available for the image, and is usually only available in lower powered Speedlites/Speedlights. Syncing up to 1/8000 is possible, but the flash must be very close to the subject."

Your limitations aren't while the flash is attached to the camera but when you seek to sync wireless off camera that you can run into difficulty trying to HSS with Pentax's P-TTL or even wireless trigger systems sync speed restrictions.

10-15-2014, 06:23 PM   #5
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Today I checked out the High Speed Sync feature with my 645Z,,, and the AF540FGZ II , seems to work just fine. I only tested it for a few minutes with shutter speed up 1250, ISO 100 and F2.8, Distances from 5ft to about 8ft. Ill do some more testing with a "model" soon. The AF540 is a good speed light, but certainly not the strongest, Im used to My Canon 600's. I also have a Metz 76 MZ-5,,, but it does not support HS Sync. (much to my dismay).

The Canon 5DM3, had a HI Speed Mode within the camera menu, the 645Z does not, least none that I have been able to find.
11-03-2014, 10:20 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by RobertH Quote
Today I checked out the High Speed Sync feature with my 645Z,,, and the AF540FGZ II , seems to work just fine. I only tested it for a few minutes with shutter speed up 1250, ISO 100 and F2.8, Distances from 5ft to about 8ft. Ill do some more testing with a "model" soon. The AF540 is a good speed light, but certainly not the strongest, Im used to My Canon 600's. I also have a Metz 76 MZ-5,,, but it does not support HS Sync. (much to my dismay).

The Canon 5DM3, had a HI Speed Mode within the camera menu, the 645Z does not, least none that I have been able to find.
How does the Z have a high speed sync feature when there is no high speed sync in the z menu? Are you using a leaf shutter lens? I have as you can see no idea how this all comes together.

Thanks,

Susan
11-04-2014, 03:16 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by susanb Quote
How does the Z have a high speed sync feature when there is no high speed sync in the z menu? Are you using a leaf shutter lens? I have as you can see no idea how this all comes together.

Thanks,

Susan
Susanb,,,The HighSpeed Sync is a function of the speedlight, With Canon, you have a choice, you can set the Speedlight HSS from the camera menu OR directly on the speedlight. With the Pentax you can Only set it in the Speedlight itself. And its super easy with the AF540 I have.

11-14-2014, 10:39 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by RobertH Quote
Susanb,,,The HighSpeed Sync is a function of the speedlight, With Canon, you have a choice, you can set the Speedlight HSS from the camera menu OR directly on the speedlight. With the Pentax you can Only set it in the Speedlight itself. And its super easy with the AF540 I have.
Thanks for the reply. Good to know.

Susan
01-05-2015, 02:48 AM   #9
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High speed sync

Here is a recent image I took while at a park bench using HSS with th Pentax 540 on camera. It was a cloudy day, some rain, so shutter speed was not too high. 1/800 of a second, F/2.8.. The 645Z is limited to1/ 4000 it seems.
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01-06-2015, 12:25 AM   #10
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Robert Thanks!

This is very good to actually see I had read about it on the Pentax site but never saw an example.

Now I'm wondering about radio controlled triggers. I really wish that something like the canon RT system or the pocketwizards was available. I haven't been able to research that yet.

Susan
01-07-2015, 09:30 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by susanb Quote

Now I'm wondering about radio controlled triggers. I really wish that something like the canon RT system or the pocketwizards was available. I haven't been able to research that yet.

Susan
You may want to investigate the abilities of the newest Catus triggers with support many brands.
03-20-2015, 04:35 AM   #12
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645z hss

QuoteOriginally posted by robertchow999 Quote
You may want to investigate the abilities of the newest Catus triggers with support many brands.
I'm using the cactus v6 and an einstein e640 strobe; the cactus on the hotshoe and the cactus in the sync port of the einstein

in p, a, x mode it works (einstein fires remotely through the cactus triggers)

trouble I'm having is exceeding the sync speed; from reading on the forum it seems you need to attach a pentax flash (360 or 540) to activate hss; in other words, you can't activate through camera (like I can with my canons and nikons)

buying from keh seems like the route to go
03-20-2015, 11:08 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by dugaut Quote
I'm using the cactus v6 and an einstein e640 strobe; the cactus on the hotshoe and the cactus in the sync port of the einstein

in p, a, x mode it works (einstein fires remotely through the cactus triggers)

trouble I'm having is exceeding the sync speed; from reading on the forum it seems you need to attach a pentax flash (360 or 540) to activate hss; in other words, you can't activate through camera (like I can with my canons and nikons)

buying from keh seems like the route to go
Interesting.

Thanks for the information.

Susan
03-22-2015, 02:21 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by susanb Quote
Interesting.

Thanks for the information.

Susan
Susan, from another thread I'm working this issue on

Doug

Originally posted by chobit Quote
Just want to write a little more details, and hopefully that would be helpful for those who are interested to use the Pentax Flash PTTL system with the 645Z

Setup:
- 645Z
- AF360FGZ II
- AF540FGZ II

Both allow you to setup the Flash in HSS mode as a Master Flash on Hot-Shoe or Controller mode.

The challenge I have with Flash compensation not working when making the changes from the flash

Example:
At 1/125 +1 FEC on the flash, it works. As soon as you start 1/160, the +2 FEC no longer kicks in.
At 1/125 +1 FEC on the Camera. Using 1/160 continue to accept the +1 FEC from the camera

Sadly, you can use -4 to +2 FEC from the flash if it works, on the camera, you are limited to -2 to +1

Translate this to a remote flash setup using my 360 II as controller and the 540 II as the remote flash. I am limited to +1 FEC from the camera, as the flash because of the HSS mode, which is very limiting, when compare to my Canon remote flash setup.


Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-medium-format/268881-report-wir...#ixzz3V6SdpEB6
QuoteOriginally posted by constable Quote
I have also been fighting with this.

My experience is the following.

With the AF540FGZII on camera i can HS up to 1/4000 s. That is the good news.

Using Cactus V6 on camera with the AF540FGZII mounted on top and a remote Cactus RF60 on a second Cactus V6, I can get remote triggering up to 1/125. However, when the HSS is set on the AF540FGZII the camera reverts to a sync of 1/60. The remote (usually) fires and I get massive over-exposure. It seems that the Cactus will not pass through the HS setting on the Pentax flash. I have also been unsuccessful in using HS modes on Metz flashes, either direct or with Cactus units.

I have not had a great deal of success with Profoto but I am still working on this

Ed
so it looks like using the 360 or 540 flashes hss will work with no cactus in the mix

what seems to be not working is fec, and when a cactus is involved (whether the on camera flash is on top of a cactus, or a remote 360/540 is mounted on a cactus)

ed, doesn't the cactus rf60 flash have a built in radio and by mounting it on a cactus you might be confusing it?

what I'm going to do is by a used 540 from b&H, mount it on a cactus on my camera, attached a cactus to my einstein640. Then set the camera to manual (or if I have to x mode), 1/500 shutter speed, and fire the einstein at full power (according to paul c buff that would mean a flash time of 1/588); that should allow the flash to completely illuminate the scene before the second shutter comes down (1/588 flash is faster than 1/500 camera shutter)

why do I feel frustation looming?
03-22-2015, 06:35 AM   #15
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I have the new Metz 64 AF-1 flashlight for Pentax that have the HSS and works fine. The Metz 64-1 can use the external power of Metz P76 battery pack, so it can last long. However, 64 AF-1 can overheat if doing too many full power flash quickly, so if a lot of flash is required, I would still perfer to use the older Metz flash the 60 CT-4 which never have overheat problem.
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