Thank you for proving HHS is a convenience not a necessity. Thanks to RUclips many photographers don't realize you can actually take pictures outdoors with flash and having them turn out beautiful.
Thanks Kenneth. If nothing else this proved to me that once the photography is done, the resulting images looked great whichever route you take... So I'm going to stick to the convenience route 😉
Probably noted here already, but High speed sync really eats your battery power, so you'll get a lot more shooting with the ND filter - worth bearing in mind. Great tutorial - as always !
Hi speed eat 1/8, ND eat 1/4, which is much power consumption. It is the game between high speed sync technology with solid unchanged ND. High speed win.
@@huyongquan6554 High Speed Sync generally robs you of a good bit more flash power than ND filters. That's just fact. ND's don't rob you of power. You just need more power the greater the strength of the ND filter but it doesn't rob you of any flash power out the gate.
Perfect timing. Just used a variable ND filter for the first time to take sunset portraits at a sunflower field using off camera flash. Was pleasantly surprised 🙏
While there is some issue with needing increased power with HSS, given the capabilities of the XPlor 400, there is ample power to accomplish the task. One of the things I really admire about Gavin's work is that he provides a humble low cost solution without showing Profoto flash units, 75 different Profoto branded modifiers, and the latest and greatest Sekonic light meter. I have been watching Gavin's videos for the past 8 years and I keep learning more and more with every time I go back and watch something again. I think the take home message with the TCM feature is that once you dial in the necessary power level, you can lock in the settings rather than relying on any variations as a result of HSS. In an auto mode, HSS can vary between shots and the end-result can be uneven. The ND filters are fascinating to me as it basically becomes a scrim on the lens. There is a need for increased flash power there too to a degree. One thing that really helps the situation with ND filters is that both the Sekonic 478 and 858 have a built in compensation for ND filters. On the other hand, I liked Gavin's explanation of using the meter and adjusting for 5 stops to compensate for the ND filter.
Gavin, thank you so much for yet another great video and toturial. From your closing line, you said that using a mirrorless camera made it easy to use the ND filter because of the intelligent EVF. This means that using the filter with a DSLR will not be so easy as it will be hard to focus and even compose. So as a DSLR user I think HSS Flash is the answer for me.
I use a nikon d610 dslr and it works perfectly. I use a variable nd filter. Twist to let in light and focus, then twist to darken and take my shot. No issues what so ever, especially if you don't have an HSS setup available.
I never even knew about using an ND filter with flash until recently, so this was quite an informatiive video. I've been practicing more with HSS, & find it quite versatile. With that said, there's always other uses for the ND, so I think I'll pick one up in the near future & play around with it, too. Thanks!
Thanks Gavin! Excellent break down of the processes. May be a good idea to cover the disadvantages of HSS such as limited distance due to power consumption as well as flash overheating issues with multiple shots. The ND filter would not make the flash overheat as much and you will have a longer distance if necessary for the flash to reach. Thanks again.
I’m glad to see more people talking about ND filters. One of my favorite ways to shoot is full sun using my ND 16 (4 stop) filter and 38 or 45 degree hard light reflectors.
Thanks Gavin. You solved my biggest problem. I can't afford a light metre. I use a godox xpro and your ittl to manual technique saved my day. Thanks again.
Love your videos. I always learn so much, that I realize I need to watch all your videos. Anyway, will ND filters work as well as HSS for action type sports portraits. The ones where I’ve seen HSS used to create dramatic portraits.
Great results from both the ND filters and HSS. If a small reduction in contrast is the only difference you can see, then that would suggest that you are using insanely expensive ND filters. For many years, Ive been using Hoya ND filters which are considered quite good in terms of quality but obviously not top of the range or super expensive. Generally, Ive been very happy with them for slow shutter speeds of rushing water and for video work. Though recently, I tried something Ive never done before. I photographed the same scene with and without a Hoya 3 stop ND filter. And I was quite alarmed by the differences. The photos taken without the filter came out so much nicer and the ones with the filter had a weird, unpleasant look about them. Previously, I was strongly considering using ND filters for outdoor portraits with flash (being on a small budget) but now I'm not so sure after seeing my own comparison photos.
Great video explaining on how to use ND filters & HSS. Other than saving on the life of your batteries. Are there any other advantages on one over the other? Explaining the use of the TCM button a plus as well.
The OMD M1 MKIII has built in ND so need to buy separate filters. Brilliant to see the irrepressibly positive Mr Hoey back where he belongs, on a location shoot!
Hi Martyn. Sadly (for this sort of photography) those Olympus ND filters in the E-M1 X and Mark iii are virtual rather then physical and will not help here or for the record, as ND filters for video work 😞
@@GavinHoey I guess that's because of the use of flash? What do you think of the MKIII compared to the MKII? Recently bought an OM-1n 1970's and loving it to pieces!
@@martynphillips6646 The Live ND filters arn't limited by using flash, it's just how they work. Think of them as taking and stacking hundreds of photos in to one frame to create the illusion of a long exposure. For landscape stills photography the results are really good. Every time I go back to my E-M1 Mark ii I realise why I prefer the Mark iii... It focuses so much better! If you shoot portraits, it's worth the upgrade for that alone.
Thanks for sharing your useful and nice experience with us. And my experience is a tail of yours. When using ND filter with camera values S=1/8000 and F=1/1.2 you can get same color and light result without ND filter and just closing aperature ND filter value. Only difference will be depht of field. So if we need small depth of field that means good bokeh we should use ND filter. Another point of using any HSS speedlight we have to know (most of them shows on screen) “flash duration”. My speedlight flash duration is 1/220 sec for 1/1 power and 1/15380 sec (with bare bulb) for 1/256 power. If I choose 1/16 poweer flash duration is about 1/4760 sec. That means camera shutter speed is not so important if ambient light is not dominant. Regards
Thank you! Now I have a much better understanding of HSS and I look forward to practicing it. Love your videos - fun and educational! Most importantly, to the point.
to anyone reading this. invest in a really good ND filter. the ND filter has to be really good quality. otherwise you'll get a softer image. a good ND filter will allow you to stay within the cameras HSS sync limit, while still cutting the ambient (to avoid the high shutter speed that cuts the power of the flash). so, to me the best solution is flash/strobe with a good ND filter to cut the ambient and keep the flash power 1/250s/1/200s depending on your camera specially when fighting against the sun.
4:05 ... Not really a bad shot as is, drop them highlights, lower contrast a bit, a tiny tiny bit of saturation and it would make a nice light and airy natural lit photo. Awesome shots man! I'm not a filter type guy but you workin them suckers man. Love the videos ALL of them! FYI, that wasn't no luck, that's experience, sometimes we simply question ourselves but typically nail the shot lol. Love it that way. You simply know how to look with your eyes and can pretty much pinpoint where your settings go without no durn light meter.
I really enjoy your videos. They are easy to follow and understand. I tend to want to watch your's much more than other Adorama videos. (no offense to the others but it's true) Thanks for what you do.
Great Video as always Gavin👍🏼. The TCM option on the trigger is new to me though. I use Godox and Canon mirrorless. Is there any such option with this setup?
I wish you would have tested the ND filters that fit over the sensor. I'm curious as to how the camera focuses with one of those vs. the on lens filter.
This is awesome. Although a blown out background can be a stylistic choice, I liked seeing ideas of how to tame a very bright and often unpleasant background. You presented it in a very simple and understandable way! I've used off camera flash but fairly recently figured out how to set up for HSS on my EOS R. I was confused after watching the display blink at 1/200 and why I couldn't increase the shutter speed, and then the light bulb went on after some research. :) I'm looking forward to our session this weekend, which unfortunately had to be at 9AM, will be more successful when employing these tips for shots where we may have a very bright background. Thank you Gavin!
Very nice B roll makes this an easy to follow educational video. I'd love a follow up discussing ND color cast, editing, and gelling the flash based on time of day.
Thanks for the helpful video @Gavin Hoey. If I had more than one speedlight with one functioning as the key light and one as a rim light, would they both need to be high speed sync to work with the camera and flash trigger? Or does only one of them need to be (eg the key light) to allow faster shutter speeds? Does a second speedlight affect the shutter speed or shallow depth of field at all (eg if it's just lighting a model's hair)? And with that in mind, do both flashes need to be of equal capability and quality or could one be much cheaper and with far fewer features (eg one being a Godox over £150 and the other being a Neewer of only £29)? Thanks
How do you meter the flash when using the ND filter on? My trigger is kind of old version and can't use TTL to measure light and switch to Manual mode. Thanks
There is no difference when the flash is strong. I expected to see the advantage of the ND filter when using a weak flash. It is known that in HSS mode a lot of power is lost because it has to discharge several times when opening the curtain.
In my (unscientific) experience I find the Flashpoint Xplor 400 and 600 max power to be roughly 3 stops of light down on the non-HSS flash. So if I'm a adding a 3 stop ND to get to the same exposure, I'm more or less using the same power in HSS and non-HSS. At least that's my feeling. That said, HSS power settings are a moving target with shutter speed making a sizable difference to output, whereas an ND filter is more predictable... if only there were just one correct answer, photography would be so much easier 😉
@@oneeyedphotographer The way electronic shutter works on Olympus does not allow to shoot with flash properly. The picture is fully exposed by flash at some of the lowest shutter speed (it was 1/8s for E-M1, newer are slightly faster, around 1/20 or 1/50 I think). Not really practical.
OneEyedPhotographer flash won’t work in electronic shutter... also you’ll have rolling shutter issue and flickering with some lighting. That’s because the mechanical shutter allow uniform lighting. Google how electronic shutter works :) As for HSS vs ND, you’re doing the math wrong. First of all, the power will depend on how fast you’re going. If you’re going to 1/8000 it will be a lot more than 3 stops lost. Bottom line is that it is definitely easier to use HSS but ND is the better way ans will give you better results, especially in extreme conditions (very strong light, or need to have the flash further because it’s a wide shot, or using a huge diffuser, etc)
@@michaelballance1893 Yep. The untold story of mirrorless in most cases. Anybody else on this thread experience that restriction with your mirrorless DSLR?
Never tried actually ND filters in location when taking portraits :) - need to try just to compare myself. Thanks for great videos, helps with my work :)
I am new in this high speed sync flash setup, I never try before after looking at your video and others , I have interest to get one to try out. But I am not sure whether as begineer I dont want to spend that budget and dont want to carry so much on travel. I came around one Godox SK400 iI which only have a max speed of 1/2000 and intend to use in day time or sometime evening and with ND 3 stop filter ?
Enjoyed this. Liked the section where you took photo using ttl setting and then pressed tcm button, which put in a manual setting for strobe strength. Do you have any other tutorials about the use of ttl and manual on the remote?
This was an excellent and informative video. I also liked the setting for the photo shoot and the model's costume. Seeing those was also educational. Gavin's enthusiasm is always fun and inspirational. I really appreciate Adorama sponsoring such great videos.
Great exercise and demonstration, Gavin!! Gotta consider that you are shooting at f1.2 and 200 ISO. So when going up to 1/8000 on the shutter there's still a good amount of light coming through. On an f1.4 or perhaps f1.8 lens and 100 base ISO shooting at 1/8000 shutter can be a bit challenging given the amount of light you get, the flash wattage, modifier, distance etc. Of course the ad400 punches good power anyways when used right!
Great video Mr. Gavin Hoey its great to see side by side what one can get with either ND Filters Or High Sync Speed! Thanks ADORAMA for having this great and informative videos on your channel.
Dear Mr. Hoey, I have a question regarding the modifiers that you are using for outdoor portraits. In this video, you are using a softbox but in your video: Better Than Ambient Light ..., you are using a different modifier. May I ask you, how you decide what modifier you will use for an outdoor portrait? Many thanks
Hi Gavin. Greta video. Quick question though please..for both the ND filter and HSS what were the flash settings on your Olympus camera? Not flash power but the actual settings on the camera?
Hi Francesca. I'm not sure what settings you're missing but the only ones that are Olympus specific that I didn't list are... Flash Mode "Fill In" ~ Shutter Mode "Single" ~ Metering Mode "ESP" ~ Face & Eye Priority "On" Let me know if I've missed something
Thanks Gavin. I always learn so much on your videos. I'm considering a hss battery powered neweer vision 5 monolight but also have a hss speedlight i think 58GN. Is there much difference between monolight and speedlights using softbox to do your pictures. May get a neweer vision 4 (no hhs or ttl) and use V ND filter. Thoughts?
Dear Master, Gaining shallow depth of field in portrait photography is ideal, but since you do not get sharp images at the widest aperture of the lens, why did not you use one or one third of the narrower aperture step? Thank you for answering. Thank you very much for teaching.
Hi Seyed. You can't tell from a RUclips video but I can promise you my images were very sharp. I think you might be confusing the real world to lab test results. A high quality lens (like the Olympus one I used here) will give excellent quality images, even when used wide open. The bigger problem with shooting wide open or any very shallow depth of field portraits is focusing errors (eye soft, nose sharp) and I deal with that by being careful and using eye detect AF 😉
@@GavinHoey 985/5000 Dear Master, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question. The question I asked you was actually because most sources state that a camera lens can produce its best and most error-free image when its aperture is about two steps narrower than its widest aperture. I am interested in astrophotography and bought a Sigma 20 mm f/1.4 Art. I had a question about the depth of field of the photos obtained with this lens. When the sensor arrives, more dim stars are recorded in the image. Now, if we place the lens on the widest aperture, we will face both the problem of shallow depth of field and the reduction of the sharpness of the image. Now if we have a subject like a tree in the foreground, what should we do to make both the tree and the stars clear and have a lot of depth of field? Should we focus only on the Hyper focal distance, or close the aperture about one or two steps to have both a greater depth of field and maximum sharpness? My Instagram ID: instagram.com/hoseinifar.commercial/ instagram.com/hoseinifar.astro/ Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer my questions and you will also find spelling mistakes in the text which are Google translator errors.
Great video Gavin. I will like you to do one with basic equipment for the ones like me, that do not use TTl and have limited filters. Remember, we are not all gear chaser. Thank you.
Thank you for proving HHS is a convenience not a necessity. Thanks to RUclips many photographers don't realize you can actually take pictures outdoors with flash and having them turn out beautiful.
Thanks Kenneth. If nothing else this proved to me that once the photography is done, the resulting images looked great whichever route you take... So I'm going to stick to the convenience route 😉
Probably noted here already, but High speed sync really eats your battery power, so you'll get a lot more shooting with the ND filter - worth bearing in mind. Great tutorial - as always !
Hi speed eat 1/8, ND eat 1/4, which is much power consumption. It is the game between high speed sync technology with solid unchanged ND. High speed win.
@@huyongquan6554 High Speed Sync generally robs you of a good bit more flash power than ND filters. That's just fact. ND's don't rob you of power. You just need more power the greater the strength of the ND filter but it doesn't rob you of any flash power out the gate.
@@jasonbodden8816 and no HSS flash banding problems with electronic shutter
This has to be the simplest and the most explanatory video on HSS vs ND FILTER. thank you, Gavin Hoey and Adorama.
Thanks for the kind words. Simple is by default setting 😉
Gavin Hoey must be protected at all costs. What a helpful gem of a human.
Perfect timing. Just used a variable ND filter for the first time to take sunset portraits at a sunflower field using off camera flash. Was pleasantly surprised 🙏
You have any trouble with the VND? I have one and have to be careful as it can create x type shadows at certain angles
@@jimpack9622 Well, the X pattern only forms at the very extreme end of the filter's range so it's best to avoid that portion of its range.
While there is some issue with needing increased power with HSS, given the capabilities of the XPlor 400, there is ample power to accomplish the task. One of the things I really admire about Gavin's work is that he provides a humble low cost solution without showing Profoto flash units, 75 different Profoto branded modifiers, and the latest and greatest Sekonic light meter. I have been watching Gavin's videos for the past 8 years and I keep learning more and more with every time I go back and watch something again.
I think the take home message with the TCM feature is that once you dial in the necessary power level, you can lock in the settings rather than relying on any variations as a result of HSS. In an auto mode, HSS can vary between shots and the end-result can be uneven.
The ND filters are fascinating to me as it basically becomes a scrim on the lens. There is a need for increased flash power there too to a degree. One thing that really helps the situation with ND filters is that both the Sekonic 478 and 858 have a built in compensation for ND filters. On the other hand, I liked Gavin's explanation of using the meter and adjusting for 5 stops to compensate for the ND filter.
This video inspired me to take up wood-chopping. Seriously, great video on HSS!
Gavin, thank you so much for yet another great video and toturial.
From your closing line, you said that using a mirrorless camera made it easy to use the ND filter because of the intelligent EVF. This means that using the filter with a DSLR will not be so easy as it will be hard to focus and even compose. So as a DSLR user I think HSS Flash is the answer for me.
I use a nikon d610 dslr and it works perfectly. I use a variable nd filter. Twist to let in light and focus, then twist to darken and take my shot. No issues what so ever, especially if you don't have an HSS setup available.
@@bernidre that’s also how I do it on my dslr
Mr. Gavin Hoey, you did it again!
Another great tutorial video.
I never even knew about using an ND filter with flash until recently, so this was quite an informatiive video. I've been practicing more with HSS, & find it quite versatile. With that said, there's always other uses for the ND, so I think I'll pick one up in the near future & play around with it, too. Thanks!
Using a strobe in HSS mode will significantly reduce flash output, about half, if you need the flash’s full power ND filters are best.
Light from the flash going through a ND filter will loose power, too (stops as per the filter’s rating)
@@Abakaschi But you still have the FULL range of power of your flash at your disposal. That's the difference.
Gavin and Jade flash brilliance by filtering the results.....Bravo to you both!
Thanks Booth. Filtering the results was spot on. I always end up with lots of great photos with Jade, so choosing which to use is never easy 😀
Always a joy to watch Gavin at work. 😊👍
It’s unfair that we can just like once. Gavin, your videos deserve more than one like!
Thanks Gavin! Excellent break down of the processes. May be a good idea to cover the disadvantages of HSS such as limited distance due to power consumption as well as flash overheating issues with multiple shots. The ND filter would not make the flash overheat as much and you will have a longer distance if necessary for the flash to reach. Thanks again.
But you need to have a mirrorless camera so your viewfinder would not be dark when viewing thru it.
@@thehumanityoflife6460 are you sure mirrorless viewfinder not dark?
I really must remember the TCM option on the trigger. Quite handy for initial tests. Great video as always Gavin
It really is a handy feature Iain, especially when social distancing makes using a flash meter tricky.
I’m glad to see more people talking about ND filters. One of my favorite ways to shoot is full sun using my ND 16 (4 stop) filter and 38 or 45 degree hard light reflectors.
Do you use any flash?
Thanks Gavin. You solved my biggest problem. I can't afford a light metre. I use a godox xpro and your ittl to manual technique saved my day. Thanks again.
4:55 That's not luck, it's experience 😊
Probably a bit of both Errol 😉
Love your videos. I always learn so much, that I realize I need to watch all your videos. Anyway, will ND filters work as well as HSS for action type sports portraits. The ones where I’ve seen HSS used to create dramatic portraits.
The Ted Lasso of photography. Great tutorial, thanks for the side by side comparisons!
Gavin, great to see you outdoors...
Great results from both the ND filters and HSS. If a small reduction in contrast is the only difference you can see, then that would suggest that you are using insanely expensive ND filters. For many years, Ive been using Hoya ND filters which are considered quite good in terms of quality but obviously not top of the range or super expensive. Generally, Ive been very happy with them for slow shutter speeds of rushing water and for video work. Though recently, I tried something Ive never done before. I photographed the same scene with and without a Hoya 3 stop ND filter. And I was quite alarmed by the differences. The photos taken without the filter came out so much nicer and the ones with the filter had a weird, unpleasant look about them. Previously, I was strongly considering using ND filters for outdoor portraits with flash (being on a small budget) but now I'm not so sure after seeing my own comparison photos.
Great video explaining on how to use ND filters & HSS. Other than saving on the life of your batteries. Are there any other advantages on one over the other? Explaining the use of the TCM button a plus as well.
That bokeh is stunning. Such lovely rendering
It’s nice to see you using a flash that most photographers can afford.
The OMD M1 MKIII has built in ND so need to buy separate filters. Brilliant to see the irrepressibly positive Mr Hoey back where he belongs, on a location shoot!
Hi Martyn. Sadly (for this sort of photography) those Olympus ND filters in the E-M1 X and Mark iii are virtual rather then physical and will not help here or for the record, as ND filters for video work 😞
@@GavinHoey I guess that's because of the use of flash? What do you think of the MKIII compared to the MKII? Recently bought an OM-1n 1970's and loving it to pieces!
@@martynphillips6646 The Live ND filters arn't limited by using flash, it's just how they work. Think of them as taking and stacking hundreds of photos in to one frame to create the illusion of a long exposure. For landscape stills photography the results are really good.
Every time I go back to my E-M1 Mark ii I realise why I prefer the Mark iii... It focuses so much better! If you shoot portraits, it's worth the upgrade for that alone.
If you are still there? Great video, but on the very last shoot you didn't use TTL and then transfer readings with TCM function. Any reason why not?
Thanks for sharing your useful and nice experience with us. And my experience is a tail of yours.
When using ND filter with camera values S=1/8000 and F=1/1.2 you can get same color and light result without ND filter and just closing aperature ND filter value. Only difference will be depht of field. So if we need small depth of field that means good bokeh we should use ND filter.
Another point of using any HSS speedlight we have to know (most of them shows on screen) “flash duration”. My speedlight flash duration is 1/220 sec for 1/1 power and 1/15380 sec (with bare bulb) for 1/256 power. If I choose 1/16 poweer flash duration is about 1/4760 sec. That means camera shutter speed is not so important if ambient light is not dominant.
Regards
Thank you! Now I have a much better understanding of HSS and I look forward to practicing it. Love your videos - fun and educational! Most importantly, to the point.
I’ve used both and I totally agree with your assessment. HSS is so much easier to set up.
ND filters aren't hard. You take a couple of test shots and you're there. People make it sound harder than it actually is lol.
to anyone reading this. invest in a really good ND filter. the ND filter has to be really good quality. otherwise you'll get a softer image. a good ND filter will allow you to stay within the cameras HSS sync limit, while still cutting the ambient (to avoid the high shutter speed that cuts the power of the flash). so, to me the best solution is flash/strobe with a good ND filter to cut the ambient and keep the flash power 1/250s/1/200s depending on your camera specially when fighting against the sun.
Nice camera +, nice setup, + beautiful model= great images; and behind all that, a nice set of skills from experience. Thank you Gavin.
What is the best modifier that you use for outside portraits?? Size and brand please
Great video, what metering were you using?
Thanks for the comparison between the two methods. Haven't done much work with filters, so this was nice.
4:05 ... Not really a bad shot as is, drop them highlights, lower contrast a bit, a tiny tiny bit of saturation and it would make a nice light and airy natural lit photo. Awesome shots man! I'm not a filter type guy but you workin them suckers man. Love the videos ALL of them! FYI, that wasn't no luck, that's experience, sometimes we simply question ourselves but typically nail the shot lol. Love it that way. You simply know how to look with your eyes and can pretty much pinpoint where your settings go without no durn light meter.
This was one of the best instructional videos I've seen -- probably because it relates closer to the photos I take.
Thanks for the kind words Vince 👍
I am from Brazil and i was looking for a video to take this doubt to me, it came at the right time this video, thank you so much ...
Mesma coisa comigo.
Thank you so much for another great video. Do you think that the ND approach would be a better way, if the backdrop is the ocean (sunset)? Thank you.
Excellent tut! There are many on HSS but this is better because it contrasts HSS with ND. (And Jade is just too cute!!)
I really enjoy your videos. They are easy to follow and understand. I tend to want to watch your's much more than other Adorama videos. (no offense to the others but it's true) Thanks for what you do.
Good comparision - Also a consideration is that HSS eats the batteries up very quickly compared to normal flash and ND filters.
Hi Gavin. You are THE guy! I am learning a lot watching your videos. Thank you. Congrats from Brazil!
My Oly M1mark III stops working with Godox V860 in HSS! Why? What's the problem! Thanks.
Great Video as always Gavin👍🏼. The TCM option on the trigger is new to me though. I use Godox and Canon mirrorless. Is there any such option with this setup?
I wish you would have tested the ND filters that fit over the sensor. I'm curious as to how the camera focuses with one of those vs. the on lens filter.
Gavin. Whats happened when we use a speedlight in hss? Your power down for 1/4?
Very helpful video. Especially for entry-level camera users where hss is not applicable. Will try, thanks a lot
This is awesome. Although a blown out background can be a stylistic choice, I liked seeing ideas of how to tame a very bright and often unpleasant background. You presented it in a very simple and understandable way! I've used off camera flash but fairly recently figured out how to set up for HSS on my EOS R. I was confused after watching the display blink at 1/200 and why I couldn't increase the shutter speed, and then the light bulb went on after some research. :) I'm looking forward to our session this weekend, which unfortunately had to be at 9AM, will be more successful when employing these tips for shots where we may have a very bright background. Thank you Gavin!
Very nice B roll makes this an easy to follow educational video. I'd love a follow up discussing ND color cast, editing, and gelling the flash based on time of day.
Nice to see Gavin shoot outside the small home studio
This was a master class. Exactly the info i needed.
EXCELENTE !!! MAGISTRAL !!! FELICITACIONES !!! Gracias por la enseñanza !!!
Thanks for the helpful video @Gavin Hoey. If I had more than one speedlight with one functioning as the key light and one as a rim light, would they both need to be high speed sync to work with the camera and flash trigger? Or does only one of them need to be (eg the key light) to allow faster shutter speeds? Does a second speedlight affect the shutter speed or shallow depth of field at all (eg if it's just lighting a model's hair)? And with that in mind, do both flashes need to be of equal capability and quality or could one be much cheaper and with far fewer features (eg one being a Godox over £150 and the other being a Neewer of only £29)? Thanks
How do you meter the flash when using the ND filter on? My trigger is kind of old version and can't use TTL to measure light and switch to Manual mode. Thanks
I only have one question, its difficult focus the subject with 5 ND filter?
I really love your videos, is there a way can do a video call to set my lumix g 90 for highspeed shotting
There is no difference when the flash is strong. I expected to see the advantage of the ND filter when using a weak flash. It is known that in HSS mode a lot of power is lost because it has to discharge several times when opening the curtain.
In my (unscientific) experience I find the Flashpoint Xplor 400 and 600 max power to be roughly 3 stops of light down on the non-HSS flash. So if I'm a adding a 3 stop ND to get to the same exposure, I'm more or less using the same power in HSS and non-HSS. At least that's my feeling. That said, HSS power settings are a moving target with shutter speed making a sizable difference to output, whereas an ND filter is more predictable... if only there were just one correct answer, photography would be so much easier 😉
@@oneeyedphotographer Electronic shutter is disabled with flash (HSS or normal) on my A7Riii.
@@oneeyedphotographer The way electronic shutter works on Olympus does not allow to shoot with flash properly. The picture is fully exposed by flash at some of the lowest shutter speed (it was 1/8s for E-M1, newer are slightly faster, around 1/20 or 1/50 I think). Not really practical.
OneEyedPhotographer flash won’t work in electronic shutter... also you’ll have rolling shutter issue and flickering with some lighting. That’s because the mechanical shutter allow uniform lighting. Google how electronic shutter works :)
As for HSS vs ND, you’re doing the math wrong. First of all, the power will depend on how fast you’re going. If you’re going to 1/8000 it will be a lot more than 3 stops lost.
Bottom line is that it is definitely easier to use HSS but ND is the better way ans will give you better results, especially in extreme conditions (very strong light, or need to have the flash further because it’s a wide shot, or using a huge diffuser, etc)
@@michaelballance1893 Yep. The untold story of mirrorless in most cases. Anybody else on this thread experience that restriction with your mirrorless DSLR?
Awesome work mate. Enthusiastic concise delivery. Gavin for the win 🥰
Never tried actually ND filters in location when taking portraits :) - need to try just to compare myself. Thanks for great videos, helps with my work :)
I am new in this high speed sync flash setup, I never try before after looking at your video and others , I have interest to get one to try out. But I am not sure whether as begineer I dont want to spend that budget and dont want to carry so much on travel. I came around one Godox SK400 iI which only have a max speed of 1/2000 and intend to use in day time or sometime evening and with ND 3 stop filter ?
Enjoyed this. Liked the section where you took photo using ttl setting and then pressed tcm button, which put in a manual setting for strobe strength. Do you have any other tutorials about the use of ttl and manual on the remote?
Here you go Joseph ruclips.net/video/iqtfVvIIbmc/видео.html
Hey From Pensacola Florida love watching all ur videos ur extremely informative and I’ve learned a ton from you
This was an excellent and informative video. I also liked the setting for the photo shoot and the model's costume. Seeing those was also educational. Gavin's enthusiasm is always fun and inspirational. I really appreciate Adorama sponsoring such great videos.
You are an Awesome Teacher indeed!!
Great exercise and demonstration, Gavin!! Gotta consider that you are shooting at f1.2 and 200 ISO. So when going up to 1/8000 on the shutter there's still a good amount of light coming through.
On an f1.4 or perhaps f1.8 lens and 100 base ISO shooting at 1/8000 shutter can be a bit challenging given the amount of light you get, the flash wattage, modifier, distance etc. Of course the ad400 punches good power anyways when used right!
If you go with hss, do you lose power only or also gain recycle time? Thanks
You can set the flash to ttl and when you switch it to manuel it will have the power output you used in ttl?
Lovely Gavin. Always admire your work.
Is canon st-e3 trigger can do that feature of ttl reading light meter or that is it just Godox (tcm)??
If so how i can do it 👏❤️thank you
Thank you ,I didn't now how its works outsite. I learn so much from you
Great, simple, and easy to understand explanation
Great video Mr. Gavin Hoey its great to see side by side what one can get with either ND Filters Or High Sync Speed! Thanks ADORAMA for having this great and informative videos on your channel.
Brilliant video. It is very useful to contrast two procedures with similar goals and very different work flow. Thanks for doing this.
Always helpful! Thanks so much for doing these Adorama and Mr. Hoey. Appreciate the social distancing as well!
Thanks Frank. Hopefully in 10 years time this video will have comments from the next generation of photographers asking what was "social distancing" 🤞
Timely video for me and, as always, great educational content. Thank you Adorama and Gavin!
Your video was so go. I never had the thought of using ND filters with flash. Thanks I have more knowledge now. Keep it up.
Dear Mr. Hoey, I have a question regarding the modifiers that you are using for outdoor portraits. In this video, you are using a softbox but in your video: Better Than Ambient Light ..., you are using a different modifier. May I ask you, how you decide what modifier you will use for an outdoor portrait? Many thanks
That was very informative never would’ve thought of dealing with light like that. Awesome thank you so much.
Hi Gavin. Greta video. Quick question though please..for both the ND filter and HSS what were the flash settings on your Olympus camera? Not flash power but the actual settings on the camera?
Hi Francesca. I'm not sure what settings you're missing but the only ones that are Olympus specific that I didn't list are...
Flash Mode "Fill In" ~ Shutter Mode "Single" ~ Metering Mode "ESP" ~ Face & Eye Priority "On"
Let me know if I've missed something
Gavin Hoey thanks Gavin. Gradually getting the hang of flash. These plus the two with Olympus have been really good. Much appreciated. Thanks.
Gavin is a master teacher
Thanks Gavin. Wonderful explanation and good tips too.
Love your work and teachings, as always, Gavin. Thank you so much!!
Thanks Gavin. I always learn so much on your videos. I'm considering a hss battery powered neweer vision 5 monolight but also have a hss speedlight i think 58GN. Is there much difference between monolight and speedlights using softbox to do your pictures. May get a neweer vision 4 (no hhs or ttl) and use V ND filter. Thoughts?
Cool model, simple and natural
Thank you, Gvin and Jade! These comparisons are very clear, and your photos, as always, look very nice indeed. Take care!
Thanks for the kind words Mike 👍
Dear Master, Gaining shallow depth of field in portrait photography is ideal, but since you do not get sharp images at the widest aperture of the lens, why did not you use one or one third of the narrower aperture step? Thank you for answering.
Thank you very much for teaching.
Hi Seyed. You can't tell from a RUclips video but I can promise you my images were very sharp. I think you might be confusing the real world to lab test results. A high quality lens (like the Olympus one I used here) will give excellent quality images, even when used wide open. The bigger problem with shooting wide open or any very shallow depth of field portraits is focusing errors (eye soft, nose sharp) and I deal with that by being careful and using eye detect AF 😉
@@GavinHoey 985/5000
Dear Master, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question.
The question I asked you was actually because most sources state that a camera lens can produce its best and most error-free image when its aperture is about two steps narrower than its widest aperture.
I am interested in astrophotography and bought a Sigma 20 mm f/1.4 Art. I had a question about the depth of field of the photos obtained with this lens. When the sensor arrives, more dim stars are recorded in the image. Now, if we place the lens on the widest aperture, we will face both the problem of shallow depth of field and the reduction of the sharpness of the image. Now if we have a subject like a tree in the foreground, what should we do to make both the tree and the stars clear and have a lot of depth of field? Should we focus only on the Hyper focal distance, or close the aperture about one or two steps to have both a greater depth of field and maximum sharpness?
My Instagram ID:
instagram.com/hoseinifar.commercial/
instagram.com/hoseinifar.astro/
Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer my questions and you will also find spelling mistakes in the text which are Google translator errors.
Great video Gavin. I will like you to do one with basic equipment for the ones like me, that do not use TTl and have limited filters. Remember, we are not all gear chaser. Thank you.
Great work Gavin , i have been watching your videos for many years , keep it going many thanks.
Would it be possible to use the live ND mode built into that em1iii and achieve the same results?
Another excellent and informative video Gavin, well done
That was very informative. I love it . Excellent work Gavin
Is your flash more powerful than v860iii?
Just wondering, because the flash is pulsating in HSS, This is more taxing (wear and tear)on the flash VS using an ND filter?
Hi Alvin. I guess it might although in my experience if a flash is going to fail it's always been due to my mishandling rather then age 😲
In a wedding situation and using ND, I can see setting up the second camera for this.
You make it so easy to understand. Thanks for sharing!
You never fail to teach me something new or that I hadn’t considered, thank you for another wonderfully entertaining and informative video 🙏👍
Thanks Garry, glad I've been of help 👍
Well Sir, yet again you have opened another door for me. Thank you!
Thank you, Gavin for another great video. You make things easy to understand.