Although informative, I might ask why you didn't shoot the Speedotron at the same F stop of 5.6 as you did the Profoto? At three stops more output you could have reduced the output of the Speedo which would have decreased the flash duration.
This is incredibly insightful information! Really decodes a lot of the magic behind how flashes work, and why I still got some blurry shots in a studio at max power.
Thank you so much - i was in the studio for 2 hours try to figure it out why mine couldn't freeze the motion and this video exactly help me find the answer. Thank you for provding such an informative education video.
Usually t0.1 or t.5 are defined by the AREA under the curve which is 50% or 90% of the total curve area. You can easily understand, why the definition of the video is not meaningful: A flash decreasing rapidly to 10% of its maximum value but glowing with an intensity smaller of 10% for a very long time will not freeze motion.
It is clear that the profoto B2 could never compete with the Godox AD600, since the Godox's firing speed is half as fast, but with triple the power and 1/3 the price, easier to transport, in short, much best flash. Lastly, Adorama, sells this flash under its own brand, Flashpoint, and Mark has realized that he was screwing up if he introduced the Godox in the tutorial. Esta claro que el profoto B2 nunca podría competir con el Godox AD600, ya que la velocidad de disparo del Godox es la mitad de rápida, pero con el triple de potencia y 1/3 del precio, mas fácil de transportar, en definitiva, mucho mejor flash. Por último, Adorama, vende este flash con marca propia, Flashpoint, y Mark se ha dado cuenta de que estaba metiendo la pata si introducía el Godox en el tutorial
I shot a ton of water splashes, shooting/breaking glass, etc... and am very happy that you did this video... Well done and I hope this inspires more to try freeze action photography. Great Job Mark!
I can understand that the lower the power, the higher the freezing speed, but in the dark, if the HSS is bright, how does t0.1 and HSS show the graph? Why does it take more power?
Very helpful and appreciated. One suggestion I'd make is to avoid distracting backing music like the plucking of a string. I had to keep turning it off to see where the noise was coming from in my apartment.
educational - but, since a high number of the viewers are likely to be Godox/Flashpoint owners - it would have been helpful if the final level of testing T5/T1 was done with that unit as well as the Profoto
Exactly (glad I read this before I responded because it's exactly what I was thinking...). Even if the Profoto outperformed it, I'd still like to know how the Godox performed. The video started out running all tests on all units, but then the Godox was excused! Super educational, as stated and I definitely learned something today, but man, I can't figure out why the Godox was excluded from those Crucial tests... Thanks Mark!!!!!!
Very disappointed the Godox wasn't shown. Some of us can not afford Profoto and Godox provides us with an alternative and it is especially useful information for beginners like me!
Thanks Mark. I would be interested to see the difference between all the lights set at the same F stop. Sorry not complaining just the nerdy side of me would have loved that info. Thanks again for all your knowledge.
i noticed that as well. A sales pitch for profoto, but the others were only shown at the beginning and not truly compared. While I admit, I could go online and find the information, I would be depending on manufacturer advertising specs versus a more empirical demonstration.
Thanks Mark for this clinical coverage. Some of the profoto units have a freeze mode. So why this is needed as you mentioned just lowering the power will help in the shortening the duration?
Because freeze mode will have even shorter flash durations. Plus you might need more power AND a short flash duration, rather than just lowering the power all the way.
But with High Speed Sync wouldn't it capture just the light from that small time the shutter is open? Then it wouldn't matter as much if the flash isn't as quick, right? What was the shutter speed on those photos of Maria? Thanks for all the informative content!
High speed sync is not the best solution for stopping action. This i because the flash is fired multiple times during the exposure resulting in blurr. It can work for some setups where you are shooting the peak of a movement and need to bring bright ambient levels under control but for fast movement across the frame it does not work.
He would have been within the camera's and sync speed. HSS is not an efficient way of freezing motion in a studio, (and it robs you of a lot of power too). And those old flashes would not have HSS anyway.
Does flash duration impact HSS ? What is the relationship between them ? Say I want to shoot a cyclist and I use HSS and 1/800 shutter and power my future strobe (an AD600) at 1/1 (which has t.1 of about 1/250 @ full power)
Flash duration is not a factor when using HSS. When shooting with HSS treat it as you would a continuous light. The Godox range won’t even display a flash duration when in HSS. In HSS you use SS to freeze motion.
why were all outputs on the flash units not set at f16?this would show a more accurate comparision between each unit to show how much of the action was actually frozen,the duration shooting at f5 would be much shorter due to the power output
i think shutter speed freezes motion. I've shot pro sports in natural light only, and have never had a problem when i adjust the shutter speed above 1/500...mostly 1/1000. So, if you''re gonna use a flash, regardless of flash duration, as long as it synches at 500 or more, I feel that you'll be alright, no? also, in terms of flash fall off, if the shutter is already closed, then it doesn't matter, right? I know Speedotron loves to say that they are used by the NBA, and i've never seen any issue with blurry photos. IMHO
So the good news about the most expensive "new technology" is that the lowest power setting sure was fast enough to freeze action and fight motion blur. Especially when compared to that horrible "old technology". (Boo for "old technology" in lighting.) The bad news is that at f0.7 your depth of field is so shallow you won't get focus anyway.
If you're talking about flash duration, you have to go with the leader of it all... Broncolor! Whether it is the monolights (Siros / Siros L) or the pack + head system (Move 1200L or Scoro) - nothing can beat it, as well as adjustability of the flash duration, colour temp, etc.
Very true but they also cost 1000's. Amazing kit none the less. For folk on budget the Godox line of strobes are very good also, this is where I am lighting kit wise at the moment and they are yet to let me down. I will say that I love what can be done with Broncolor kit, especially the pico light and optical projector/blades.
Flash duration requires answering another question: how fast the electronics and firmware of your digital camera can scan a sequence of pixels. One at a time in lower pixel count sensors cameras, or maybe in a number of bands in parallel. If we reduce the flash to short enough and the camera is scanning in the rise time of the flash, you will see an exposure difference between the first and last pixel in a scan sequence. Digitally illiterate ignorants call this banding and act as if it is the fault of the camera. You could blame the photographer for not understanding this and not being able to work around this. or the firmware for not being able to allow you to shift the flash synchronization to a slightly later moment.
Couple of questions. 1. How does the camera shutter speed affect flash duration? 2. If flash power = faster flash duration, would an additional flash to put more light on the subject help?
The shutter speed has no affect on it.... Providing that you don't go above the camera's and sync speed, and providing that slowing the shutter speed does not introduce ambient light into the exposure. Yes, 2 flashes at 1/4 power would give the same amount of light, as one at 1/2 power, but the flashes at 1/4 power will have a faster flash duration.
Mark, you have made a great video, but it is not as much informative as it might be. You don't present on the video the camera and strobe settings on compared pictures with a model, which makes the results hard to compare. I'm guessing, that the test with the same transmitted power of light (the same F stop on the light meter) would present more similar results among strobes. Regardless, I think that B2 would be the winner. Nevertheless - excellent training and rules explanation.
Mediocre science. Kinda misspoke some of the terminology. The light meter probably created the graphs via an extrapolated formula rather that true measured events. Informative for concepts, but best to use credentialed scientists to teach science.
Although informative, I might ask why you didn't shoot the Speedotron at the same F stop of 5.6 as you did the Profoto? At three stops more output you could have reduced the output of the Speedo which would have decreased the flash duration.
This is incredibly insightful information! Really decodes a lot of the magic behind how flashes work, and why I still got some blurry shots in a studio at max power.
Mark, what shutter speed was camera when last photo with model was shot? I wish you had shown the Godox
Super interesting. Love comparisons especially with older and new year.
Thanks
Thank you so much - i was in the studio for 2 hours try to figure it out why mine couldn't freeze the motion and this video exactly help me find the answer. Thank you for provding such an informative education video.
Did he skip the Godox??
Great job Mark! What a way to explain this. 👍🏼
Usually t0.1 or t.5 are defined by the AREA under the curve which is 50% or 90% of the total curve area.
You can easily understand, why the definition of the video is not meaningful: A flash decreasing rapidly to 10% of its maximum value but glowing with an intensity smaller of 10% for a very long time will not freeze motion.
I did not see the measurement on the Godox on the last T1 test. It was missed for some reason ?
Thanks for the test
Roberto Cienfuegos I was also waiting for it. Actually that was the main reason that I watched the video.
He did not show the values ... presumably because the Profoto is in a bad position compared to the Godox, especially if you include the price.
You can see it from the graph of the first measurement he did (at 6:47). It seems to be around 6ms at full power
It is clear that the profoto B2 could never compete with the Godox AD600, since the Godox's firing speed is half as fast, but with triple the power and 1/3 the price, easier to transport, in short, much best flash. Lastly, Adorama, sells this flash under its own brand, Flashpoint, and Mark has realized that he was screwing up if he introduced the Godox in the tutorial.
Esta claro que el profoto B2 nunca podría competir con el Godox AD600, ya que la velocidad de disparo del Godox es la mitad de rápida, pero con el triple de potencia y 1/3 del precio, mas fácil de transportar, en definitiva, mucho mejor flash. Por último, Adorama, vende este flash con marca propia, Flashpoint, y Mark se ha dado cuenta de que estaba metiendo la pata si introducía el Godox en el tutorial
I shot a ton of water splashes, shooting/breaking glass, etc... and am very happy that you did this video... Well done and I hope this inspires more to try freeze action photography. Great Job Mark!
Thanks Mark, very clear explanation!
Very educational. Thanks Mark
Great info. How about doing this with speedlights.
That would be pretty cool.. I have seen YT videos that do explore Speedlights- which relates to al ot of people.
Very informative!Thanks a lot! =)
Excellent explanation, excellent demonstration, excellent examples!
How does this only have 1,000 upvotes???
Great!Thank you!
Excellent comparison 👍 thanks
Great information!
Thank you!!!
I can understand that the lower the power, the higher the freezing speed, but in the dark, if the HSS is bright, how does t0.1 and HSS show the graph? Why does it take more power?
So with more power its more light that has to fade out->slower->not good for freezing or why?
Mark you are awesome.
Very helpful and appreciated. One suggestion I'd make is to avoid distracting backing music like the plucking of a string. I had to keep turning it off to see where the noise was coming from in my apartment.
Good information.
Great test
The oldest and slowest (and cheapest) flash is the best flash for super sync / hyper sync
I need longer flash duration is it possible to increase the duration ?
educational - but, since a high number of the viewers are likely to be Godox/Flashpoint owners - it would have been helpful if the final level of testing T5/T1 was done with that unit as well as the Profoto
And also to do the comparison when all flashes are set for some specific aperture, say f8.
Exactly (glad I read this before I responded because it's exactly what I was thinking...). Even if the Profoto outperformed it, I'd still like to know how the Godox performed. The video started out running all tests on all units, but then the Godox was excused! Super educational, as stated and I definitely learned something today, but man, I can't figure out why the Godox was excluded from those Crucial tests... Thanks Mark!!!!!!
100% agree with ole Wet Dog 😁
Very disappointed the Godox wasn't shown. Some of us can not afford Profoto and Godox provides us with an alternative and it is especially useful information for beginners like me!
Thanks Mark. I would be interested to see the difference between all the lights set at the same F stop. Sorry not complaining just the nerdy side of me would have loved that info. Thanks again for all your knowledge.
i noticed that as well. A sales pitch for profoto, but the others were only shown at the beginning and not truly compared. While I admit, I could go online and find the information, I would be depending on manufacturer advertising specs versus a more empirical demonstration.
I'd like to see a future comparison with the Godox AD200 PRO
Why, the specs are already available online
Thanks Mark for this clinical coverage. Some of the profoto units have a freeze mode. So why this is needed as you mentioned just lowering the power will help in the shortening the duration?
Because freeze mode will have even shorter flash durations. Plus you might need more power AND a short flash duration, rather than just lowering the power all the way.
ummm' Makes me wonder how my Bowens 1000wSecs espirits would compare with my speedlites ? still umming ? :(
Does increasing from manual 1/4 to 1/1 increase amount of intensity only or increase amount of duration only ...or both?
Both, it is obviously more power, (2 stops more), and the flash duration will be longer
The Adorama site says the B2 is no longer available.
But with High Speed Sync wouldn't it capture just the light from that small time the shutter is open? Then it wouldn't matter as much if the flash isn't as quick, right?
What was the shutter speed on those photos of Maria?
Thanks for all the informative content!
High speed sync is not the best solution for stopping action. This i because the flash is fired multiple times during the exposure resulting in blurr.
It can work for some setups where you are shooting the peak of a movement and need to bring bright ambient levels under control but for fast movement across the frame it does not work.
He would have been within the camera's and sync speed.
HSS is not an efficient way of freezing motion in a studio, (and it robs you of a lot of power too).
And those old flashes would not have HSS anyway.
Does flash duration impact HSS ? What is the relationship between them ? Say I want to shoot a cyclist and I use HSS and 1/800 shutter and power my future strobe (an AD600) at 1/1 (which has t.1 of about 1/250 @ full power)
Flash duration is not a factor when using HSS. When shooting with HSS treat it as you would a continuous light. The Godox range won’t even display a flash duration when in HSS. In HSS you use SS to freeze motion.
why were all outputs on the flash units not set at f16?this would show a more accurate comparision between each unit to show how much of the action was actually frozen,the duration shooting at f5 would be much shorter due to the power output
i think shutter speed freezes motion. I've shot pro sports in natural light only, and have never had a problem when i adjust the shutter speed above 1/500...mostly 1/1000. So, if you''re gonna use a flash, regardless of flash duration, as long as it synches at 500 or more, I feel that you'll be alright, no? also, in terms of flash fall off, if the shutter is already closed, then it doesn't matter, right? I know Speedotron loves to say that they are used by the NBA, and i've never seen any issue with blurry photos. IMHO
I have a Flashpoint 600 I bought from Adorama. Should I return it then?
Nope, it's perfectly fine. They have very good stopping power.
Why would you??
How does one measure this with light meter?
You need a light meter capable. He is using the Sketonic 858D
So the good news about the most expensive "new technology" is that the lowest power setting sure was fast enough to freeze action and fight motion blur. Especially when compared to that horrible "old technology". (Boo for "old technology" in lighting.)
The bad news is that at f0.7 your depth of field is so shallow you won't get focus anyway.
If you're talking about flash duration, you have to go with the leader of it all... Broncolor! Whether it is the monolights (Siros / Siros L) or the pack + head system (Move 1200L or Scoro) - nothing can beat it, as well as adjustability of the flash duration, colour temp, etc.
Very true but they also cost 1000's. Amazing kit none the less. For folk on budget the Godox line of strobes are very good also, this is where I am lighting kit wise at the moment and they are yet to let me down.
I will say that I love what can be done with Broncolor kit, especially the pico light and optical projector/blades.
Bad representation of the different setups. It seems that this is more like a prophoto ad!
Flash duration requires answering another question: how fast the electronics and firmware of your digital camera can scan a sequence of pixels. One at a time in lower pixel count sensors cameras, or maybe in a number of bands in parallel. If we reduce the flash to short enough and the camera is scanning in the rise time of the flash, you will see an exposure difference between the first and last pixel in a scan sequence. Digitally illiterate ignorants call this banding and act as if it is the fault of the camera. You could blame the photographer for not understanding this and not being able to work around this. or the firmware for not being able to allow you to shift the flash synchronization to a slightly later moment.
Where is the godox?
Couple of questions.
1. How does the camera shutter speed affect flash duration?
2. If flash power = faster flash duration, would an additional flash to put more light on the subject help?
The shutter speed has no affect on it.... Providing that you don't go above the camera's and sync speed, and providing that slowing the shutter speed does not introduce ambient light into the exposure.
Yes, 2 flashes at 1/4 power would give the same amount of light, as one at 1/2 power, but the flashes at 1/4 power will have a faster flash duration.
With the first flash on the jump test you could have reduced the f stop to 5.6 and increase shutter speed and would have gotten the same result.
Ross Cameron shutter speed doesn’t affect
Ross Cameron shutter speed doesn’t affect
ничего не понятно, но очень интересно
Mark, you have made a great video, but it is not as much informative as it might be. You don't present on the video the camera and strobe settings on compared pictures with a model, which makes the results hard to compare. I'm guessing, that the test with the same transmitted power of light (the same F stop on the light meter) would present more similar results among strobes. Regardless, I think that B2 would be the winner. Nevertheless - excellent training and rules explanation.
Gavin Hoey did this already
This is bias review to promote Profoto.Why you skipped the Godox.
So thats why profoto is so expensive
No
LOL... otherwise you do what pros do and hypersync....
Mediocre science. Kinda misspoke some of the terminology. The light meter probably created the graphs via an extrapolated formula rather that true measured events. Informative for concepts, but best to use credentialed scientists to teach science.