OK….the challenge is to get flashes to work better over 1/250th of a second. I have been geeking out on this and have 2 “solutions”. To implement these I have created a dual flash stand to both flashes are usable as one.
Option 1 – Using the ST-E2 remote flash thing-a-majig. This of course works a charm at ridiculous shutter speeds. No problems at 1/8000th, and with 2 flashed acting as 1 you can dial down the FEC 1 stop immediately to half the power (2 flashes at half power = 1 normal flash). You also have all the control on-camera, so no running around making adjustments. The problem with this is where you put the flashes. They have to be in front of you in reality. You can have the ST-E2 on a swivel flashbracket and use the ETTL cable I guess. Battery life of the ST-E2 is purported to be 3500 – 4000 flashes. About the same as the 580 with a battery pack me thinks.
Option 2 – Using 5 pocket wizards!!!!! Yep….you heard it 5!!!! Lets get into the geeky bit.
When you expose using a standard flash at 1/500th you lose the lower part of the frame because the second curtain is closing when the flash goes off.
So you need to have a flash go off before the second curtain starts to close. Here’s where the 5 pocket wizards come into play.
Gear list : 1 Camera, 2 x Multimax, 3 x PlusII, 2 x 580, 1 x calculator
Step 1 – Fill in the dark bit with a “delayed” flash
* Calculate the flash lag time using a multimax (read the manual) – 1DsMK2 = 0.0523 average
* Set the delay on 1 multimax flash to 0.0498 (0.0523 – 0.0025 radio lag) and attach it to the flash.
* Set the other multimax on the camera to fire as a remote.
* Set 1 PlusII to trigger the camers.
Timing : Operating the PlusII triggers the camera to start it’s firing sequence and starts the flash delay timer going. When the shutter opens 0.0523 seconds later the remote flash is firing. You may need to play with the timing to get the bottom of the frame filled.
Step 2 – Set the normal remote flash to run from the hot-shoe remote. This will operate normally and fill the top part of the frame.
Here’s the final result.
So in reality, you can use the ST-E2 and 580’s in optical remote mode or a truck-load of gear. I’ll field test the ST-E2 when I can to see what it’s like, but Option 2 in this case is insane to use in the field.