Wireless trigger for studio lights

Yeah, would be nice if Pentax didn't cripple their cameras and disable the hot shoe and sync socket shutter speeds above 1/180. Sadly you're forced to use PTTL compatible devices and hi-speed sync at that point.

Surely, that's simply down to the mechanics of the shutter system !?
1/180 being the fastest without curtain overlap ! NOT a Pentax choice ??

Actually it is a Pentax choice.
Look at other brands. I do not know how many models of other brands are equally as crippled, but the higher end models definitely do not lock out the user from using this limitation responsibly as a feature. (limitation being the sync speed... feature being the ability to exceed it and work around the side effects)

Maybe I should clarify... yes, top sync speed is 1/180. This is a mechanical limitation. Pentax chose to not add cost to increase shutter speed. We'll live with that choice.

The choice I have a hard time living with sometimes is that the flash sync pins are disabled above the sync speed. It is, or should be, quite possible to set flash above the sync speed and not notice, or notice to a very diminished amount, the dark bar that comes in as a matter of the shutter closing before the flash has sufficiently fired.
In some cases, the darkening band can be used like a ND filter to deuce brightness of the sky even further while brightening the subject and ground level... or other creative effects.

Yes I follow that and agree ! maybe an option to turn off flash limiter ??

How do get a dark band in the sky ? shoot at dusk with camera upside down ?? the band does appear at the bottom normally, doesn't it ?

Amoringello, have you any proof that Pentax have deliberately made the shutter sync at a lower speed than necessary?

If not, stop talking about "crippled".

G

Anything can always be interpreted in a negative way, but Pentax have just designed their cameras around a shutter with a synch speed of 1/180sec. That's faster than the 1/125sec of the older film cameras (1/60sec with horizontally running shutters) but slower than the 1/250sec of faster shutters that are more expensive. It's only a choice, not a conspiracy!

If you want faster flash synch, then a Pentax flashgun can be used in high speed mode. If you want to set an inappropriately high synch speed then you can do so using manual mode. The consequence may well be a dark bar on the image, but it is possible to be lucky and for it to fall in an unimportant part.

I personally don't have a problem using 1/180sec with studio flash. If I wanted to use fill-in flash in daylight that needs some care with focal plane shutters, so a camera with a leaf shutter or a leaf shutter lens is better.

Not on my K20 !? It won't let me ??

Or am I missing something ?

Maybe missing a Pentax flashgun?

Got several !! Don't help !? Only go above 1/180 in HS !?

Just tried in Manual mode (and Av, Tv) with RF trigger and still nothing above 1/180 !?

No X sync from camera it seems :

So what makes u think it will work ? Pentax flash or not ??

What are you trying to do? This started off as a question about triggers for studio lights. IR trigger, 1/180 set in M mode, test shot at f8 and then adjust as needed, job done.

Trying to force the flash to trigger above 1/180. Pentax disables the trigger signal at over 1/180 unless it gets an HSS signal from the attached flash.

I don't care about correct synchronisation, I'd like to be able to choose a higher shutter speed and the flash to still fire. This may cause black banding but may be useful in some situations.

You need a Pentax flash with HSS, the limitation here is the speed the shutter curtains travel at. At the risk of teaching grannies to suck eggs I assume you know how a focal plane shutter works.

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