Eq ualization Adjus tmen ts
W ith all the variable factors above it may seem that perf ormin g the m ath nec ess ary for equalization is daunting. Here are some techniques for fine- tuning or adjusting equalization times without using specific math:
On some 35m m c ameras you can gauge timing without using film. If your camera allows triggering with the film bac k open you can verify s ync hroniz ation visu ally.
1. | Perf orm th e steps above to get bas ic equ alization started |
2. | Poin t the f lash at a blank wall |
3. | On the camera NOT attached to the flash, set the shutter speed to 1/60 |
4. | Open that camera’s back |
5. | Point the camera at the same wall as the flash |
6. | As the camera and flash are being triggered look through the shutter plane |
| through the lens at the light from the flash hitting the wall. CAUTION: MAKE |
| SURE the flash is set to a comfortable level for your eyes! |
7. | Note the s hape of th e light burst. If it is a perf ect b righ t circle th en th e cam era is |
| in sync. If the circle is dark or has a hard line running along one edge then the |
| cam era is not in syn c. T he hard lin e is th e sh utter in m otion w hile the flas h is |
| still generating light |
8. | Ad jus t the s hutter s peed up or dow n until you s ee a perfec t circle |
ëThe delay time setting screen is instantly active. W hile in numeric entry mode you can adjust the delay up or down and the displayed value will be executed on the next trigger. Using the
The mathematical formulas used thus far are designed for equalizing at 1/125. The final off set num ber (0 .002 5 for exam ple) m ay need to be adju sted when attemp ting to equalize at faster shutter speeds or slower ones with wide lag variation cameras. The offs et num ber tries to move the f lash b urs t to the middle of th e exposu re to compensate for drifting lag time. Experiment with different offsets to fine tune your sh utter s peed, f lash d uration, and cam era timing com binations . Too long or s hort of an of fs et and you limit a c am era’s ability to get the exposu re if the lag d rifts, even by a sm all amoun t.
ëVis it http://www .pocketwizard. com/ for m ore inf orm ation on cam era s pec ific equalization tec hniques . As more in form ation bec omes available it will be pos ted there.
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