While wireless flash devices have been a revelation in action and adventure sports photography, allowing snappers to quickly place flashes around the action without getting tied up in cables, relatively slow synchronization times have limited what they can do with the technology.
PocketWizard claim their new Flex TT5 transceiver coupled with a Mini TT1 transmitter mark the next step in wireless flash evolution. The TT1 fits on top of a camera’s hot shoe while the TT5 is the remote unit fixed to a flash.
For a recent edition of fotoMAGAZIN Marcel Lämmerhirt put the gadgets to the test in two different scenarios: for a shoot with Austrian free-runner Lukas Steiner and for a skateboarding session in Germany.
“The synchronization time needed to make a sharp freeze-frame shot is usually limited to a time between 1/200 and 1/320 seconds,” says Marcel. “That’s often too slow to capture quick movements.
“Added to that, you’ve got to close the ‘blend’ in order to use the flash and increase the image’s focus.
“With the PocketWizard equipment, it’s possible to use an almost unlimited number of flashes over a distance of 20-30m through the wireless triggering system.
“With the Lukas Steiner shot, I wanted to demonstrate how it was possible to freeze the water droplets with a small depth of focus (F 3.2) and exposure time (1/3200s).
“Up until now that was only possible using available light because the synchronization times were not quick enough.
“For this image, Lukas got the sun from the right, and I positioned a Flex TT5 on a flash on a tripod to his left. I set up a second flash behind him connected to the Flex TT5 by cable to give him some backlighting.
“This way I got a small light angle on his neck and left arm and additionally the flashes gave the water droplets a special appearance.
On the skateboarding shoot, Marcel tested out the ‘HyperSync’ function, which can advance the timing of flash triggers so that increased flash synchronization speeds of up to 1/500s are possible.
“Using these rapid flash sync times and available light, it’s possible to freeze the action. Because of slower sync times it was hard to achieve this without parts of the objects being blurry.
“I used an aperture of F 6.3 and shutter speed of 1/1600s in combination with the Mini TT1 on the camera and TT5 to the left and right of the action to freeze the skateboarder at the correct moment.”
The result is a super crisp image, the skateboarder captured in mid-flight.
“The crazy thing is that the picture is so sharp it’s possible to see the fibers on his shoelaces.”
Marcel’s verdict? A comprehensive “thumbs up.”
Canon-compatible PocketWizard Mini TT1s and Flex TT5s are currently available and Nikon versions are in the works but require more testing, according to PocketWizard’s website.
For more details and specifications, check the PocketWizard website.
More information on Marcel can be found here: www.mlpics.de
Flash, Camera, Action?
Flash, Camera, Action?