nikon d70 lessons

Monday, March 30, 2009

The speed of Sync!

Hello Nikon D70 and D70s users. This is the blog that just will not go away! I have walked away a few times, but your comments just keep me returning.

Wondering what makes you all so special? How about the amazing high speed curtain sync speed of your beloved Nikon D70, just for starters! That is special indeed, as it can go way fast, and it seems to be one of the only Nikon “D series” of cameras to be able to achieve this incredible feat.

What is so special about a fast flash sync speed? Well, a whole bunch of stuff…. First, you can loose all of the ambient light, or available light, in a shot, using a fast shutter speed. The faster the speed of the shutter the less light reaches the image sensor. The Nikon D70 can sync up to a blazing 1/500th of a second. At that speed all of the light cast by the sun will be blocked from entering the camera.

Next, get your flashes out and charged up. Now, with all of the ambient light removed you can add light where you want it. Using light modifiers on your flashes (barn doors, grids, snoots) you can add just a “feather” light in (so many cool ways) your images.

You can shoot directly into a setting sun, for instance, and make it appear to be dusk. Now, add some flash to your set up, and only what receives the light from your flash will be in correct exposure. You can get some dramatic skies this way, and you have the power to stop any motion that is happening too!

Take a look at the images that the link takes you to. The name of the photographer is Tohar Sade, and these images are wonderful! If you look at the portfolio and look at the jumping girl on a beach at sunset, you can see what I want to explain, or at least talk about. He is using this exact process to make the sun appear darker than it actually was. Notice the colors in the sky also! The light from the flash lights up the subject to a perfect exposure. Bravo!