New Device Lets Celebs Flash Paparazzi

[RKDauph]

Wouldn't an $8 optical slave do the same thing?

http://www.pdngearguide.com/gearguid...6fd220d4089bf0

[ka5txl]

somebody will alway build a better mousetrap

[mkothare]

Sure it would. I guess the key component is the LED that flashes back as a flare spoiling the papparazzi's picture. Nice scoop posted.

[jeffkohn]

Originally Posted by RKDauph

Wouldn't an $8 optical slave do the same thing?

http://www.pdngearguide.com/gearguid...6fd220d4089bf0

If I understand the article, he is using an optical slave, but you 've got to hook it up to something to actuallly do anything useful (in this case flash the LED's).

[groovyone]

I thought it was alcohol that allowed them to flash....ohhhh...different kind of flash.

[janikphoto]

with today's high iso usability, a paparazzi could get around the device by using ambient light outside a club at iso 6400 and probably still get a nice pic. This guy just needs to design a device that registers lowlife paparazzi and zaps them with high voltage...

[bigjon0107]

It says that it is only effective at a shutter speed of 125th of a second and can be overpowered if you are putting out more light then ISO 800 f/4. Drop your ISO to 200 or 400 f/4 and 1/250th, the device is basically useless...

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by bigjon0107

It says that it is only effective at a shutter speed of 125th of a second and can be overpowered if you are putting out more light then ISO 800 f/4. Drop your ISO to 200 or 400 f/4 and 1/250th, the device is basically useless...

well, a canon 5DmkII maxes out at 1/200 sec with flash, so the paparazzi better be carrying a quicker camera. Faster is better and I know most cameras with a shutter built into the lens (like a hassie) will sync up to 1/500 sec, but I don't see any modern day paparzzi walking around with a 501c/m in their hand...

I think you'd still see half a frame lit up at 1/200 sec. It's the f4 at 800 iso that won't help much the unit much. As you pointed out, just crank up your 580's power, stop down, and forget about the device all together.

Plus, I bet several paparazzi flashing at once will quickly drain the devices batteries, reducing its recycle time. With a quantum battery pack on your flash and shooting at 800 iso, f8, and 1/200 sec... well, I bet you'd get a great shot after a few quick frame bursts in a row.

[CaptainTom]

Jason
I'm sorry to tell you this but you are completely wrong.

check out High Speed Sync in both Canon and Nikon cameras.

[lancemoreland]

I would imagine that most Paparazzi will be using ETTL because of the nature of their work. If this device works like an optical slave, which the description seems to indicate, then it would be useless on an ETTL camera. The preflash would set off the device and then immediatly after the real flash would come from the Paparazzi's camera uninhibited by the device.

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

Jason
I'm sorry to tell you this but you are completely wrong.

check out High Speed Sync in both Canon and Nikon cameras.

There's where YOU are wrong, capt'n... I do know about high speed sync, but find it almost completely useless for this topic. At high speed sync, you lose the ability to put out a lot of light. I suppose you could run two or three flashes together at high speed sync to overcome the power reduction, but then you are hardly a nimble paparazzi, ready to pounce on your prey at a moment's notice.

I'm not totally discrediting your post like you did mine, because there are certain situations that high speed sync might be useful as a paparazzi. I just doubt many of them use that function 99.9% of the time.

[Davidtxs]

D200 syncs at 1/250 D70 syncs at 1/500

[kenw]

Jason, high speed sync is the ability to syncronize with a high speed shutter (more specifically the curtain), not to flash faster.

[bigjon0107]

Originally Posted by janikphoto

There's where YOU are wrong, capt'n... I do know about high speed sync, but find it almost completely useless for this topic. At high speed sync, you lose the ability to put out a lot of light. I suppose you could run two or three flashes together at high speed sync to overcome the power reduction, but then you are hardly a nimble paparazzi, ready to pounce on your prey at a moment's notice.

I'm not totally discrediting your post like you did mine, because there are certain situations that high speed sync might be useful as a paparazzi. I just doubt many of them use that function 99.9% of the time.

Power reduction, yes; But using high speed sync you will be able to get the frame before the device even reacts, allowing you to shoot using much less power because the need to overpower the unit is gone.

Even if that was not the case, most paparazzi use some pretty hefty battery packs making the power reduction nearly irrelevant.

And just as a side note: you dont need a 'blad to sync at 1/500th, the original 1D had a sync speed of 1/500th as well.

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by Davidtxs

D200 syncs at 1/250 D70 syncs at 1/500

It figures Nikon would try to beat Canon... I still like my Canon better, though.

Originally Posted by kenw

Jason, high speed sync is the ability to syncronize with a high speed shutter (more specifically the curtain), not to flash faster.

I never said it didn't sync with the shutter curtain. If you want to get technical about it, it DOES have to do with the flash. I never said it makes the flash duration faster... what it does is pulse the flash to provide the same amount of light over the entire shutter travel, instead of providing one burst of light which fades off. This feature is built into a canon body using certain canon flashes (and nikon obviously has their equivalent).

janikphoto added 11 Minutes and 29 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by bigjon0107

Power reduction, yes; But using high speed sync you will be able to get the frame before the device even reacts, allowing you to shoot using much less power because the need to overpower the unit is gone.

But, if you don't have enough light to expose the subject, the high speed sync is useless. You'd be able to get a shot close-up, say 3-5 feet, but some of the paparazzi shots are done at ten or more feet away, so they can surprise the subject. I just don't think these flashes have the output to properly light someone up at 10-15 feet while in high speed sync mode. has anyone done it and come back with a good image?

Originally Posted by bigjon0107

Even if that was not the case, most paparazzi use some pretty hefty battery packs making the power reduction nearly irrelevant.

And just as a side note: you dont need a 'blad to sync at 1/500th, the original 1D had a sync speed of 1/500th as well.

I never used the 1D, but I wish all the canons had 1/500 sec flash sync. That would be nice! I haven't seen all the paparazzi gear in detail, but I imagine they are using canon/nikon flashes with battery quantum-style packs? Is this info wrong? If so, power reduction would remain the same, since the battery pack only affect recycle time and number of flashes - not actual flash output/power.

Who on here regularly uses their high speed sync function?