My NA6400 is equipped with the UWT board that has the Retra strobe with HSS selected at position 9 (I think it is from memory). But, I am (wanting to) shooting a Marelux Apollo with HSS. My initial experiment seems to indicate I am getting sync at least to 1/500.

I really do not understand the UWT board in regards HSS. I assume it is manual exposure when using HSS? I have an admitted knowledge gap here, actually, it is a chasm.

Yes, I have a UWT board and use HSS quite a lot but with Retra strobes.

The HSS setting is indeed Manual but that’s a setting on the strobe not the UWT board. The board needs to be set on whatever the correct setting is for Marelux. You then use the strobe controls to select HSS.

22 minutes ago, TimG said:

Yes, I have a UWT board and use HSS quite a lot but with Retra strobes.

The HSS setting is indeed Manual but that’s a setting on the strobe not the UWT board. The board needs to be set on whatever the correct setting is for Marelux. You then use the strobe controls to select HSS.

Thanks for confirming manual, that is what I thought but the instructions for the board are sometimes confusing. My UWT board has no setting for Marelux HSS. The only setting that supports the HSS is the Retra setting. The way my board works (?) is that when the A6400 camera shutter speed exceeds the native sync of 1/160 it goes to HSS mode. Yes, at that point the strobe must be selected then to HSS, this is a switch position on the Marelux. I understand the strobe must be set to HSS. Five years ago when I bought the NA6400 and the UWT board the Marelux did not exist ;). I am just trying to make do with what I have and play with HSS on a five year old rig for which I do not want to spend $$ on yet another trigger.

I do seem to be getting sync but I do not want to work the strobes but a few shots on my kitchen table. I think I am seeing a dark top above 1/500. I am just going to have to get it in the water. I do not want to risk damage to the strobes dry firing enough to prove or disprove functionality of the Retra board setting with the Marelux set to HSS. :)

A curious thing, leaving HSS behind just for a moment, UWT board set to 0 (position for manual), by turning my A6400 off, turning it back on and then selecting WL off and set shutter speed to 1/160 and then selecting WL to on the shutter then defaults to 1/200 and syncs just fine and it sticks even if I turn the camera off and back on. But, if I change the shutter speed to another value my maximum speed with flash is then only 1/125 (yep, not 1/160), so I have to reboot, select WL off, set shutter speed to 1/160 and then go WL to on and voila, 1/200. Weird but useful to help control bright background, gains about a 1/3 stop I guess. I do not know if that little bit of extra shutter speed trick works with other Sony cameras and the UWT board but it does with mine. And yes, the photo data confirms 1/200 speed.

James

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by Nemrod

Hi Nemrod

I'm no camera sync expert - Pavel is The Man (the UWT Man) - and I'm sure will chip-in.

Agreed on not kitchen table-testing, but if you have a bath or even a decent size sink or tub you can fill with water, you can always try the strobes in that. That said, if you are getting that dark band above 1/500 that does sound like a sync issue. I can fire at 1/2000 with HSS and have no problem.

Pavel?

I guess my question is, congealed down, what differs between HSS on a Marelux or HF1 or any other HSS capable strobe that is different from a Retra strobe such that using the Retra position on the UWT board (that does not have a HF1 or Marelux position) would not work and sync?

I can guess that the output profile/curve is different but that should affect TTL only and the HSS as confirmed by Tim is manual. Is it the number of flashes or the sequence of flashes that may differ between a Marelux HSS, HF-1 HSS and Retra HSS? That could explain why I might be seeing a dark band (unconfirmed at this point) above 1/500.

I am not complaining about the trigger or the strobes, I am trying to understand how it works and why different brand specific profiles are needed on the trigger?

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Nemrod