new to flash photography

rowghani

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just got a flash for my rangefinder and going to give it a go but heres my question:

The flash has auto mode and it reads in my ISO and the aperture setting from my camera then gives me a range for the exposure like 1 to 5 meters. As I change the aperture this range gets bigger or smaller which makes sense. What I don't understand is the role of the shutter speed. Apparently it "syncs with all shutters" whatever that means so what considerations do I take when choosing which shutter to use?
 

Rick A

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If your camera has a leaf shutter, the flash will synch at any speed. If you have a focal plane shutter, then usually the synch speed is 1/60 or slower. Which ever type you use, make certain to set the flash selector to "X" , some older cameras have a setting for flash bulbs, which require a slight delay to allow the flash to burn up to maximum light output before firing.
 

RalphLambrecht

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the short answer is:
the camera's dhutter speed controls the ambient light exposure and the aperture controls the flash exposure.The flash's burn time is the actual exposure time.Think of your camera shutter as having two curtains.The time between the first being fully open and the second starting to close is your synch time.That'd when the flash needs to fire or either curtain may partially 'protect' some image area from exposure.This all relates to focal plane shutters as in 35mm SLRs;MF and LF lenses use leaf shutters,which synch at any speed. Since you are unlikely having a choice in shutters after the camera and lens is chosen,I suggest just to keepambient lighting at a minimum or balance ambient and flash appropriately.Rule of thumb is:Control the ambient light with your shutter speed and the flash exposure with your aperture. Good luck.
 
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rowghani

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ok my camera has a leaf shutter so now I get that I can sync it with any speed so in short I could just shoot everything at 1/125th with the flash and just worry about the aperture? What about shooting moving subjects? Is a faster shutter speed still required to freeze the subject?
 

Rick A

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Electronic, or "strobe" flash will, to some extent, freeze action, coupled with a slightly faster shutter speed stop motion blur from happening. Of course, this is still dependent on angles, speed of subject, etc.
 

MattKing

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If you are using the flash in circumstances where there is a fair amount of ambient light, you decide how you want to balance the flash exposure and the ambient light exposure, and you use that choice to determine your shutter speed. A fast speed will emphasize the flash exposure (frequently the foreground) and de-emphasize the ambient exposure (frequently the background).

A really slow shutter speed may result in a blurred background.
 
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