Flash sync at 1/125 instead of 1/180

[BenjaminAlexis]

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Anybody ran into the issue the flash on the Leica M10 does not sync at 180 and only at 125 or longer? I get a black band in the top of the image at 180 both in "start of exposure" and in "end of exposure" setting? So does this mean the actual shutter speed exceeds 180 or is the rear or front shutter to fast i.e. slow?

Before bringing my camera in to Leica maybe someone can clarify the issue?

 

Thanks, Ben

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[jaapv]

That you get it at the top of the image both at first and second curtain sync is strange.

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[olgierdc]

Wire trigger works at 1/180, wireless depend of the radio you are using. Pocket Wizard is slow, Elinchrom is faster.

[BenjaminAlexis]

Thanks Olgierdc,

Odd but predictably Leica-ish.

It escapes my perception how electrical wiring ad light speed can be slower in some radio transmitters than others so it must be related to the M10 circuitry.

[jip]

Thanks Olgierdc,

Odd but predictably Leica-ish.

It escapes my perception how electrical wiring ad light speed can be slower in some radio transmitters than others so it must be related to the M10 circuitry.

 

 

It's the chip that turns the signal from the camera into a radio signal that gives the delay.

[BenjaminAlexis]

Hi Guru,

You mean the chip in the Leica M10?

How is it ever going to synchronise at 180 when there is a delay?

The same flash and radio transmitter work perfectly happy on, for instance, a Nikon D3S at 1/250 and a Sony A7s at 1/200, either directly on camera or via radio transmitter.

So the bottom line is my M10 is not syncing at 1/180.

Admittedly very unwelcome news for a 40 year long Leica user and happy owner of an M10, but still the case.

[Chuck Albertson]

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My PocketWizards exhibit the same behavior on most of my cameras, Leica and Nikon. Sometimes they synch at the "official" flash synch speed, sometimes not. For consistent results, I just drop the shutter speed a notch.

[olgierdc]

... if the digital signals were perfectly rectangular and if the time and flash luminosity were also perfectly rectangular, there would be no problem. Synchronization could also be ideal.

But, different manufacturers set different synchronization points during the flash, which has the phase of raising and falling. In addition, there are delays in radio equipment and additional delays in digital signals. At the end, the camera manufacturer has its own specific shutter, which by its nature is a mechanical device. Temperature, type of material, dirt, oil may have and have affect to release of the shutter. You must be lucky enough to make it work. But I must admit that MY Leica M9 works better in this field.