Friday 21 September, 2012   David A. Selby   New releases, Triggers   37 Comments

New high-speed trigger “will make expensive flashes redundant”

Lencarta, a British lighting company, have announced a wireless remote that promises to allow “any Nikon DSLR to be used at any shutter speed with any flash”.

The trigger, called the Mach 1N, claims to allow clean synchronisation all the way up to 1/8000 second while using a technology that is distinct from both PocketWizard’s HyperSync and Nikon’s FP Sync. Lencarta boasts that the Mach 1N “does not have the limitations” of such systems and their product should not to be “confused” with existing high-speed triggers from other brands that use them.

Lencarta Mach 1N transceiver

With fast shutter speeds, it is easier to use flashes to overpower the sun outdoors. According to the manufacturer, the Mach 1N allows “literally any shutter speed to be used” so that the effect of ambient light may be reduced “by a full 5 stops”.

Indoors, the quick times allow a photographer to freeze action in their pictures. As company spokesman Garry Edwards explained, many people “pay extra” for short flash durations in studio lights. But Lencarta’s new product will apparently make such benefits “irrelevant” and render “expensive flash heads and expensive portable flash kits with short flash durations pretty well redundant.”

The Mach 1N is transceiver-based, so any unit can work as either a transmitter or a receiver. The specified operating range is 110 metres, with 16 channels and two groups. Each device is powered by a pair of AAA batteries and has the same exterior design to the CononMark Eagle Leopard trigger, with mini-USB input, a hotshoe, a large LCD screen, various sync ports and a tripod mount.

A set of two costs £199.99, available now directly from Lencarta. A Canon version is planned for the future.

Can a new wireless triggering accessory really change the way people buy flash units? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

  • http://pireze.org icie

    That sounds too good to be true, and I read their “technical article”, which doesn’t explain anything about what THEIR technology does — just what HSS and HyperSync does.

    The generic casing doesn’t help with the confidence issue either.

    Going to wait for those reviews.

  • Andy

    If you’re going to release a ‘revolutionary’ product I think it would be a good idea not to base its look on PW. I’d also hire a proof reader for your sales copy.

    I’m interested in it but I’m not convinced by the description. There’s lots of talk about what it isn’t and not what it is.

  • CotswoldPhoto

    They don’t say how it works. From a mechanical point of view, flash pulses (fp-sync as Nikon call it) can do this, and that needs a flash that is compatible. And their sample photo and test says that is not so. Having read the setup blurb, it appears to do a form of HSS that is similar to what the Ojecoco H550 does (but the H550 does not do it so well).

    So my guess is High Speed Sync. IF that is the case, one way that can be done as the H550 does by using a signal from the shutter cable. The Mach 1N does not use a cable. The other way is to use the ‘FP Sync on’ signal from within the camera hotshoe’s TTL data stream. But that only works with FP Sync enabled cameras. Not the older Nikons. But this has the problem of light fall-off tailing. The sample photo has a black background, which will disguise that, and we do not know how cropped it was.

    If you think about it, the Lencarta blurb implies that at 1/1000s shutter speed, your Nikon shutter is fully open over the sensor so the Mach 1N system only has to time it right. That is nonsense. Both front and rear curtains move at the same time and only a slit of a window moves across the sensor.

    I think their customers will cream them if this is so, as you will get a tail of poor exposure on real photos and their blurb is at best misleading. Especially if the price is way up there.

    Revolutionary? Yeh … right.

  • http://www.lencarta.com Garry Edwards

    Well, a lot of people have ordered them so far, they will have them very soon and if the triggers don’t work as claimed then they will send them back and get their money back (30 day no quibble guarantee) and post their findings all over the web, so the truth will out.

    As for using tooling from another flash trigger case, it would be great if we could spend a fortune on new tooling, but we can’t, so we have to use whatever already exists. Most people have no idea how much it costs to produce something as small and apparently simple as a case for flash triggers.

    As for the technology, as soon as manufacturers explain the technology products get copied, and all the money spent on R&D is wasted, so that just isn’t going to happen. If anyone wants to know what the technology is they will have to identify the chips that contain the answers, decrypt them and put the information together. That’s a technique we’ve learned from a major manufacturer of a different type of product, they have used it to prevent copying of their own new product.

    • Lawliet

      At the same time its neccessary to konw how a technology works to estimate how the readings of the exposure meter and the actual exposure correlate – just going from 1/1000 to 1/1600 at high power can be done with a lookup table, but anything less simple won’t be that easy to memorize.

  • Mike

    Garry, are you saying that this trigger does NOT rely on a long flash-duration at higher shutter speeds?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713767042 Scott S DiVincenzo

    “will make expensive flashes redundant” | redundant ? nada | irrelevant, perhaps

  • http://www.lencarta.com Garry Edwards

    Mike, the flash duration needs to be long enough to match the length of the shutter cycle, so if (for example) a hotshoe flashgun is turned down to a low power setting, effectively reducing the flash duration dramatically, it won’t work. It needs to be at full power, or something near it.

    Cotswold photo, good point about the crop, I’d forgotten that higher shutter speeds can be used if only a small part of the sensor is used. In these photos, there is no crop whatever, other than the fact that I cropped off a bit of the left hand side of each image, which doesn’t make any difference. The height is uncropped.

    • ChibaCityBlues

      So it is basically like PocketWizards Hypersync…

  • J.J

    Question for Garry Edwards from Lencarta… Does the trigger works with your ultra pro 600 head for all power settings and thereby the different flash durations which this heads offers? and what is the fastest flash durations (t.05) a strobe should have, to work perfect with these triggers …

    • http://www.lencarta.com Garry Edwards

      Yes to the first part, it will work with the Lencarta ElitePro 600 at any power setting. It will do this with all non-IGBT flash heads, IGBT flash heads of all types need to be used at full power, or something close to it.
      The flash duration cannot be faster than the length of time it takes for the shutter to complete its cycle. There is no way of saying how long this is, because shutters on different camera models are different from each other.

  • http://ranger9.net Ranger 9

    I too am curious about the operating principle being used, and was annoyed that it wasn’t described at all in the “more technical” article. I can’t think of how these units might work to back up their claims of a technology that’s different from both hypersync (delay adjustment) and HSS (multiple flash pulses) and allows any shutter speed to be used with almost any flash (including non-Nikon flashes, studio flashes, etc.)

    Maybe Lencarta (or their Chinese OEM) HAS achieved a technological breakthrough that has eluded the rest of the industry — but until I know more about how it works, I’m inclined to suspect that this is more of a “marketing breakthrough” and that it will turn out that there are limitations not mentioned in the initial release.

  • Andy

    So these triggers are using HSS then? – using a long burning flash to cover the length of the exposure. Controlling the shutter is mentioned in the blurb, so if it’s not marketing waffle, a wild stab in the dark I’m guessing they take advantage perhaps of some kind of timing system built into Nikons FP system to delay/sync the shutter release to when the triggers are just ready to pop the flash then the shutter is fired on the camera?

  • http://FlashHavoc.com Flash Havoc

    From Garry’s replies its already pretty obvious this is just the same long burn “hypersync” style method of higher sync speeds.

    You need a flash with long duration so it has exactly the same limitations.

    It has no manual timing adjustment either, so to be honest I’d be very surprised if you can even get any better results than even the free hack – http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157604362003933/

    or cheap triggers like the Pixel Kings or YN-622C.

    I’d love to be proved wrong but the big claims of working with any light etc have already been contradicted. No new magic here unfortunately.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1215327001 Stuart Little

    I am a photographer who is a friend of the guy thats been doing the testing of these for Lencarta. I have no financial connection to Lencarta and I only know Garry because I have been interested in purchasing a Safari kit from them and I have emailed some questions. I have yet to purchase BTW.

    However, I am right at this moment looking at the test image (exif data) that Garry shot of an electric fan and the triggers appear to do what they say they can do. They can freeze action at 1/8000th. I am awaiting for more real world test images with gear I am actually familiar with and will let you all know what they are like. Buts these Mach1n’s look very promising.

    • http://FlashHavoc.com Flash Havoc

      Stuart if you check the link I posted – http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157604362003933/

      You can see that this is nothing new, and with Nikon you don’t even need any specialised radio trigger to do it.

      The Safari more than likely does have a slow flash duration that will work quite well, but thats far from saying any camera and flash will work or all the claims this does not loose power or suffer the limitions of Hypersync etc, its going to have all the same limitations.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1215327001 Stuart Little

        I can see where you are coming from on that one and I think the problem is (and this is my own opinion here) Lencarta have been out at Photokina and they have launched the new product with a pre-order a little prematurely without the all important test images from both in house and an independent sources being in place. I don’t think shots of fans although demonstrating the ability to freeze the motion at 1/8000th is not capturing the imagination enough.

        I spoke with Michael last night who is the photographer thats going to be doing the official images and he sent me another couple of test images which I will post and link to later on today. But they do the same thing and show High Speed Shutter Sync at 1/8000th. Which is pretty impressive, it does work.

        What you have to remember is that this is a set of radio triggers that can effectively mimic the Auto FP High Speed Sync that we are used to having in the likes of an SB800/SB900 and allowing you to do it with pretty much any flash and Nikon DSLR combination. So yes it might be following the same path as the SB800 hack but it free’s up the flash you would need to do the hack with and it also goes much higher than the 1/1000th the most people seem to get with that hack. (Noted that some users got the 1/8000th).

        So as far as I can see there are a few key points. You need to be using flash that has an open duration slow enough to capture any motion anyway. I know thats counter intuitive. Then you need to be using a Nikon DSLR that has a good top shutter speed as I am aware that some of the models only go up to 1/4000th. But, it needs to be fast enough to freeze the light from the flash that needs to be slow enough to allow the shutter to do its job. The key thing here is if you have a bag full of Metz, Vivitar, Yongnuo’s, Bowens, or whatever YOU DON’T need an actual SB800, or SB900 to do the high speed sync hack. This trigger set does its own thing and achieves the same result.

        Also, I would point out that it has the same limitation as the SB800/SB900 in that it will swallow the power of the flash. So either get the light closer, use no modifiers, or open up your aperture. If you were basing an exposure on the sunny 16 rule then you would need to be wide open at f.2.8 and have a camera that can achieve 1/8000th.

        Hope this all helps you guys understand that although it has been done in a way before its not been done in this fashion and this is a commercial product with a money back guarantee. I will be getting a set soon.

        • http://FlashHavoc.com Flash Havoc

          Stuart, it has also been done in a commercial product a number of times already and much cheaper, and I dare say better.

          A set of Ojecoco H-550 will set you back all of $35 each and they have a manual timing adjustment that will get you results up to around 1.5 stops better than standard FP sync timing.

          I’d like to give Garry and Lencarta the benifit of the doubt, but the claims are so ridiculousy overhyped and already completely contradicted.

          I would not get sucked into this unless they can show direct comparisons of any advantage over the hack or other available triggers. I’d love to think there is some extra magic here but basic physics is what is stopping that. PocketWizard and others who have been studying this for years are not stupid.

          • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1215327001 Stuart Little

            I have been told a little bit more about the inner workings than I feel I can openly talk about on this or any other website and I am no where near an expert. That being said the conversations I have had with Michael over the years about Pocket Wizards and all the other manufacturers out there have lead me to believe there has been a slightly different approach taken by Lencarta with Mach1n’s which I think will surprise people.

            Will it be 100% perfect with all speedlites and strobes, I doubt it. But it will open up this type of HSS to more people and more gear for less bucks and be more consistent. I think they might just do it.

            I like you will not know how well it works until I get my hands on a set and put them through their paces but from what I have been told by someone who I trust they work well. And at the end of the day, if Lencarta can’t live up to the hype then they have a money back guarantee, so its risk free.

  • christopher adolph

    Why there are no real sample photos of outdoor shootings with nomral flashheads profoto / Hensel for example?

    Why? What is the problem to show what this product can do

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1215327001 Stuart Little

      I think because it is a soft launch/pre-order they have yet to do the examples.

      The good thing is that posts like this raise questions and debate that can be answered in the images that will be posted in due course. I would suggest to Garry that he video the shoot and use not only Lencarta gear but third party equipment that is not an SB800/SB900 so that we can all see that it works with both studio and small flash.

      I am going to give my thoughts to Michael and he will hopefully shoot some images that answer the majority of questions that photographers are going to have. But if you look at the alternative like Pocket Wizard and these are a pretty cost effective way to use the gear you have to achieve HSS.

      On a personal not. Living in Scotland if I get 1/2000th I will probably end up turning day into night as its pretty miserable up here at the moment. ;)

      Stu

  • Brook

    Pocket wizards do this now with the new firmware using hypersync. Know that the lighting will not be even. There won’t be black bars but the light looks like you have a 1 stop(or more) grad over the lens. The problem is studio strobes do not light evenly but spike and part of your shutter will get a brighter part of the spike than others. Will it work, yes, is it perfect, no.

  • JMerkle

    I have a gadget that will render you invisible. Think of the fun! But you’ll have to trust and pre-order it now; technical details to come later. Maybe.

  • http://ephotozine john clayton

    Fan connected to a high speed electric drill. Drill states 8000 to 25000 rpm.

  • http://ephotozine john clayton

    I would show photos, if I knew how

  • http://ephotozine john clayton

    What happened to my first post where I stated that I can load a full shot at 1/4000 with no banding. The spokes of the wheel show perfect if the speed is not to high. Aprox 8000 rpm

  • http://ephotozine john clayton

    All my tests using a NIKON D90. Played around with Canon 5D. The two cameras are as different as chalk and cheese. Waiting for the Canon version.

  • scott

    This is exactly like the PW long tail hypersync. A full power flash pulse is pretty much the same regardless of the type of flash. All these are doing is tapping the TTL communications and firing before the shutter opens (or finishes opening). They cannot change the way a flash triggers (except maybe a Nikon dedicated speedlite), they cannot change the speed the shutter blades move, they require a full power setting on speedlites, just like PW (when hypersyncing), and there is a color shift in the images toward blue, which is indicative of capturing the the earlier and bluer portion of the flash pulse (or poor color management).

    The internals may work different, but the end result is exactly the same. There is nothing wrong with how they work, but they do not need to be claimed as something they are not.

    • scott

      Additionally, of course you should be able to stop fan blades at 1/8000 of a second. If you are using a speedlite in the same set up, you would be more efficient to drop the power and use a standard sync speed, however this method probably would work better with the technique used. The flashes used probably have ludicrously long flash durations, which lend to even coverage, where as faster duration flashes will have a gradation to it.

  • http://ephotozine john clayton

    I cannot get my head around this LENCARTA business. A Nikon D90 set to 1/4000 will almost capture a spoked wheel revolving at 10000rpm. Went to JESSOPS today to buy a Nikon d7000 no luck,none in stock.

  • Paul Ellis

    I own a Profoto B7 and Broncolor Mobil packs and think the word ‘portable’ is barely applicable to them (especially when a second battery is added). At Photokina recently I took a shine to the Elinchrom Quadra. Much less weight but only 400W instead of 1200W (1.5 stops) but in overcast UK the Elinchrom will probably suffice on all but the sunniest of days, so on the odd sunny 16 day I’d dig out the B7 pack. Then I got talking to someone at the Pocket Wizard stall and he said that with my Nikon D800E I ‘should’ be able to squeeze out an extra two stops, no more, with my shutter and sync at 1/1000 with Einsteins and Elichrom RX flash and RX Ranger packs (but not Quadras) and he also said the sync can vary from D800 to D800. I also spoke to Lencarta. I believe that they are not using the same technology as Pocket Wizard and they say that I’d be able to sync with any flash (mains generator, mono bloc, battery pack of any make) as long as the flash duration is longer than the shutter duration, which is common sense and he also said “It can be used at any power setting on conventional studio or portable flash systems. However, with IGBT-controlled flashes it needs to be used at a power setting that allows flash to be ‘on’ whilst the shutter curtains are travelling. On an IGBT studio flash that I tested, it would only work on either full or half power, on my SB-800 it works reliably at either full or half power, it works intermittently at 1/4 power and not at all at lower power settings.”
    I believe Einsteins and Speedlights and a handful of others use IGBT circuits, so, I ‘think’ I can buy an Elinchrom Quadra pack (or Lencarta Safari) and sync at all shutter speeds at most/all flash power settings and overpower/under-expose ambient light and not need an osteopath.

  • christopher adolph

    my first try

    it doesnt work with niceflash it dosent work with strobeam mark III it works with Hensel porty

  • christopher adolph

    it works also with paul buff einstein and bowens flashheads

  • http://www.facebook.com/TheConfidentIncompetent Eric Johnson

    will this work with Metz58-AF2 & Panasonic G2/GH3? (don’t know if hot shoe pins line up best with Nikon or future Cannon version.)

  • joe

    lol make expensive flashes redundant, they aren’t expensive only because of their short flash duration they also offer faster recyle times better build quality and more flashes per charge.
    use a ranger rx speed and a speed light in hypersync the ranger will shoot 10shots while your still waiting for the speed light to do its first recyle

  • http://www.facebook.com/garry.edwards.9659 Garry Edwards

    There is no need for anyone to guess at how it works or how well it works, or if it works. Just read the comprehensive independent report by Richard Hopkins, it’s a download on the website http://www.lencarta.com/lighting-store/radio-triggers/radio-triggers/transceiver-set-for-nikon-dslr

  • http://www.ronniechanphoto.com/ Ronnie

    This sounds too good to be true,messing around with ND is really cumbersome and required several flashes at the same group.As long as it does as per claimed,I won’t care how the technology works.Really wish this really works and canon version is around the corner.

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