Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigtimebeginner
What the heck is rear sync? What the heck is draggin the shutter? Boy do I have a lot to learn!  |
Draggin the shutter means that you have the shutter open longer than is necessary for the flash in order to grab the ambient/background light.
If you were to use a camera mounted flash and take a picture of someone outside at night without dragging the shutter, the person would be brightly lit, but the background would be black. If you drag the shutter (keep the shutter open a bit longer), some of the ambient light registers on the image so now you can see the person as well as the surroundings.
Rear Sync. The default mode for camera flashes is to flash when the shutter opens. You might not want to do that. Say, for example, you are in the tropics at night taking a shot of a person walking with a torch. Here you want to drag the shutter to get some of the background. If you were to use the flash in its default mode, the torch and person will register immediately, and then you will see the torch continue to move forward as if some ghost were carrying it. In other words, a torch trail will be left AHEAD of the person.
If you use rear sync, then the flash will send a burst of light just prior to the shutter closing. Now, that same image of the person with the torch will look differently. You will see the torch trail BEHIND the person, and then the person and torch will be brightly lit.
Hope that helps.