In a camera, flash synchronization is defined as synchronizing the firing of a photographic flash with the opening of the shutter admitting light to photographic film or electronic image sensor. It is often shortened to flash sync or flash synch.
In cameras with mechanical (clockwork) shutters synchronization is supported by an electrical contact within the shutter mechanism, which closes the circuit at the appropriate instant in the shutter opening process. In electronic digital cameras the mechanism is usually a programmable electronic timing circuit, which may take input from a mechanical shutter contact in some cameras. The flash is connected electrically to the camera either by a cable with a standardised coaxial PC (for Prontor/Compur) 3.5 mm (1/8") connector (as defined in ISO 519), or via contacts in an accessory mount (hot shoe) bracket.
Faster shutter speeds are often better when there is significant ambient illumination and flash is used to flash-fill subjects that are backlit without motion blur, or to increase depth of field by using a small aperture.
Read more about Flash Synchronization: M, F, FP, X and HSS Sync, Rear-curtain Sync, History, Wireless Sync
Famous quotes containing the word flash:
“The most welcome joke to me is the one that takes the place of a heavy, not altogether innocuous thought, at once a cautionary hint of the finger and a flash of the eye.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)