When your camera’s x-sync speed is only around 1/250th, shooting fast-paced action in locations with lots of ambient light means working around some tricky problems, like balancing color temperature and dealing with motion blur. Wedding photographers are usually forced to use smaller apertures, taking away an element of creative control.

With a MiniTT1 Transmitter or FlexTT5 Transceiver on-camera, PocketWizard's HyperSync technology allows you to fine-tune the timing of your flash to achieve the maximum possible sync speed of your equipment, which could be as fast as 1/8000th of a second. Remote flashes can be attached to any receiving PocketWizard radio, including studio strobes with PocketWizard radios built-in.

HyperSync requires some experimentation to find the maximum potential of your camera and flash combination. You can adjust HyperSync settings with the PocketWizard Utility.

First, shoot a reference image. With your camera and flashes set up as you normally shoot, take a picture of an evenly lit, light-toned object (like a wall) at your camera’s maximum x-sync speed. The image should be evenly exposed with no apparent black lines or gradients.




Open the PocketWizard Utility and connect the MiniTT1 or FlexTT5 you plan to use as the transmitting radio to the computer via the supplied USB cable.



Click on the “Sync Timing” tab. 







By default, a transmitting MiniTT1 Transmitter or FlexTT5 Transceiver transitions to High Speed Sync Mode at 1/400th. When this happens, Standard triggers are no longer sent and HyperSync timings will not take effect.

Check the “High Speed Sync (FP Flash Sync) Disable Mode” box to use HyperSync for all shutter speeds.




The Sync Timing tab also contains the HyperSync offset slider. This is how you adjust HyperSync. You can consult the HyperSync Reference Table for starting points with many camera and flash combinations.



You may still need to adjust your HyperSync offset, even if you have the specific equipment listed in the table.  If your camera or flashes aren’t listed in the table, try moving the slider to the left in increments of about 100.

After moving the slider each time, click the “Set Both Configs” button.





Disconnect the USB cable from your connected MiniTT1 Transmitter or FlexTT5 Transceiver. Set your flashes to their maximum power and take 3-4 exposures of the same subject you used for your reference image. Try increasing your shutter speed faster than your camera’s normal x-sync speed.  Eventually, you’ll likely notice black lines or gradients in your images. This means you’ve hit the limit for that particular HyperSync offset with your camera and flashes. You can try adjusting the HyperSync offset further after reviewing your images.



Decrease the offset if there is a black line or gradient in the top of the image.





Increase the offset if it’s on the bottom.

Remember to press the “Set Both Configs” button each time you change any settings in the PocketWizard Utility.





Repeat the testing and gradually increase your shutter speed until you find that you’re unable to remove the black line or gradient from your images, regardless of HyperSync offset adjustments.

HyperSync can be used to trigger manual flashes at any shutter speed. However, its use does not guarantee proper sync at any shutter speed with any equipment or settings. It’s best to use flashes set to their maximum power level to achieve the highest sync speeds.

For more information, please see the Owner’s Manual Addendum in the Support section of PocketWizard.com. For even more information on HyperSync, read Rob Galbraith's review here (scroll half way down the page for the HyperSync section).