Could be you forgot your sync cable, could be you have a broken cable, could be your Copal shutter is failing or has failed… there are some circumstances where your normal workflow could be compromised and you’ll need to make use of the built in Electronic Shutter (ES) on your IQ3-100 or IQ4-150.    Many times for sake of ease, I just shoot Electronic Shutter even when I have some sort of mechanical shutter available. 

While a Phase One X-shutter, Rodenstock e-Shutter or Copal Shutter can sync strobe at every possible speed increment, the purely non-mechanical Electronic Shutter cannot.   This can be a serious caveat for workflow if you shoot strobe and you’re considering a new lens in an Aperture-Only mount, or you’ve encountered one of the above mentioned situations.  

Phase One ES can still sync though, albeit at speeds that may be too long for some and that varies per model of digital back as well as compression algorithm and ISO.  When I’m shooting architectural interiors, I’m typically shooting in the 1-2 second range, so it’s desirable to me to be able to shoot a perfectly timed (and consistent) 1.3 second exposure while syncing strobe that I can initiate from my computer keyboard rather than cable release into my Copal-0. 

Here’s the matrix of available ES sync times for IQ3-100, IQ4-100 and IQ4-150 digital backs: 

IQ4-150 ES Flash Sync

L16EX – 1 Sec

L16  – 1/2 Sec

L14 – 1/4 Sec  

IQ3-100, IQ3-100 Trichromatic, IQ3-100 Achromatic, IQ4-100 Trichromatic ES Flash Sync (ISO 50 – ISO 400) 

L16 – 1.3 sec  (1.6 sec > 400 ISO)

L – 1/2 Sec  (.8 sec > 400 ISO)

S – 1/2 Sec  (.8 sec > 400 ISO)

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