'Fake' High Speed Sync possibility

[CryptoFib]

First off, sorry for my bad english. As you're about to witness: I have trouble condensing my thoughts and I go around the bushes quite a bit to get my point across:

Idea: Make an option to fire flash earlier in relation to when sensor is being exposed! In other words: In HSS style.

This idea came to me just last night as I was sketching out my gear-to-buy list. My aim is to be able to take photos in broad day light (even in direct sunlight) using flash while using fast aperatures. This would mean I'd have to use shutter speeds well below 1/200s and/or ND-filters and last but not least: I'd need bunch of HSS capable speedlights. Problem with using HSS is obvious. High speed sync flash is a pulsating flash instead of one big pop thus they're less powerful although using more power than non-hss at 1/1 power so I would need to purchase more than one of them to compete with sunlight. Secondly HSS flashes are more expensive. Thirdly on top of buying new flashes I'd need to upgrade my wireless transmitters to eTTL-capable ones as well. In short terms: Expensive.

However I read through internet last night and now I'm excited that maybe Magic Lantern has the potential to get around this!! How about if we continue using non-HSS flashes and still get quality results using shutter speeds faster than 1/200 of a second?

What I discovered from this article (http://www.dpreview.com/articles/1653552682/high-speed-sync-with-yn560-flash) is that a guy was able to use YN-560 (non-HSS) flash as his main light and still achieve good results using high shutter speed. Everyone who has read this far probably knows the problem when using manual flash in conjunction with "too high" shutter speeds but nevertheless: In this photo we see the difference between HSS and non-HSS flashes. http://speedliting.com/wp-content/pix/Normal-HSS-Sync-Diagrams-large.jpg
    As seen on the picture above the problem with manual flashes while using fast shutter speeds is simple to comprehend: the flash goes off later, right when 1st curtain is fully open. By that time 2nd curtain has dropped plenty and is now blocking the flash to light the sensor. HSS flash on the other hand fires off (starts pulsating) earlier compared to manual flash, right when the 1st curtain is starting to drop. Due to it's pulsating manner it manages to light each part of the sensor equally.

How he (jamesdo in dpreview article) made manual flash work as HSS flash was quite simple. He had HSS capable flash (Metz 50AF-1) mounted on the camera hot shoe set at minimum power which was enough to make YN-560 ii go off in S1 (optical slave) mode. Like I mentioned before; HSS goes off earlier thus making the slave flash sync properly, but how does it manage to do well as YN-560 is manual flash - doesn't pulsate???

The trick to work you need to set the YN-560 to full power, otherwise the results won't work. The "secret" - I believe - is this: Manual flashes DO NOT have a power adjustment, per say. Instead they are always on full power but the current flowing to the bulb only lasts longer when dialing up from 1/128 to 1/1 power. Due to this effect well powered manual flashes fire flash long enough to make the HSS-effect happen at a reasonably low cost. All you need is one eTTL HSS flash and the rest can be manual ones, right?

But what if the one HSS capable flash could be dropped out of the equation by Magic lantern?? My simple mind thinks the problem is simply about the timing of the flash. If manual flash would go off earlier, at the same time as HSS flash does, we could be able to use shorter shutter speeds. Maybe it could be done in reverse? Instead of making the flash go off earlier, why not make the "rest of the camera" go off later..  Maybe hight speed sync could be forced on although your flashes were manual? Either way, this was my idea. Thanks.

How does this fake HSS (FHSS?) idea/feature request sound like? I would love this feature as it would save me a small fortune before next summer as I'm preparing my new strobist gear. I hope I am not the only one that would appreciate the feature so co-forumeers, let me/them know what you guys think.

- Janne

[mothaibaphoto]

It was discussed:
http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=3072.msg129988#msg129988
http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=13453.msg130000#msg130000
It seems ML just can't access hotshoe
Yongnuo ETTL radio works pretty well for me and not so expensive.
I can fire two Canon 430EX at any shutter speed.