It's Not Like I Didn't Leave Clues...
At first, I thought I might do something simple for April Fool's., like announcing this brand new left-handed Nikon D300. But April Fool's only comes once a year, so it's certainly worth a little more work than that.
__________
The clues, for those who may have missed them:
1. MIT student "Justin Phun." (Seriously, folks...)
2. The chip: The NEC 40-108 (4-01-08...)
3. "The diagnostic mode fools the charging circuitry..."
4. " ... it's all about the timing."
5. First commenter: Joe Kingley
6. Second commenter: Allen Gueste. (All in jest...)
7. Third commenter: April.
So, how'd we fake the burnt-up flash, not to mention the fake EXIF info on the lede photo? Hit the jump for more...
__________
First of all, yesterday's photos linked to big versions instead of the actual Flickr page, so the inevitable "April Fool's" comments would be shielded by at least an extra click. (You can click on the pics here for the actual image w/comments.)I faked the EXIF info (you guys do so love to extract that stuff) to hide the fact that it actually was shot with a Nikon D70s using the ultra-high-sync hack at a 1/5000th at f/8 of a sec to lower the sky's tone and make the flash look more powerful. In fact, it was only at 1/4 power if I remember correctly.
You can see us at left shooting the pic last Friday at the Southern Short Course. (Thanks, Doug!)Then I cut-and-pasted the pic onto another shot that was shot at 1/500th at f/32, ISO 200, for good EXIF info. We had to sell this thing as being powerful somehow... (The SSC guys were in on it, of course..)
But what about the nuked flash?
We were in luck, sort of. Sadly, this is what actually can happen when you go to a meetup and shoot on 1/2 power all day. And then you find out someone else was on your PW channel, running many, many more 1/2 power flashes through your SB-800 than the laws of thermodynamics allow. I added a little color in Photoshop, but the melty fresnel stuff is all too real. Ouch. Still works, tho!
(Thanks again, Doug... and sorry about that SB-800.)
The PC board was tweaked a li'l bit with Photoshop to add an appropriate model number to one of the chips.
__________
Thanks to those in the know who left comments that did not give away the ruse. But I decided early on to stop moderating once I saw the first enlightened comment pop up.
Speaking of comments, the joke is on me. Blogger's comment list is supposed to have a "next page" button after 200 comments. But that does not seem to be working.
We have already topped that. So to see the comments after #200, you have to go to the comment form and click "newer." Or you can just click here.
In other 4/1 flash-related fun, the folks at PopPhoto interviewed photographer Richard Baresall on his street photography techniques...
Stay sharp next year when April rolls around. I am already thinking...
Follow me on Twitter: @Strobist
Now Shipping from USA and UK: Strobist Lighting Seminar DVDs
Feed your brain: My Favorite Lighting/Photo Books
by David, at 12:00 AM.
39 Comments:
Brilliant!
I should have known - esp when there's not a single mention of this "DIAG" mode on a google search.
Sigh...and the comments seemed so real. Reminds me of that piperian proverb - " a thousand lemmings can't be worng"
Ok OK you win lol
Ya...I will be honest you totally got me. I only tried it three times though. Very clever...I would like to see an official tally of how many hours (probably days) strobist readers spent counting to 60 and followed by another 10 seconds of swearing. Congrats on fooling most all of us.
PS. You forgot to flip the "Mode" button back on your "Left-handed D300." That would have been a dead giveaway!
DOH!
I will admit, strobist totally pwned me!
It wasn't until I was telling my husband about it that he started questioning the facts in the article. Here I was online giggling over various April Fools jokes and totally got pwned right in the middle of it. Good job, Hobby! (and my husband wants to know why he got in trouble for pointing out the joke.)
You got me fooled! I saved the instructions and imagined how great I would shoot my next location portraits. Fortunately I got so busy that I didn't get a chance to try it out. At about 9pm I was reminded that it was April 1st and just then it hit me that this post was too good to be true. Just as I thought I got home at 11pm checked out the blog and saw this post. :( I was really hoping it was true.
I was like "Yea right, and it just happens to work on most flashes by some strange coincidence". I realized it was April 1st too, and I did expect someone like you to make a few thousand people press buttons on their flashes in search for the holy grail...
But than I sat behind my comp some more, eyeballing my photobag on the left... Huh. Check mail. Huh. Check Mcnally's. Huh. Check TOP. DAMMIT, what if it is true?
Picked up my SB800 and a stopwatch and started pressing. After 2 tries I felt really stuipid... So yeah, you still got me!
In the midst of all this, I actually managed to take away learning (about my D80's max sync speed) from the fake post and comments!
Damn, you lot are GOOD.
It was one of the best... no, THE best, one I saw yesterday.
I could imagine thousands of readers trying it out. I SO wanted it to be true but was well aware of the date as it is my anniversary.
I take my hat off to you, David. Superb.
I think the left-handed Nikon joke has been done before.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm#lefty
It is a pity though, I'd buy one if they were real.
And I was telling everyone about it!!
HAHAH!!
I hope they fix that MODE button on that left-handed D300 in the final release version…
This was a great joke. I KNEW this couldn't work. I KNEW that there was no way any engineer would build in a mode that would work this way. I KNEW that it would not be possible to overcharge the circuit, as that would require an increase in voltage.
But knowing all that, I HAD TO TRY. The only better joke would be if really was possible, and the joke was making us think it was a joke.
Good job! You got 3 minutes of my time.
Ah David...
See, this is what happens when you combine our trusted resident voice of authority with the eternal search for extra power... and a not-too-unbelievable story.
Well done Sir!
Strwned!
I'm so glad I was too busy to try this. (Because I so would have.) At least the ringflash post was real! That's the one that got me excited.
I didn't think that it could be a fake article since I read that today.
But when I read this (pretty quickly 'cause i'm at work right now) I was supposed to see a star-shaped sun according to the aperture of f/32 !!
That really is the only thing that seemed to be weird to me at the very first sight.
Good job Dave!
I was so into the article when I read it yesterday and then I thought, "Justin Phun." Once I got it reading the comments all day yesterday was a hoot.
Great Work!!!!
Damm-It.....I wasted all that time.
Nice work, David. I was anticipating this ever since you mentioned it at the Santa Clara Seminar, wondering what the heck have you been planning for all these weeks. You far exceeded my expectations.
Man, that really was brilliant. I thought I was April-fools-proof... nope.
I KILL for a lefty camera. I've been fumbling on my D200 for a while now and know that if it were reversed I'd be much more comfortable. DAMN YOU JUSTIN PHUN, DAMN YOU :D ;)
David, you asked us to submit names for this procedure (i.e. overclocking? turbocharging?)--but didn't choose the best one. I was hoping that mine--Speedlight Power Optical Overcharge Function (i.e. S.P.O.O.F.) would perhaps be the winner.
If so, can I get a Strobist t-shirt or something for the effort? :)
Well, I bought in to it hook line and sinker, boy do I feel dumb, and Im very aware of that date for postings on webs, caught many on other web sites... my trust in Strobist.com has been forever damaged!
David,
I didn't fall for it, but not because of any of your list of hints.
I wasn't awake yet when I began reading your post (it was only noon, after all), so the wordplay went right by me. What brought me awake and stopped me dead with a "What the--?!" was when you said an MIT guy had found a new way to hack the SB800 hardware and all you said was:
"So what"
Ha! My first thought was--You bitch, what have you done with David Hobby! Then I remembered the date and went back for a closer read.
But really, David the total strobe-geek, not interested in a new hack? Pull the other one!
A fine April Fool. Thanks!
--Levi
i didn't know what april fools was until after i read this. i am an immigrant to canada, so i did not understand the clues. i wish i didnt waste half of my day trying to figure it out. typical american thinks the world should understand him.
I got suckered, too. At first I thought it was an april fools joke, but then the comments got me to believing. Should have read the names. At least I only passed it on to one person....and told my family. But, I did not try it myself.
Doh!
Hook, line and sinker!
LOL - Most excellent!
LOL!! I was questioning how/where was all this power accumulating. And, from only 4 batteries?? Seriously, I didn't want to even try this with my speedlights.....I wanted proof beyond the post. So, you got half a leg from me, only because even though I'm skeptical, I kept reading with interest. Somehow, I missed the lefty camera piece. And, being new to this forum, I hadn't a clue about your usual April Fool's musings. I think you did an almost convincing job DH. And, I'm wise to you now..... =)
What about the all the people who posted and said they got it to work?? *gasp* you all liars?? haha
Nerds have flipped into violent frenzies over far less.
-Nick
Anonymous said:
"typical american thinks the world should understand him."
Check into the history of the holiday, it didn't start in America. It appears quite European in origin. So...try to be a good neighbor, eh?
ouch! got me fooled!
definitely the best april's fool this year! a great idea, very subtly done and playing on the right strings to get us all worked up :D
great job!
M
Glad to say I wasn't fooled for a second. The fundamental electronics were not in the ballpark of possibility. But the effort was fantastic.
The key tell, btw, was the "exactly one minute" thing. That's not something you design for a diagnostic -- it's the kind of thing you make someone do when you're snipe-hunting.
Ohhh... I just _LOVE_ Snipe hunting!!
Anyways, for those of you lefties out there, just hold the camera upside-down.
Pretty good David! Here it is April 5th and I finally have time to overclock my flash and I'm writing down the steps to take into the living room to pump out some light!!
Then I look at the date and argh!!
Good one!
Harry
Nashville
Now, can somebody explain who Joe Kingley is? Only found a couple of other references and no explanations. That seems even odder than no mention of the DIAG mode on Google :-)
Post a Comment
<< Home