The shutter speed is a measure of how long how film or sensor is exposed to light, due to the shutter being opened and closed. This is usually measured in seconds, or fractions of a second. Longer shutter speeds allow more light to onto the film or sensor and allow more subject movement.
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Do fluorescent lighting and shutter speed create a problem with color cast?
I took a bunch of photos at my son's martial arts club using a D90 with a 50mm F1.8. The club is lit with overhead fluorescent lighting, and I was getting some weird results where some shots are ...
55
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9answers
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How should I photograph falling snow?
We don't get much snow in the UK, so I don't have much experience photographing it, and when I tried photographing falling snow last year I found it very hard to capture the snowflakes in the air — ...
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10answers
1k views
What are some tips for shooting in low light?
I own a Canon 450D with just the standard lens kit that comes with it (poor so won't be buy a new lens for a while) and one thing I tend to struggle with is shotting in lower light conditions, indoors ...
25
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7answers
3k views
When to use shutter priority instead of aperture priority?
Under what circumstances would you use aperture priority vs. shutter priority and vice-versa?
I typically don’t use shutter priority (ever) and favor aperture priority to try to get a max aperture ...
23
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2answers
800 views
Why don't they make all DSLRs with an electronic shutter?
Why don't they make all DSLRs with an electronic shutter? Is it technically possible?
Surely this would allow easier syncing with flashes (rather than the usual 1/200s or 1/250s max).
I could even ...
21
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5answers
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Are there general rules for selecting the correct shutter speed and ISO in manual mode?
I have purchased my first DSLR (a Canon 500D) and have been playing around quite a lot within the aperture priority mode, with auto shutter speed and ISO.
Anyways as I would like to become a better ...
18
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4answers
1k views
Why are there limitations to the upper limit of exposure time in digital cameras?
For example, my Canon 550D will only go as far as 30 sec (and then of course the bulb mode).
For measuring exposure, I think all the camera needs is a timer, and I have no doubt they would have to do ...
18
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5answers
642 views
What else changes with zoom?
Let me start with the general question:
Consider the following situation. I want to take a picture of a particular object (that is, not a scenic shot). I can alter my distance from the subject ...
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2answers
393 views
Do very short shutter speeds result in diffraction?
I'm curious if very short exposure times (say 1/8000 or even 1/16000) would cause noticeable blur due to diffraction.
To achieve very fast shutter speeds focal-plane shutters start to close the ...
17
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5answers
4k views
How can I determine the minimum shutter speed to avoid blur from camera shake?
How can I determine the minimum shutter speed at which I can effectively avoid camera shake while hand-holding the camera?
17
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4answers
5k views
How can I make good fountain/waterfall photos?
I have a Canon Digital EOS Rebel XT camera, and I wonder how you could take photos of moving water like rivers, waterfalls and fountains...
17
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4answers
5k views
What is the shutter speed needed to stop motion?
I find that taking pictures where the subject is in motion (people, pets, toy helicopters)
I get a blur where there is movement.
On the other hand I see images of a drop of water in free fall in ...
16
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2answers
838 views
How do the stars in this photo appear without star trails even at a long shutter speed?
I found an image of the night sky taken by James Sainty at http://500px.com/photo/11615131.
It has the following EXIF metadata:
Camera Canon 5D Mk II
Lens Canon 16-35mm L
Focal Length 16mm
Shutter ...
14
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7answers
498 views
Why do cameras use a single exposure rather than integrating across many very quick reads?
I have never understood why cameras need a shutter with a specific speed and why this cannot be adjusted in postprocessing. I think that present sensor works in an integral way: they save the amount ...
12
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6answers
13k views
How to take fast-shutter-speed photos that aren't dark?
I was taking pictures of some water splashes. I knew I needed a fast shutter speed to make them look frozen in time.
I have not used manual mode yet. I use the settings where I can pick the shutter ...
12
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6answers
523 views
Why are only certain shutter speeds or apertures available?
For the exposure control function DSLRs there are specific shutter speeds available. For example there are 1/4, 1/100, 1/500. Why, even in high end DSLRs, is there no option to use a custom shutter ...
12
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3answers
965 views
Do the same camera settings lead to the same exposure across different sensor sizes?
Let's say I have a micro-4/3rd camera and a full frame camera, both set to 1/60 at f/2.8, taking a picture of the same scene in the same lighting. Will the exposure be the same across both cameras ...
11
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2answers
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Where do non-standard shutter speeds come from?
When I google "shutter speed" and explore a few first hits, there is always listed only the standard shutter speeds - 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15 etc
But, when I go looking at ...
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4answers
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How important is ISO speed?
My wifes Canon EOS 450D has various speed settings and an auto mode.
The quickest one is 1600.
She photographs mainly birds, both stationary and in flight and mainly still insects.
What are the ...
10
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2answers
377 views
Why is shutter speed usually limited to 30 seconds? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why are there limitations to the upper limit of exposure time in digital cameras?
My Nikons - D70, D80, D300, D800 all have a maximum long exposure of 30 seconds (as far ...
10
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2answers
626 views
What are the physical limits of a mechanical shutter?
I've recently found myself shooting a lot of photos on the maximum speed that my camera (a Canon 600D) allows (1/4000). This is quite extreme when thinking about mechanical movements, so I assumed ...
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3answers
693 views
How do I use the different shutter speeds my camera offers?
If I use a shutter speed below 1/30 on my Nikon P100, I get extremely dark images which are completely unusable. If I use the flash, it comes out fairly bright but just not natural.
My camera ...
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5answers
1k views
How do different aperture and shutter settings affect a photo with the same overall exposure?
Ok, here's my doubt. Suppose I want to get a certain exposure for an image. Keeping the ISO constant, there are two tentative possibilities here:
Put the camera at f 1.4 (say) and at 1/1600 shutter ...
8
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2answers
2k views
Why is 1/250th second used as shutter speed when using a speedlight with my Nikon D7000?
I've got a Nikon D7000, if I increase the shutter speed it eventually goes to the bulb option and after that to 250, I've been told that 250/second is specifically for when using a speedlight as ...
8
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2answers
396 views
Why do I get horizontal grey bar with flash at shutter speeds slower than max sync speed?
I'm a total newbie to flash photography, and I am just trying to do some test shooting with Canon Speedlite 580 EXII using my 7D.
I saw on the user manual that the maximum sync speed is 1/250 sec.
...
8
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3answers
1k views
How do I manually set the aperture and shutter speed, while auto selecting ISO with the Nikon D90?
I have a Nikon D90 and would like to set the aperture to f/1.4 and the shutter speed to around 1/60, all while having the camera compute what ISO is required for the current light conditions. I am ...
8
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2answers
553 views
Why does the left windmill have too many blades?
Ok, check this shot out:
These are the 3 windmills in Marshfield Massachusetts. It was shot from Provincetown, MA about 35 miles away. (I wasn't out to shoot them, I was shooting Right Whales... I ...
8
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3answers
536 views
Why do two different cameras using the same settings produce photos with different exposure levels?
Please refer to this photo:
The image on the left was taken with a Panasonic GH2, a micro-4/3rds camera with a crop factor of 2, and the right one was taken with a Nikon D700, a full-frame camera. ...
8
votes
1answer
470 views
How does shutter work when shooting videos?
I am a little confused about the concept of shutter speed in video shooting mode. I assume that the "shutter speed" means how fast the shutter would open and close. When this happens, I would hear a ...
7
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4answers
373 views
What configuration would limit my DSLR's shutter speed to 1/200?
I'm using a T4i with a 100mm f/2.8L (with macro twin flash). In manual mode, I could select any shutter speed down to 1/4000. However, when shooting the DSLR would set it back to 1/200. Does it depend ...
7
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3answers
382 views
At what shutter speed threshold does a tripod start to matter?
I use a Nikon D7000 with a prime 35mm/f1.8 lens. I usually shoot at the highest aperture with 200-1000 ISO, holding the camera steady and taking 6 or more shots in the hope of at least one coming out ...
7
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2answers
369 views
What shutter speeds should I use for cars in motion and slow-sync flash?
I'm an amateur with a Canon EOS 400D/Rebel xti.
I know that any given shot requires it's own recipe for shutter speed, ISO and aperture, and I'm aware of the triad of those three.
I typically shoot ...
7
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3answers
875 views
Does the shutter speed and focal length rule of thumb apply to cropped sensor cameras?
So, the rule of thumb for shutter speed is that it shouldn't be less than 1 / focal length. Well, that's straight forward on full frame cameras, but what about cropped sensor cameras? Is it going to ...
6
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4answers
514 views
Analysis of a macro shot with very fast shutter speed
Recently I came across a macro photo here, with this properties:
Focal Length: 105mm
Shutter Speed: 1/3200 sec
Aperture: f/4
ISO/Film: 200
So I am looking for possible reasons as to why ...
6
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5answers
908 views
What are the benefits and costs of an image stabilized, slower lens vs a non-IS faster lens?
I am going thru a trade off decision between a 24-70 f2.8 lens and a 24-105 f4 IS lens from Canon. My dilemma is that the 24-105 focal length better matches my needs, but the f2.8 would occasionally ...
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3answers
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How “slow” can I take a picture at a boxing match?
I'm to take pictures at a boxing match, probably under low lights conditions.
My plan is to set the camera on a fixed shutter speed, and the let the camera automatically set aperture and ISO. But ...
6
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4answers
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What does “long exposure” mean?
Very often, when people are talking about photography, they use the expression "long exposure". Here's a quote from a recent answer:
A tripod and long exposure were required for this shot.
Where ...
6
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6answers
911 views
Does high shutter speed make up for no tripod?
I take a lot of macro pictures, so using a tripod can be very inconvenient at times. And when I'm so close to an insect I find my hands shaking a lot even though I try to be as stable as possible. So ...
6
votes
6answers
767 views
How does aperture size or shutter speed affect color temperature?
With all other parameters assumed constant, does aperture size or duration of exposure have any effect on the resulting color warmth or vividness? (Even slightly.)
While answering please also ...
6
votes
6answers
189 views
What camera settings esp. shutter speeds to use while driving?
I haven't been able to get very good pix while in a car thats driving at about 75-95 MPH -any advice what kind of settings to use?
How fast should I set the shutter speed in proportion to MPH?
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4answers
555 views
Should I prefer raising ISO or lowering the shutter speed in a low light condition?
Example:
1. A "still" object/scene.
2. Night time.
3. The only light source you have is: a tubelight on a wall.
Provided, you want sharpness all around so you won't maximize the aperture.
Flash ...
6
votes
4answers
260 views
Does the same aperture at a shorter focal length allow for faster shutter speeds?
I was about to ask why the new Canon 24-70mm F/2.8L II doesn't have IS, but then I came across the answer to Why there is no Canon 50mm *IS* lens? and it got me thinking...
(The short version of the ...
6
votes
1answer
143 views
Best film and shutter speed for Mansfield Skylark
My daughter picked up an old Mansfield Skylark camera at a yard sale. Can anyone recommend a film type/speed and shutter speed for overcast daylight conditions? The shutter speeds are simply 'B' ...
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6answers
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What are some common ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings for street photography?
I recently purchased a Panasonic GF1 with the 20mm pancake lens. It's by far the nicest camera I've ever owned and I'm really excited to learn the basics of digital photography (primarily street ...
5
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4answers
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How can I set an exposure time over 30 seconds with a DSLR?
Most DSLRs have an exposure time limit of 30 seconds.
Now I'm asking myself how is it possible to create images about over 1 hour or longer, like these two:
...
5
votes
4answers
7k views
What shutter speed to use when shooting video?
My camera is Canon 60D and I will be using it to shoot a short parkour video, that means:
a lot of motion, moving subjects, moving camera
focal length usually from 24 mm to 75 mm, but there will ...
5
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3answers
579 views
Does Av mode on my Canon DSLR take IS into account when deciding shutter speed and ISO?
Most of the time when I'm out I'm shooting, my camera is in Av mode. I've selected the aperture size I want and I'm letting the camera decide on the correct shutter speed and ISO that are required to ...
5
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2answers
246 views
What is term for the opposite of “Dragging the Shutter”?
My first helpful experiments with flash started after taking a seminar with Scott Kelby on the subject. I don't recall him mentioning dragging the shutter (but he may have). But, I do recall him ...
5
votes
1answer
205 views
What is the relation between shutter speed and exposure compensation in aperture priority?
I was using a manual focus lens with canon 600D and notice something in aperture priority mode. When I was applying the exposure compensation of -2EV, I had a shutter speed of 1/20 sec and when the ...
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5answers
667 views
What's the difference between exposure and shutter speed?
Is there a difference between exposure and shutter speed, or are the terms interchangeable? I read that "If you use a quick shutter speed, you can just raise the exposure to compensate." Is this ...
