I need the use of shutter speed explained to me, for both pictures and video

[DannyRodriguez]

info: I'm 20 years old, I'm a filmmaker, I've only ever used rented equipment, I've just recently bought my first camera Canon 60D. I want to use it for both filming and for photography. I'm very interested in both mediums.

But I feel like I don't understand the different uses of shutter speed yet. Please note that I haven't received my camera yet so I can't experiment myself. Could someone refer me to a site, or explain themselves and then refer me somewhere for further reading about these topics:

1. What shutter speed do I use for which situation and light in video? and why?
2. What shutter speed do I use for which situation and light in photography? and why?

3. what are the effects of different shutter speeds in photography? and why?
4. What are the effects of different shutter speeds in video? and why?

I'd say those four topics just about cover what I'm wondering about. I may have follow up questions as we go along if there's something I've forgotten.

Please answer, I really genuinely do want to become good at photography, so that I can become a better filmmaker.

 

[Overread]

I honestly can't answer for video since I'm not 100% sure of shutter speed's effect in the video world of DSLRs.
For stills shots I'd strongly recommend reading "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson - that gives you an introduction into aperture, shutter speed and ISO as well as advice on how to select both correctly technically and artistically for different situations.

As a very rough overview - faster shutter speed = more motion stopping capabilities with the camera. You also have to use a shutter speed fast enough to overcome your own bodies motions as well when handholding.

For handholding the rough rule of thumb is shutter speed = 1/focal length of the lens (if using a crop camera *by 1.6). This is down to 1/60sec shutter speed. In general whilst a wider angle lens (following the rough rule of thumb) can be held slower 1/60 is where you ideally stop going slower if you can avoid it.
Note this is only a rule of thumb and good holding posture as well as personal differences mean that some will be able to handhold for slower shutter speeds and others will need faster ones.

For motion stopping this gets a little more tricky - in general if shooting something like wildlife, cars, pets etc.. you want 1/400sec or faster if you can get it. Going slower is again possible, but increases the risk of blurred motion (which can't be corrected in editing*).

However there are also methods such as panning where you can pan with a moving subject and shoot with a slower shutter speed, whilst getting a sharp shot (a good example of this would be propeller planes where you pan the shots with a slower shutter speed - the slower speed blurrs the rotors, whilst the panning method allows you to capture the rest of the vehicle sharp).



* ok it might be possible, but you are looking at a lot of time (hours) to get a good result - and if the blur is extensive then you won't have a chance.

 

[480sparky]

No offense, but if you're a filmmaker, you should know this.

Get Understanding Exposure (3rd ed.) by Byron Peterson.

 

[Robin Usagani]

shutter speed in videography????

 

[Josh66]

shutter speed in videography????

Frame rate, probably.

 

[Overread]

shutter speed in videography????

Frame rate, probably.

Yes and no - this is where it gets confusing. As I understand it you have both a frame rate and a shutter speed and the shutter speed itself cannot go below the frame rate speed (for obvious reasons). I thus assume that shutter speed set faster than the set frame rate means that each frame itself it taken with the faster shutter speed, but that your frame rate does not increase itself because more shots are not taken.

So lets say you have 25fps (frames per second) You can take them at a speed of 1/25sec at the slowest. At that speed each frame in your exposure (each separate frame) will be a 1/25sec exposure - and thus have all the properties of a 1/25sec still photo strung into animation.

However you could shoot with, say, a shutter speed of a 1/400sec. Each of the 25 frames in the single second would be taken at the 1/400sec speed (and thus have the properties of 1/400sec single frame exposures) but the overall number of total frames taken would remain at 25 in the single second.

I assume this limitation is either software based (processing time) hardware based (forcing the camera to repeat expose so fast is not possible due to date streaming limitations) or could even be licence or coded limitations from the design of the camera.

 

[DannyRodriguez]

I honestly can't answer for video since I'm not 100% sure of shutter speed's effect in the video world of DSLRs.
For stills shots I'd strongly recommend reading "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson - that gives you an introduction into aperture, shutter speed and ISO as well as advice on how to select both correctly technically and artistically for different situations.

As a very rough overview - faster shutter speed = more motion stopping capabilities with the camera. You also have to use a shutter speed fast enough to overcome your own bodies motions as well when handholding.

For handholding the rough rule of thumb is shutter speed = 1/focal length of the lens (if using a crop camera *by 1.6). This is down to 1/60sec shutter speed. In general whilst a wider angle lens (following the rough rule of thumb) can be held slower 1/60 is where you ideally stop going slower if you can avoid it.
Note this is only a rule of thumb and good holding posture as well as personal differences mean that some will be able to handhold for slower shutter speeds and others will need faster ones.

For motion stopping this gets a little more tricky - in general if shooting something like wildlife, cars, pets etc.. you want 1/400sec or faster if you can get it. Going slower is again possible, but increases the risk of blurred motion (which can't be corrected in editing*).

However there are also methods such as panning where you can pan with a moving subject and shoot with a slower shutter speed, whilst getting a sharp shot (a good example of this would be propeller planes where you pan the shots with a slower shutter speed - the slower speed blurrs the rotors, whilst the panning method allows you to capture the rest of the vehicle sharp).



* ok it might be possible, but you are looking at a lot of time (hours) to get a good result - and if the blur is extensive then you won't have a chance.

Thanks a lot for your reply, you didn't really teach me anything new though.. I saw a video of a man taking a picture of a clouded beach with a really slow shutter, it came out looking like the water was ghostly fog which blended into the white sky. This is because the shutter speed was long and the picture was exposed for a long period of time, creating the motion blur which resulted in that effect. that was very interesting, experimentation like that is very cool. is there anything more in that area I should know? or is it just about sharp pictures vs motion blur pictures?

If anyone can answer the video questions that'd be great.

 

[Josh66]

shutter speed in videography????

Frame rate, probably.

Yes and no - this is where it gets confusing. As I understand it you have both a frame rate and a shutter speed and the shutter speed itself cannot go below the frame rate speed (for obvious reasons). I thus assume that shutter speed set faster than the set frame rate means that each frame itself it taken with the faster shutter speed, but that your frame rate does not increase itself because more shots are not taken.

So lets say you have 25fps (frames per second) You can take them at a speed of 1/25sec at the slowest. At that speed each frame in your exposure (each separate frame) will be a 1/25sec exposure - and thus have all the properties of a 1/25sec still photo strung into animation.

However you could shoot with, say, a shutter speed of a 1/400sec. Each of the 25 frames in the single second would be taken at the 1/400sec speed (and thus have the properties of 1/400sec single frame exposures) but the overall number of total frames taken would remain at 25 in the single second.

I assume this limitation is either software based (processing time) hardware based (forcing the camera to repeat expose so fast is not possible due to date streaming limitations) or could even be licence or coded limitations from the design of the camera.

I think I understand that, and if I do - the same problem would have been around since the film days.

I guess I just didn't realize that the shutter speed could be changed on a video camera.

 

[KmH]

The frame rate is going to depend on the format you're using, and on if you are using progresessive or interlaced framing.

Video displays a minimum of 24 frames-per-second (fps).

 

[DannyRodriguez]

shutter speed in videography????

Frame rate, probably.

So lets say you have 25fps (frames per second) You can take them at a speed of 1/25sec at the slowest. At that speed each frame in your exposure (each separate frame) will be a 1/25sec exposure - and thus have all the properties of a 1/25sec still photo strung into animation.

However you could shoot with, say, a shutter speed of a 1/400sec. Each of the 25 frames in the single second would be taken at the 1/400sec speed (and thus have the properties of 1/400sec single frame exposures) but the overall number of total frames taken would remain at 25 in the single second.

Just to be clear, in dslr filmmaking the rule of thumb is to have twice the shutter speed than the frame rate. 25fps is 1/50 60fps is 1/120. But that rule aside, what you're saying here is really interesting. I was wondering, if you know, if i shot something at 25fps at 1/25 and something else at 25fps at 1/400 what will be the different effects of thepicture, how would they differ? This is the kind of stuff I came here to find out

 

[Vtec44]

slow shutter speed = shutter stays open longer = more light and more motion blur.
fast shutter speed = shutter stays open less = less light and less motion blur.

 

[Breaux]

I think maybe I can simplify it for you, although reading the recommended exposure book above is a very good idea.

A faster shutter speed freezes motion (including camera shake) but also lets in less light, so you need a larger aperture or higher ISO to compensate. And vice versa for a slower shutter speed, which blurs motion like in the above example of the water at a beach.

 

[Overread]

Frame rate, probably.

So lets say you have 25fps (frames per second) You can take them at a speed of 1/25sec at the slowest. At that speed each frame in your exposure (each separate frame) will be a 1/25sec exposure - and thus have all the properties of a 1/25sec still photo strung into animation.

However you could shoot with, say, a shutter speed of a 1/400sec. Each of the 25 frames in the single second would be taken at the 1/400sec speed (and thus have the properties of 1/400sec single frame exposures) but the overall number of total frames taken would remain at 25 in the single second.

Just to be clear, in dslr filmmaking the rule of thumb is to have twice the shutter speed than the frame rate. 25fps is 1/50 60fps is 1/120. But that rule aside, what you're saying here is really interesting. I was wondering, if you know, if i shot something at 25fps at 1/25 and something else at 25fps at 1/400 what will be the different effects of thepicture, how would they differ? This is the kind of stuff I came here to find out

I'm only making an educated guess here but if you were shooting a moving subject I would expect the shots taken at 1/25sec shutter speed to show motion blur on the moving parts of the subject. Whilst on the 1/400sec images I would expect far less motion blur to be present on the individual frames that make up the shot - at this point the 1/25fps might or might not introduce its own blur/sharp effect.
I'm afraid this is one thing you'll have to test yourself with the video camera and a moving subject.

 

[Breaux]

Oops - Vtec44 beat me to it!

 

[DannyRodriguez]

Awesome, thanks guys!