camera shutter speed

[jdando]

Hey gang;

seems there are a few camera guys lurking, so I thought I would post up some test shots from this week.

Background, by varying the shutter speed you can stop/freeze motion or convey a sense of speed/motion. Often the best shots of moving subjects have some blur to convey the sense of motion.

Here are some pictures of a local wind power generator. All shots hand-held, sorry for the crappy weather/clouds.

Fast shutter speed 1/400th second freezes motion. Pretty boring huh?
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/1.400blur.jpg

Slower shutter speed 1/125th second shows slight blur at the highest speed parts, the blade tips.
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/1.125blur.jpg



Slower yet 1/32nd second shows more blur
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/1.32blur.jpg


Even slower, 1/21st second.
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/1.21blur.jpg

And finally, 1/10th second. Holy moly, that thing must be spinning generating a bazzilion gigawatts:eek:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/1.10blur.jpg


I am thinking the 1/10th or 1/21st of a second shutter speed works well for this application.



For cars and faster moving objects, panning (moving the camera with the item of interest's motion) with a 1/60-1/100 of second shutter speed typically blurs the background yet keeps the subject in focus and yields a nice motion blur on the wheels.

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/IMG_8032a.jpg

[Aren Jay]

You could do what those morons did on the Aprentice.

Make the background steady and the car Blurry.

[Marauderjack]

Jeremy....

What the heck kind of little car is that in the last pic??:confused:

I'd hate to be in a wreck in that scudder!!!:eek::shake:

Nice pix....

Marauderjack:burnout:

[Blk Mamba]

Jeremy....

What the heck kind of little car is that in the last pic??:confused:

I'd hate to be in a wreck in that scudder!!!:eek::shake:

Nice pix....

Marauderjack:burnout:

That isn't a car it's a death trap.

[Bluerauder]

Jeremy....

What the heck kind of little car is that in the last pic??:confused:

That's one of the new Smart cars. There's one running around in my neighborhood, too. Don't think that they are for sale yet here in the states ... but I suspect some military folks are picking them up overseas and having them shipped home.

[jdando]

Jeremy....

What the heck kind of little car is that in the last pic??:confused:

....Nice pix....

Marauderjack:burnout:

Yep, as bluerauder said it is a Smart car. That is a European one, from when I was in Rome, Italy. I think the American ones are a little bigger and slower.

We have a Smart dealer here in Minneapolis, MN and every car they have on the lot has a sold sticker on it.

Thanks for the props on the pictures.

jeremy

[Mad1]

Selecting the Best Shutter Speed

Several factors affect the shutter speed you should choose, but by far the main issue is the focal length of the lens.

The rule of thumb is that the minimum shutter speed you should use is the inverse of the focal length, so if you're using a 500mm lens then you should use a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second, or higher.

However, other factors also affect the shutter speed that you should use. If you're photographing propeller-driven aircraft then you shouldn't use a shutter speed which "freezes" the propeller, since it's very unnatural to have a plane which is flying, but whose propellers don't seem to be turning. In practice, this means you shouldn't use a shutter speed faster than 1/500th of a second.

With a shutter speed faster than 1 / 500 sec., you can freeze propeller and rotor action.


Rules of thumb for Shutter speeds:

For high RPM propeller -- Up to 1/500

For low RPM propeller -- Up to 1/200

Landing planes or helicopters -- up to 1/100

Hope that helps, I got this helpful tip from a couple of photography sites that specialize in aircraft or sports photography that I frequent.

http://www.profotos.com/education/promag/articles/jan2004/airshow/images/16.jpg

It also has a chart for photographing lots of other interesting subjects, such as fireworks or motorsports.
http://abimagery.co.uk/htm_files/phototips.htm

This is a great one site that discusses getting exactly the effect you want for photographing propellers.
http://www.profotos.com/education/promag/articles/jan2004/airshow/5.shtml

Another perspective, which is probably more useful to the long-lens-owning photographer.

Shutter Speed - A rule of thumb is to pick an appropriate shutter speed based on the focal length of the lens you are using. If you are shooting a 300mm lens, then you want to limit your shutter speed to nothing slower than 1/150th of a second. That is one-half of the focal length of the lens. But if you are shooting something moving fast, you're going to have to be one steady person to get a shot with that slow of a shutter speed. Generally speaking, the lower limit for shooting a fast moving aircraft is around 1/250th of a second. Newer cameras have more shutter speed choices, so you can use anything around 1/250th through 1/325th and 1/500th of a second. Remember, you want to convey action and speed with your images, and these shutter speeds allow you the opportunity to get a crisp image of the airplane while the spinning propeller remains blurred. Make your own decisions, though... If you want blurred propellers (a more accepted practice) then use the slower shutter speeds. If you want to make "stop-action" photos, you can run the shutter speed up above 1/1000th of a second to stop the propeller.

There are great photos and examples of "failed" images on here with good explanations.
http://www.warbirdaeropress.com/articles/PhotoStory/Aircraft%20Photography.htm


Mad1
Jeremy

[CRUZTAKER]

This makes me want to dig out my Trafalgar Falls pics from Dominica.

Water appears realistic at about 1/120 and low shutter speed.

EOS 40 owner eh?

Invest in a polarizer ring to bring out the sky and clouds. ;)

[jdando]

EOS 40 owner eh?......Invest in a polarizer ring to bring out the sky and clouds. ;)

Canon and Nikon, just like oil, wax and sc's:help:


A cpl would not have helped the sky that morning, it was a flat gray day. but it was the only time I could get out and shot.

jeremy

[CRUZTAKER]

Canon and Nikon, just like oil, wax and sc's:help:


jeremy

Not at all.
Until we all own Hasselblad, we're ALL on relatively equal ground

Technology chages by the minute, and in the case of DSLR's, some are a few months ahead of others.

I am not ashamed to admit that nearly 90% of the sports shooters use Cannon. Why? Because it is indeed the most outstanding performer for that subject.

I won't talk down a Cannon...a Minolta maybe...:P
I recommend the Sony Alpha products to many people.

With cameras, it's all about what the end user has in mind, and what that user has become accustomed to over the years.

When I bought my first DSLR, Nikon was the most competively priced for the average cosumer at that time. I kept trading up along the way.

I am a bit envious that Cannon incorporates their VR motor in the camera housing, and we Nikon folks are stuck paying nearly a grand per lens with VR.

No big deal...with camera's, unlike S/C's as you compare, it's all about stunning folks with their captures. The equipment they use to do so is only an instrument to allow the end user to show their true ability.

Keep posting images.

I personally enjoy them.

[Black_Noise]

as far as the shutter speed goes im learning about it with my cannon, and the longer the shutter is open the more exposed the picture gets right (brighter) so when im trying to do a picture like you have with the little car that is focused, and the background not, what am I needing to do so stop the overexposer? Im still reading the advance manual too, so i might find out on my own soon.

[arejayesss]

as far as the shutter speed goes im learning about it with my cannon, and the longer the shutter is open the more exposed the picture gets right (brighter) so when im trying to do a picture like you have with the little car that is focused, and the background not, what am I needing to do so stop the overexposer? Im still reading the advance manual too, so i might find out on my own soon.

The reason the background was blurred and not the subject, is that the camera was panning at the time the pic was taken. A tripod will help with that. Actually, you can get a basic full sized tripod for $20 thats decent, depending on the weight of the camera.

[MM03MOK]

as far as the shutter speed goes im learning about it with my cannon, and the longer the shutter is open the more exposed the picture gets right (brighter) so when im trying to do a picture like you have with the little car that is focused, and the background not, what am I needing to do so stop the overexposer? Im still reading the advance manual too, so i might find out on my own soon.
The shutter speed and the aperture f-stop work together to give a properly exposed picture. The slower the shutter speed is (it's open longer) the smaller the f-stop is (opening of the camera's iris.)

I'm just picking numbers here....

1/60th (shutter speed) at f/8 (aperture) can give you the same properly exposed picture as 1/250th at f/2. There will be more depth of field (more in focus) in the first one because of the smaller aperture. If you want to stop action, you'd choose the second one, with the faster shutter speed.

Usually in cameras there is some sort of indicator in the viewfinder, either a scale, needle or + and - to let you know when you have proper exposure.

[Black_Noise]

thank you MM03MOK