Why is the shutter speed of digital cameras so low? Even the latest ones. Half the time the pictures turn out blurry. Is it really such a complicated technical issue to make it higher? It seems that with today's technology this wouldn't be such a big problem. What is the nature of the connection between the shutter speed and the camera being digital?
Digital cameras shutter speed
- Thread starter ArNav
- Start date
My Canon Rebel T3i adjusts from 30 seconds to 1/4000.
Sorry, but I can't make sense of the question unless you mean something like... Why is the auto-setting usually blurry in pictures you take on your particular camera?
I know that my older camera, a Nikon D40 or something, couldn't handle low light conditions on auto even with the flash. Without the flash, I'd have to set at least ISO and often one other parameter manually to get anything at all.
Sorry, but I can't make sense of the question unless you mean something like... Why is the auto-setting usually blurry in pictures you take on your particular camera?
I know that my older camera, a Nikon D40 or something, couldn't handle low light conditions on auto even with the flash. Without the flash, I'd have to set at least ISO and often one other parameter manually to get anything at all.
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We definitely need better/more information to help. Personally I've set the default ISO on my camera to 800 which speeds things up. Some cameras also have a sports mode as well. I must admit I've not had blur issues from vibration very often and I've used Panasonic, Canon, and Nikon cameras.
If we are talking DSLR cameras, the big difference for me was when I changed my lens from the kit zoom (f 3,5-5,6) that came with the camera and bought a fixed 50 mm lens with f1.8. It was not that expensive to change it but it has significantly made a difference in picture quality as well as the shutter speed. Even if the cameras are digital, the light still has to pass through the analog system of glass lenses before reaching the sensor. That hasn't changed much since the beginnings of camera devolopment. The standard kit lenses are generally quite cheaply made to make the camera price competitive. For example I'd prefer a camera with a decent lens with fewer pixels, than the opposite - much megapixels and a lens that isn't good.
Also most cameras are equipped with a "steady shot" function that compensates a little, you can be a little shaky but still get sharp pictures. Make sure that it is set "on" in the menu if you have it in your camera.
Also most cameras are equipped with a "steady shot" function that compensates a little, you can be a little shaky but still get sharp pictures. Make sure that it is set "on" in the menu if you have it in your camera.
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The camera is trying to make a properly exposed photo. It requires a certain amount of light to do that. It will adjust your ISO, aperture and shutter speed to get this amount of light. Everything is a trade off. Raise the ISO too high, get a noisy (grainy) photo. Open the aperture too much and your debt of field becomes too shallow. Slow the shutter down and you get blurry or photos that aren't tac sharp. So the SIMPLE answer to this is to add more light via flash, reflector or more natural light. Higher end cameras will allow you to shoot at higher ISO's with less noise due to the larger sensor. By raising the ISO, you can increase the shutter speed. But the basic answer is you just need more light.
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- Thread starter
- #6
When I set the ISO on higher, the pictures turn out too dark. What can I do to solve that?
Again, add more light. Cameras are extremely smart but they really aren't that great at gathering light, that's why a flash is SO bright. That's how much light a camera needs to make a correctly exposed photo. What is bright to the human eye, is dark to the camera
This video is more about shooting in manual mode but it gives a good break down as to what Im talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th1rXjmyVPs&list=PL9103F0B33BA9DC53&index=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th1rXjmyVPs&list=PL9103F0B33BA9DC53&index=1
Add more light?
Hmmm... Maybe part of why my Canon handles low light better is because the kit lens barrel is 67mm in diameter instead of... uhm... smaller. Hadn't thought about that before. Not to mention the bare camera cost 80% more.
Hmmm... Maybe part of why my Canon handles low light better is because the kit lens barrel is 67mm in diameter instead of... uhm... smaller. Hadn't thought about that before. Not to mention the bare camera cost 80% more.
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you're doing something else wrong.
post both photos so we can help.
post both photos so we can help.
- Thread starter
- #11
I think I've managed to get to some sort of a partial solution changing the ISO and shutter speed, I'll be checking how it works.
What camera, what lens, what lighting situation?
-Xander
-Xander
Please don't take this the wrong way but it sounds like you don't understand how exposure works. A P&S camera wont let you make mistakes for the most part but a SLR will let you do what you want even if it means no or very bad picture.
This might help a little.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/understanding-exposure-settings/
This might help a little.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/understanding-exposure-settings/
Consider taking a photo is like collecting rain in a bucket. Rain=light, something you have little control over unless using artificial. Aperture=diameter of bucket, shutter speed=time you leave the bucket in the rain and ISO=quantity of rain you want to collect.
For example, there is a certain amount you want to collect (iso), you can either have a wide bucket but leave it in the rain for shorter (wide aperture and short shutter speed) or a narrower bucket and leave it in for longer (smaller aperture and longer shutter speed). There are trade offs for each variable, wide apertures shorten the depth of field (distance in focus), long shutter speeds increase shake, and high iso induces more noise ("grain").
Understanding how the exposure triangle relationship works is important in creative photography, auto settings try to handle this for you.
-Xander
For example, there is a certain amount you want to collect (iso), you can either have a wide bucket but leave it in the rain for shorter (wide aperture and short shutter speed) or a narrower bucket and leave it in for longer (smaller aperture and longer shutter speed). There are trade offs for each variable, wide apertures shorten the depth of field (distance in focus), long shutter speeds increase shake, and high iso induces more noise ("grain").
Understanding how the exposure triangle relationship works is important in creative photography, auto settings try to handle this for you.
-Xander
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- Thread starter
- #15
Thank you all for your help.
This is a great explanation. I've been casually researching photography, eventually I will probably be looking more seriously in to DSLRs.
You know, I was thinking about this. On smaller inexpensive P&S or zoom lens cameras a big issue is lag time. This is the amount of time between when you actually press the shutter release and when the image is captured. Long lag times often get blurry shots because of lack of follow through, the moving of the camera as soon as you press the shutter release.
Another variable that directly relates to shutter speed is the physical size of the optics. Tiny lenses are not great at gathering light and need longer shutter times.
-Xander
Another variable that directly relates to shutter speed is the physical size of the optics. Tiny lenses are not great at gathering light and need longer shutter times.
-Xander
- Thread starter
- #18
The Pros & Cons in the review on DPReview confirm your issuesl
Heavy noise reduction at all ISO settings (although less than predecessor)
Smearing of fine detail (caused by NR) even at base ISO
Unreliable Auto WB performance under artificial light
Heavy noise reduction at all ISO settings (although less than predecessor)
Smearing of fine detail (caused by NR) even at base ISO
Unreliable Auto WB performance under artificial light
My experience is that compact cameras (or those with small lenses) just don't focus reliably in indoor lighting. And manual focusing is usually clumsy on compacts.
This is the main reason I keep going back to my SLR. The focusing is snappy, especially with a good lens.
For noise reduction, read blurring. By cramming in as many megapixels as possible, each pixel becomes noisy. They blur the image to even out the noise, effectively turning the camera into a lower megapixel device - which is how it should have been made in the first place. But then the marketing men couldn't use the megapixel count to persuade people to buy.
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