What Are Shutter And Shutter Speed In Photography? Hi and welcome to Episode 155 of the Photography Explained podcast. I’m your host Rick, and in each episode, I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English, in less than 27 minutes (ish), without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google. Ok, there was some Google research in this one. For which I say thank you, Google.
First - here is the answery bit
The shutter in a camera is the thing that moves when the shutter release button is pressed exposing the camera sensor to light.
Shutter speed is the amount of time that the camera sensor is exposed to light. The shutter speed can be changed to allow more or less light to reach the sensor, getting a correct exposure in combination with the aperture and ISO. Fast shutter speeds freeze the action and capture fast-moving things, and are also used in bright lighting conditions. Slow shutter speeds can create movement and blur in photos and are also used in low-light conditions.
When taking photos handheld the shutter speed needs to be fast enough to prevent camera shake and ensure that you get a sharp image every time.
That was my answer.
And this is one of those rare things in photography that pretty much makes sense. Having covered aperture in the last episode, not the easiest thing to cover properly, I have been looking forward to this.
Before I go on, if you have a question you would like me to answer just go to photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start
Why the term shutter?
Well, why not. What is a shutter anyway? There are many definitions of what a shutter is, most of which relate to things that you close to stop light from getting through a window. And these are normally in pairs. And there is every chance that there are two shutters in your camera. And I did not know that!
This makes sense, doesn’t it, shutter as a term. That is what the shutter is doing in a camera, well sort of anyway. Shutters appeared in photography in the 1800s, at the time when handheld cameras and indeed camera film were both being developed.
That is the history lesson over – we don’t need to know any more. If you do great, off you go. I don’t though.
How does the shutter work?
Well, when we had film SLR cameras, you pressed the shutter button and the mirror flipped up and the shutter opened, exposing the camera film to light. The amount of time the shutter was open determined the exposure time.
And when SLRs went digital the same happened, but instead of film there was a sensor. But the same thing happened.
And with mirrorless cameras, things have moved on, and Mirrorless cameras can have electronic shutters as well as mechanical shutters. But no mirror.
And with mirrorless cameras, the sensor is exposed to light until you take a photo, when the shutter comes into action.
Evolution, but either way the principle is the same – the shutter controls the amount of time that the camera sensor is exposed to light, controlling how much light gets through to the camera sensor.
What is the shutter made of?
I don’t know. I have asked Canon, Sony, and Olympus in the past and they all declined to tell me. Maybe I should ask them again. I am pretty sure that they used to be made of metal, and some probably still are, but then again there are probably some more modern shutters in newer digital cameras made of other more advanced materials.
It is not that important, is it?
How long does a shutter last?
Most cameras have a mechanical shutter - as in it is a thing that moves. You can also get an electronic shutter. Either way, a shutter exposes the camera sensor to light.
There is something called a shutter count. Every camera has a shutter-rated lifespan. On my Canon 6D, this is 150,000 shutter actuations.
How many times has my shutter been used?
No idea. To find that out I need to do some work. But I can tell you that in Lightroom I have 23,000 photos taken with my Canon 6D. I am fortunate that I do not take a lot of photos - I take as few photos as I can.
But this shutter lifespan is only a guide. And if a shutter fails you can get it replaced.
And for mirrorless cameras, with an electronic shutter, the lifespan can be much more.
- Having said that, for my Olympus EM5 it is 100,000. Oh well.
- The Sony a7iii has a life of 200,000.
- The Canon EOS R has a 200,000 rating.
So shutter lifespan is comparable between DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras.
You get the idea, let’s move on.
Ok anything else on the shutter itself?
No. Yes. What actually happens?
When you press the shutter button the shutter opens exposing the camera sensor to light. And because of the really fast shutter speed times, such as 1/4000th second, the shutter cannot open and close fast enough, so there is a second shutter which closes, ending the exposure. And no, I did not know this.
Electronic shutters are just that, like turning a light on and off. I think.
So mechanical and electronic shutters do the same thing but in different ways. And that is all I am going to say about electronic shutters.
Shutter speed range
This is the important bit. The shutter speed range. This is the length of time that the shutter is open, exposing the camera sensor to light. The taking the photo bit.
First off, here is the shutter speed range.
- 30 seconds
- 15 seconds
- 8 seconds
- 4 seconds
- 2 seconds
- 1 second
- ½ second
- ¼ second
- 1/8th second
- 1/15th second
- 1/30th second
- 1/60th second
- 1/125th second
- 1/250th second
- 1/500th second
- 1/1000th second
- 1/2000th second
- 1/4000th second
- 1/8000th second
And yes, I had to type this little lot out. And yes, this is as interesting as the aperture scale.
You can select whatever shutter speed you want with most cameras. And the shutter speed range will vary from camera to camera.
On my Canon 6D, it gives me 30 seconds – 1/4000th second. Which is more than enough for me!
And each change of shutter speed equates to one stop.
What does this mean?
Change the shutter speed from 1/125th second to 1/250th second and you are exposing the camera sensor to light for half as long, which is a halving of the amount of light getting through to the camera sensor. Also known as 1 stop.
Change the shutter speed from 1/1000th second to 1/500th second and you are exposing the camera sensor to light for twice as long, which is a doubling of the amount of light getting through to the camera sensor. This is also one stop.
What are stops?
A stop is a halving or doubling of the amount of light. Combine this with changes in the aperture, and this is how you can get the correct exposure with different camera settings. More on that in the episode about exposure.
Actually, no, check out
Photography Explained Podcast Episode 153 - What Is Exposure In Photography? (A Beginner's Guide)
And
Photography Explained Podcast Episode 154 - How Do I Get The Correct Exposure Every Time I take A Photo?
Nearly forgot about them, and the fact that in those episodes I was going to tell you about the shutter and shutter speed in this episode.
Oh well, it has been a long year….
Let’s talk about why we have different shutter speeds then. Yes, why not.
Handheld shooting
The shutter opens and lets light through to the camera sensor. Now if you move the camera when you are taking a photo you will probably get a blurry photo. That is why you need to stand nice and still when you take a photo, and choose a fast enough shutter speed.
What is a fast enough shutter speed?
Well, the rule of thumb is that with good technique, using a shutter speed of 1/60 second or faster, you should be fine. But, if you are using a longer focal length, your shutter speed needs to be the reciprocal of the focal length. I know I’m sorry.
But it’s not as bad as it sounds
If you are using a 200mm focal length, your shutter speed needs to be faster than 1/200, which will be 1/250th second. Sorted!
That is the starting point for shutter speed, choosing a fast enough shutter speed to get sharp photos, while still getting the exposure right (this is where aperture and ISO come into play).
And you can use a higher shutter speed on a sunny day than you can on a dull day, as the light is brighter.
Fast shutter speed
Not surprisingly, a fast shutter speed exposes the camera sensor to light for less time, meaning that you can capture a moving object without any blur. A very fast shutter speed will freeze most things.
Longer shutter speed
And even less surprisingly, using a slower shutter speed allows you to get motion blur in a photo. Your camera has to be still of course, so you need a tripod or similar.
Low light
In low-light conditions, you will probably need a slower shutter speed to get the correct exposure. If it is too dark you need to put your camera on a tripod, and do other stuff, to get a sharp photo. Or use a larger aperture to let more light in. Or choose a faster ISO. Or add light to the scene using a flash or similar device.
Bright light
And in bright lighting conditions, you will probably need a faster shutter speed to get the correct exposure.
Or use a smaller aperture, or a lower ISO value, or reduce the amount of light using a filter.
ND Filters
If you need to reduce the amount of light getting through to the camera sensor, you can get something called a neutral density filter, which reduces the amount of light. Sunglasses for cameras I once called ND filters! I know. I have a neutral density filter that gives me a whopping 10-stop reduction in light.
ND filters are popular amongst landscape photographers but can be used by anyone who just wants to reduce the amount of light that gets through to the image sensor or wants to reduce the camera shutter speed
Bulb Mode
Good old B for Bulb. What is this then? Well, using Bulb, you can use as long a shutter speed as you want. We used to have good old cable releases back in the day, as you have to keep the shutter button pressed down for the whole length of the exposure, but these days we have apps and wireless remote release devices that help us do this.
Combine Bulb with an ND filter and you open up a whole new world of long-exposure photography. And using long exposures you can create some really good stuff. I love doing this.
Other complicated stuff
There is some other stuff but I am not going to bother with that. That will take you and me down the unwanted cul-de-sac called irrelevant detail.
How aperture and ISO relate to shutter speed
That is the exposure triangle – I mentioned two other episodes about exposure, and am going to come back to the exposure triangle after the next episode, all about ISO.
Camera modes
There are many different camera modes. Here is how they relate to shutter speed.
Manual mode
- You select the shutter speed. And that is that.
Semi-automatic modes
- In aperture priority mode, you select the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed.
- In shutter priority mode you select the shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture.
Fully automatic modes
- The camera selects the aperture and the shutter speed, depending on the subject matter that you tell it you are photographing.
So what does this really mean?
This means that by selecting the shutter speed you can photograph a wide range of subjects correctly. You can use these shutter speed settings as intended or creatively.
- Fast-moving stuff – faster shutter speed – say 1/1000th to 1/4000th second
- Normal day-to-day stuff – a fast enough shutter speed – say 1/125th second to 1/500th second.
- To get blur in a waterfall – 2 – 10 seconds
- Low light – lower shutter speed – ½ - ¼ second
- Bright light – faster shutter speed – something like 1/1000th second
- Handheld – a fast enough shutter speed – faster than the reciprocal of the focal length
These are just a guide to the kinds of shutter speeds that you might use.
Exposure
We have to remember that every time we change the shutter speed we are changing the amount of light that gets through to the camera sensor. And this changes the exposure, which is why we also have aperture and ISO which we change to get the correct exposure.
Is there a best shutter speed?
No, it depends on so many things. But you need to make sure whatever shutter speed you use that the photos that you take a sharp.
Ok – I think that I am done there.
Blimey, I enjoyed that. Just explaining stuff that makes sense, such a refreshing change.
Right – talky bit over - what if I use a phone and not a camera?
Well, I have an iPhone XS. Go on the internet and it tells you how to change the shutter speed, but this doesn’t work. What is described is not there.
There must be an app that does this. And then I remembered, I have Lightroom Mobile, and yes, you can change the shutter speed using the camera in Lightroom Mobile. Something else I have learned from this episode which is good.
But to be honest I am not that bothered, this is why I have a camera!
What if I use a film camera?
Everything that I have said so far applies. Well apart from the phone bit. And I remember to not write, and then say, all of the above, which doesn’t make sense in a podcast episode does it?
Not a lot more to this. Move on Rick.
What do I do?
I use AV Mode for most photos that I take. My camera is normally on a tripod, so shutter speed is not really a concern to me. And I photograph buildings most of the time, and they don’t move.
I have already selected the ISO, then I select the aperture and the camera picks the shutter speed to give me the correct exposure.
When I am shooting handheld I still use AV Mode, and select an ISO that will give me a fast enough shutter speed to get sharp photos.
And I do this for my architectural photography, travel photography, and landscape photography. I am quite boring really, I tend to work the same way whatever I am photographing.
And when I want a super long shutter speed I use a 10-stop neutral density filter to massively reduce the amount of light getting through to my camera sensor.
Nice and easy! This is what I do.
Some thoughts from the last episode
Episode 155 was What Is Aperture In Photography?
Do you know what I forgot to say? I forgot to say that the aperture in a camera lens is an adjustable thing, made up of blades made of metal or other material, that closes the opening in the camera lens as the aperture is stopped down, as a larger aperture value is selected.
I think that I should have said that, but am picking this up now.
The aperture is not the size of the opening in the camera lens, it is a device within the lens that can reduce the size of the opening.
Right, I think that is covered now.
Next episode
Episode 157 – after aperture and shutter speed I have to cover ISO. I haven’t got a title yet for this episode but will try to come up with something interesting. But then again I am talking about ISO…. I cannot think of a reason to not do it, although I am trying! No, I need to do this. Might be a quick episode……
Ask me a question
If you have a question you would like me to answer just head over to the podcast website – photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start where you can find out what to do. Or just say hi. It would be lovely to hear from you.
That’s all.
This episode was brought to you by, erm, for a change, a cheese and pickle sandwich and shock horror no crisps washed down with a nice cold Diet Pepsi before I settled down in my homemade, acoustically cushioned, technologically sound recording emporium. Today's acoustic treatment is four pillows and two fleeces – I have gone for it this episode!
I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast (it says here), and for giving me 27 ish minutes of your valuable time. I think this episode will be 26 minutes long after I have edited out the mistakes and other bad stuff, as this was relatively straightforward to explain.
Take care, stay safe
Cheers from me Rick
