INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
SHUTTER SPEED AND ISO
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
SHUTTER SPEED
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT DOES SHUTTER SPEED DO?
▸ It works hand in hand with the aperture settings and ISO
to achieve a good exposure.
▸ Also known as “exposure time”, shutter speed is the
length of time a shutter opens and closes to allow more
or less light in to expose the film or digital sensor.
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT DOES SHUTTER SPEED DO?
▸ If it’s fast, it can freeze motion.
ISO 320, 1/1600, f/5.6
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT DOES SHUTTER SPEED DO?
▸ If it’s slow, it can reveal or
enhance motion.
ISO 200, 1/30, f/4.0
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT DOES SHUTTER SPEED DO?
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT IS A CAMERA SHUTTER?
▸ In DSLR film cameras, the shutter is part of the mirrors
used to reflect the image from the lens into the viewfinder.
▸ When the photograph is taken,
the mirror flips up to allow
proper timed exposure to the
film sitting behind the shutter.
Because the mirror flips up
during exposure the viewfinder
will go black.
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT IS A CAMERA SHUTTER?
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT IS A CAMERA SHUTTER?
▸ Focal-plane shutters are near the focal plane and move to
uncover the film or sensor.
▸ Leaf shutters are usually fitted within a lens assembly
(central shutter)
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
WHAT IS A CAMERA SHUTTER?
▸ A focal plane shutter
(curtain) in action
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
HOW IS SHUTTER SPEED MEASURED?
▸ When they are under a second, they’re measured in
fractions of a second:
▸ ie:1/4 means a quarter of a second, 1/250 means one
two-hundred-and-fiftieth of a second
▸ New DSLRs: as fast as 1/8000th of a second
▸ Most DSLRs: as slow as 30 seconds
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
HOW IS SHUTTER SPEED MEASURED?
▸ On most DSLRs, you will not see the shutter speed as a
fraction of a second – it will typically be a regular number.
▸ When the shutter speed is slower than or equals to one
second, you will see something like 1″ or 5″ (the ” sign
indicates a full second).
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
SETTING THE SHUTTER SPEED
▸ There are two ways to manually set the shutter speed:
▸ a) By setting the camera to
“Shutter Priority” mode,
where you set the shutter
speed and the camera
automatically selects the
aperture.
▸ b) By setting the camera to
“Manual” mode, where you
set both shutter speed and
aperture manually.
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
SETTING THE SHUTTER SPEED
Dial on a film SLR
Dial on a DSLR
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
SETTING THE SHUTTER SPEED
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
SETTING THE SHUTTER SPEED
Sony A 6000
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
SETTING THE SHUTTER SPEED
Lumix F2100
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
USES FOR SLOW SHUTTERS
▸ Photographing moving cars
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
USES FOR SLOW SHUTTERS
▸ Combined with a tripod to create painterly effects when
photographing waterfalls and rivers
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
USES FOR SLOW SHUTTERS
▸ Combined with a tripod to capturing images at night,
including lightning.
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTER SPEED
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
ISO
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
WHAT IS ISO?
▸ A) ISO sets the amount of light needed for a good
exposure
▸ At a higher ISO, you can use a faster shutter speed or a
smaller aperture (higher f-stop number) because less
light is needed to expose the image.
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
WHAT IS ISO? …ISO AND LIGHT SENSITIVITY
▸ ISO controls how sensitive your camera’s sensor is to
available light
▸ The lower the number, the less sensitive the camera’s
sensor is to the light
▸ A higher number increases the sensitivity to light
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
WHAT IS ISO? …ISO AND NOISE
▸ B) ISO is tied to the amount of noise/grain that appears
in your photographs. Raising the ISO can increase noise.
▸ Typically the lowest ISO number of the sensor that can
produce the highest image quality without adding noise
to the picture
▸ Most Canon digital cameras have the base ISO of 100
▸ Most Nikon digital cameras have the base ISO of 200
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
ISO COMPARISONS
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
ISO COMPARISONS
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
SETTING THE ISO
▸ Each step between the numbers effectively doubles the
sensitivity of the sensor.
▸ Typical ISO settings are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200,
6400 (each increasing to the Power of two)
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
SETTING THE ISO
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
WHEN TO USE A LOW ISO
▸ You should always try to stick to as low an ISO as you can
for optimal image quality
▸ If there is a lot of available light
▸ If the subject is static (or at least moving very slowly)
▸ If you want to slow the shutter speed for creative effect
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ISO
WHEN TO INCREASE YOUR ISO
▸ When there is not enough light for the camera to be able
to quickly capture an image:
▸ Indoors without a flash
▸ To capture the moment without introducing blur to
the image
▸ To get ultra-fast shots i.e. shooting sports or children
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
IN CLASS EXERCISE
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: IN CLASS EXERCISE
PLAYING WITH SHUTTER SPEED AND ISO
INTRO TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: IN CLASS EXERCISE
PLAYING WITH SHUTTER SPEED AND ISO
▸ Team up in groups of two
▸ Set each of your cameras to manual mode and 400 ISO
▸ Find a spot in the school where you won’t be interrupted and setup your
tripod.
▸ One of you will hold the glow stick and move it around, while the other
shoots.
▸ Take a picture at each of the following settings (6 pictures total):
▸ 1 sec, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/30, 1/125
▸ Now change the ISO to your highest setting and repeat the above shutter
speeds.
▸ You should end up with 12 photos.