Shutter speed necessary to freeze frame.

[Marshall]

As the proud owner of a 20d, with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8,000th. of a sec.I was wondering what the speed was, of things in everyday life, that different shutter speeds would be capable of freezing.

[robertwgross]

Suppose that an auto is speeding horizontally across your field of view, and it is going at 60 KM/hour. That will translate to about 1.7 centimeters per 1/1000th of a second.

(so at 1/8000th, we are talking about roughly 0.2 centimeters of edge blur)

---Bob Gross---

[sparker1]

Bob, can't you be a little more precise?

[gramps]

Bob, you live in California..............it's inches there not metric

[Jon]

Bob, can't you be a little more precise?
Not without knowing the lens and the subject distance. Those numbers are how far the car would move. If you were using your 100 mm macro at 1:1, there'd be a lot more blur on the image than if you were 100 yards back with your kit lens at 18 mm.

[Andy_T]

Marshall,

welcome to the forum. :D

Obviously, you posted this question twice ... this can cause confusion.
People to answer, please use the other thread:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=60307

Best regards,
Andy

[12345Michael54321]

Let me put it this way, for many years, most SLRs topped out at 1/1000 sec. (and although that was the marked speed, in reality it was often more like 1/800 sec. or so), and that was fast enough for almost everybody. A handful of SLRs went to 1/2000 sec., for those few photographers who insisted that 1/000 sec. wasn't quite fast enough.

Now, there are a few subjects where even 1/2000 sec. won't suffice to freeze motion. Examples include a race car moving across your field of view at close to moderate distance, or a hummingbird's wings.

In such cases, it's generally better to use a more moderate speed and pan with the subject (in the case of the car, for instance), so as to convey a sense of motion in the image. Or to use strobes to freeze the hummingbird's wings (since that flash of illumination can be much faster than any shutter speed you're gonna find on an SLR). Now, I'm not saying that these are absolute rules, carved in stone. Just that they're general guidelines many photographers have found to be of value over the years.

Finally, as for the question of what shutter speed will freeze what motion in everyday life, you've got to go out and take pictures and draw your own conclusions. Because there are lots of variables - subject to camera distance, angle of motion, lens in use, degree of enlargement, etc. - so in practice you've just got to develop a feel for such things. I mean, I can tell you that if Uncle Justin entertains the kids at the next family reunion by juggling 5 beer bottles, you probably won't be able to freeze him in mid-juggle with 1/30 sec., but at exactly what speed you can freeze the motion...well, there's just no way to give an absolute cut-off point.

[Andy_T]

Marshall,

welcome to the forum :D

Some maybe useful info...

'Rule of thumb' to avoid camera shake:
1/effective focal length s

If you have the kit lens at 55 mm, you should use at least 1/125 s for non-moving objects. (55*1.6 crop factor = equivalent to 90 mm on 35 mm frame)

Faster moving objects (e.g. sports, stopping water drops) -> 1/500

Best regards,
Andy

[Marshall]

Cheers Andy,
My Mac must have a 'stutter' !!

[robertwgross]

Bob, you live in California..............it's inches there not metric

It doesn't matter where I am. We are all pretty international here, so metric is more universal.

---Bob Gross---

[Belmondo]

Marshall,

welcome to the forum. :D

Obviously, you posted this question twice ... this can cause confusion.
People to answer, please use the other thread:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=60307

Best regards,
Andy

Fixed by gnomes working silently in the background.

[timmyquest]

It doesn't matter where I am. We are all pretty international here, so metric is more universal.

---Bob Gross---

I think it was a joke bob...

[robertwgross]

Gnomes probably have Metric/English converters built into their keyboards, too.

---Bob Gross---

[Marshall]

Thanks for the advice from 12345Michael54321, still practising panning to the Hummingbird's wings !! ( sorry Mike)

[Jim_T]

Actually, for real high speed work, the focal plane shutter used on SLR cameras isn't the best.

They don't actually completely snap open then snap shut 1/8000 of a second later.

Focal plane shutters use two blades that slide across the plane.. They form a slit that moves across the plane. The smaller the slit, the faster the exposure time.

The problem is that this can cause distortion with rapidly moving objects.. If you're after real fast stuff (light bulbs breaking etc) you'll need to use a flash in a dark room.. The duration of your flash is MUCH faster than any shutter.

The link below explains this pretty well..

http://webs.lanset.com/rcochran/flash/hss.html

[Andy_T]

Bob, you live in California..............it's inches there not metric

Gramps ... how do you like that 3.94" - 15.75" L IS lens of yours :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

[J Rabin]

Marshall:
If I'm understanding your Q right, given the OT chatter, I've had success with Lee Frost's general guide, e.g.,

subject - across path full frame - across path half frame - head-on
jogger - 1/250 - 1/125 - 1/125
cyclist - 1/500 - 1/250 - 1/125
car at 40 mph - 1/500 - 1/250 - 1/125
car at 70 mph - 1/1000 - 1/500 - 1/250
Train - 1/2000 - 1/1000 - 1/500

Frost's list is larger, and includes horses, Formula 1 racers, etc. This is a sampling. There are lots of these lists available.
J

[snibbetsj]

Gramps ... how do you like that 3.94" - 15.75" L IS lens of yours :lol:

Best regards,
Andy



Now THAT'S funny :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Mike Mars]

Bob, can't you be a little more precise?

Irony is such sweet sorrow.