When is shutter speed too fast??

I am going to be shooting running races over the summer, and I was just wondering if there is a such thing as "too fast" shutter speed. I will be shooting with a 50D and a 70-200 f/2.8 IS Mk I. I took some shots of the Boston Marathon last month, and I think most of the shots were at 1/1600 sec. Should I go lower? Is there a drop-off point, where being too fast wouldn't matter? Could I have gone 1/800 with the same IQ?

Thanks for any and all help/comments.


Ken

1/800 would stop motion of runners to about the same degree as 1/1600, i.e. almost completely.

Try making some shots at 1/60 and 1/30, panning with the runner. That way the hand and leg motion would be blurred but if the panning is good the face will likely be sharp.

Remember though, all motion is relative, so that sometimes if you are very close, you may get the same effect at 1/125.

If going to 1/300 buys you a lower ISO setting; then that may be worth it (depending on the lighting conditions).

Well, I am shooting for a company, and I think they just want stop-action. I will be taking pics pretty much head-on. And hopefully if the weather is good when shooting, light won't be an issue.

For my own shooting, the blur is a good idea.

Thanks for your quick reply.

good_ken wrote in post #12471736
If going to 1/300 buys you a lower ISO setting; then that may be worth it (depending on the lighting conditions).

Yea, I am hoping that the days will be nice when I shoot...

I have some time before my first job, and hoping I get my 70-200 in the mail tomorrow, so I will practice.

Thanks for the reply.

Really depends on what you are going for. If you are happy with your DOF and exposure stay there. Remember, slowing the shutter a stop will require an adjustment somewhere else for the same exposure. If you were shooting at say f/5.6 you'll have to go to f/8 (you have to decide if the increased dof is what you wanted) or decrease your ISO sensitivity (if you started at say 100 however, you don't really have much room to decrease sensitivity) to stay at the same exposure.

I like the above suggestion of trying some panning. You could end up with some cool shots.

You should easily be able to stop motion at 1/500, if necessary, to keep your ISO down. And I doubt that you'd really NEED to go over about 1/800, unless it's quite bright out and you're actually shooting at 2.8 for subject isolation..

kenjancef wrote in post #12471674
I was just wondering if there is a such thing as "too fast" shutter speed. I will be shooting with a 50D and a 70-200 f/2.8 IS Mk I. I took some shots of the Boston Marathon last month, and I think most of the shots were at 1/1600 sec. Should I go lower?

If the light is sufficient, no.

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Due to the speed at which runners move, 1/500th is really about as low as you'd ever want to go. Its not necessarily the runners body or face that blurs but hands at slightly slower speeds. I shoot ALOT of running events, actually almost all of my work is shooting running events. My recommendations are meant to be used when selling photos to runners. I tend to shoot at 1/1600 or above. Depth of field really matters alot when you're trying to isolate the runner from the group. My normal settings are ISO 100-800, Shutter over 1/1600 (normally as close to 1/8000th as I can get), and an aperture of 2.8. Unless you're blowing up poster size shots or shooting for magazines, the ISO at 800 doesn't really lose any real picture quality when you print a 4x6 or an 8x10.

What kind of events are you planning on shooting? Are you shooting for a company or yourself?

I will be shooting for a company. But your suggestions make sense because I shot pics at the Boston Marathon (for myself) and used 1/1600 in Shutter Priority, and I think they came out pretty good. They are on my Flickr page. I will stick with that, and I'll be using a 70-200 f/2.8 IS lens, just will be hoping for sunny skies.

Thanks for your reply.

Took a look at your flickr site, I remember seeing some of those shots in the Photo Sharing section at one time. Overall the look pretty good. Remeber not to cut off feet, I was told to frame runners like they had a 2 litter bottle on thier head and below thier feet. That distance allows for a 8x10 crop of the photo not to cut off the runners feet. Remember sun screen, a mono pod, and a stool. If you have any specific question on shooting runners please feel free to ask.

Thanks, I will definitely ask, because I'm sure I'll have tons of questions... I do have the sunscreen and Monopod, but don't have a stool. I figure I'll stand for a bit, then maybe kneel for a bit.

They are also supplying the memory cards, so I figure they will just put me somewhere and say "go for it...".

Should be fun, and I love to learn...

Thanks again for your help.

who are you shooting for? Brightroom, ASI Photo, Marathon Photo?

ZXDrew wrote in post #12480755
who are you shooting for? Brightroom, ASI Photo, Marathon Photo?

Capstone Photography. Events in the Rhode Island/ Massachusetts area. Kinda excited, my first job.. (I am an IT guy by day...)

I have shot several marathons for companies, and they only wanted three things - the runners face, their bib number, and in focus. Besides that, they couldnt give a hoot if they were dramatic or photogenic. So long as they can sell them at the end of the day, they'll be happy.