Tutorials:
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Use of Shutter Speed
Shutter
The shutter is what determines the duration the sensor is exposed to light.
This is a graphic of one type of shutter, displaying the stages of opening and closing.
Shutter speed is usually expressed as a fraction – 1/2, 1/4, 1/30, 1/60, etc. Some professional cameras go as high as 1/2000, or even higher. A shutter speed of 1/4 means that the shutter is in the open stage for a period of one quarter of a second, whereas a shutter speed of 1/2000 means it is open for only one two thousandth of a second. The longer the shutter is open, the more light is hitting the sensor. Shutter also affects motion blur. The following example shows a common use of a very slow shutter speed – as long as 30 seconds, or even longer.
A slow shutter speed picks up more because it is taking longer to record the image. Slower shutter speeds can introduce different kinds of blur. For example, in the above image it is used to create a special effect. Unfortunately, a slow shutter speed also picks up camera motion, and is one of the primary causes of blurry pictures. A safe rule for most situations is that you want a shutter speed of at least 1/30 or 1/60, but the faster, the better. Remember that while a tripod will keep the camera from introducing blur (for example, in the above image), if the subject itself is moving, it will still blur (as the cars are moving in the above image). So keep in mind, if you’re holding the camera by hand, a slow shutter speed might make for a blurry image.
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