What is shutter speed?
Shutter speed is the amount of time the shutter allows light onto the CCD. The shutter speed is measured in seconds (or fractions of a second for most common pictures). The slower the shutter speed, the more motion is recorded by the camera. A tripod might be needed to use slower shutter speeds without blurring the picture.
Shutter speed is a photography term that indicates the length of time the shutter is open to allow light exposure to the film or image sensor. Used in conjunction with aperture size (f-stops), shutter speed determines total exposure and can be changed to create different effects. Shutter speed is measured in seconds, typically fractions of seconds. Shutter speed is adjusted automatically when a camera is being used in automatic mode. However, shutter speed can be adjusted manually on most SLR film and digital cameras. Conditions that typically account for determining shutter speed include lighting and movement. A slower shutter speed is used in low lighting, while a short, or quick, shutter speed is typically used to capture moving objects. To create dramatic effects, such as intentional blurring or other artistic effects, the shutter speed may be adjusted to atypical speeds for the given conditions. The shutter speed of most cameras can be adjusted in increments from 1 second to 1/100
As I’ve written elsewhere, defined most basically – shutter speed is ‘the amount of time that the shutter is open’. In film photography it was the length of time that the film was exposed to the scene you’re photographing and similarly in digital photography shutter speed is the length of time that your image sensor ’sees’ the scene you’re attempting to capture. Let me attempt to break down the topic into some bite sized pieces that should help digital camera owners trying to get their head around shutter speed: Photo by konaboy • Shutter speed is measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30). • In most cases you’ll probably be using shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or faster. This is because anything slower than this is very difficult to use without getting camera shake. Camera shake is when your camera is moving while the shutter is open and results in blur in your photos. • If you
The short, and correct, answer is that shutter speed is exposure time. Normally your sensor (or film) sits around in the dark waiting for a bit of action. It is the shutter – like the blinds or curtains which shut light out of your room – which keep the sensor in the dark. When the shutter opens, it lets in light and the sensor gets to work. Exposure time, then, is the time interval or duration during which your camera’s sensor (or film) is collecting light to capture your image.
