What effect does changing the shutter speed have on pictures?

Question

my camera manual is less than satisfactory at explaining things;(

Answer 1

(I've been dropped from the Internet twice while trying to reply to this question... ugh!)

OK, let me start again! If you have a correct exposure, and you change the shutter speed so that it is now slower, you will also have to use a smaller aperture, which can effectively increase the depth of field, but if you slow it down slower than say 1/60th second, you'd have to use a tripod or risk camera shake which causes blurred images. Also, if someone is running at top speed or a horse is galloping at top speed or a car is speeding by, and the shutter speed is made slower, you will get a elongated blur to suggest speed. You would also slow down the shutter speed if you are using the largest aperture and you still do not have enough light for a correct exposure; by leaving the shutter open longer, you will give the sensor or film more time for the reflected light to reach it and bring about the correct exposure.

Alternatively, if you speed up the shutter speed, provided you have enough light, you would have to use a larger aperture, and in doing this, you will make the depth of field (area in front and in back of the subject) smaller, while also "freezing" action.

Read this, it may help you understand the concept more (explains both f/stop AND shutter speed):
http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm

Answer 2

I'm a landscape photographer. I'll try to explain this clearly for you. Changing the shutter speed, basically changes the exposure time. Meaning, the longer the shutter is held open, the longer the film is exposed to the image in front of you. The effect this has on your final image, is going to depend, largely, on the speed of the film, and the lighting situation you're using it in. If, for example, you're using 100 speed, in low light, then the longer you hold the shutter open, the better your image will be; as long as you don't overexpose. If you try bracketing, you will better understand what I'm explaining.
In the case of changing shutter speed, bracketing is when you shoot an image with your aperture set at a specific f/stop, first shooting it at your light meter's prescibed shutter speed. Then you shoot it about four more times; twice at increasingly faster shutter speeds, and twice at decreasingly slower shutter speeds; the entire time with your aperture at the same setting. When you do this, you'll clearly see the effects of changing your shutter speed. Have fun.

Answer 3

ISO is not the same thing as shutter speed. Using a faster ISO means you can use a faster shutter speed. Faster shutter speeds are used in bright light, or to stop action. Slower shutter speeds in dim light, or to create motion blur (Like all those waterfall pics with the silky water flow) Most people cannot hand hold below about 1/30 of a second without getting camera shake.

One rule of thumb is use the same shutter speed as focal length. For instance, if you are using a 200mm lens, use a shutter speed of 1/200 of a second to get a sharp image. If your shutter speed needs to be slower for proper exposure, then use a tripod.

You use both the shutter speed and the aperture to obtain your exposure. The aperture also controls the depth of field. Shutter speed and aperture are reciprocal in controlling exposure.

I would suggest looking for a good book on beginner's photography. Kodak has one (aimed at film, but shutter speed is the same for film or digital) or the Dummies book for digital is pretty good. And keep reading your camera manual!

Answer 4

try going to wikipedia...it has some really good pictures of examples of what you can achieve using certain shutterspeeds.

I use different shutter speeds with night photos and water. I usually use a third of a second to get those milky looking type photos...where the water looks like milk. And then I use 1/90 to 1/125 of a second when I used my 3200 iso film, and it helps me control or stop the blur while shooting night photos. For panning, I like to stick with 1/60 to 1/125.

If you are still iffy on shutter speeds, try bracketing. Take 3 photos of the same object and increase your shutter speed by 2 and decrease it by 2. Like with a waterfall - use 1/60, 1/15, and then 1/125. You will notice more blur in the 2nd photo and more stop action in the third photo. Shoot with 1/250 and you can actually catch the drops in the air, like the sprays of the ocean. Remember, with extra low speeds (anything less than 1/60 of a second) use a tripod or something to put your camera on so your area of focus does not become blurred.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutter_speed

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

The shutter speed is the one that controls exposure. Too slow a shutter speed will result to overexposure (white washed photo) or too fast a shutterspeed results to underexposure (photo too dark). Normally, in automatic mode, the camera computes for the best shutterspeed in accordance to available light.

The only problem is that under low light conditions (indoors, night, etc), you will need a slow shutter speed to properly expose the picture. Blurring could result out of camera shake or movement of the subject.

Answer 6

Blurry. The longer the lens (shutter) is open the more things in front of the camera have time to move so you get less sharp images.

The advantage of having a shutter open longer is to increase the available light.

Answer 7

My cam gives me an ISO (shutter speed) up to 800. If it's a little dark and you dont want to use a flash, that's the way to go, but as said before, you really need a tripod, or a steady hand. But I found that I use my tri-pod more than I ever would have thought, so think about getting one. They are cheap at thrift stores. I actually bought digital photography for dummies. It says TOO much, but does explain alot. But, if you buy it, go to a used book store, mine was copywrighted six years ago. There may be an updated version, but this one has taught me a lot. good luck, have fun.

Answer 8

if you leave the shutter open for a longer period of time at night it allows more time for it to collect the most light. you will want to have a tripod for this to keep the camera absolutely still while the shutter is open.
if you leave the shutter open for just a tiny split second this is good for action shots in the daytime and you can take a series of photos quickly. thats about all i know. have fun!!

Answer 9

shutter is the quickness of the subjec tyou capture th efaster it is the better it is for action shots otherwise ya get traces and trails in slow motion not good.

Answer 10

the faster the better... show ones tend to blur more easily during movement because the film is exposed to the light longer.