what is the minimum shutter speed i need for shooting gymnastics?

Question

i would love to have a good camera for shooting gymnastics. what is the minimum speed i would need for good shots?

Answer 1

The shutter speed won't be a problem. As Chuckie pointed out, a shutter speed of 1/1000th second will freeze the action. So will a much lower speed most of the time. And all cameras can handle that speed. The trick for sports is to use a camera that is sufficiently RESPONSIVE. Point & shoot digital cameras all have a lag of about 1/10th second. So while the shutter speed you've set might be fast enough, if the camera itself is sluggish, you will constantly miss the moment. There are two ways around this:
* use any point & shoot and anticipate the right moment to press the shutter button.
* buy your way out this problem and get a digital SLR camera. These don't have any shutter lag.

Answer 2

I agree with the "experiment and see" comments! A gymnist frozen in space can be interesting, but even more so are skillfully blurred images that demonstrate the action occurring.

Also to consider is the focal length of lens you will be using. As a rule of thumb, you need a shutter speed of at least the amount of your focal length in order to make steady hand-held pictures. So, if you're shooting with a 200mm lens, you should use shutter speeds of at least 1/200'th / second to counter camera shake from your hands.

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http://www.lenslenders.com

Answer 3

Both of my friends have given you excellent answers, but I would add - what the heck? Try some shots at slow speeds, too. I mean, get the shots you want at 1/500-1/1000 without blur, but go ahead and use 1/30 or so and see what kind of effects you get with tumblers causing blurred motion. It cvan be pretty cool. They gave you the answer you want, but if you are shooting digital, go ahead and experiment with slow speeds while you're at it.

Answer 4

You select this through experience. 1/1,000 and your largest aperture is usually a good place to start. Make test shots, take notes (or look at the digital camera data) and see what looks right to you.