SHUTTER SPEED

WHAT IS CAMERA SHUTTER?
WHAT IS SHUTTER SPEED?
HOW SHUTTER SPEED IS MEASURED?
WHERE AND HOW TO FIND SHUTTER SPEED? 

Shutter speed is one of the three pillars of photography, the other two being ISO and Aperture. Shutter speed is where the other side of the magic happens- it is responsible for creating dramatic effects by either freezing action or blurring motion.

WHAT IS CAMERA SHUTTER?

Well, camera shuter is a curtain in front of the camera sensor that stays closed until the camera fires. When the camera fires, the shutter opens and fully exposes the camera sensor to the light that passes through the lens aperture. After the sensor is done collecting the light, The shutter closes immedicately, stopping the light from hitting the sensor. The button that fires the camera is also called shutter or shutter button because it triggers the shutter to open and close.

WHAT IS SHUTTER SPEED?

Shutter speed is also known as exposure time stands for the length of time a camera shutter is open to expose light into the camera sensor. If the shutter speed is fast, it can help to freeze action completely. If the shutter speed is slow, it can create an effect called motion blur" where moving objects appear blurred along the direction of the motion. This effect is used quite a bit in advertisement of cars and motorbikes.

How shutter speed is measured?

Shutter speeds are typically measured in fractions of a second, when they are under a second. For example 1/4 means a quarter of a second, while 1/250 means one two-hundred-and-fiftieth of a second or four milliseconds. Most modern DSLRs can handle shutter speeds of up to 1/4000th of a second, while some can handle much higher speeds of 1/8000th of a second and faster. The longest shutter speed on most DSLRs is typically 30 seconds (without using external remote triggers).

How to find the shutter speed?

go to the setting the camera to “Manual” mode, where you set both shutter speed and aperture manually. Look through the viewfinder, it should also be the number on the bottom left side of the screen. On most DSLRs, you will not see the shutter speed as a fraction of a second – it will typically be a regular number. When the shutter speed is slower than or equals to one second, you will see something like 1″ or 5″ (the ” sign indicates a full second).

If you still can’t find the shutter speed, set your camera to “Aperture Priority” mode, then look into the viewfinder and point at a really dark area. Remember the numbers in the display, then switch to a very bright area and see what number changes. The number that changes is your shutter speed.