Shutter vs Aperture
 

When in manual mode you have a choice of whether to fix shutter or aperture to obtain correct exposure.
On a bright day if I fix shutter at 1/50 (XM2) then I have to engage ND filter to correctly expose using aperture.
Or I can fix aperture at say f5.6 and use shutter to expose correctly without using ND.
Just wondering if there is a preferred method - fix shutter or aperture.
Not bothered about DoF or clear slo-mo.

Mel.

Correct answer: both. Anybody care to elaborate?

My own bias with video cameras is to primarily use aperture to control exposure, employing an ND filter if necessary. Adjusting the shutter speed can lead to some unwanted strobing or stuttering.

Right, so the lowdown on this is that if you adjust your f-stop, you will lose depth of field, and if you adjust shutter, you will get stroby artifacts. Now most of what I do is based in a desire to get a filmlook, so, if you do anything other that 1/60 shutter, you will have a worse time going to 24p. 1/60 is the best shutter for the conversion. And similarly, a shallow DOF is filmic and desirable, so a low aperture is good.

For a program mode, I choose the TV and keep it on 60. But otherwise I pick a manual mode and use ND filters to make sure I can keep the aperture open for DOF and the shutter low for future conversions.

But on a recent thread I heard that the best visual effect, to really make it pop on a television, is a 1/250 shutter and the frame mode.

Actually, if you aren't worried about DOF, then anything will work, but that's my input.

DJ

Hey Mel,

I would strongly suggest that you ALWAYS use a ND filter whenever you are shooting outside. It not only cuts the amount of light getting to your lens but it helps to make your skies blue as opposed to white. Not as good as a polarizing filter, but it does help. The shutter will also help bring down your exposure but I use it mostly to soften a background or minimize the roll when shooting a computer screen. These are two totally different options and I encourage you to learn the ins and outs of both. But both can be utilized with great effect and affect when shooting in bright light and you need to limit the light entering the lens and want to acheive a softer and greater DOF.

Long day, and I don't know if this makes sense, but I tried.....

Steph

You should expirement a bit, try various ways under various lighting and determine the artistic merits of each, its limits, and which you prefer.

Stephanie, "It not only cuts the amount of light getting to your lens but it helps to make your skies blue as opposed to white. "

Oh yes. .. oh yes . . . Now I add filters plus a pola. I LOVE blue skies !

GRAZIE