is my shutter speed to high or is it another problem? at DVinfo.net

Kev O'Brien · August 28th, 2008, 04:09 PM

A Weekend in Wales on Vimeo

i shoot at quite a high shutter speed (around 500)

not sure if you will see it watching directly from vimeo, you may have to down load it

when the waves are rolling they seem a bit jerky but the riders look smooth to me (about 1:55 is an obvious example)

whats your opinion/advise

thanks

Bill Pryor · August 28th, 2008, 07:40 PM

Any time you shoot at a higher or lower than normal shutter speed you start to get some strangeness. At a shutter speed that high my guess is that's definitely the problem. If you have a desktop or window fan where you can see the blades moving, set up your camera and start cranking the shutter speeds faster and faster and you'll easily see the problem. Eventually you can even get the blades to appear to turn backward.

Jonathan Shaw · August 28th, 2008, 09:51 PM

As a general rule if your shooting 50i which I presume you are stick the shutter on 1/50 for a normal look. I sometimes will drop to 1/25 in lowlight instead of pumping up the gain.
If you want different effects then play around with it,

Kev O'Brien · August 29th, 2008, 10:41 AM

thanks for the replys, i tend to shoot higher shutter speeds due to the fast moving nature of the sport, on lower shutters i find i get alot of blurriness around the riders in the middle of tricks and it becomes quite noticable in slow mo, also i find the water spray looses its crispness

if that is my problem i will try it lower around the 250 mark and see if that helps but 50 is not quite fast enough from previous experience

ive always wondered why they make them to go so high if everyone shoots at 50 /60
i think my a1 goes to around the 4000 mark

Daniel Epstein · August 29th, 2008, 11:01 AM

High Speed Shutter is a feature they can add to relatively easily and for some shots can be quite effective. If the quality of the image in slow mo is the priority then the higher shutter speeds are the way to go. Played at normal speeds the short exposure time of the shutter means the usually blur of the longer exposures times of the regular shutter speed doesn't exist and the footage stutters to your eye since you are seeing a sharper group of stills with a longer gap of motion between frames.

Tripp Woelfel · August 29th, 2008, 02:58 PM

Kev... I think for what you are doing 1/500 is not too fast. In looking at action sport on TV I notice that they often use a fast shutter. Not certain of their rationale, but I do it when I shoot motor races to keep the foreground and background as crisp as possible. Whip pans following a car could decimate the background with a slow shutter speed.

A faster shutter will give you cleaner slomo options, which is something used several times in your referenced clip. Going to 1/250 shouldn't make much of a difference there.

While there are rules, you have lots of options based upon your personal preferences. You get to pick the look you like. If you don't like the choppiness of 1/500, play around with all sorts of different settings to find out what works best for you.

BTW... As a former ravenous windsurfer I feel cheated that I was born too early for kiteboarding. It looks like a real hoot. Unfortunately a hip replacement put an end to my sailing.

August 28th, 2008, 04:09 PM	#1
Kev O'Brien Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Posts: 57	is my shutter speed to high or is it another problem? A Weekend in Wales on Vimeo i shoot at quite a high shutter speed (around 500) not sure if you will see it watching directly from vimeo, you may have to down load it when the waves are rolling they seem a bit jerky but the riders look smooth to me (about 1:55 is an obvious example) whats your opinion/advise thanks

August 28th, 2008, 09:51 PM	#3
Jonathan Shaw Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 552	As a general rule if your shooting 50i which I presume you are stick the shutter on 1/50 for a normal look. I sometimes will drop to 1/25 in lowlight instead of pumping up the gain. If you want different effects then play around with it, __________________ www.ginclearfilm.com www.facebook.com/ginclearfilm

August 28th, 2008, 07:40 PM	#2
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Any time you shoot at a higher or lower than normal shutter speed you start to get some strangeness. At a shutter speed that high my guess is that's definitely the problem. If you have a desktop or window fan where you can see the blades moving, set up your camera and start cranking the shutter speeds faster and faster and you'll easily see the problem. Eventually you can even get the blades to appear to turn backward.

August 29th, 2008, 10:41 AM	#4
Kev O'Brien Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Posts: 57	thanks for the replys, i tend to shoot higher shutter speeds due to the fast moving nature of the sport, on lower shutters i find i get alot of blurriness around the riders in the middle of tricks and it becomes quite noticable in slow mo, also i find the water spray looses its crispness if that is my problem i will try it lower around the 250 mark and see if that helps but 50 is not quite fast enough from previous experience ive always wondered why they make them to go so high if everyone shoots at 50 /60 i think my a1 goes to around the 4000 mark

August 29th, 2008, 11:01 AM	#5
Daniel Epstein Trustee Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,267	High Speed Shutter is a feature they can add to relatively easily and for some shots can be quite effective. If the quality of the image in slow mo is the priority then the higher shutter speeds are the way to go. Played at normal speeds the short exposure time of the shutter means the usually blur of the longer exposures times of the regular shutter speed doesn't exist and the footage stutters to your eye since you are seeing a sharper group of stills with a longer gap of motion between frames.

August 29th, 2008, 02:58 PM	#6
Tripp Woelfel Trustee Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: North Conway, NH Posts: 1,745	Kev... I think for what you are doing 1/500 is not too fast. In looking at action sport on TV I notice that they often use a fast shutter. Not certain of their rationale, but I do it when I shoot motor races to keep the foreground and background as crisp as possible. Whip pans following a car could decimate the background with a slow shutter speed. A faster shutter will give you cleaner slomo options, which is something used several times in your referenced clip. Going to 1/250 shouldn't make much of a difference there. While there are rules, you have lots of options based upon your personal preferences. You get to pick the look you like. If you don't like the choppiness of 1/500, play around with all sorts of different settings to find out what works best for you. BTW... As a former ravenous windsurfer I feel cheated that I was born too early for kiteboarding. It looks like a real hoot. Unfortunately a hip replacement put an end to my sailing.