What is shutter speed and gain? at DVinfo.net

David Ho · December 27th, 2003, 10:50 PM

I am new to camcorders and unfamilar with this vocabulary. What are these two options used for exactly?

Glenn Chan · December 27th, 2003, 11:08 PM

In photography, shutter speed refers to how long the shutter is left open. If the shutter is 1/60th of a second, then the shutter allows light to hit the light sensing area (the film) for that long. In video it's similar although I don't think there are any moving parts.

Shutter speed affects exposure and the amount of motion blur the camera picks up. High (fast) shutter speeds are useful for certain special FX (since high shutter speeds remove nearly all motion blur).

Gain is electronical amplification of the signals the CCD puts out. It makes the image brighter but also amplifies and adds electrical noise. In low light situations you may need to use the camera's gain.

Frank Granovski · December 28th, 2003, 01:27 AM

There's 2 types of gain. One was already explained by Glenn, the other one is audio gain.

George Brackett III · December 28th, 2003, 10:06 AM

Gain is merely simple signal amplification. Unfortunately, noise is also amplified at the same time.

December 27th, 2003, 10:50 PM	#1
David Ho Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 354	What is shutter speed and gain? I am new to camcorders and unfamilar with this vocabulary. What are these two options used for exactly?

December 28th, 2003, 10:06 AM	#4
George Brackett III Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Waterville, NY USA Posts: 83	Gain is merely simple signal amplification. Unfortunately, noise is also amplified at the same time. __________________ If the quality of mercy is not strained, then how do they get the lumps out?

December 27th, 2003, 11:08 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	In photography, shutter speed refers to how long the shutter is left open. If the shutter is 1/60th of a second, then the shutter allows light to hit the light sensing area (the film) for that long. In video it's similar although I don't think there are any moving parts. Shutter speed affects exposure and the amount of motion blur the camera picks up. High (fast) shutter speeds are useful for certain special FX (since high shutter speeds remove nearly all motion blur). Gain is electronical amplification of the signals the CCD puts out. It makes the image brighter but also amplifies and adds electrical noise. In low light situations you may need to use the camera's gain.

December 28th, 2003, 01:27 AM	#3
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	There's 2 types of gain. One was already explained by Glenn, the other one is audio gain.