Shutter speed

Shutter speed is the length of time a camera shutter exposes film or a sensor to light. It controls exposure and how motion is rendered, from frozen action to blur.

Exposure triangle: A photography model linking shutter speed, aperture, and ISO as controls of exposure. It shows how changing shutter speed trades off with aperture and ISO for a similar exposure.
Panning (photography): A technique that tracks a moving subject with the camera during exposure, keeping it relatively sharp against a blurred background. A suitable shutter duration preserves subject detail while the moving camera streaks the background.
Camera shutter: A camera mechanism or electronic control that determines when and for how long the imaging medium receives light. Shutter speed names the duration controlled by this mechanism or timing system.
Flash duration: The length of time a photographic flash emits most of its light during a firing event. A short flash can freeze motion even when the shutter remains open longer.
Exposure value: A logarithmic scale representing combinations of camera settings that produce equivalent exposure. It expresses how shutter duration combines with aperture to set exposure.
Long-exposure photography: Photography made with exposures long enough to record substantial movement or accumulate light over time. It uses extended shutter openings to turn moving water, clouds, or lights into continuous traces.
Exposure (photography): The amount of light recorded by a photographic medium, determined by illumination and camera settings. Shutter speed is one of the controls that determines the captured exposure.
Motion blur: A visible smear or loss of sharpness caused by movement during image capture or display. Shutter speed affects motion blur, but subject movement and camera shake also determine it.
Reciprocal rule: A guideline recommending a shutter speed near the reciprocal of a lens’s focal length to reduce handheld camera shake. It estimates a minimum handheld shutter speed when camera movement is the main blur source.
High-speed photography: Photography using very short exposures to capture events that happen too quickly for ordinary imaging. Brief shutter durations can freeze impacts, splashes, and other rapid motion.

Linked from 14 pages