Along with the aperture you choose, your shutter speed is the other setting which determines the amount of light that hits your sensor.
Think of the shutter as being like curtains which sit in front of the sensor and stop the light getting in. When you open the curtains, light hits the sensor and exposes the image, and when you close them again, the image stops exposing.
When you’re not taking a shot, the shutter is closed - and when you press the shutter button it opens, stays open for a set amount of time, and then closes again. So shutter speed is measured in fractions of time.
​
If your shots look blurry, this is usually because the camera moved in your hand while the shutter was open, so the image which the sensor captured also included that movement. It's often only fractional, but it's enough to ruin a shot - and is referred to as 'camera shake'. Likewise, if your subject moves while the shutter is open, the same thing can happen.
The standard measuring scale of shutter speed goes from 1/4000 (a four thousandth of a second) through to whole numbers – as listed below. You may see some others as well, including faster ones, depending on your specific camera.
The accepted norm is that 1/100 (a hundredth of a second) is a level at which most people can hold a camera steady without their hands moving while the shutter is open, and so causing camera shake.
Faster than 1/100
1/100, 1/125, 1/160, 1/200, 1/250, 1/320, 1/400, 1/500, 1/640, 1/800, 1/1000, 1/1300, 1/1600, 1/2000, 1/2500, 1/4000
Slower than 1/100
1/80, 1/60, 1/50, 1/40, 1/30, 1/25, 1/15, 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1" - and then whole numbers from there, denoted by double quotes after the number, as shown here.
Some cameras show the 1/ at the start, and some just show the whole number, so if all you can see is ‘500’ for example, that’s still the same thing – it means 1/500, but it’s just not showing the 1/.
It’s easy to think of a second as being quite a short, or fast, amount of time, but actually in photography terms it isn’t – hence needing 1/100 to guarantee a sharp shot (if nothing in the scene is moving). You may find you can hold your camera steady at slower speeds, but it’s a good baseline to work to. Just experiment and see what you can get away with.
​
It's also worth mentioning that this becomes more difficult when you are zoomed-in, especially with a very long zoom lens - as the effect of any hand movement is magnified, because you are looking at a much smaller part of the scene.
​
Some people use a rule known as '100 over the focal length' - which basically means that at 50mm you would use 1/150 minimum, or at 300mm you would use 1/400 minimum and so on - but this is only a guide, and isn't always possible! It is also less relevant if you are only using a short zoom such as an 18-55mm kit lens, which is what most entry-level cameras come with. But do bear it in mind if you are using a much longer focal length.
At the other extreme, 1/4000 is a very short shutter speed, so even if you were intentionally moving the camera while the shutter was open, the shot would still look sharp. Likewise, if the subject was moving it should still be sharp at that speed, as it did not have time to move while the shutter was open. This is known as ‘freezing the action’.
Another thing to mention here is that shutter speed is often referred to in two different ways, which can cause confusion. So to clarify, a slow shutter speed is the same as a long exposure, and a fast shutter speed is the same as a short exposure.
On your camera, the aperture and shutter speed are usually displayed in the bottom left hand corner of the screen or viewfinder, but could be either way round (in relation to each other) depending on the make. The shutter speed may have the 1/ in front, or not, and the aperture may have the f in front, or not.
If you’re not sure, try turning the top dial as you look, and you will see one of them changing - it may also light up a different colour.
If you can only see one of the numbers and then a gap next to it, half press the shutter and the other one will appear for a period of time. Some cameras have them both displayed all the time and some don’t, which is rather annoying!
​
Return to the PTiYP app to continue.
For information on my 1-2-1 tuition services - which are available in person, or online via Zoom - please visit my photography tuition page.
I can help with anything from off-auto level tuition and learning how operate your specific camera, through to advanced skills, image editing and portfolio reviews.