Shutter speed & fps question

[sid4iwpa]

I get blur images due to cam shake for using low shutter speed such as 1/60 handheld. I have to set a low shutter speed as the lighting condition is not ideal.

A friend told me that if my camera can do high fps (e.g. using electronic shutter), it will compensate for the motion blur due to low shutter speed. I haven't try that out yet.

Is this true?

 

[Erik Baumgartner]

I get blur images due to cam shake for using low shutter speed such as 1/60 handheld. I have to set a low shutter speed as the lighting condition is not ideal.

A friend told me that if my camera can do high fps (e.g. using electronic shutter), it will compensate for the motion blur due to low shutter speed. I haven't try that out yet.

Is this true?

The electronic shutter will eliminate any potential shutter shock that might occur with the mechanical shutter. I can’t say I’ve noticed any issues using the MS with my Fujis, but by all means try the ES and see if it helps. I generally prefer a faster shutter speed as there’s almost always some motion going on that can cause unwanted blur. I just raise the ISO as needed to maintain the desired minimum SS. I rarely shoot much below 1/125” in most situations, including low light ones. Better a little noisy than blurry. Noise is easy to deal with. Blur, not so much

Which Fuji are you using? Some have clunkier shutters than others.

 

[Rightsaidfred]

What your friend told you is probably about the idea of taking a series of photos of a scene rather than a single shot. Yes this can work. This way you have a chance that the "middle fraction" of the series is better than the ends because your hands will just remain more steady as you keep every finger in place for a while. Also ES helps as it does not cause any movement of parts in the camera.

You have no stabilization? What fl?

Better accept higher ISO than blur. You can denoise with excellent tools like Topaz DeNoise AI.

Regards,

Martin

--
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[sid4iwpa]

I get blur images due to cam shake for using low shutter speed such as 1/60 handheld. I have to set a low shutter speed as the lighting condition is not ideal.

A friend told me that if my camera can do high fps (e.g. using electronic shutter), it will compensate for the motion blur due to low shutter speed. I haven't try that out yet.

Is this true?

The electronic shutter will eliminate any potential shutter shock that might occur with the mechanical shutter. I can’t say I’ve noticed any issues using the MS with my Fujis, but by all means try the ES and see if it helps. I generally prefer a faster shutter speed as there’s almost always some motion going on that can cause unwanted blur. I just raise the ISO as needed to maintain the desired minimum SS. I rarely shoot much below 1/125” in most situations, including low light ones. Better a little noisy than blurry. Noise is easy to deal with. Blur, not so much

Which Fuji are you using? Some have clunkier shutters than others.

Thanks for the suggestion. Will increase shutter speed and at the same time increase ISO. I used a variety of x-t series from xt2 to xt5. The xt5's mechanical shutter is quite fast and gentle.

 

[sid4iwpa]

1. Rightsaidfred wrote:

What your friend told you is probably about the idea of taking a series of photos of a scene rather than a single shot. Yes this can work. This way you have a chance that the "middle fraction" of the series is better than the ends because your hands will just remain more steady as you keep every finger in place for a while. Also ES helps as it does not cause any movement of parts in the camera.

You have no stabilization? What fl?

Better accept higher ISO than blur. You can denoise with excellent tools like Topaz DeNoise AI.

Regards,

Martin

Thanks, I will be using continuous high drive mode. I have ibis on my recently acquired xt5. I have also tried the Topaz AI trial but it's very slow. Took a long time to process my images, in the end i never subscribe.

--
Life is like a CAMERA. FOCUS on what's important; CAPTURE the good times; DEVELOP from the NEGATIVES and if things don't work out, TAKE ANOTHER SHOT!

 

[Bill Ferris]

I get blur images due to cam shake for using low shutter speed such as 1/60 handheld. I have to set a low shutter speed as the lighting condition is not ideal.

A friend told me that if my camera can do high fps (e.g. using electronic shutter), it will compensate for the motion blur due to low shutter speed. I haven't try that out yet.

Is this true?

Your friend's advice is off the mark. A high frame rate or frames per second (fps) does not improve freezing of movement or the steadiness of the shot. It's all about shutter speed and steadiness of the camera & lens.

I assume you're photographing a static subject. If the subject is moving, there's no getting around using a fast enough shutter speed to freeze movement, assuming that's your goal.

If you're doing handheld photography of a static subject, does the camera or the lens have built-in stabilization? If so, activate stabilization to help with handholding a steady shot. If the camera and lens do not have stabilization, work on improving your handhold technique. If you can brace yourself against a solid surface or sit and brace your elbows against your legs, that will help. Also, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling while shooting can help.

I lieu of stabilization or improved handhold technique, use a tripod.

A high frame rate is helpful if you're photographing a fast-moving subject and hoping to capture a specific moment, body position, or facial expression. It can also hello if you're panning to follow movement at a slow shutter speed and hoping for one frame in which something in the frame is well-resolved while everything else looks blurry.

Good luck.

 

[Morris0]

You need to consider the cause of the motion blur. If it is caused by camera shake, then firing a burst of images may capture an image where the camera was not moving.

If the subject is moving and blurring a burst probably will not help.

The best solution is to use a lens wide open and the fastest aperture lens you have. This and increasing the ISO will allow for a faster shutter speed avoiding motion blur or reducing it. The increased ISO may result in noise that can be addressed with software. A wide open aperture will produce very shallow depth of field which could be an issue. Back up if necessary to increase depth of field.

Morris

 

[sid4iwpa]

I get blur images due to cam shake for using low shutter speed such as 1/60 handheld. I have to set a low shutter speed as the lighting condition is not ideal.

A friend told me that if my camera can do high fps (e.g. using electronic shutter), it will compensate for the motion blur due to low shutter speed. I haven't try that out yet.

Is this true?

Your friend's advice is off the mark. A high frame rate or frames per second (fps) does not improve freezing of movement or the steadiness of the shot. It's all about shutter speed and steadiness of the camera & lens.

I assume you're photographing a static subject. If the subject is moving, there's no getting around using a fast enough shutter speed to freeze movement, assuming that's your goal.

If you're doing handheld photography of a static subject, does the camera or the lens have built-in stabilization? If so, activate stabilization to help with handholding a steady shot. If the camera and lens do not have stabilization, work on improving your handhold technique. If you can brace yourself against a solid surface or sit and brace your elbows against your legs, that will help. Also, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling while shooting can help.

I lieu of stabilization or improved handhold technique, use a tripod.

A high frame rate is helpful if you're photographing a fast-moving subject and hoping to capture a specific moment, body position, or facial expression. It can also hello if you're panning to follow movement at a slow shutter speed and hoping for one frame in which something in the frame is well-resolved while everything else looks blurry.

Good luck.

Yes, I think you are right. A high fps with a slow shutter speed will not gurantee sharp images if the subject is not static but it'll be good for panning shots where the moving subject is in focus and the background is blurred artistically to depict motion. Thanks also for your advise on the handholding techniques.

 

[sid4iwpa]

You need to consider the cause of the motion blur. If it is caused by camera shake, then firing a burst of images may capture an image where the camera was not moving.

If the subject is moving and blurring a burst probably will not help.

The best solution is to use a lens wide open and the fastest aperture lens you have. This and increasing the ISO will allow for a faster shutter speed avoiding motion blur or reducing it. The increased ISO may result in noise that can be addressed with software. A wide open aperture will produce very shallow depth of field which could be an issue. Back up if necessary to increase depth of field.

Morris

Previously I was always on shutter mode pirority and I shoot wildlife at 1/500s for stationary or slow moving subjects, but I get dark images due to the lack of light as the sky is still dark in early morning and the forest leaves covering the subject makes it even worst.

I think I will swich to aperture mode pirority instead to let in more light but the xf150-600 can only do F8 when it is fully extended so I guess I will have no choice but to push up my ISO as per your advice to "force" the camera to adopt a higher shutter speed.

DOF should not be an issue due to the aperture restriction on the xf 150-600 plus I shoot far away objects such as birds. Hopefully the high fps burst shots coupled with the faster shutter speed and the higher ISO will increase my chances of nailing the shots.

Thanks so much for your reply.

--
Life is like a CAMERA. FOCUS on what's important; CAPTURE the good times; DEVELOP from the NEGATIVES and if things don't work out, TAKE ANOTHER SHOT!

 

[Morris0]

You need to consider the cause of the motion blur. If it is caused by camera shake, then firing a burst of images may capture an image where the camera was not moving.

If the subject is moving and blurring a burst probably will not help.

The best solution is to use a lens wide open and the fastest aperture lens you have. This and increasing the ISO will allow for a faster shutter speed avoiding motion blur or reducing it. The increased ISO may result in noise that can be addressed with software. A wide open aperture will produce very shallow depth of field which could be an issue. Back up if necessary to increase depth of field.

Morris

Previously I was always on shutter mode pirority and I shoot wildlife at 1/500s for stationary or slow moving subjects, but I get dark images due to the lack of light as the sky is still dark in early morning and the forest leaves covering the subject makes it even worst.

I think I will swich to aperture mode pirority instead to let in more light but the xf150-600 can only do F8 when it is fully extended so I guess I will have no choice but to push up my ISO as per your advice to "force" the camera to adopt a higher shutter speed.

DOF should not be an issue due to the aperture restriction on the xf 150-600 plus I shoot far away objects such as birds. Hopefully the high fps burst shots coupled with the faster shutter speed and the higher ISO will increase my chances of nailing the shots.

Thanks so much for your reply.

You have all of this correct. For wildlife and birds with a long lens, using support can also help. I like to use a tripod with gimble head and some will use a monopod. Both approaches help avoid camera shake and work well with the stabilized lens.

Morris

 

[Bill Ferris]

You need to consider the cause of the motion blur. If it is caused by camera shake, then firing a burst of images may capture an image where the camera was not moving.

If the subject is moving and blurring a burst probably will not help.

The best solution is to use a lens wide open and the fastest aperture lens you have. This and increasing the ISO will allow for a faster shutter speed avoiding motion blur or reducing it. The increased ISO may result in noise that can be addressed with software. A wide open aperture will produce very shallow depth of field which could be an issue. Back up if necessary to increase depth of field.

Morris

Previously I was always on shutter mode pirority and I shoot wildlife at 1/500s for stationary or slow moving subjects, but I get dark images due to the lack of light as the sky is still dark in early morning and the forest leaves covering the subject makes it even worst.

Personally, I use 1/100 or slower shutter speeds with wildlife in early morning or late day twilight and wait for brief static moments. It helps maintain a reasonable amount of exposure.

I think I will swich to aperture mode pirority instead to let in more light but the xf150-600 can only do F8 when it is fully extended so I guess I will have no choice but to push up my ISO as per your advice to "force" the camera to adopt a higher shutter speed.

Experiment with 1/30 to 1/50 second shutter speeds, too. If you catch an animal at the right moment, you'll get a sharp photo. Slow shutter speeds can also be fun when panning to follow a trotting or running animal in low light.

DOF should not be an issue due to the aperture restriction on the xf 150-600 plus I shoot far away objects such as birds. Hopefully the high fps burst shots coupled with the faster shutter speed and the higher ISO will increase my chances of nailing the shots.

Thanks so much for your reply.

 

[Alan Hewitt Photo]

There are a few instances where I've taken a burst of shots and many of them are blurred but this is down to subject movement. Sometimes you catch it right and you get a sharp shot but working this way is very inconsistent and leaves everything to chance and luck.

It's not really a workaround for poor exposure settings, focus or technique.