Shutter Speed Question

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Sandpatch

Senior Member
I went for a walk with the family this evening as darkness encroached. I set my D5100 to 'S' wanting to stop the action as best I could, but 1/30 was the fastest I could do. Several minutes later at a different location with perhaps better light, I switched to Auto and found myself able to shoot at 1/125 @ f/5.6 as seen here with the geese. Was it merely the change of location that allowed me 1/125 or does switching to Auto bypass some sort of limit (ASA?) that I may have set in my camera? Maybe too I was just not thinking, which seems to be happening more these days. :) Thank you.

2015-05-16 Geese - for upload.jpg
 
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RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Do you use auto-ISO? That could be part of the difference between your settings with Shutter priority vs Auto.

Otherwise, if there was better light later (better being relevant only to how the camera meters), then that could be part of the equation too.


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Sandpatch

Senior Member
Thanks Rocket. I need to read up on ISO settings and see what's been set in my camera. I normally shoot outside on sunny or mostly sunny days, so the ISO settings aren't of much importance to me, but I want to have a better understanding of the programmed settings for evenings such as this.

I used to know only one ASA -- 64, as in Kodachrome 64. :cool:
 
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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
You probably have the Auto ISO set on OFF and that limits your shutter speed. In Auto the camera set everything INCLUDING the ISO. Checking the EXIF data on each photo will probably show this to be the reason.

Try setting the ISO on Auto. Set on ISO 100 and max at ISO 3200 for the D5100. You can also set the minimum Shutter speed in the Auto ISO setting. Depending on the lens set it at the same at the maximum zoom (for example for the 18-55 set the minimum shutter speed at 1/60sec. That should give you good results most of the time. Then do no ever go to full AUTO ever again. Instead us the Program mode. A little more control over the final photo this way.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
Switching to Auto mode does enable Auto ISO (and Auto White Balance and auto Picture Control and auto popup of internal flash), even if you had it otherwise turned off. ISO can make a big change to exposure.

Auto means the camera chooses everything. P mode is auto exposure, but not auto ISO, WB, Picture Control or popup flash, unless we choose to use them.

Look at the ISO in the Exif of these pictures, and it should become clear.

Plus as you are looking in the viewfinder, the current ISO always shows there too.

We need to learn to pay attention to all that we can see in the viewfinder. :)
 
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aroy

Senior Member
If you want to freeze action, use "A" mode with Auto ISO. In most bodies you can set the following
. Min Shutter speed
. Min ISO - that set manually
. Max ISO

Then the body will
. Vary the ISO at min shutter speed
. If min ISO is reached, the shutter speed will increase
. If max ISO is reached, and the exposure at min shutter speed is low, the body will try faster aperture. If that is reached, then the shutter speed will decrease below min.
 
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Sandpatch

Senior Member
Thanks so much everyone! Using your advice, I have edited my settings to Don's suggestions. One thing that is confusing me is that the viewfinder shows AUTO ISO, but the LCD screen shows ISO 100. I'm thinking that the LCD screen is informing me that it's using ISO 100 for the shot?
 
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aroy

Senior Member
Sandpatch said:
Thanks so much everyone! Using your advice, I have edited my settings to Don's suggestions. One thing that is confusing me is that the viewfinder shows AUTO ISO, but the LCD screen shows ISO 100. I'm thinking that the LCD screen is informing me that it's using ISO 100 for the shot?
Click to expand...

LCD screen as in after the shot? If so, then it shows what the settings were used for that shot. The VF normally shows what you have set.
 
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