Camera Fun
Senior Member
For those of you who use auto iso, what minimum shutter speed did you set and why? Thanks.
Auto ISO & minimum shutter speed?
- Thread starter Camera Fun
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I would set it to the lowest setting that you can easily get a sharp picture with. Remember that moving subjects and longer focal lengths will require a faster min. shutter speed. What you set it on depends on what you are shooting.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
I typically shoot in Manual with Auto ISO enabled. Shutter speed just depends on the shot and what I want out of it. Sometimes I want sharp, stop-motion focus and sometimes I want some degree motion blur. If I'm not shooting in Manual, I'm probably shooting in Aperture Priority mode and in that situation I put the shutter speed on "Auto" and push the slider one notch toward "Faster". That works for me generally speaking but... Every shot is different. Either way, though, whether in "A" or "M", ISO is what I worry least about; shutter speed and aperture always come first in my mind.
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It is important. Set it to the shutter speed that you want your Auto ISO to usually and normally work at, most of the time. Set it for the same reasons you would normally control any shutter speed.
It is good to know that, and to know that it is not actually a minimum shutter speed. As you shoot in A mode, the shutter gets slower when you need more light. But when it reaches this Auto ISO Minimum shutter speed, shutter stops decreasing, and then ISO starts increasing. It is the threshold for when Auto ISO starts increasing. Therefore, shutter speed will be fixed there (at that speed) anytime ISO is between Minimum ISO and Maximum ISO.
But ISO only has a few stops of range, and if Maximum ISO is not enough to do it, then the shutter speed will continue decreasing more. It is not a Minimum shutter for anything other than Auto ISO.
It makes more sense when we realize that Auto ISO always tries to remain off (low) if there are any other alternatives possible. For example, camera S mode, as we need more light, the aperture widens. When the lens hits wide open (maximum) and can go no more, then Auto ISO starts advancing. Auto ISO is only triggered by hard limits, without alternative.
But the shutter can go to 30 seconds, which is not normally hand holdable.
So they added this artificial limit (auto ISO Minimum Shutter Speed), so ISO doesn't have to wait to reach 30 seconds.In S or P modes, the aperture will open to maximum first, before ISO increases. So S or P modes when Auto ISO is a probably consideration probably always shoots with a lens wide open. I question that is always the best choice.
But again, when Auto ISO is needed, it will normally be at this ISO Minimum shutter speed, so consider it wisely. It is most likely what you will be using.
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And always have your minimum shutter speed as a reciprocal of the maximum focal length of the lens in use.
In other words (known as plain English) if you are using a 50mm lens then your shutter speed should not dip below 1/50th or if a 200mm then never below 1/200th (slightly faster is better) - unless of course you are using a tripod then this rule does not apply.
In other words (known as plain English) if you are using a 50mm lens then your shutter speed should not dip below 1/50th or if a 200mm then never below 1/200th (slightly faster is better) - unless of course you are using a tripod then this rule does not apply.
All of the posts are giving you good advice and setting your shutter speed to at least be equal to or greater than your shutter speed is a good rule of thumb to use as a starting point. What your subject is, distance, lighting, and if you need to stop movement can make this change with each shot you take. Another very important thing to consider is your own shooting abilities and how well your technique is play a VERY BIG PART also. I have shot with my Tamron lens at 600mm with the VC on, handheld at 1/15 sec, and with my wide angles at one full second and gotten tack sharp pictures. Everyone has different abilities and you will have to experiment to determine what YOUR'S are. This is why I worded my first post like I did. Remember everyone has different abilities when it comes to holding a camera steady you need to experiment to find out what yours are.
From my first post...
"I would set it to the lowest setting that you can easily get a sharp picture with. Remember that moving subjects and longer focal lengths will require a faster min. shutter speed. What you set it on depends on what you are shooting."
From my first post...
"I would set it to the lowest setting that you can easily get a sharp picture with. Remember that moving subjects and longer focal lengths will require a faster min. shutter speed. What you set it on depends on what you are shooting."
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true but photography is a trade off between iso aperture and shutterspeed and sometimes u need to trade shutter speed to get the shot
no reason to lock yourself into always using a higher shutter then focal length , experiment with lower shutter speeds v focal length and improve shooting technique , you can easily gain a couple of stops
no reason to lock yourself into always using a higher shutter then focal length , experiment with lower shutter speeds v focal length and improve shooting technique , you can easily gain a couple of stops
Grandpa mentioned that technique is such a big part, and he is right. Some people have hands/bodies of stone combined with good technique and can get away with really slow shutter speed shots. Even if you can't right now, you always want to practice good technique and before long it will become such second nature that before long and without realizing you will start to get slower and slower into what you can hand hold shoot.
With this shot I surprised myself at how low I was shooting - 1/250, and it had no motion blur. Now this isn't a particularly slow shutter speed on its face, but when you consider it was a 300mm lens, no stabilization, and a quick off the cuff shot before the target realized there was a large camera lens pointed at her just 12 feet away. With thought, it would not have been difficult to do this shot. But repetitive good technique allowed me to do it without thinking and in a shoot from the hip time crunch.
Following the general rule of shutter speed to focal length, the shot should have been done at 1/450+ since it was shot from a DX camera.
With this shot I surprised myself at how low I was shooting - 1/250, and it had no motion blur. Now this isn't a particularly slow shutter speed on its face, but when you consider it was a 300mm lens, no stabilization, and a quick off the cuff shot before the target realized there was a large camera lens pointed at her just 12 feet away. With thought, it would not have been difficult to do this shot. But repetitive good technique allowed me to do it without thinking and in a shoot from the hip time crunch.
Following the general rule of shutter speed to focal length, the shot should have been done at 1/450+ since it was shot from a DX camera.
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Good advice here and something I am trying to do
I think of it in golf terms - eg keep your head down, complete the backswing, pause at the top of the swing etc. I find I "pull out" of the shot almost before I have taken it!
And great photo MM
