correct shutter speeds for each situation

[darrenm]

have been getting some fairly decent results (or ones i am happy with) since taking up DSLR photography last year but a lot of it has been through a lot of very painfull trial and error and through total luck and coming form a digiscoping background have at times found it a totally different game and very frustrating to feel i have got sharp shots in the field only to get home and find that they are not pin sharp on the pc SOB, SOB.

I have tried messing around with the settings of the camera (Canon 7D) to try and improve success rates but have mostly failed in this and was now wondering if there are any golden rules on shutter speed for both static subjects and birds in flight shots. I know iso levels mostly dictate what shutter speeds you can get away with but seem to be totally useless at judging when. The more i read on the subject from books the more i seem to get it wrong.

Any explanation in a simple format for a total tech dunce would be of great help

[nutmeg]

One rule of thumb if you aren't using a tripod is to make sure shutter speed is at least the reciprocal of your focal length. For example, if you have a 300mm lens then use a shutter speed of at least 1/300. This is only a rule of thumb though.

If panning with a bird in flight and want a blurred background, then you can use a lower shutter speed than if you want to completely freeze everything sharp.

For stationary birds I've got away with quite low shutter speeds - even as low as 1/15 (no tripod, but 300mm lens with IS) and still had sharp images (probably more through luck than anything else).

I pretty much always shoot in AV mode so I can select the aperture best suited for my subject. I always check in the viewfinder when I prepare to shoot that the shutter speed is OK. If not I either increase ISO or decrease aperture (make wider). What I do depends on how high the ISO is already.

I'm not much of a bird photographer, though, so would be better to wait for someone more experienced to help.

Another thought: make sure you're not snatching at the shutter button as this will move the lens. Keep it smooth and don't rush (even when excited!).

[pressld2]

As a general guideline, you should keep your shutter speed as fast as or faster than "the reciprocal of the focal length". This means if you're using a 300mm lens then your shutter speed should be 1/300th of a second or faster, but if you're using a 50mm lens then you want 1/50th of a second or faster. This applies to shooting hand-held and, as I said, is just a general guideline. It takes no account of how steady or otherwise your hands are and, more importantly, it doesn't take account of subject movement.

For birds in flight it depends hugely on the bird. For something like a marsh harrier, soaring and gliding while hardly flapping its wings, then I would stick with the above guideline and use at least 1/400th of a second with my 80-400mm lens. For smaller birds that flap a lot, even 1/1000th of a second won't always eliminate all wing blur. But that's not necessarily a bad thing - a little bit of motion blur on the wings can add a sense of movement and power to an image.

Having the lens supported makes a world of difference. Not just with a tripod or monopod but any sort of support will do: a hide windowsill, tree branch, car roof or the ground all provide excellent camera supports, particularly when coupled with a beanbag. I have taken sharp shots of blue and great tits at 400mm using a shutter speed of 1/20th of a second with the lens resting on a hide window frame.

Of course I deleted loads taken in the same session because of subject movement, but by blasting away you get the odd one where the bird was still.

My nightmare is wildflowers. I want to use a reasonably small aperture around f11 to get good depth of field, but I prefer not to use flash. This means a long shutter speed. Even though I'm using a bean bag or a tripod and cable release, the tiniest breath of wind can lead to soft results.

Hope this helps, and keep practicing!

Dave P.

Edit: I see Nutmeg just beat me to it with an excellent post! The last point about not snatching the shutter is a good one and there are other techniques for getting the best results when panning or just using long-lenses in general. Have a Google for "long lens technique" and I'm sure you'll find lots.

[Tringa]

Unless you deliberately want some blurring (and there are times when I think it can improve a photo) or you are restricted by other factors, eg you want a particular DoF, then I go for the fastest speed you can get.

I have heard the guide about using a minimum of the reciprocal of the focal length extended to take account of the crop factor of the sensor, ie 1/focal length x the crop factor, so the minimum suggested shutter speed with a 300mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.6 would be 1/480th, but as has already been said, it is just a guideline.

Dave

[Ollie]

If you stick with AV mode you shouldn't have any real problems. If it's decent light anyway. In good lght I will use ISO 400 which will generaly give a fast enough shutter speed for sharp shots. If it's dull it's a case of upping the ISO to get a decent shutter speed.

There is no hard and fast rule on shutter speeds, each shot is different and shutter speeds can vary greatly from subject to subject and location to location even on the same day.

For birds in flight I aim for a shutter speed of at least 1/1600 sec to get a sharp shot and higher if possible. Another little trick to gain a little shutter speed is to drop the exposure by - 1/3rd of a stop, this will increase the shutter speed and can be compensated for at the editing stage. As I always shoot jpeg rather than raw I almost exclusively under expose by -1/3rd of a stop to avoid blowing any highlights that aren't recoverable in jpeg

Hope this helps

[darrenm]

Thankyou all for the tips and advice

Spent most of yesterday trying to get flight shots of Swallows over the local river with my 400mm F5.6 but didnt get one i am happy with but will keep practicing, my logic on trying to get shots of these is that it would help with my timing and panning techniques for other birds in flight shots. When i got there i realised i might have been better off with my 300mm F4 I am enjoying experimenting with various settings and shutter speeds but will take all of these tips on board. I am trying to learn how to become less frustrated and taking a calmer approach instead of trying running before i can walk

I now fully understand what it takes to get a very high quality shot and i am full of admiration for those that do and can.

[Geoff F]

A couple of examples of your failures with full shooting information might enable a more detailed analysis of what is going wrong.

One other factor to consider is focusing mode. Auto focusing can sometimes focus on the wrong area, in which case just using the centre focusing point may help. But for one bird which is well clear of any distractions, multiple points can be best. For flying birds, using AI servo can be helpful.

But whatever you try, flying swallows are extremely difficult.

[Words]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

But whatever you try, flying swallows are extremely difficult.

I'd agree with Geoff. For practising you want something large, predictable and relatively slow. Seagulls are a good option, or if you have any good kestrel haunts locally try them. Nothing better than a bird that stands still in the air for trying out different settings.

With the 400 f5.6 lens a high shutter speed is essential, and if possible position yourself with some support to reduce camera movement (or more precisely 'body' movement). I'd also suggest using the 'AF Point expansion' for focusing rather than spot focusing. But the only way is to practise... again and again.

[Ollie]

The Canon 7D and 400mm F5.6 is one of the best combinations available for in flight shots.

Make sure the 7D is set to use the expanded AF points. That is the centre AF point and the four surounding points. With this setting if you don't keep the centre point on the subject the nearest of the other points should automatically take over the focus. Be aware though though that the centre point is the one that has to actually lock on focus first for this to happen.