Shutter Priority

Shutter Priority (S or Tv)

With shutter priority the user selects the shutter speed and the camera determines the correct aperture. Use this mode when you want to control motion by freezing action or to blur moving objects to create a sense of motion.

A longer shutter speed is chosen to create an impression of motion. For example, a waterfall taken with a 1 second exposure will appear blurred and fuzzy (be sure to use a tripod). Another technique to create a feeling of movement is to pan or follow a moving subject. The background will appear blurred if you use a slow shutter speed (i.e. 1/20 sec for a person running, 1/60 sec for a fast moving bicyclist or 1/125 sec. for a car).

When photographing sports or high-speed action, shutter priority with short exposures such as 1/500 second or faster can ensure that the motion is effectively frozen in the resulting image. Keep in mind that as the camera chooses different apertures it will impact the depth of field in your image. If you choose a fast shutter speed to freeze a fast moving object the camera will generally choose the widest aperture resulting in a narrower DOF.

WARNING: You will not always be able to use the shutter speed you want. In low light, even the widest lens aperture may only allow a shutter speed of 1/30sec or 1/60sec. If you try to set a faster shutter speed, the lens aperture value in the viewfinder will start to blink or show a “low light” indicator , warning that the image will be underexposed. Conversely, on a bright day your chosen shutter speed may result in an overexposed image. Pay attention to the blinking f-stop or camera warnings!

TIP: For a typical “kit lens” ( 18-55mm) a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second or longer requires the use of a camera support or Image Stabilization. The general rule is to choose a shutter speed that is equivalent to the reciprocal of the lens focal length. For a 50mm lens this would be 1/50 sec, for a 100mm lens 1/100 sec. etcetera. Slower shutter speeds will require the use of a tripod or other camera support. If your lens or camera has image stabilization you may be able to handhold the camera at slower shutter speeds.