Shutter Speed

Have you ever wondered why some of your photos are sharp or blurry if your subject is moving? Shutter speed is the length of time that the shutter curtain allows the light to fall on to the camera sensor by opening and closing the shutter curtains. It affects the motion blur of a moving subject, it can freeze or show the motion. Faster shutter speed freezes a motion and slower shutter speed shows the motion of a moving subject. The value of shutter speed is also expressed in stops of light and sequenced in a standard ratio of 1:2 in each stop. Example: Bulb Mode (allows the shutter to be opened as long as you want).. 8 4 2 1 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 etc. A value between them are 1/3 and 2/3 of a stop. Again by default and every dial of the shutter speed setting is 1/3 of a stop. You can see the images below that you can add creativity by freezing/ showing the motion. You may also consider the rule of thumb for focal length if you want to avoid blurry images if you handheld your camera; shutter speed = 1 / focal length. Example: 50mm lens will have a shutter speed of 1/60 sec, 200mm = 1/250 sec. But this is only limited to certain types of moving objects. A tripod can be used if shooting with a slower shutter speed to prevent blurry images. 

Image 1 - Panning with Shutter Speed of 1/8 sec

Image 2 - Long Exposure with Shutter Speed of 20 secs

Image 3 - Long Exposure with Shutter Speed of 30 secs

Image 4 - Shutter Speed of 1/500 sec

Slow motion of shutter curtains from cameratest

A slow motion video from cameratest shows how the shutter curtain works. The mirror is lift up, 1st curtain moves down, 2nd curtain moves down also, captures the image, mirror drops back . Watch closely how the 2nd curtain and 1st curtain resets and moves up again before the mirror drops back.