Question by Justyn Bell: How do you get Shutter Speed to 4000 without the screen getting black?
I have a Canon t3i, and i want to do a slow mo sequence in one of my films, so i was trying to put the shutter speed at 1/4000 with the frame rate at 60, but the screen gets really black even when the iso & f-stop are all the way up. So unless it’s like super super bright outside i dont know how to get this to work with a 4000 shutter speed. Is there a trick for this?
Best answer:
Answer by Sommer
Hmmmmm, I think you’re doing something wrong.
If it’s on 1/4000, the iso is on like 1000 something and the aperture is about 4.5, then it should be super light?
Never have the ISO above 800. You don’t need it on 1/4000, lower it. You could put the flash on or have it about 1/1000
Also don’t have the aperture that high
Give your answer to this question below!
It’s not surprising it’s black with such a fast shutter speed. Unless you are in stonkingly bright conditions, it’s bound to be.
When you say the aperture is all the way up – are you aware that the widest apertures have the lowest f number? You could buy a faster lens (one capapble of a wider aperture, say f1.8). Or you could buy some high intensity lighting to light whatever it is you are shooting.
It’s no trick – its about learning to balance the three parameters of the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture & shutter speed) for the lighting conditions to get a decent exposure.
Other than using a flash or another source of bright light you are not likely to get a good exposure because the shutter is too is too high to allow enough light in. Firstly, You don’t say what shoot mode you are in (i presume shutter priority but could also be program mode using reciprocation) the format you are shooting in (jpeg or Raw) or the subject you are trying to capture (obviously something fast) or your level of expertise. using ISO to increase exposure to that extent isn’t a good idea as this would produce a very noisy image and although noise can be reduced in post processing (with RAW) with your situation, it would ruin the image. You say you have the “F-Stops all the way up”, i hope that you mean you had the F-stops all the way “down” and of course this all depends on the lens you are using, i don’t think even an F1.4 lens (great low light lens) would make a difference either (of course if you really mean “all the way up” – up to F22 then this is a very small aperture which would reduce the light even further.
Do you really need the Speed that high ?, sometimes it may be worth dropping the speed in increments and you may find one lower that exposes correctly yet still captures the motion,
Im not of your level of expertise but a good exposure os based on the “exposure triangle”
Shutter Speed , Aperture size and ISO and really you need to get a good balance not have any single setting set to the extreme as it throws the exposure out.
As yo increase the shutter speed the camera will meter for that speed and set the appropriate aperture and ISO. if its too high for the amount of available light then aperture will open further (low F-Number and increase ISO. It can only do this to a certain point where this is enough available light to expose correctly. If there just isnt light, you get what you have already seen – an extremely underexposed image. All you can really do is increase the light source in some way or reduce the shutter speed.
Check out this simulator http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/ a good tool for checking exposure
add some lights/lighting………..
Too bad nobody knows about/learns about the old “Sunny 16 Rule”. It states: “On a sunny day set your aperture to f16 and your shutter speed to 1/ISO.” So lets suppose its a nice sunny day and we’re using ISO 100. Here is what a “Sunny 16” exposure chart would look like:
ISO 100
f16 @ 1/100 sec. “Sunny 16”
f11 @ 1/200 sec.
f8 @ 1/400 sec.
f5.6 @ 1/800 sec.
f4 @ 1/1600 sec.
f3.5 @ 1/2128 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/3200 sec.
f2 @ 1/6400 sec. Exceeds the maximum shutter speed on your camera.
f1.4 @ 1/12,800 sec. Exceeds the maximum shutter speed of any camera I know of.
Note that the above is based on a sunny day – no clouds, no shade, nothing to interfere with the bright sunshine.
Another thing everyone should learn about is the Exposure Triangle which is made up of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography
Now when you’re inside, even in what you consider a well-lit room, its a whole different ballgame. Why? Because the combination of the human eye and brain can compensate for light levels and your camera can’t – which is why people invest in a fast lens like the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 prime lens and also know to increase the ISO.
Read these:
http://photographyknowhow.com/photography-lighting/
http://photographyknowhow.com/quality-of-light-in-photography/
http://photographyknowhow.com/direction-of-light-in-photography/
Look at this:
http://www.calculator.org/exposure.aspx
Use the Scene ‘Domestic interiors at night, subject lit by campfire or bonfire’
Check the suggested aperture and shutter speed for ISO 6400 – f1.4 @ 1/1000 sec. To achieve a 1/2000 sec. shutter speed will require ISO 12,800 and a 1/4000 sec. shutter speed will require ISO 25,600 – both at f1.4.
Lots and lots of light!
My question to you is why do you feel the need to use 1/4000th of a second shutter speed? What are you trying to capture that is moving so fast that you need that shutter speed? A bullet?
@sommer
“If it’s on 1/4000, the iso is on like 1000 something and the aperture is about 4.5, then it should be super light?”
How can you say that without getting a meter reading of the light in the scene?
So 1/4000th of a second at iso 1600 at f4.5 should be super bright even when shooting in a pub at night? Hell no … there isn’t enough light.
So without knowing what the the lighting conditions are in the scene, there is NO WAY for us to “guess” what settings will work. You need a meter reading and then you adjust you shutter speed, aperture and ISO to atch while still taking into consideration things like motion blur, digital noise and depth of field. It’s a juggling game.
Also, I don’t think I’ve EVER shot at 1/4000th of a second … EVER!
Either use a slower shutter speed or put really bright lights on your subject.