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Shutter Speed
#camera#photography#video#shutter
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The duration the sensor is exposed to light. Measured in seconds (usually as fractions). 1/1000s = 1 ms of light.
Light accumulates over time. 1/1000s lets light hit the sensor for a window roughly 33× shorter than 1/30s (≈ 5 stops). Same aperture and ISO, the 1/1000 frame will be much darker.
Video needs consistent motion blur across consecutive frames to look natural. Convention:
Shutter speed = 1 / (fps × 2) (24fps → 1/48 ≈ 1/50, 30fps → 1/60, 60fps → 1/125)
This is the 180° shutter rule. In film cameras, the shutter was a rotating disc; if half (180°) was open, the formula above falls out.
Stick to this and motion blur looks the most natural. Faster shutter looks staccato; slower looks too smeared.
→ In video, lock the shutter and adjust exposure with aperture, ISO, or ND filters.
The 180° line rule in cinematography is an editing/composition rule, unrelated to shutter. It says the camera shouldn't cross an imaginary axis between two subjects, so spatial direction stays consistent across cuts.
The shutter's 180° (shutter angle) and the line rule share a number but are completely different things.
Shutter speed ≥ 1 / focal length
A 50mm lens needs ≥ 1/50s before camera shake shows up. With IBIS/OIS, you gain 2–3 stops. On crop bodies, use the equivalent focal length.