Shutter and Aperture priority - Slow shutter

ShortWarning · 6 May 2014 at 10:08

Hey guys,

Apologies, I'm very new to this.

I was messing around with my Nikon 5100 this weekend trying out the different modes.

I switched to shutter priority. First thing is, the highest I can select is 1/200 yet if I set the camera to "Sports mode" it goes all the way up to 1/1600. Also even when set at 1/200 the shutter was really really slow, like 1/2.

Also a question on Aperture priority. I enjoy shots with a sharp foreground and blurred background (as I'm sure a lot of people do). Now, if I set to auto generally this is how shots will come out but if I set to Aperture priority it is a lot harder to achieve the desired results.

Where am I going wrong?

Sorry for the basic questions but I'm trying to avoid using "Auto" mode as much as possible.

howler · 6 May 2014 at 10:50

Did you have your flash on in shutter priority? That can limit your shutter speed because the flash can't sync any higher than that

In aperture mode the lower the F number the more "blurred" the background will be is a very basic way to understand it. Take the same shot with the aperture set at different values and you'll see the difference it makes

ShortWarning · 6 May 2014 at 11:43

Thanks for your reply.

I did not have the flash turned on.

I understand the very very basics (as above) but it seems to be very hit or miss for me when using aperture priority.

howler · 6 May 2014 at 12:15

Do you have some example shots with the EXIF data available?

ShortWarning · 6 May 2014 at 12:28

I'll upload some when I get home.

Paul11 · 6 May 2014 at 12:39

if you are in aperture mode, are you choosing the widest aperture ?

what does the shutter speed say ?

what ISO are you on ?

Zogger · 6 May 2014 at 13:48

I remember about 10 years ago before I knew anything much about photography I used to steal my mum's camera and try to recreate these things..
While I knew that a 'lower' number meant more background blur, I didn't really understand that...
- Some lenses are better than others in this respect (i.e. allow a wider aperture)
- Many other factors are involved in background blur - i.e. distance to subject, distance from subject to background, focal length
- The view through the viewfinder doesn't change unless you use the dof preview button
- I also kept forgetting which way to turn the wheel to get shallower dof

Missing any of these could be a source of confusion..

Re the shutter speed - I'm not sure how Nikon works but it may be that you are fixed at a low ISO, and when you increase your shutter speed it increases the aperture up to its maximum size to allow more light. Once you reach that point then if you increase shutter speed any further it won't be able to increase the size of the aperture any more, meaning adjusting shutter speed any further would cause under exposure. Therefore it may be set to limit the shutter speed to prevent this.
I might be wrong. I don't use shutter priority very much.

ShortWarning · 6 May 2014 at 13:48

I am choosing the lowest number (which I believe is the widest?). I have tried it both ways anyway. As I say, sometimes I get the desired effect but sometimes I really struggle.

Shutter and ISO when in Aperture priority? I will have to check. When in Aperture priority it should pick it automatically, right? It was in daylight so I assume the ISO was 100 or possibly 200.

Edit - The lenses I have are the kit lens that came with it (18-55mm) and Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6 AFS DX VR Lens (it also came with it). I believe the aperture goes wider in the kit lens but I've had more success with the 55-200mm.

Paul11 · 6 May 2014 at 14:05

if your talking about not being able to get the "blurry" background

1) more zoom = more blur ie 200 mm on your lens is better than 55
2) widest aperture.. = yes lowest number F4 or F5.6
3) distance to subject = move nearer to your subject
4) distance of background from the subject = further away is more blur.

all the time you have to keep an eye on your shutter speed so it doesnt drop too low. you camera will choose it automatically (if you are in aperture mode) but you still have to have a look and see what it chooses

if it drops too low, increase your ISO

THC_SsSsSnake · 6 May 2014 at 16:04

strange that he can't go faster than 1/200 sec in Shutter priority,need to get to the bottom of this.wheres DP when you need him

D.P. · 6 May 2014 at 16:34

ShortWarning said:
I am choosing the lowest number (which I believe is the widest?). I have tried it both ways anyway. As I say, sometimes I get the desired effect but sometimes I really struggle.

Shutter and ISO when in Aperture priority? I will have to check. When in Aperture priority it should pick it automatically, right? It was in daylight so I assume the ISO was 100 or possibly 200.

Edit - The lenses I have are the kit lens that came with it (18-55mm) and Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6 AFS DX VR Lens (it also came with it). I believe the aperture goes wider in the kit lens but I've had more success with the 55-200mm.

If the shutter speed is limited to 1/200th then you likely have flash sync enabled.

By default in aperture priority when you select the aperture the camera will select a shutter speed to give a correct exposure, but you can and should select an appropriate ISO.An appropriate ISO is the lowest possible ISO to give the shutter speed needed. The lowest shutter speed needed is the minimum(fastest) of either A) a speed fast enough such that with the chosen focal length you hand shake wont induce blur, B) the movement of the subject wont be blurred (unless this is an effect you are after, in which case you should be in shutter priority).

In general the rule of thumb is to have a shutter speed that is proportional to the effective focal length. So if you are at 50mm on your crop camera you want a shutter speed of 1/(50*1.5) = 1/80th, at 200mm you want about 1/250th to 1/320th - I always round up to be safe.

So normally you need to choose an ISO. It is possible to set up you camera to use auto ISO. This will make the camera decide on the ISo to give a desired shutter speed in aperture mode.

ShortWarning · 9 May 2014 at 10:48

Thank you for all the information, I tried shutter priority again and it just worked, could ramp it all the way up. I must have been synced to the flash.

I have another question (unrelated). I have bought a macro lens extender (a cheapy one from ebay) and when I try to use it says "no lens present" which I would expect but how can I still take photos? Or is it not possible?

john_s · 9 May 2014 at 13:26

ShortWarning said:
I have another question (unrelated). I have bought a macro lens extender (a cheapy one from ebay) and when I try to use it says "no lens present" which I would expect but how can I still take photos? Or is it not possible?

Does it work with the cameara in manual mode?

The cheap extenders generally don't have pass through connections to the lens for autofocus and aperture to work.

You might be able to "fix" the aperture to something other than wide open by taking the lens off while pressing the DoF preview button.

groovesection · 12 May 2014 at 08:56

ShortWarning said:
Hey guys,

Apologies, I'm very new to this.

I was messing around with my Nikon 5100 this weekend trying out the different modes.

I switched to shutter priority. First thing is, the highest I can select is 1/200 yet if I set the camera to "Sports mode" it goes all the way up to 1/1600. Also even when set at 1/200 the shutter was really really slow, like 1/2.

Also a question on Aperture priority. I enjoy shots with a sharp foreground and blurred background (as I'm sure a lot of people do). Now, if I set to auto generally this is how shots will come out but if I set to Aperture priority it is a lot harder to achieve the desired results.

Where am I going wrong?

Sorry for the basic questions but I'm trying to avoid using "Auto" mode as much as possible.

there are 3 aspects to exposure,
shutter speed | aperture | ISO
when you change 1 of these variables 1 or both of the others have to compensate for the correct exposure (based on the camera's inbuilt metering system)

In shutter priority mode you control the shutter speed
1/200 for example.
at this setting the camera sets the ISO manually (as the lens is controlling the aperture) to get the correct exposure.
lets us call it
1/200 - f4 - ISO 100
decreasing the shutter speed to 1/100 would mean the ISO would drop to ISO 200 to maintain the same exposure (assuming same subject/light etc)
1/100 - f4 - ISO 200

In aperture priority mode you control the aperture (in this case f4) and so shutter speed or ISO is affected as thus:
1/400 - f4 - ISO 100
changing to f6 would mean these settings:
1/200 - f6 - ISO 100
or
1/100 - f6 - ISO 200
both producing the same exposure.

I always shoot in either shutter priority (where motion is concerned) and aperture priority (landscape/portraiture)

I always have ISO set to auto, then make decisions when shooting as whether to manually control the ISO (to get aperture/shutter speed needed for the shot)