Shutter Speed Calculator
Calculate the optimal shutter speed based on focal length and other factors. Avoid motion blur and camera shake for sharper images.
Calculate Your Shutter Speed Calculator
Examples: Walking: 1.4 m/s (5 km/h), Running: 4 m/s (14 km/h), Car: 14 m/s (50 km/h)
Understanding Shutter Speed in Photography
Shutter speed is the length of time that your camera's shutter is open, exposing the sensor to light. It's a critical element of the exposure triangle (along with aperture and ISO) and has a profound impact on how your images look. Measured in seconds or fractions of a second, shutter speed controls not only exposure but also how motion is rendered in your photos.
Shutter Speed and Motion
Fast Shutter Speeds
Fast shutter speeds (like 1/1000s or 1/2000s) freeze motion, capturing sharp images of fast-moving subjects. They're essential for sports, wildlife, and action photography where stopping motion is crucial. Faster shutter speeds also help prevent camera shake when shooting handheld, especially with longer lenses.
Slow Shutter Speeds
Slow shutter speeds (like 1/15s, 1/8s, or several seconds) show motion by intentionally blurring moving elements. This can create artistic effects like light trails, silky water, or the sense of movement in street photography. Typically requires a tripod to keep the camera steady while capturing the desired motion blur.
The Reciprocal Rule for Handheld Photography
The reciprocal rule states that you should use a shutter speed that's at least 1/(focal length) to avoid camera shake when shooting handheld. For example, with a 50mm lens, you would use a shutter speed of at least 1/50s. With digital cameras using various sensor sizes, this rule must be adjusted for crop factor. For instance, on an APS-C camera with a 1.5x crop factor, that same 50mm lens would need a shutter speed of at least 1/75s.
Modern imaging technology has expanded this rule with additional factors:
- Image Stabilization: Most modern lenses and cameras offer image stabilization (IS, VR, OSS, IBIS), which allows shooting at slower shutter speeds than the reciprocal rule would suggest. A stabilization system rated for 3 stops might allow shooting at 1/8s instead of 1/60s with a 50mm lens.
- Megapixel Density: Higher resolution sensors tend to make camera shake more apparent, sometimes requiring faster shutter speeds than the basic rule suggests.
- Individual Technique: Some photographers are steadier than others or use specific techniques (like proper stance or breathing control) that affect their minimum handheld shutter speed.
Shutter Speed for Moving Subjects
For subjects in motion, the appropriate shutter speed depends on multiple factors:
- Subject Speed: Faster-moving subjects require faster shutter speeds to freeze motion.
- Direction of Movement: Subjects moving across the frame (perpendicular to the camera) appear to move faster than those moving toward or away from the camera and require faster shutter speeds.
- Distance to Subject: The closer the subject, the faster it appears to move across the frame, requiring faster shutter speeds.
- Focal Length: Longer lenses magnify motion, requiring faster shutter speeds to freeze it.
- Amount of Acceptable Blur: Sometimes a little motion blur is desirable to convey a sense of movement.
Shutter Speed Chart for Common Scenarios
| Subject/Scenario | Recommended Shutter Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Still Life / Landscape (Tripod) | Any (typically 1/30s to 30s+) | Use a tripod and focus on optimal aperture for depth of field |
| Light Painting | 1s to 30s+ | Requires a tripod and a dark environment |
| Star Trails | 15 minutes to several hours | Use bulb mode and a remote trigger |
| Milky Way/Stars (no trails) | 15-30s | Depends on focal length; use the "500 rule" (500÷focal length) |
| Silky Water Effect | 1/2s to 2s | Use a tripod; ND filters help in brighter conditions |
| Walking People | 1/125s or faster | 1/60s will show some motion in limbs |
| Running People | 1/500s or faster | Faster for sprinting athletes |
| Children Playing | 1/250s or faster | Children move quickly and unpredictably |
| Sports (General) | 1/500s to 1/1000s | Faster for high-speed sports |
| Birds in Flight | 1/1000s to 1/2000s | Depends on the size and speed of the bird |
| Cars/Motorcycles Racing | 1/1000s to 1/4000s | Or slower with panning to show motion blur in background |
| Panning with Moving Subject | 1/15s to 1/60s | Follow subject's motion to keep it sharp while blurring background |
Creative Techniques Using Shutter Speed
Panning
Panning involves using a relatively slow shutter speed (typically 1/15s to 1/60s) while following a moving subject with your camera. When done correctly, the subject remains relatively sharp while the background blurs horizontally, creating a sense of speed and motion.
Long Exposure Photography
Long exposures (several seconds to minutes) can transform moving elements like water, clouds, or traffic into ethereal, blurred streaks while keeping stationary elements sharp. This technique often requires neutral density (ND) filters in daylight conditions to prevent overexposure.
Light Painting
With the camera on a tripod and using a long exposure (several seconds to minutes), you can "paint" with light sources like flashlights or LED sticks to create patterns, words, or illuminate specific areas of your composition.
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM)
By deliberately moving the camera during exposure (typically 1/15s to 1s), you can create abstract, impressionistic images with streaks of color and texture. Popular movements include vertical, horizontal, rotational, or zoom bursts.
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
Shutter speed is the length of time your camera's shutter remains open to expose the sensor to light. It's typically measured in seconds or, more commonly, fractions of a second (like 1/500s). Shutter speed serves two primary functions: controlling the amount of light that reaches your sensor (exposure) and determining how motion is captured in your image. Faster shutter speeds freeze motion, while slower shutter speeds allow motion to blur. Along with aperture and ISO, shutter speed is one of the three fundamental components of exposure in photography.
The reciprocal rule states that when shooting handheld, your shutter speed should be at least 1 divided by your focal length (e.g., use at least 1/50s with a 50mm lens) to avoid camera shake. For digital cameras with crop sensors, you need to account for the crop factor (e.g., on an APS-C camera with 1.5x crop, use at least 1/75s with that same 50mm lens).
While useful as a starting point, this rule is only a general guideline and its accuracy varies based on:
• Your personal steadiness (some photographers are naturally steadier than others)
• Your shooting technique
• The resolution of your camera (higher resolution cameras often require faster shutter speeds)
• The presence of image stabilization technology
The calculator adjusts for these factors to provide more accurate recommendations.
Image stabilization (IS) technology, whether in-lens (VR, OS, IS) or in-body (IBIS), allows you to use slower shutter speeds while still achieving sharp images when shooting handheld. Stabilization is typically rated in "stops," where each stop represents a halving of the required shutter speed.
For example, with a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera:
• Without stabilization: Minimum shutter speed of 1/50s (reciprocal rule)
• With 3-stop stabilization: Minimum shutter speed of approximately 1/6s (1/50s ÷ 2³)
• With 5-stop stabilization: Minimum shutter speed of approximately 1/1.5s (1/50s ÷ 2⁵)
It's important to note that image stabilization only compensates for camera movement (shake), not subject movement. Fast-moving subjects will still require fast shutter speeds regardless of your stabilization system.
Telephoto lenses require faster shutter speeds for two main reasons:
1. Magnification of Camera Movement: Longer focal lengths magnify not only the subject but also any camera shake. Even tiny movements of your hands become more noticeable in the final image as focal length increases.
2. Leverage Physics: Longer lenses are physically longer, creating more leverage and making the effects of movement more pronounced. Think of trying to hold a short stick vs. a long pole steady—the longer one amplifies any small movements at the far end.
This is why the reciprocal rule exists—as focal length increases, so should your minimum shutter speed. For instance, a 300mm lens would traditionally call for at least 1/300s when shooting handheld, while a 24mm lens might only need 1/25s.
Determining the right shutter speed for moving subjects depends on several factors:
1. Subject Speed: Faster subjects require faster shutter speeds (a sprinter needs a faster shutter speed than a walker)
2. Direction of Movement:
• Subjects moving across your frame (perpendicular to your lens) appear to move faster and need faster shutter speeds
• Subjects moving towards or away from you appear to move slower and can use relatively slower shutter speeds
3. Distance to Subject: The closer you are to the subject, the faster it appears to move across your frame
4. Focal Length: Longer lenses magnify motion, requiring faster shutter speeds
5. Creative Intent: Do you want to freeze motion completely or show some blur to convey movement?
The "Moving Subject" tab in our calculator accounts for these variables to recommend appropriate shutter speeds based on your specific situation.
Bulb mode is a camera setting that allows for exposures longer than the standard 30-second maximum found on most DSLR and mirrorless cameras. In bulb mode, the shutter remains open as long as the shutter button is pressed or until you release a locked remote trigger.
Bulb mode is essential for:
• Night sky photography (star trails, deep-sky objects)
• Light painting over extended periods
• Fireworks displays
• Extremely low-light environments
• Creative long-exposure effects that require precise timing beyond preset intervals
When using bulb mode, you'll typically need:
• A stable tripod
• A remote shutter release (preferably one with a lock function)
• External timing method (smartphone timer or dedicated intervalometer)
• Sufficient battery power, as long exposures drain batteries quickly
For landscape photography, shutter speed selection depends on your creative intent and the elements in your scene:
For Sharp, Static Landscapes:
• When using a tripod: Any shutter speed is fine, but typically 1/15s to 1/125s allows for optimal aperture (f/8-f/11) and low ISO
• When shooting handheld: Follow the reciprocal rule (e.g., at least 1/30s with a 30mm lens)
For Moving Elements:
• Flowing water: 1/4s to 2s for silky water effect
• Waterfalls: 0.5s to 5s depending on desired smoothness
• Ocean waves: 1/4s to 1s for misty wave motion
• Fast clouds: 1-30s to show cloud movement
• Trees/plants in wind: 1/15s to 1/60s to show some movement
For night landscapes:
• Stars as points: 15-25s (use the "500 rule": shutter speed = 500 ÷ focal length)
• Star trails: 15 minutes to several hours (often multiple exposures combined)
Always use a tripod for shutter speeds slower than you can reliably hand-hold, and consider neutral density filters for long exposures in daylight.
Exposure Value (EV) is a number that represents a combination of shutter speed and aperture that produces the same exposure. Each increment of 1 EV represents either doubling or halving the amount of light.
EV 0 corresponds to an exposure of 1 second at f/1.0 at ISO 100. Higher EV numbers represent brighter conditions, while negative EV numbers represent darker conditions:
• EV -6 to -3: Night scenes, starlight, aurora
• EV -2 to 0: Twilight, deep shade
• EV 1 to 4: Indoor lighting, sunrise/sunset
• EV 5 to 8: Overcast daylight, bright indoor lighting
• EV 9 to 12: Full daylight
• EV 13 to 16: Bright sunlight on reflective surfaces
When you know the EV of a scene and have chosen your aperture and ISO, you can calculate the required shutter speed using the formula: Shutter Speed = (ISO × Aperture²) ÷ (2^EV × 100)
The "Low Light" tab in our calculator does this calculation for you, helping you determine appropriate shutter speeds for various lighting conditions.
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