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Jun 28, 2016 23:13:37   #
loony Loc: Hillsboro, OR
 
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?

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Jun 28, 2016 23:30:14   #
rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX
 
Most say 1/640 but keep in mind that this is a 'rule of thumb' for hand holding the lens and 'your millage may vary' as they say.

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Jun 29, 2016 00:24:36   #
HOT Texas Loc: From the Heart of Texas
 
It depends on the person how steady they are also, I know a guy that can shoot a real slow unbelievably shutter, I have to have a real fast shutter because I shake some, I try to use a mono pod as much as I can and a tripod when shooting 400mm and bigger.

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Jun 29, 2016 05:48:23   #
CO
 
Popular Photography magazine had information about that. They said the 1/shutter speed rule should be adjusted for the crop factor of the camera. With your camera, 1/640 sec. should be the shutter speed for a 400mm lens.

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Jun 29, 2016 06:44:02   #
mas24 Loc: Southern CA
 
1.6 crop factor for Canon is 1/640 shutter speed. For a Nikon 1.5 crop factor, then it would be shutter speed 1/600. For a 400mm lens?

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Jun 29, 2016 06:51:26   #
Haydon
 
I suppose the reverse reciprocal is worthy but doesn't it really apply to handheld without image stabilization taken into account. Most modern IS/VR/OS is 3-4 stops I believe.

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Jun 29, 2016 07:12:01   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
loony wrote:
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?


1/640

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Jun 29, 2016 07:15:05   #
joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois
 
loony wrote:
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?


What you are referring to is a guideline not an absolute. The crop factor should be considered.

It all depends on how steady you are or if the camera is mounted.

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Jun 29, 2016 07:26:08   #
infocus Loc: Australia
 
loony wrote:
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?


I was told once by an "expert" the the correct shutter speed is you focal length reciprocal times you crop factor. ie
400mm = I/400 x 1.6 (or 1/5 as the case maybe). Which is 1/640. For a full frame obviously the multiple is ignored.
I have achieved good results with slower speeds but rarely. That's because I don't have a steady hand because oif my 75 year old lungs and their associated problems. A regular contributor here Regis (not sure of name ) consistently posts bird shots hand held with shutter speeds that vary from this "rule" In short it's really how steady your hands and arms are. IMHO.

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Jun 29, 2016 07:47:07   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
loony wrote:
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?


This law is usually for hand hold, it is a starting point, it does help with sharpness, that said, if your lens is 640MM, then your shutter speed should be at at least 1/640 sec. Now, was that hard?

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Jun 29, 2016 09:31:21   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
No matter what camera is in use, the shutter speed when the camera is hand held, unless camera or lens have IS, should be minimum 1/focal length but if higher then better.
The reasoning comes from an era when IS was not in use.
A lens or camera with IS can do very well hand held at slower speeds than 1/focal length to a certain degree. If using a long lens I still prefer a tripod whenever possible for stability.

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Jun 29, 2016 10:42:22   #
Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA
 
loony wrote:
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?


loony,

Your shutter speed is a general rule of thumb when hand holding a telephoto lens. The figure you quoted depends upon what camera body the lens was manufactured for; full frame to crop you are correct, but crop to full frame would be the opposite.

In a field use increase your shutter speed by 1.5x

Michael G

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Jun 29, 2016 11:32:59   #
Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.
 
loony wrote:
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?


This is a rule of thumb, not an absolute.

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Jun 29, 2016 11:54:02   #
chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon
 
There a couple of points to make. Using guidelines made for film are not always useful with digital. Discover what works.

As for the crop sensor, the "crop" has nothing to do with focal length, rather it refers to the field of view. Extention tubes change your focal length.

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Jun 29, 2016 12:27:05   #
jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ
 
loony wrote:
I have heard that your shutter speed should be no slower then your focal length. Example if you using a 400mm lens your shutter speed should be 1/400 are faster. the question is, if you have a lens that is 400mm on a 1.6 crop camera should your slowest shutter speed be 1/400 or 1/640?


Actually, it should be double that, if you are hand holding.... so if you have a 400 and crop body, then your goal should be a shutter of 1/1250 or higher.

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