Why Can't I Chose My Preferred Shutter Speed? (Page 2): Did you buy that camera on the assumption that infinite shutter speeds would be accessible?

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Feiertag wrote:

As an Example, my Nikon D850 set at 1/4000 (manual mode), the next jump is 1/5000. Why can I not choice 1/4500 or 1/4250, as an example? I was under the impression that manual meant manual? Am I missing a step regarding this category?

Did you buy that camera on the assumption that infinite shutter speeds would be accessible?

garygrafic Loc: South Florida

I'll invoke a bit audacity, and speak for the questioner. I do not think he really cares about setting his shutter for 1/4250 or some other foolish speed. He want's to stir things up a bit.

LarryFitz Loc: Beacon NY

You need to get an Amazon camera, the you can say "Alexis, please set shutter to 1/4235 sec.

ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.

garygrafic wrote:

I'll invoke a bit audacity, and speak for the questioner. I do not think he really cares about setting his shutter for 1/4250 or some other foolish speed. He want's to stir things up a bit.

I know him to be a troublemaker. On another thread, he didn't like my challenging his statement that full frame is better than crop. While I stayed polite, he became rude, accused me of stirring trouble, and then blocked me.

anotherview Loc: California

In auto mode, some (if not all) Canon cameras will present SS in smaller increments. As well, these cameras allow for setting SS in one-third steps of a full stop.

Your Nikon may have similar functions.

Feiertag wrote:

As an Example, my Nikon D850 set at 1/4000 (manual mode), the next jump is 1/5000. Why can I not choice 1/4500 or 1/4250, as an example? I was under the impression that manual meant manual? Am I missing a step regarding this category?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

A jump of 1/1000 might seem like a lot, but going from 1/4000 to 1/5000 is only a 25% increase, which probably loosely corresponds to a 1/3 stop difference (we're talking about logarithmic scales here and I don't have the maths skills to calculate what a 1/3 stop increase is as a percentage, but 25% is probably close enough - in fact it's probably on the small side).

Wellhiem Loc: Sunny England.

Feiertag wrote:

As an Example, my Nikon D850 set at 1/4000 (manual mode), the next jump is 1/5000. Why can I not choice 1/4500 or 1/4250, as an example? I was under the impression that manual meant manual? Am I missing a step regarding this category?

I suppose that theoretically there's no reason why a camera can't be made that allows you to set a shutter speed at a millionth of a stop. I'm not familiar with the Nikon D850, but I assume that you select the shutter speed by scrolling through those available using a dial. It would take a long time to scroll through a million speeds just to alter by one stop. The fact is that there has to be an increment by which the shutter speed can be moved, and so even if it was set at a millionth of a stop, then there would still be a setting between that you wouldn't be able to set. 1/3 of a stop has been decided upon because it's good enough. May I just ask if there's a reason why you would want to set such a precise speed?

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Feiertag wrote:

As an Example, my Nikon D850 set at 1/4000 (manual mode), the next jump is 1/5000. Why can I not choice 1/4500 or 1/4250, as an example? I was under the impression that manual meant manual? Am I missing a step regarding this category?

2,things (among may). There is a limit to any technology, and you can't get every thing you want.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I have lenses that will allow for continuous, as opposed to steps, adjustment of both aperture and shutter speed. However, it's pretty much guesswork between the standard settings, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and f/4, f5.6, f/8 etc. As for setting your shutter and f/stop, you can set your camera to use whole, 1/2, or 1/3 steps between both shutter and f/stop.

In the Menu Guide Manual, page 115 will guide you to where on the camera you can adjust those settings. I think it's the B. menu in settings. Look for EV and in that section you can adjust the increments of the settings to both shutter speed and aperture. You can also adjust ISO settings to be between the standard 100, 200, 400 etc.
--Bob

Feiertag wrote:

As an Example, my Nikon D850 set at 1/4000 (manual mode), the next jump is 1/5000. Why can I not choice 1/4500 or 1/4250, as an example? I was under the impression that manual meant manual? Am I missing a step regarding this category?

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Feiertag wrote:

As an Example, my Nikon D850 set at 1/4000 (manual mode), the next jump is 1/5000. Why can I not choice 1/4500 or 1/4250, as an example? I was under the impression that manual meant manual? Am I missing a step regarding this category?

In the old and not so old days, Mechanical shutter speeds were typically 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000 s, etc. With AE the camera could chose 1/2525 s. ASA/ISO were 1/3 stops-ish, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, sort of. And the click stops on the lens gave apertures of full stops of f/ 1.4, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, etc. in 1/3 of a stop on Nikon lenses as I remember and have 1/2 stops for Pentax lenses.

But for you today I don't think you can set a Tv for 1/640 s even though the camera can. With ISO, F-Stop, and EC you can probably trick a camera even in manual to choose an odd-ball shutter speed. Ones that are those ratios, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4.

williejoha

It is hard to believe that people buy top notch cameras that are considered pro equipment and not have the faintest clue of what is going on. A little reading and research about photography would go a long way. Have a good day.
WJH

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

boberic wrote:

2,things (among may). There is a limit to any technology, and you can't get every thing you want.

You can't always get what you want...

Neilhunt

Come on guys, OP is asking why shutter speeds aren't continuous. It's a good question, even if not that interesting in practice. After all we have (stepless) continuous aperture on many lenses, and continuous focus on all lenses...

I'd have to say I can't think of any reason why the shutter mechanism would be inherently quantized. Best I can think of is that a continuous control knob would be hard to keep stable. But hard to imagine why in A or P mode the camera couldn't use any shutter speed, not just the 1/3 stop fixed quantized values.

Come to think of it, why isn't ISO continuous too?

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

Feiertag wrote:

As an Example, my Nikon D850 set at 1/4000 (manual mode), the next jump is 1/5000. Why can I not choice 1/4500 or 1/4250, as an example? I was under the impression that manual meant manual? Am I missing a step regarding this category?

Increasing the aperture or decreasing the shutter speed by one stop doubles the amount of light that reaches the sensor. It is difficult for most people to perceive the difference of less than ⅓ stop in image luminance and the eye's perception of increases in luminance is non-linear.

In your example, going from 1/4500 to 1/4250 of a second in shutter speed results in approximately 6% additional light reaching the sensor. Since you can't detect the effect of such a small change on the resulting image, it wouldn't be very useful.

Also, often adjustments in aperture, shutter speed, and ISO must be coordinated to maintain exposure--for example, to decrease aperture while increasing shutter speed. It is easy to make such adjustments while using ⅓ or full stop adjustments which, are characteristic of most cameras. It would be extremely inconvenient to do a calculation of the aperture adjustment required to offset a 6% decrease in shutter speed and then to make that adjustment in aperture.

BebuLamar

lamiaceae wrote:

In the old and not so old days, Mechanical shutter... (show quote)

You should be able to set 1/640 in Tv or Manual with a typical modern Canon camera. It's one click up from 1/500. the next click would be 1/800 and then 1/1000.