JZA B1

Assuming the subject/scene isn't changing quickly and you could go with either faster or slower shutter (adjusting aperture and ISO to compensate and maintain exposure), do you usually go for faster shutter speed or slower?

Any pros and cons on doing it one way vs the other?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Depends on the situation, typically faster as It's usually hand held.
Brighter days, not so much of a problem.
I don't always have a tripod with me.

Bad part, smaller depth of field.
I try to compromise if I want a larger DOF.

BebuLamar

If the shutter speed doesn't make a different like the subject doesn't move and the camera on tripod then I choose the slow speed. I want the base ISO and small aperture.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

What makes you take a picture? What do you want to show? THAT is what influences your decision, nothing else.

If you do not know what the camera settings do when capturing a scene, you better start experimenting instead of asking on a forum where no one can help you.

There are no rule per se other than correct exposure and compositing according to your point of view.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

all things being good, I'll always go with a slower shutter speed, and lower ISO when ever possible.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

The other reason for wanting to avoid too slow a shutter speed is camera shake. The more zoom you're using the more camera shake can become an issue. Optical image stabilisation (OIS) and in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) both allow slower shutter speeds for hand-held shots for any given focal length. If you're using a tripod, the only things you have to worry about (apart from subject movement) are vibration and things causing the tripod to move, such as knocks and the wind. Pressing the shutter release causes camera movement even if you're careful and the three possible solutions are a cable release, a remote or using the camera's built-in delay.

The ideal ISO is the native ISO (or base ISO) of the camera that you're using. So you want to use an aperture setting and a shutter speed setting that enables you to use that ISO. There will be times when that isn't achievable - low light and/or fast action and/or using a telephoto focal length and/or having a minimum depth of field (DOF) requirement. As a general rule, at times like that when circumstances are more demanding you want to keep the ISO as low as possible. The way to do that is to use the widest aperture that you can while still achieving sufficient DOF and the slowest shutter speed that you can while still avoiding motion blur and camera shake.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

The answer depends heavily on the situation, however I agree with RG. Start by selecting the camera's native ISO, if at all possible. I prefer to shoot with the lowest practical ISO. Best of luck.

cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

I let the camera help me decide. What is the fastest shutter speed I can use? Unless I'm shooting running water or trying (very seldom) to get light/star tracks, motion indicators, or similar shots, the faster the better for me.

dsnoke Loc: North Georgia, USA

I shoot in full manual mode, including manual focus. I think in aperture priority mode. That is, I choose the aperture to achieve the depth of field I want, and only then worry about shutter speed and ISO. While I try to use the base ISO (100 on my Nikon D7500), I am quite willing to go as high as ISO 6400 in order get the shutter speed I want. My shutter speed varies from 30 sec (morning twilight) to 1/4000 (birds in flight). As has been noted, it all depends on what effect you want to get. My most common range is 1/30 to 1/200 of a second.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

It didn't sound like he was asking what HE should do, sounded like he was asking what WE do.....

rlscholl Loc: California

It is situation dependent for me (light, subject, hand held or supported …). Essentially juggling ISO, aperture and shutter speed, selecting in that order for relatively stationary subjects. For ISO, I usually pre-set at the lowest, then adjust for the amount of light, if needed. I typically shoot in aperture mode — favoring the largest aperture within the lens’s sharpest range, adjusted for depth of field requirements appropriate for the subject. Shutter speed only becomes important for hand-held and subject motion issues.
It’s not as complicated as you might think. For most situations, it’s pretty automatic, not a studied process.

User ID

For your static scene, it really doesnt matter.
As to "pros and cons", there are none. Youll mislead yourself by thinking that. Its all pros.

But in the next ten pages many BS "experts" will invent issues out of thin air. Buckle up !

User ID

Nope. Your parsing of his word "you" is too narrow. "You", aka "one", is simply any user. Acoarst that means each of us, but that "us" must also incude himself.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

LMAO......

Y'all funny.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Always, always, A L W A Y S - I shoot at the slowest shutter speed appropriate for the composition when shooting digital.

Almost always, I'm looking to 'freeze' the subject matter. When the shutter speeds gets slow enough to challenge my ability to hold the camera steady, I do consider if I'm going too slow, even if using an IS-enabled lens and / or IBIS-enabled camera.

Why slow? To achieve / maintain the lowest ISO possible. Of course, I can process the images, extra work that sometimes also massages away relevant image details.

So, if 1/500 sec will freeze the motion of a not very active sport, animal, etc, why waste 2-stops of too high ISO by shooting at 1/2000 sec? If I can hand-hold an IS-enabled 70-200 zoom down to 1/80 sec even at 200mm, why shoot any faster in lower light, unless I need to freeze movement in that low light?

How do I know how slow I can shoot? I test my skills -- and practice my skills -- against my equipment. I don't pay attention to what other's say about their skills and / or their equipment and / or their ancient best practice from the 1960s. I paid a pretty penny for all my high-end digital equipment. And, I see right here on the desktop: this is February 22, 2024.