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The Shuttercase 2.0 is an iPhone camera case with battery grip, mechanical shutter button

05 Sep

Last year Shuttercase unsuccessfully attempted to collect funding for the original Shuttercase iPhone camera case. Now the company is back with a redesigned version that is called Shuttercase 2.0 and already available for purchase.

The Shuttercase 2.0 is aimed at iPhone photographers and movie makers who prefer the handling of a traditional camera over smartphone ergonomics for image and video capture. The case comes with a mechanical shutter button and a replaceable camera handle with a leatherette effect cover. The handle also contains a 3000mAh battery. In addition the case offers a mount for all current Moment smartphone lenses.

The modular design – lens mount, camera handle with battery, leatherette cover and thumb rest are all removable – allows you to use the battery pack when taking pictures with your iPhone and removing it and other components and leaving them at home for normal smartphone use. It also sets the Shuttercase apart from competitors such as the Pictar camera grip or battery packs from Mophie and others.

The Shuttercase 2.0 with Moment lens mount is now available for several iPhone models on the Shuttercase website for $ 78.99. An additional battery pack will set you back $ 28.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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National Geographic will shutter its ‘Your Shot’ photography platform in October

05 Sep

Following a report late last month from Variety that claimed Disney layoffs would impact National Geographic, NatGeo has officially shuttered its ‘Your Shot’ platform. The announcement was made on the National Geographic website’s ‘Your Shot’ page, where a new notice advises photographers that the program will now take place through the company’s ‘Your Shot’ feed on Instagram.

The National Geographic ‘Your Shot’ platform was a photo community that offered photographers advice from experts, as well as assignments, the opportunity to get one’s work featured on digital and print platforms, and to engage with the wider community of photographers.

According to the notice on the National Geographic website (above), the ‘Your Shot’ platform will be shuttered on October 31, after which point all of the assignments, promotions, and engagement opportunities will be discontinued. Photographers will be able to find the continued version of the platform on the National Geographic Instagram Your Shot account.

Though the message suggests that the ‘Your Shot’ program will continue with assignments on Instagram, both the National Geographic website and the company’s Instagram account lack details on how the process will proceed beyond October 31. Users of the current ‘Your Photo’ platform will soon receive the ability to download their images from the community before it closes next month.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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DPReview TV: What is shutter angle, and why is it better than shutter speed when shooting video?

27 Jun

Have you heard video pros talk about using shutter ‘angle’ instead of shutter speed? Chris explains what shutter angle is and why it’s often more useful than shutter speed for video work.

Get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel!

Introduction
A bit of history
360-degree shutter
180-degree shutter
90-degree shutter
Downsides of using shutter speed
Why shutter angle is more useful than shutter speed
Wrap-up

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Go With The Flow – Using Slow Shutter Speed to Create Motion Blur

22 Jan

The post Go With The Flow – Using Slow Shutter Speed to Create Motion Blur appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Starting out as a photography assistant in a daily newspaper, I had one thing drummed into me. Make sure it’s sharp. This was the cardinal rule. It was appropriate for the situation.

Any kind of unintentional fuzziness, especially when it renders the subject indistinct, looks awful when printed on newsprint.

Adding motion blur, or any other form of blur, in a photograph can work extremely well when circumstances are right.

Merlion Park, Singapore Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

Two main techniques for creating motion blur in a photo are subject movement and camera movement.

Times when adding motion blur is the right choice

Deciding to add motion blur is best when:

Some parts of the composition remain sharp
The light is favorable
You find the shutter speed sweet spot
You have a means of stabilizing your camera

Poi Sang Long Festival Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

Adding some flash can at times truly enhance a photo made with a slow shutter speed. I find this works best when you sync your flash with the rear shutter closing.

Keeping some of it sharp

Using a slow shutter speed to create motion blur, I find it’s best to ensure that some parts of your composition remain sharp. Whether you are moving your camera or your subject is in motion, your results will be stronger when not all the composition is blurred.

Using a slow shutter speed and moving your camera in relation to a moving subject, is known as panning. This will keep your subject sharp and the background will blur. Getting a perfectly sharp subject while panning is challenging because it requires the camera to be moving in sync with how fast the subject is.

Tuktuk Panning Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

Having your camera locked down while your subject or the background move you will have a better chance to render your subject sharp.

Getting the exposure when the light is right

Bright sunny days make it challenging to capture motion blur in a photograph. You need to use a slow shutter speed for the effect to happen. Setting your aperture to the smallest opening and your ISO as low is it can go will not always allow you to use a slow enough shutter speed.

Using a neutral density filter in bright sunshine will make a slower shutter speed possible. At times I have coupled a neutral density filter with a polarizing filter to cut the light entering the lens even more.

Market Scene Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

In this photo I had my friend stand very still to achieve motion blur in the people walking behind her. Being such a bright sunny day meant that even with my aperture set to the minimum opening of f/11. My ISO was set at one hundred and still did not allow me to use a slow enough shutter speed. I attached a four-stop neutral density filter and a polarizing filter so I could set my shutter speed to 1/4th of a second to capture the motion blur.

At night and in other low light situations achieving a slow enough shutter speed is simple.

Finding the sweet spot for optimal blur

Choosing a shutter speed setting appropriate to the pace of movement in your composition is important. Having too much or not enough motion blur will give you a poor result. This varies greatly depending on your subject and the style of photograph you are creating.

Photographing waterfalls, people walking or traffic at night, all require different shutter speeds for best results. Generally, slower moving elements in your composition need slower shutter speeds. Things moving more quickly need faster shutter speed or there will be too much motion blur. It also depends on how much definition you want to retain in whatever is moving.

Twently Second Waterfall Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

Flowing water, like in this waterfall, can be completely blurred. In fact, waterfall photos usually look best when a shutter speed of more than two seconds is used. I used a twenty-second exposure for this photo and there’s absolutely no definition in the water. It is still obvious what it is though.

On The Sidewalk Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

Keeping the motion blur balanced is more important with some subjects. For this photo of people on a sidewalk in Bangkok, I chose a shutter speed of 1/10th of a second. A slower shutter speed would mean more blur and less definition. A fast speed would show less blur and may just look like it was a mistake. I was happy to capture an image where the people walking are blurred yet their feet are reasonably sharp. The young woman modeling for me was very patient as it took quite a while to make a composition with the right number of pedestrians in my frame.

Experimentation is key to finding the sweet spot with your shutter speed. You need to decide how clear or how blurred you want your subject and other elements in your composition.

Camera stability is important

You can use a slow shutter speed even if you do not have a tripod. Learn to hold your camera well and be in control of it. I do not often carry a tripod so am forced to use alternative means of preventing unwanted camera movement. Unintentional camera movement creates ghosting which introduces extra fuzziness to photos.

Flames Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

Hand holding a camera while panning can be preferable for some more than using a tripod. Keeping a steady movement along with your subject is what’s most important. If you are panning with a passing vehicle you do not want to be jiggling your camera up and down as you track your subject.

Finding a firm surface to place your camera can be a good substitute when you don’t have a tripod. You may need to place something under the lens so your angle of view is level. I find my mobile phone or wallet often come in handy for this.

Using a tripod does make things more straightforward when using a slow shutter speed. With a tripod, you have more stability and often more control of your angle of view.

Coffee Roasting Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

Introducing rear curtain synchronized flash

Many cameras give you an option to synchronize the flash so it fires just before the shutter closes. Doing this combined with a slow shutter speed and movement produces interesting effects.

As the flash is triggered near the end of the exposure it looks like the movement is partially frozen. Using a very slow shutter speed when there’s fast movement your subject may appear semi-transparent.

Tricycle Taxi Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

I used a four-second exposure for this photo of a tricycle taxi in Chiang Mai. You can see the ghosted image of two people just above the handlebars of the cycle. They were riding past on a motorbike just at the end of the exposure as my flash fired.

Conclusion

Photographing movement using long exposures it pays to give yourself plenty of time to experiment and take lots of photos. Varying your shutter speed. Choose a faster or slower speed with the same subject. This can create vastly different looking photos.

Iron Bridge Using a Slow Shutter Speed to a Create Sense of Motion

If you’ve never often used a slow shutter speed, begin to explore the possibilities. If you’ve had some experience, try some new angle or subject. Please share your photos and comments below.

The post Go With The Flow – Using Slow Shutter Speed to Create Motion Blur appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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How to Make the Most of Creative Shutter Speed in Photography

16 Dec

The post How to Make the Most of Creative Shutter Speed in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

This photo is all about the moment of capture. I used a fast shutter speed to capture it.

One of the most important settings on your camera is shutter speed, and it’s just as important to master this as it is to master aperture. If anything, shutter speed control allows you to become even more creative with your photography. Exciting techniques like light painting and panning both rely on the photographers’ use of this setting. In this article, you’ll learn techniques that need a creative shutter speed, and how you can apply this to your photography. So let’s begin with what shutter speed is, and why it’s important.

What is shutter speed?

A photograph relies on light to become exposed, and shutter speed controls how long that light sources can expose the photo. That means in general, lighter conditions mean fast shutter speeds, and dark conditions mean slow shutter speeds. Shutter speed is also controlled by opening or closing the aperture on your lens, adding filters to your lens, and, in some cases, adding external lighting to your scene. In DSLR camera’s it means the mirror locks up, and in mirror-less cameras, the shutter is merely open. Now, various techniques rely on shutter speed to work. Let’s sub-divide them by the how fast the shutter speed needs to be.

Fast shutter speed

Using super-fast shutter speeds allows you to freeze things that might be faster than the eye can appreciate. That may mean raindrops, wildlife, or photographing sport.

Freezing the action

The shutter speed you’ll need to freeze the action very much depends on what you’re photographing. Concerning creative imagery, you’re looking at freezing things that are too fast for the naked eye, and hence, you’ll get some unusual detail in the photo you’ve taken. Next is a simple guide to the type of creative shutter speed you’ll need to freeze the following types of action:

A waving hand – A shutter speed of 1/100th is fast enough to freeze this motion, to be sure use 1/200th
A flying bird – 1/2000th will get you a sharp photo of a flying bird.
Raindrop splashes – Look to use a shutter speed of 1/1000th or faster to freeze moving water. It’s possible to take water drop photos at slower speeds, but those often use a strobe flash to freeze the water rather than the shutter speed itself.

Freezing droplets of water require a fast shutter speed.

Moment of capture

Getting the right moment is what makes or breaks a photo. It is possible to take good moments of capture at slower shutter speeds, but generally, you’ll want to freeze the action. That means a fast shutter speed, and capturing that moment a baseball player swings their bat, or the archer loses their arrow. In both cases, these need a fast shutter speed to capture that moment.

Handheld photography

While not related to creativity in your photo, shutter speed is all important when it comes to avoiding camera shake. There is a nice rule of thumb that correlates your focal length to the slowest speed you can use handheld. Of course, there are those with steadier hands, and image stabilization helps too. That said, the correlation works like this and is easy to remember. If your focal length is 300mm, you’ll need to use a shutter speed of 1/300th second to avoid camera shake. You can use a much slower shutter speed at wider focal lengths though, so at 50mm 1/50th is adequate.

Creating motion.

Ahead of getting into long exposure, there are the shutter speeds that you can get away with handheld, but slow enough to move the camera and produce motion blur.

Panning is a popular technique, that needs a slower shutter speed.

Panning

This is a great technique and is a good example of how creative shutter speed can be used.

The technique requires a steady hand because it uses shutter speeds that wouldn’t usually get taken handheld. The idea behind this technique is that you follow a moving object with your camera, and take the photo with a slow enough speed to blur the background. You can follow any moving object from a pedestrian walking to a Formula 1 racing car. Amongst the easiest objects to pan with is a cyclist moving at a steady speed. Those new to the technique should practice panning with a cyclist first. A shutter speed of around 1/25th is a good starting point to blur the background while keeping the cyclist sharp.

Motion blur

An alternative strategy is to allow the moving object to blur, and keep the static object sharp. While panning is primarily done handheld, using a tripod for this type of photo achieves better results. In this case, you’ll be looking to show the background motion of things like cars, trains or buses against static objects. That might be people waiting to cross the road, or someone waiting for a bus or train. Once again, a shutter speed of 1/25th is often slow enough to blur the moving object in your frame.

This photo was taken from a moving train. The slower shutter speed created motion blur.

Camera rotation

It’s still possible to give a photo a more dynamic feel, even when everything in your frame is static. You can achieve this feel by moving the camera with a slow shutter speed of around 1/25th. With wide-angle lenses, you can experiment with even slower shutter speeds. However, this may impact your ability to keep a portion of your photo sharp. The idea behind camera rotation is to twist the camera around a central point in your photo while taking the photo. This technique can be used for kinetic light painting when even longer exposures are needed. It can be tricky to achieve because it is a difficult technique to do handheld, and most tripods won’t allow you to rotate around a central point in the way this technique needs. It’s also best to use a wide-angle lens when taking this variety of photo.

Zoom is a good way of giving a photo a more dynamic feel.

Zoom

A zoom burst is another popular way to use creative shutter speed. It is possible with any lens that allows you to change the focal length. So, a kit lens works very well for this technique. With the zoom burst it’s possible to take the photo handheld, but using a tripod gives you better results. While you’re moving the lens and not the camera body, any tripod helps with this type of photo. The aim is to produce motion by zooming into your primary subject matter during an exposure roughly 1/25th in length. Not all locations work well for this photo. For example, a location with lots of sky may not produce much blur. On the other hand, a tunnel with differing levels of light, such as a line of overhanging trees, works great.

Camera rotation can produce interesting effects.

Creative shutter speed for long exposures

At the extreme end of creative shutter speed usage is the long exposure. Here you’re looking at exposure times in excess of one second. There is an awful lot of creativity to be had in this area, so let’s look at what you can do.

Light painting

Light painting is a lot of fun, and among the most creative techniques you can use in photography. There are essentially two ways you can create light paintings. The first is where the light source is turned away from the camera, and you use it to light up an object within the frame. To do this use the light source like a brush, and shine it only on the area’s you wish to light up. The alternative to this is pointing the light source towards the camera. Light painting can be as low tech as using your torch. However, more ambitious forms of light painting include the use of wire wool, or LED light sticks. Light painting photos typically begin at two-second exposures, and if you use bulb mode they can last into the minutes.

You can use light painting to add more interest to a scene.

Kinetic light painting

The difference between kinetic light painting and light painting is that you move the camera, whereas, with light painting, you move the light source. Of course, it’s possible to use random movements of the camera for this. However, the best way is for more controlled movement, and that means camera rotation and zoom.

Camera rotation – Very similar to the above technique, but this uses longer exposure times. You’ll need a tripod this time. The technique involves rotating the camera in a nice smooth motion while attached to the tripod.
Camera zoom – Once again, following on from handheld zooming, are longer zooms at night taken using a tripod. To learn more about the experimental potential of zoom you can read this article.

This is an example of kinetic light painting. The camera was rotated around the tripod head.

Landscape long exposure

Using long exposure in landscape photography gives you a great way of interpreting a scene in a different way. This is most easily achieved at night, but daytime long exposure is also possible.

Neutral density filter – The use of a neutral density filter allows you to take daytime long exposures. This has the potential to transform your scene with moving clouds, and silky water. You will need a strong filter, so an ND110 or ND1000 is needed.
Blue hour – As most landscape photographers will know, this is one of the best times to photograph. You’ll be using long exposure because the light levels dictate that. That long exposure allows you to experiment with traffic light trail photography.
Astro-photography – Finally, and at the extreme end of long exposure photography, is astro-photography. Those wishing to photograph the Milky Way will need to use exposure times of around 20-30 seconds depending on the equipment you’re using. Another popular technique is to photograph star trails. This can be a sequence of 30-second exposures stacked together. The alternative is to use bulb mode, and exposure for at least 10 minutes!

Long exposure on days with fast-moving cloud creates dramatic skies.

It’s time to hit your shutter!

There are lots of ways to use creative shutter speed. Have you tried any of the above techniques? Are there any techniques you use that are different? As always, we want to hear your opinions. Likewise, we’d love to see any photos you have that showcase the creative use of shutter speed. So go out and try using shutter speed in different ways, and then share your experiences with us in the comments section.

The post How to Make the Most of Creative Shutter Speed in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

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Cinemartin launches Fran cameras with 8K global shutter and RAW support

07 Nov

Cinemartin has announced the launch of Fran LT, Fran (STD), and Fran Plus, three new 8K camera models offered at introductory prices until December 31, 2019. The company also plans to start shipping a new line of ultra-high brightness 2500 nit 7″ HDMI+SDI monitors by the end of the month.

The Fran LT is the lineup’s introductory model, featuring a 24MP sensor, maximum 7920 x 3024 resolution, and aluminum chassis. The mid-tier Fran (STD) is more advanced with a 32MP sensor, maximum 7920 x 4096 resolution, and mixed aluminum and carbon fiber chassis. The line’s most advanced model, the Fran Plus, has a 47.7MP sensor, maximum 7920 x 6024 resolution, and fully carbon fiber body.

All three models feature an 8K global shutter with support for shooting raw, though only the two higher-end models support both compressed and uncompressed raw. The Fran (STD) and Fran Plus both support 8K/30p maximum frame rates, while the Fran LT maxes out at 8K/24p. Unlike the Fran LT model, the Fran (STD) and Fran Plus feature a removable lens mount, PL mount, Thunderbolt 3, stabilization, and modular design. All three support removable m.2 NVME SSD drives.

The Fran Plus is the only model of the three that is programmable, which according to Cinemartin, means users can utilize OpenCV-based code for new features. One provided example is using a plugin to identify an on-screen car’s shape and color in order to automatically present the driver’s name on the display. The company includes sample code with the camera.

Cinemartin is offering the three new models at discounted introductory prices until December 31 or when inventory runs out, whichever happens first. Buyers can order the camera through the Fran 8K website or via Cinemartin’s authorized resellers. An initial deposit must be paid to reserve the cameras, which will be available in two to four months depending on model.

Fran LT: 10.995€ regular, 7.920€ introductory
Fran (STD): 17.790€ regular, 15.995€ introductory
Fran Plus: 25.670€ regular, 19.995€ introductory

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Kickstarter: ONDU Mark III pinhole cameras — all 19 — have magnetic shutter, filters

03 Nov

Pinhole photography might be one of the most primitive forms of photography, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved with the help of a little innovation. Pinhole camera company ONDU is back at it again with a new collection of third-generation pinhole cameras, including 135, 120, medium format, and large format options.

The pinhole camera collection, which consists of 19 individual cameras and is officially named the ONDU Mark III series, manages to pack in a slew of features and add-ons to take pinhole photography to the next level.

The cameras are constructed of precision milled parts, the most important of which are CNC milled. “The parts where most wear and tear happen are made either of CNC milled aluminium or steel,” says ONDU on its campaign page. The overall build quality has improved and the winding knobs in particular have become more robust and easier to turn.

The shutter on the ONDU Mark III series cameras has been completely redesigned as well. Deemed “the perfect shutter” by ONDU, the magnetic shutter has a smooth, shake-free sliding mechanism that makes it easy to capture quick exposures when needed. It even has a built-in clicking sound “for fidgeting sake.” A secondary shutter has also been added to the 120 format version so you can use the 135 converter kit to shoot 35mm film inside the medium format version, complete with sprocket exposure.

The most impressive feature is the integrated filter option. ONDU said it was one of the most requested features from past ONDU users and now it’s available. By integrating magnets inside the camera itself, ONDU has managed to create a simple snap-on filter that works with ND filters, IR film and color filters for black and white photography.

As previously mentioned, there are 19 different cameras that are part of the ONDU Mark III series. Pledges start at $ 98 for the basic 135 pocket version and go up to $ 250 for the incredible 6×17 120 format camera. To find out more information and to make your pledge, head on over to the Kickstarter campaign. There are 25 days to go and the campaign has already more than doubled its $ 20,000 goal.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Use Shutter Speed and Aperture Together When Using Manual Mode

18 Oct

When you’re just starting out as a photographer, one of the biggest challenges can be using the correct shutter speed and aperture values. Shooting a correctly exposed photo in manual mode is an amazing feeling. But unless you know the relationship between shutter speed and aperture it may not happen very often.

In this article I’ll talk about how to use the shutter speed and aperture values efficiently to get properly exposed photos.

Note: To get full control of your camera’s shutter speed and aperture values you need to put it in Manual Mode.

What happens when you adjust the aperture value

When you increase the aperture value the aperture opening inside the lens gets smaller, reducing the amount of light that can enter the camera. Similarly, when you decrease the aperture value the opening gets bigger, allowing more more light to enter the camera.

Here’s an example to help you understand how changing the aperture value affects the shutter speed.

Let’s say you’re using a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens with a default aperture value of f/8. At a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second your camera will give you the correct exposure.

EXIF: f/8, 1/200th sec, ISO 100

Now you want a shallower depth of field (more blur effect), so you reduce the aperture value to f/2.8. Because you’ve reduced the aperture value by three stops, the aperture opening is now letting three stops more of light into the camera. The result? An overexposed image.

If you reduce the aperture value, you must increase the shutter speed by the same number of f-stops to compensate. Similarly, if you increase the aperture value, you must slow down the shutter speed by the same number of f-stops.

In this example, you’ve reduced the aperture value by three stops. So to get the correct exposure at f/2.8 you must increase the shutter speed by three stops to 1/1600th of a second.

EXIF: f/2.8, 1/1600th sec, ISO 100

Another example might be if you’re shooting a landscape. This time you want a deep depth of field, so you choose an aperture value of f/16. You’ve increased the aperture value by two stops (from f/8 to f/16), so you’re letting two stops less of light inside the camera. At a shutter speed of 1/200th sec this give you an underexposed photo.

Underexposed image at f/16, 1/200th sec, ISO 100

To get the correct exposure, you need to slow down the shutter speed by two stops to 1/50th of a second. With the aperture value two stops higher (f/16) and the shutter speed two stops lower (1/50th sec) your photo will be perfectly exposed just as it was at f/8 and 1/200th sec.

What happens when you adjust the shutter speed

When you increase the shutter speed the camera shutter opens and closes more quickly, reducing the amount of light that enters the camera. Similarly, when you reduce the shutter speed more light enters the camera.

Starting with the same base camera setting as before (f/8 at 1/200th sec), let’s see how changing the shutter speed affects the aperture value.

Let’s say you’re a wildlife photography, and you want to take photos of a flying bird. To avoid any blurring you’d need to increase to 1/800 sec. You’ve increased the shutter speed by two stops, and so you have two stops less of light entering the camera sensor. At f/8 this would give you an underexposed image.

Because you’ve increase the shutter speed by two stops to 1/800th sec, you must also reduce the aperture value by two stops to f/4 to get the same correct exposure you had at the f/8 and 1/200th of a second you started with.

Or perhaps you intentionally want to capture a panning shot, and s reduce the shutter speed to 1/50 sec to get the effect you want. Reducing the shutter speed by four stops (from 1/800 sec to 1/50 sec) means you’re letting in four stops more of light into the camera. And at f/8, that would give you an overexposed image.

To get the correct exposure you’d need to increase the aperture value by four stops to f/32.

By remembering these examples when you’re shooting in manual mode, you should end up with far more photos that are correctly exposed.

The post How to Use Shutter Speed and Aperture Together When Using Manual Mode appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Keep tabs on your Canon’s shutter count (and more) with EOS Inspector 2

24 Jul

Amazingly, there’s no built-in method to finding out how many shutter actuations your Canon DSLR has amassed. Thankfully though, there are third-party solutions to help get the job done.

One such solution is the recently-updated EOS Inspector 2, a MacOS app that’s improved upon the original version of EOS Inspector, which itself was a successor to the original ShutterCount app — all of which are created by independent Russian developer Konstantin Pavlikhin.

EOS Inspector 2 details the shutter actuations of 65 Canon cameras — a list of which you can find here — including Live View shots with supported cameras. The app also details the serial number, batter charge level, remaining shots estimate, and the installed firmware version.

To help you gauge how much longer you can expect your camera’s shutter to function, EOS Inspector 2 also shows the expected shutter life for your camera. It’s also possible to change the metadata fields the camera applies to images, including owners name, author, and copyright.

EOS Inspector 2 is currently available in the Mac App Store for an introductory price of $ 2.99. If you’re upgrading from the original EOS Inspector app, the update is free.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Working with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography

01 Jun

There are three fundamental settings in landscape photography: the ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed (known as the Exposure Triangle). While all of these are equally important to understand in order to create technically correct images, there’s one that’s extra important when it comes to an image’s visual impact. Adjusting the shutter speed makes a big difference and is often what can make your image stand out from the crowd.

Choosing the ideal shutter speed is not an easy process though. There rarely is a single correct shutter speed but there certainly are scenarios that benefit from a specific one. In this article, we’ll look at a few different scenes and how the shutter speed affects each of them.

Working with Fast Shutter Speeds

The easiest shutter speed to work with is a fast one. Working with fast shutter speeds doesn’t require a tripod and you can easily photograph subjects that quickly pass by. This is also the most common choice for most beginning photographers as it doesn’t require much effort (and most auto functions choose a relatively fast shutter speed).

Below you have a typical example of when you need to use a fast shutter speed. In order to freeze the motion of the deer, I had to increase the shutter speed to 1/320th of a second. Had the deer been moving at a higher tempo I would have to increase the shutter speed even more to avoid any motion blur.

deer in a field - Working with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography

Photographing animals is not the only time where you should use a fast shutter speed though. In the image below, I used a shutter speed of 1/1600th.

Why did I use such a quick shutter speed for that scene? By the looks of it, the water is quite still, there are no moving subjects and there’s still enough light to use a slightly slower shutter speed, right? Yes, however, this shot was taken from a boat and even though the waters were relatively still, I needed a very quick shutter speed in order to freeze the scene without any blur from camera movement.

iceberg and water - Working with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography

Use the ideal settings not perfect ones

Had I been standing on land, I could have easily used a slower shutter speed and achieved a similar look. In fact, the overall quality could have been even better as I could have used a lower ISO and an ideal aperture. However, the purpose of photography isn’t to always have the perfect settings; it’s having the ideal settings that allows you to get the shot within the given conditions. The most important is to actually capture the image.

For too long I was too focused on always having the perfect settings. The truth is that this often leads to missing the shot as you focus too much on the technical aspect rather than working with the conditions you’re given.

For example, using a slower shutter speed when standing on a boat (such as in the image above) would have led to the icebergs being blurry due to the motion. What would you prefer? A blurry picture which is “technically” perfect, or a sharp picture that doesn’t have the technically perfect settings?

Before we move on to slower shutter speeds, let’s look at a few more scenarios where a fast shutter speed is recommended:

When photographing handheld.
Photographing quickly moving subjects.
When aiming to freeze motion.
When photographing from a vehicle.

Working with Slow Shutter Speeds

In landscape photography, the difference between slow shutter speeds is much bigger than between fast shutter speeds. While you won’t see a huge difference between 1/320th of a second and 1/640th of a second (in most cases) you may see a big difference between 10 seconds and 60 seconds. Because of this, I’ll split this section in two parts: less than 30 seconds, and more than 30 seconds (Bulb Mode).

dark image with moving water - Working with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography

The definition of a long exposure is somewhat vague but in my Ultimate Guide to Long Exposure Photography eBook, I describe is at the shutter speed where you no longer can capture a sharp handheld image. Typically, this is in the range of 1/50th of a second, depending on your camera and focal length (a longer focal length requires a quicker shutter speed to capture a sharp handheld image than a wide-angle).

Shutter speeds up to 30 seconds

While the difference between a 1 second and 30-second shutter speed is big, it’s more natural to put these together in one section to keep this easier to follow. Still, I’ll try to break it up a little to give you an idea of which shutter speeds you should experiment with in different situations. Again, there’s no correct choice and it often comes down to your preference and the tools you’ve got to work with.

When photographing beaches and seascapes where waves are crashing onto the shore or forming around rocks, I often work with a shutter speed of 0.5-1 second. I find that this creates a nice blur in the water while still keeping enough texture. A slower shutter speed such as 8 seconds blurs the water but not enough to give it the “silky” effect you often see with long exposure photography (we’ll come back to that in a bit).

waves crashing on a rocky shore - Working with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography

This also applies when photographing waterfalls and rivers. I tend to use a semi-slow shutter speed rather than an ultra-slow shutter speed when working with these scenes, as I prefer to keep some textures in the water.

As you lengthen the shutter speed you’ll see that moving elements become more and more blurry. In the image below, I used a shutter speed of 20 seconds to blur the water and give some motion to the sky. If you look at the clouds, you can see that they have been moving and it’s starting to have the “dragged sky” effect.

seascape scene - Working with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography

Keep in mind that the speed of the clouds determine how slow the shutter speed needs to be in order to pick up this motion. When clouds are moving quickly you can pick up their motion even with a shutter speed of 5-10 seconds, but to really get the “dragged sky” effect you often need to use a shutter speed (or exposure time) longer than 30 seconds.

Shutter speeds longer than 30 seconds (Bulb Mode)

In order to achieve a shutter speed longer than 30 seconds you most likely need to activate Bulb Mode.

When I first got into long exposure photography and purchased my first 10-Stop ND filters, I immediately got hooked on these ultra-slow shutter speeds. I’ll admit that I don’t do as much of it anymore (as it rarely fits with the vision I have for most locations) but it’s certainly a lot of fun to play with.

The main reason to use a shutter speed longer than 30 seconds for landscape photography is to achieve the “dragged sky” effect and to completely blur out moving elements such as water. It can also be a good way to remove people from your images (if they walk around during your 2-3 minute exposure they most likely “disappear”).

sunset on a coastal scene - Working with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography

For the image above I used a shutter speed of 180 seconds. As you can see, this has completely blurred the water and the sky is dragged across the frame.

Conclusion

Working with longer exposures can be a lot of fun but it’s not something that’s always beneficial. For example, when photographing a scene that doesn’t have any moving elements (and no clouds), there’s no need to use an ultra slow shutter speed, as it will most likely look exactly the same with a slower one.

So knowing how to select the best or most appropriate shutter speed takes practice, and comes down to what you want to achieve in your image.

For more information about this and other aspects of this type of photography, check out my Ultimate Guide to Long Exposure Photography eBook,

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