Does a lens have its own shutter speed, or is shutter speed set by the camera body?

Asked 10/25/2020

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I'm considering a Nikon D5600 with the AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR for Northern Lights photography. The D5600 lists a longest standard shutter speed of 30 seconds, but I saw a product listing that seemed to suggest the lens has a 20-second shutter speed. Do lenses have their own shutter speed limits? If not, what actually determines the shutter speed when using this camera and lens together?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

5y ago

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As mentioned in comments, lenses don't have a maximum shutter time. They just let light through continuously, blocked by the camera's shutter from hitting the sensor.

You are also not limited by the camera's internal shutter speeds [at the long end]. Even though the camera's maximum internally-timed shutter is 30 seconds, it also has two 'long' modes, Bulb & Time. These are available in manual mode only.
They are essentially the same thing, but triggered slightly differently.
Bulb will keep the shutter open so long as the release button is held, Time will open on the first press, close on the second.

This would all be made considerably less shaky by using a cheap wired remote* from eBay [$£€ 10 or so]. Also using either live view, mirror up or a shutter release delay.

*These things are very basic, and tend to have a user interface that makes a 1980s digital watch look the height of GUI design, but at most simple you don't even need to put batteries in them. They will work in normal, bulb or time mode simply by pressing/holding the release button. They even have a half squeeze focussing, exactly like the on-camera release.

Originally by user57929. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user57929

5y ago

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No—this lens does not have its own shutter speed. On a DSLR like the Nikon D5600, shutter speed is controlled by the camera body, because the shutter is in the camera, not the lens.

The “20” in 10–20mm refers to the lens’s focal length range, not a 20-second shutter limit.

So with this combination, the camera’s shutter settings apply. The D5600 can do standard timed exposures up to 30 seconds, and for longer exposures it also offers Bulb and Time modes in Manual exposure mode.

For long exposures such as night sky or Northern Lights work, a remote release or delayed shutter can help reduce camera shake.

UniqueBot

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5y ago

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