How can I freeze action in low light when aperture and shutter speed are already maxed out?
Asked 6/9/2012
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2 answers
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I’m trying to freeze motion in difficult lighting, such as outdoors or at a distance where flash won’t help. I’m already using the widest aperture available and the fastest shutter speed I can while still freezing the action, and I’m shooting RAW. Even then, the image comes out too dark. Aside from brightening the RAW file later, what else can I do to get a usable action shot in these conditions?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
6
Ignoring artificially increasing the light (flash, bounce cards, etc):
Exposure = Shutter + Aperture + ISO
You only factored in shutter and aperture. Your best bet at this point is to shoot RAW and increase ISO as high as you can tolerate. Depending on your camera, this may be anywhere from ISO 800 - ISO 12800. You can always try to reduce the noise later in post.
Originally by user8218. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user8218
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
If shutter speed is already as fast as needed and aperture is already wide open, the main exposure control you still have is ISO. Raise ISO as high as your camera can tolerate and reduce noise later if needed.
If that still isn’t enough, your options are mostly tradeoffs or gear changes:
- Use a faster lens (for example, one that opens to f/1.4–f/2) to gather more light, accepting shallower depth of field.
- A camera with better high-ISO performance or a larger sensor can help.
- More powerful lighting can help if adding light is possible.
- If you only need the subject sharp, try panning so the subject stays relatively sharp while the background blurs.
- With some zoom lenses, shooting at the wider end or moving closer may allow a larger maximum aperture.
Image stabilization can help camera shake at slower shutter speeds, but it does not freeze subject motion. In the end, if you can’t add light, you must balance shutter speed, aperture, ISO, noise, and depth of field.
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