How does a DSLR's mechanical shutter achieve 1/4000s, and does the Canon 600D use an electronic shutter for stills?
Asked 1/13/2012
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I'm shooting a Canon 600D at its maximum shutter speed of 1/4000s and wondered how that works mechanically. Is that speed still achieved by the camera's focal-plane shutter, or does an electronic shutter take over for still photos? Also, at very high shutter speeds, is the sensor exposed all at once, or is it exposed through a narrow moving slit between the first and second curtains?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
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The Canon 600D uses a mechanical shutter, and it does indeed go up to 1/4000th rate. There is no "electronic" shutter in Canon DSLR's that I know of. You pretty much nailed it on the head with your 'ps'...the two shutter curtains race over the sensor with a tiny slit (see 'Focal plane shutter, high speed' figure), with the second curtain a minuscule fraction of a second behind the first curtain.
As for maximum speed, I can't say for sure, but pretty high. There are many DSLR cameras that have a 1/8000th or 1/10000th shutter rate, usually "pro grade" models. The high maximum speed of this type of shutter is one of its strengths (leaf shutters, for example, tend to be limited to about 1/500th.)
Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user124
14y ago
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On the Canon 600D, 1/4000s for still photos is achieved by its mechanically operated focal-plane shutter, controlled electronically but not replaced by an electronic shutter.
At high shutter speeds, the whole sensor is typically not uncovered at once. Instead, the first curtain starts moving and the second curtain follows very closely behind it, leaving a narrow slit that travels across the sensor. Each part of the sensor is exposed for the selected time as that slit passes.
So your idea is correct: at 1/4000s, exposure is made by the moving slit between the two curtains, not by opening the entire frame fully for that duration.
Many DSLRs use the same principle and some higher-end models reach 1/8000s or even faster with mechanical focal-plane shutters. What people often mean by an “electronic shutter” in this context is sensor readout behavior such as rolling shutter for video, not the still-photo shutter mechanism used by the 600D.
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