What shutter speed should I use for DSLR video, and why is it often set to about double the frame rate?
Asked 4/20/2011
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I’m shooting a short parkour video on a Canon 60D with lots of subject movement and some camera movement. Most footage will be 1080p at 24 fps, with some 720p at 60 fps. Focal lengths will range from about 24mm to 75mm, with a few shots at 200mm. I also have a steadicam and fast lenses (24mm, 35mm, and 50mm f/1.8).
I’ve read that video shutter speed should be about double the frame rate (for example, 1/50 at 24/25 fps or 1/120 at 60 fps). Why is that, and what happens if I use slower or faster shutter speeds?
Also, in bright daylight, using these shutter speeds forces me to stop down a lot. Does that make my fast f/1.8 lenses pointless for video in daylight, and are there any general tips for getting good-looking motion?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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The reason that many people will recommend to shoot at double your framerate is because then the 'shutter angle' is 180 degrees.
This is back from when film cameras were used. To cover the negatives whilst the next frame was 'wound on', a disc would spin, blocking the light as the negative moved. When the negative was in place, this disc would spin open again. Wikipedia has a good animation of this here.
The amount of covering the disc provides and the framerate give this 180 degrees that is as close as you get to a 'standard' in filmmaking. For further reading on this (or a better explanation!) I'd suggest looking over here.
As for a specific recommendation of shutter speed, it depends on the look you want. For example, some action films (using these as an example because they have lots of movement within the frame) will use a very fast shutter speed for sharp images, but being professional films they are still shooting at a framerate (or 23.976). Others will use the slowest they can get away with, and this will give them lots of motion blur within the shot. A good film that shows examples of both of these is The Bourne Identity.
TL;DR - It's a creative decision.
As for the problem with your F-stops, this is (unfortunately, because you have some real nice lenses) just something you're going to have to live with. Consider whether a slow shutter speed is absolutely necessary for these scenes. Using a faster one could allow you to use your f1.8. Also, depending on the camera you're shooting on, sometimes setting it to 'Auto ISO' can actually let the camera reduce the ISO below the minimum (100, normally) using some metadata hacks or something. (This may just be for stills, though!)
Originally by user3375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3375
15y ago
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A good starting point is the “180-degree shutter” guideline: set shutter speed to about double your frame rate. In practice, that means roughly 1/50 for 24/25 fps and about 1/125 for 60 fps.
Why? It comes from film cameras and gives motion blur that looks natural to most viewers. At 24 fps especially, some blur helps motion feel smooth.
If you go slower, motion blur increases and footage can look smeary or unnatural. If you go much faster, motion becomes sharper but also more choppy or “stuttery.” That can be used creatively, but it won’t look like standard cinematic motion.
So for normal-looking video, pick your frame rate first, set shutter accordingly, and usually leave it there unless you want a special effect.
In bright daylight, yes, that often forces you to stop down. That doesn’t make fast lenses useless, but you may not be able to use f/1.8 outdoors at those shutter speeds without reducing light some other way. Fast lenses are still very useful in low light and whenever you want shallow depth of field.
General tip: treat shutter speed as mostly fixed for video, then control exposure with aperture and light reduction if needed.
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