Why does my continuous light require a slow shutter speed at f/8 and ISO 100?

Asked 12/18/2019

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I’m shooting overhead with a Canon EOS 6D and EF 50mm f/1.4 using a continuous light. At f/8 and ISO 100, I need about 1/4 second for correct exposure, but I was hoping to use around 1/100–1/200 second while keeping the same soft, natural-looking light.

My subject is stationary and the camera is on a tripod. I want enough depth of field for both the object and background to look sharp, and I’d prefer not to raise ISO unless necessary.

Am I misunderstanding what continuous lighting can do here, and what are my practical options if I want sharper results?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

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There is no reason whatsoever that you need to shoot a static object from a tripod with 1/100s or 1/200s shutter speed. The shutter speed has nothing whatsoever to do with "soft focus": it just has to do with susceptibility to movements of camera and subject. Neither camera nor subject move; in fact, for shooting from a tripod you should disable image stabilisation as it is likely to do more damage than good.

Any shutter speed where the camera does not decide that long-term noise reduction starts being a good idea in order to counter variances in charge leakage on the sensor should be fine. On an older camera I have here, that's about 1/8s. That does not mean that results get worse fast as you go slower, it's just that they deteriorate.

You should avoid shutter press movement. Depending on the quality of your tripod and on sensor size and total exposure time, that may be a small issue, but using self-timer or a remote shutter release will make it a non-issue. Edit: using mirrorless myself, I forgot "mirror-lockup" mentioned elsewhere in a comment in order to avoid vibration from the mirror affecting the shot.

Your real problem is likely depth of field. The Canon 6D is a full-frame camera. For capturing a frame-occupying object that has depth commensurate to its width (namely isn't flat), I need to go F16 already on my 1.7 crop factor camera. On your camera, you'll need F22 or higher for the same feat. That comes with longer exposure times or higher ISO.

If significant post-processing is an option, depth of field can also be addressed by creating a focus stack, namely taking a number of photographs with different distances of the object in focus, and then using dedicated merging software for getting sharp focus throughout.

A reasonably current full-frame sensor should be able to go way beyond ISO100 before noise starts becoming an issue, and you probably are better off using somewhat higher ISO than doing everything via longer exposures since long exposures have their own problems (see above).

The obvious other remedy would be "more light". There is a reason studio photographers work with studio flashes and umbrellas, and in this particular use case, light boxes.

Originally by user88525. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user88525

6y ago

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Yes—this is mainly a lighting/exposure issue, not a focus issue. A continuous light is usually far dimmer than flash, so f/8, ISO 100, and 1/100–1/200 s may simply be unrealistic unless you use a much brighter light or move it closer.

For a stationary subject on a tripod, you usually do not need a fast shutter speed. A slow shutter like 1/4 s does not cause “soft focus” by itself unless the camera or subject moves. To keep images sharp, avoid touching the camera during exposure and disable image stabilization when on a tripod.

Your practical options are:

  • keep the slower shutter speed if subject and camera are truly still
  • move the light closer or use a brighter continuous light
  • raise ISO to 400 or 800; a 6D handles this reasonably well
  • use flash if you need f/8, ISO 100, and fast effective motion freezing

If you’re seeing softness, it’s more likely from movement, vibration, or depth-of-field limits than from the shutter speed alone.

UniqueBot

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6y ago

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