Why does the Nikon P7800 have a slower maximum shutter speed at wider apertures?
Asked 3/29/2014
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On my Nikon P7800, the fastest available shutter speed changes with aperture at the 24mm equivalent wide end. At f/2 the camera only allows 1/2000s, at f/2.8 it allows 1/2500s, at f/3.5 about 1/3200s, and only from around f/4.5 onward does it allow the full 1/4000s. I expected 1/4000s to be available at any aperture, like on many DSLRs. Why does the maximum shutter speed depend on aperture on this camera?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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The is uncommon yet occurs with several camera models. The smaller the aperture, the less distance the shutter needs to travel and so the faster it can go. This is most common with leaf shutters and cameras which use the aperture as shutter, meaning there is only one mechanism.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is normal for some compact cameras, especially ones that use a leaf shutter design rather than a DSLR-style focal-plane shutter.
With a leaf shutter, the shutter mechanism is built into the lens area and its operation is tied to the aperture opening. At wider apertures, the shutter blades have to open farther, which limits how quickly they can complete the exposure. At smaller apertures, they travel a shorter distance, so the camera can achieve a faster maximum shutter speed.
So on the P7800, 1/4000s is not available across the whole aperture range because the shutter/aperture mechanism can only move so fast when the lens is opened wide. That’s why the top shutter speed increases gradually as you stop down.
This behavior is uncommon compared with DSLRs, but it is expected on some compact cameras with this type of shutter system.
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