shutter speed issue/confusion

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cherokee1111

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I just got a new f2.8 lens but using it outside yesterday on a cloudy day it struggled to get any faster shutter speed than 1/13 when I was shooting horses with heads out of their stables.
I though an f2.8 would be good for indoor light and even better if outdoors in not great cloudy light? I used AV and unless I pointed to the sky for faster speeds this was the norm (1/50th did appear for one shot)
Was it because I was pointing at the darker horses head or because the camera metered 'into' the stable? a few were pointed along the outside of the stable so why the low shutter speed?
Sorry if this is a really basic error;)
 
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cherokee1111 said:
yes I understand that Dave, however surely a fast constant f2.8 lens doesnt have to have iso upped outside?
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It sounds like you needed to increase the ISO. A fast lens is only as fast as the available light allows. I've just been taking some shots outiside - it's pretty dull and overcast, and getting 1/30th.at f/2.8 against a foliage background which is pretty much an 18% mid tone. Metering on darker tones soon brings the shutter speed down to 1/15th or lower.

EDIT. That was at 200 ISO by the way.
 
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Also, check your metering, if you were set to SPOT metering, and you pointed the centre of the viewfinder at a black horse, then you're going to get slow shutter speeds. You may have to raise the ISO up to 800.

Even with my 70-200 f2.8L I often have to run at 800 ISO on a dull overcast day. Light is light (and dark is darker), not much else you can do about it.

Steve
 
ahhh thanks guys, I was worried I had something wrong with my lens- looks like its just me being a poor tog:thumbsdown:
 
Using it on AV does not help the shutter speed if iam correct on this.:shrug:
 
jockwav said:
Using it on AV does not help the shutter speed if iam correct on this.:shrug:
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Not sure what you mean? The OP has bought a f/2.8 lens in the hope it will shoot in overcast/ dark skies at fast shutter speeds. They set the camera to A/V and to f/2.8 in order to get the fastest shutter speed the camera would allow in the available light.As it turns out, the shutter speeds still arent as high as the OP hoped, but this isnt a fault with the lens, just the result of dark british skies.

Even at f/1.4 I still need to raise the ISO outside to 800 to get 1/200 sometimes.
Its just the country we live in sadly.
 
I was shooting at Whipsnade on Saturday under heavy cloud cover. The last keeper of the day, taken at 15:11, was at 1/125, f/5.6, 3200 ISO. Here's the shot, with no adjustments to levels etc.....

20110115_151143_2414_LR.jpg


With an f/2.8 lens I could have dropped the ISO to 800 and retained that shutter speed, but at 100 ISO I would have needed 1/15 for a correct exposure from an f/2.8 lens. That's light levels almost 8 stops dimmer than a bright sunny day, and with over an hour to go before sunset (what sun?).

Bump your ISO. It's there to be used.
 
you probably need to try and switch to manual.. meter on the horses eye (this will give the low shutter speed), then meter to the side of the horse (i.e. in a lighter area), then see what shutter speed this gives (maybe 1/60?!?), then adjust manually the SS manually in between the 2 readings and have a look at the results. you can then speed up or down accordingly to get the best results.

metering on the horses eye and getting a SS of 1/15th will only blow out the rest of the image (assuming you've got lots of natural light everywhere else). so unless you just want a close up of the horses face and nothing else in the image, you will have to raise ISO to speed up.

that's how i'd work it anyway.. hope it helps
 
yes it all helps, coming to the realisation that a DSLR isnt for quick pics while out with family/friends:thumbsdown: it takes a few moments to get a shot correct and by that time everyones moved on or shouting at you to "Hurry up":razz:
 
Dude this sounds completely normal. I was out in the ****ing rain shooting grey concrete structures on saturday and even OUTSIDE I was having to use ISO 400-800 at f/5.6 or lower, just to get a 1/50 ish shutter speed. Don't get me started on how often I had to wipe the rain off the filter :lol:

Tim: Am I the only one who sees odd lines going on in the background of your image?
 
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tdodd said:
Yup. Fencing. Not much you can do when stuck with f/5.6 and the creature chooses where to sit. There was no better vantage point to be had.
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Fencing is often the big problem with zoos anyway, but that's a really nice shot considering the conditions.
 
cherokee1111 said:
yes it all helps, coming to the realisation that a DSLR isnt for quick pics while out with family/friends:thumbsdown: it takes a few moments to get a shot correct and by that time everyones moved on or shouting at you to "Hurry up":razz:
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A DSLR can be used for quick pics, but the results that come out tend to have some relationship to the effort/skill that goes into the shot. It's not that DSLRs slow you down, but carefully choosing your background, perspective, DOF and perhaps waiting for the light to change for the better may do.

Even with crap light I didn't find myself changing camera settings very often. The light was so even and steady from one minute (hour) to the next that by shooting in manual mode I seldom had to change anything on the camera except AF point and focal length.
 
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