Fast Action - Shutter Speed

Stephen Mick

Stephen Mick

Totally Usable
Guys,

To test out some gear (16GB cards, etc.), I'm taking the HVX to a local race track to shoot some KART racing. Speeds of the carts range from 30mph to 70mph, depending on the class and track. In my time with the HVX, I've done quite a bit of experimentation with frame rates, and feel comfortable with matching the frame rate to the action/look.

Shutter speed is another matter. I get the relationship between shutter speed and "crispness" of footage. Faster shutter speed gives less motion blur and more "jitter." Slower shutter speeds give more motion blur. What I want to play around with is the relationship between frame rate and shutter speed.

I'll be shooting late afternoon/sunset/early evening, under available light only. Any suggestions on specific combinations of frame rate and shutter speed you guys would recommend playing around with?

Cheers!

-Steve
 
I've done a ton of this and I love it. I use it mainly stylistically but there is a logical relationship as well. My favorite thing to do stylistically is to overcrank to 60fps and set the shutter at 1/500, the go handheld. Everything gets a slow dream like movement almost like its trapped in time, but the camera remains free to move about in an extremely voyeuristic manner. I shot recently that had alot of this going on and I've been working it into alot of things as a stylistic trademark!

Anyhow -
If you have the available stop while overcranking, you can increase the "crispness" of the footage by increasing the shutter speed as well. It's really functional in a subtle way. Just a small adjustment in shutter minimalizes some of the slomo motion blur that you may or may not want.

A quick explanation : (speaking as if it were a film camera, I think it applies to th HVX as well though alot of it depends on how the software controls the interaction of the relationship between the shutter and frame rates of the camera. I could be wrong on this - and if so I hope that Barry chiimes in.)

If you adjust the frame rate to 60fps and the shutter continues 1/48 sec or 180 degrees, you are effectively exposing 2.5 frames from 1 rotation of the shutter where you were only exposing at a 1:1 ratio before. This would in theory exaggerate the motion blur putting it to a level different than if you were shooting shooting your 1:1 ratio. So if you want to shoot slow motion and keep a similar layer of "Crispness" that you have when you shoot your standard 24fps, 180 degree shutter, you would need to compensate on the shutter as you change the frame rate to keep those relationships the same.

you don't need to do any of this, it all depends on the look and feel you're going for or how sharp you want each frame
 
Thanks for the tips, Nathan. I'll play around with those settings and see what comes out. As I said, this isn't a real "job," just me experimenting and playing with the settings to see how the same type of action (karts around a track) is affected by changing some of these settings. If I can, I'll post some of my shots so that what I do might help some others as well.
 
Well, in 24pn I usually keep the shutter setting "Off" which I believe keeps in in the default 1/48th shutter speed. If you are shooting 60fps (in 24pn) You will get the same motion blur (roughly) with 1/120 second. I figure 1/48th is half the time of one frame in 24pn, and 1/120th is half of one frame while shooting 60fps. I've gotten good results that give natural motion blur when shooting at 60fps with 1/120 shutter. If you go with a slower shutter speed, you'll get more motion blur, if you go with higher, you'll get a cripser image, with less motion blur. (Which may be the look you want).
 
I'm not after a particular "look" here, only a range of things to really show the differences/relationships between frame rate and shutter speed.

And shooting everything in 24pn is my plan. Basically, I'm going to step up from 24fps to 60fps and from perhaps 1/48th to 1/1000 shutter speeds at each frame rate.
 
stephenmick said:
I'm not after a particular "look" here, only a range of things to really show the differences/relationships between frame rate and shutter speed.

And shooting everything in 24pn is my plan. Basically, I'm going to step up from 24fps to 60fps and from perhaps 1/48th to 1/1000 shutter speeds at each frame rate.
Click to expand...

great material for testing - would love to see the results!
 
Maybe try out at like 12fps too, ect.
But can't wait to see the results of the testing on the stuff you mentioned.
 
Definitely post your results please. I've got a 16gb pre ordered and a rebate card on the way. (allegedlly)

Can't wait to get out and do some tests myself.

FJ
 
Went out last night to the track. Did tests at 12fps, 24fps, 36fps, 48fps and 60fps, and at most every shutter speed. It'll take me some time to compress and upload the clips, but when they're posted, I'll let everyone know.

--Steve
 
I shoot 720 24PN. I do a lot of shooting of water motion. (Ocean waves, waterfalss, streams) and am particularly fond of 60fps using a 90 degree shutter for really nice rendering of splashes, droplets, etc without being TOO Private Ryan-ish. (Does this work out to about 1/240th of a second)?
 
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