Trying to understand how Shutter Speed relates to handheld vs Tripod ?

[life4eva]

Very new user here, as a matter of fact a student but I have been reading a lot. My question I have is I keep reading how this or that lens can gain an extra stop of light or be used better handheld by adjusting the shutter speed. As I am clueless to what this means can someone please help me out?

 

[Jordan_S]

This explains it pretty well. In a nutshell, a slower shutter speed allows more light to enter. A large aperture (lower f/ number) on a fast lens also allows more light to enter. In order to shoot handheld without suffering the consequences (blur) of camera movement, a fast shutter speed is needed. While shooting handheld with a fast shutter speed, a large aperture (fast lens) is needed in order to allow enough light to enter. Often, people shooting handheld who wish to achieve as fast a shutter speed as possible will put the camera in aperture priority mode at the largest aperture setting the lens being used will allow.

What I've described pertains to stills. However, that same give-and-take relationship between shutter speed and aperture exists in video as well. That being said, I don't believe folks usually choose a faster shutter speed in video in order to avoid the negative consequences of shooting handheld.