Knowing how to control shutter speed on Nikon is certainly going to give you an upper hand as a beginner. Being one of the major components of the exposure triangle, it’s crucial to know how to control the shutter speed for becoming a promising photographer.
If you have just bought a Nikon camera and don’t have a prior idea how to change shutter speed on Nikon, the Camera Guider has you back. I’m going to discuss how you’ll be able to change it and how the change matters in real-life photography. So, let’s begin!
Shutter Speed Definition
Well, let me tell you what is shutter speed and why it matters a lot. Shutter speed is the amount of time the shutter stays open to let the light into the lens while snapping a photo. It is expressed in seconds, for example, 1/30s, 1/60s, 1/250s, 1/500s, etc.
Shutter speed has a great impact on the photos you’ll be capturing in the days to come. A faster shutter speed, such as 1/1000th of a second, has the capability to freeze the motion while a slower shutter speed, such as 1/60th of a second can illustrate motion blur in a scene.
Apart from taking pictures only, shutter speed influences while filming with the camera as well. If you go through the 180˚ shutter rule, you’d know how shutter speed and frame rate relate to each other while recording motion in the video. The rule suggests setting the shutter speed twice of the frame rate in order to make the motions seem natural to the human eye.
If you are filming at 24fps, you should set the shutter speed to 1/50th of a second, or for 30fps, 1/60th of a second to make proper motion blur.
On the other hand, if you want to create slow-motion videos, you must increase the frame rate to three times of the shutter speed. For example, if you shoot at 60fps, the shutter speed has to be set at 1/20th of a second.
So, now you know why shutter speed is so important for both photography and cinematography. Let’s find out how to change the shutter speed on Nikon d3500 which is one of the most popular cameras of the company. The process is pretty much the same for other models as well except few minor differences and button positionings.
How To Change Shutter Speed On Nikon?
At first, you need to switch the camera mode from “AUTO” to “MANUAL” which is symbolized as “M”. It allows you to control the shutter speed on your own for every photo you capture. This won’t be possible at Auto mode as the camera automatically sets a shutter speed considering the light of the surroundings for each photo.
Then, press the shutter button to bring the info screen to the LCD of the camera. You’ll find the shutter speed is indicated on the upper-left corner of the screen within a circle.
Finally, turn the command dial left or right on the back of the camera for faster or slower shutter speeds respectively. That’s how you can change the shutter speed easily for each photo.
Long Exposure Settings On Nikon
Okay, let’s be honest. All of us were fascinated seeing the light trails of the night road and wanted to snap pictures alike. Now, as you own a Nikon camera, you can make your dream come true. All you have to know how to adjust the long exposure settings.
In this part of the article, I’ll discuss how to setup long exposure settings using shutter speeds for long trails of moving lights, night stars, fireworks, and many more.
Bulb
There are two ways you can capture long-exposed photos. The bulb is the first type where the shutter of the camera remains open until the shutter release button is pressed for a few seconds. Using a tripod is recommended to avoid blur for the photography. Follow the steps to activate the mode:
- Select the camera mode to “M” which stands for manual mode.
- Rotate the command dial to choose a shutter speed of “Bulb”
- Press the shutter release button all the way down after focusing. Remove your finger from the button once the exposure is complete.
Time
This method also produces high-quality long-exposed photos. Only the working principle is different from the above. You need to start exposing by pressing the shutter release button. The shutter stays open until you press the button a second time. To activate the mode:
- Select the camera mode to “M”.
- When the exposure meter shows up on the screen, rotate the command dial to change Nikon shutter speed to “Time”.
- Press the shutter release button once you’re done with focusing. Release your finger after pressing the button.
- Press the shutter release button again when you’re done with the exposure to close the shutter.
Conclusion
If you are serious about photography, there’s no alternative to playing with the manual mode. You may take horrible pictures but need to learn from the mistakes. That’s the only way to become a great photographer.
It’s really important to know how to change shutter speed on Nikon if you have one and wish to master the manual mode. Believe me, it’s worth it in the end.
If you’ve got a Canon camera instead of a Nikon, you may get interested in how to change the shutter speed on canon. Also, let me know if you want to know anything more about other camera settings.
On Camera Guider, you can find all the latest and best information on photography gear and accessories.
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