All Forum Comments
Comment by hsmith posted on Shutter speed help! at 29/04/2021 - 15:02
pschlute wrote:
Are you saying the shutter speed the camera selects is too slow ? If so your pictures will be overexposed.
A slow shutter speed by itself does not indicate a problem. When shooting in dark conditions you need to use a faster film ASA/ISO and a wider aperture on the lens to keep the shutter speed higher. Setting a higher ISO on the dial by itself will lead to underexposed film.
What lens are you using on the camera ?
I would first move the ISO dial around through all its movement while looking at the meter...does the exposure adjust correctly? Do the same for the exposure compensation dial. You can also check if the meter is functioning by testing it against a light meter and a uniform light source. If you don't have one, you can download an app for your phone which can replicate it quite well.
Thank you for the reply!Are you saying the shutter speed the camera selects is too slow ? If so your pictures will be overexposed.
A slow shutter speed by itself does not indicate a problem. When shooting in dark conditions you need to use a faster film ASA/ISO and a wider aperture on the lens to keep the shutter speed higher. Setting a higher ISO on the dial by itself will lead to underexposed film.
What lens are you using on the camera ?
I would first move the ISO dial around through all its movement while looking at the meter...does the exposure adjust correctly? Do the same for the exposure compensation dial. You can also check if the meter is functioning by testing it against a light meter and a uniform light source. If you don't have one, you can download an app for your phone which can replicate it quite well.
Yes the camera is automatically adjusting the shutter speed to a slower setting. it's only doing this when it's slightly darker, i have no problems in good light. I am assuming this is as a result of it being on the auto setting but I'm just slightly confused as to why it is now doing this as it has never done before, its only since i changed the batteries after the last ones died.
I will try and fiddle with aperture a bit more in darker conditions and see if this helps, although I have had it set on the lower side since i started using the camera again after changing the batteries.
Im currently using a 50mm lens and have never changed this. Had a fiddle with the ISO dial and all seems to be working fine in terms of changes in the light meter when i move the number it up/down.
Thank you again!
Comment by hsmith posted on Shutter speed help! at 29/04/2021 - 14:29
tigershoot wrote:
What lens are you using. The more zoomed in you are it greatly increases your chance of motion blur. Is it maybe the case that you are now using a telephoto lens, whereas before it was wide-angle for example?
Using faster film would help, although it tends to be grainier.
Thank you for the reply! i am using 50mm lens and have never changed this so before when i wasn't having this issue the same lens was on the camera. What lens are you using. The more zoomed in you are it greatly increases your chance of motion blur. Is it maybe the case that you are now using a telephoto lens, whereas before it was wide-angle for example?
Using faster film would help, although it tends to be grainier.
I can't understand why the camera has started adjusting the shutter speed automatically as i haven't changed any of the settings etc, only added new batteries. all of my photos that are taken in good lighting conditions come out great, its just when its slightly darker and the shutter speed is slower that they're blurred due to movement whilst the shutter is open.
Comment by hsmith posted on Shutter speed help! at 29/04/2021 - 14:17
Hi everyone, I would be really grateful for some help! I have a Pentax ME SLR film camera and i'm having some trouble with the shutter speed.
When I first got the camera everything was absolutely fine and I love using it. The batteries recently went on it and, therefore, the light meter stopped working. I replaced the batteries and everything started working as normal, however I noticed a slight change in how the camera was functioning.
When I am taking a picture when its slightly darker, on the Auto setting the camera is adjusting the shutter speed accordingly. I can appreciate this is a great little thing it does, however, if you're not using a tripod or have the camera on self timer etc the pictures are, as you can imagine, coming out blurry due to the hand movement!
The camera had never done this before and i'm wondering if there is a way to stop it doing this?
As I don't have the ME super, it doesn't have a manual setting so i'm a bit stuck with what to do! I did wonder if setting it at a higher ISO when i'm taking photos in a darker environment may trick the camera into assuming the film was more sensitive to light and would therefore leave the shutter speed alone? I have no idea if this would actually have any effect.. i'm certainly no expert! Any help would be hugely appreciated!
When I first got the camera everything was absolutely fine and I love using it. The batteries recently went on it and, therefore, the light meter stopped working. I replaced the batteries and everything started working as normal, however I noticed a slight change in how the camera was functioning.
When I am taking a picture when its slightly darker, on the Auto setting the camera is adjusting the shutter speed accordingly. I can appreciate this is a great little thing it does, however, if you're not using a tripod or have the camera on self timer etc the pictures are, as you can imagine, coming out blurry due to the hand movement!
The camera had never done this before and i'm wondering if there is a way to stop it doing this?
As I don't have the ME super, it doesn't have a manual setting so i'm a bit stuck with what to do! I did wonder if setting it at a higher ISO when i'm taking photos in a darker environment may trick the camera into assuming the film was more sensitive to light and would therefore leave the shutter speed alone? I have no idea if this would actually have any effect.. i'm certainly no expert! Any help would be hugely appreciated!
Comment by hsmith posted on Shutter speed help! at 29/04/2021 - 12:59
It does sound to me that the camera is actually working correctly, it should reduce the shutter speed to a lower value if it is darker. The only thing you can do is open up the aperture as far as possible to keep the shutter speed higher.
Regards
David
Yes i thought that could be the case and it does make sense! It's just unusual that it has only just started doing this now yet i've been using the camera since last summer! Will try and fiddle with aperture more!
don't suppose you know if there is a setting i can use to prevent the camera adjusting the shutter speed?
Thanks for you advice,
Hannah