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The shutter-speed dial is mostly found on both film and digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. Some of the older point-and-shoot film cameras often have a shutter-speed dial on top of the camera. Newer digital models do not have this external device.
Indentification
The shutter speed is normally measured in fractions of a second. Every number that you see on your dial is a large integral number, but in reality this numerical value represents a fraction. For example, the number 60 is actually 1/60 of a second and the number 1000 represents 1/1000 of a second.
Function
Each step up on the Shutter Speed Dial--60, 125, 250, 500, 1000--is actually a step downward in the speed and amount of light that enters the camera and strikes the film. In fractional values, the above sequence should read 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500 and 1/1000. A value of 1/60th of a second allows twice as much light to enter the camera as one at 1/125th of a second.
Features
In more advanced cameras, the shutter-speed dial can be adjusted by hand or the automatic mode of the camera can be engaged to automatically adjust the shutter speed to the proper setting.
Considerations
The "B" on the Shutter Speed Dial allows the photographer to hold the shutter open for an indefinite amount of time. The shutter speed is set at B usually when the camera is mounted on a tripod; the shutter is opened and closed with a cable release device.
Effects
Any shutter speed below 60 (1/60) or 125 (1/125) is subject to motion and a resulting blurry image, if the the photographer does have a steady hand. Typically, a faster speed can freeze an image while a slower speed blurs it.
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