ISO and Shutter Speed Settings

[williamjamesfpv]

Thanks William.Seems like others have given you alot of great reading and info. It 'll all come together.
In case you haven't found the answer to your question of adjusting exposure,
ISO is the sensitivity to light, a change of doubling or halving is considered 1 "stop " higher number is more sensitive to light
Shutter speed is how long of time light is let in for each frame again doubling or halving = 1 stop
Nd filters reduce the amount , ND2 cuts light 1 stop,ND4 2 stops, ND8 3 stops ND16 4 stops
So changing ISO 800 by half=ISO400, 1 stop.... ISO 400 by half=ISO200 1 more stop ISO 200 by half=ISO100 ( our target) 1 more stop again.Total 3 stops down
So change shutter from 1/800 by double =1/400 1stop by double =1/200 1 more stop, by double 1/100 again 1 stop. Total 3 stops up. Remember ISO number down= less light in , Shutter longer time= more light in.
Hope this helps

@jack1144 - Thank you so much for the explanation. You, and others, have been tremendously helpful and I am so appreciative Just a quick question on the ND filters. You mentioned going to ISO 100 from ISO 800 and therefore it's 3 stops. I understand that ISO 100 is our goal, but is the 800 a rule of thumb or just for example purposes? I ask because I noticed you picked the shutter to also go from 800 down to 100, and was wondering if this was by coincidence, or if that was the rule of thumb. If you could please elaborate on this, I would really appreciate it.

Also, today I flew in sunny conditions and my ISO was at 800 and shutter was set to 500 (since I did not have an ND filter). I was shooting at 1080p 60fps. Based on this how would I pick my ND filter (2, 4, 8, etc?). I am trying to get a grasp of how to pick the right ND filter when I'm at the flying field. Again, much thanks for your help - Liked!

William

 

[williamjamesfpv]

There are some more interesting ideas here.
Photographic Exposure Explained - Digital Photo Secrets

It's a wonderful journey of exploration and discovery, we are all on, learning about new photography methods, and creative techniques.

RedHotPoker

@RedHotPoker - Well said, and thank you so much for sharing! - Liked

 

[williamjamesfpv]

Always use the histogram to check your exposure. Do not depend on what you see on your screen. In classical photography theory, an average "proper" exposure would mean that the "mountain" graph in the histogram is in the middle, with no clipping to the highlights or shadows at either end.

However, it's always good to push the "mountain" slightly to the right. Try your best to use ISO 100 as much as possible. If it's still not correctly exposed, lower your shutter speed until it is correct. Your EV should read 0 for a "correct" exposure.

@Garrie - Fantastic advice! To be honest, I've never taken a photography course (as you may have already guessed, based on my posts). However, I have found that the wonderful bits of advice (like the one you, and others, have provided), go a long way and are super helpful. Thanks so much!! - Liked

 

[RedHotPoker]

@RedHotPoker - I've been tinkering around with the settings and your advice to practice really did come in handy. MUCH better understanding of what's going on now! Just thought I should give you an update, and once again thank you for the great advice

Eh, thank you. It's Nice to receive a compliment. Yeah, practice makes perfect, the music teacher used to say.
Keep at it, enjoying learning, we retain info better when we like it...

You would love shooting with my Nikon D800 & the new 80-400mm lens that Nikkor released last year. ;-)
The lens itself has five control switches. Hahaha
Plenty to mess with. Hahaha

RedHotPoker

 

[Garrie]

Eh, thank you. It's Nice to receive a compliment. Yeah, practice makes perfect, the music teacher used to say.
Keep at it, enjoying learning, we retain info better when we like it...

You would love shooting with my Nikon D800 & the new 80-400mm lens that Nikkor released last year. ;-)
The lens itself has five control switches. Hahaha
Plenty to mess with. Hahaha

RedHotPoker

Fellow photographer here! I own a d800 too along with d700, d90 and a Fuji x100S. I don't have your type of telephoto lenses though. I do weddings so mine are mainly the trinity lenses and close up macro ones. Here's a pic of me rocking my two bodies and my two most expensive lenses.

It's so much easier when you come from a photography background. It makes understanding all these terms easier. Still, I have a long way to go learning about video.

 

[RedHotPoker]

Hey Garrie,
That's awesome, some nice equipment you have there.
Yeah how true, having some knowledge is better surely than none.
Lenses, wish I had more of them. Quite an investment though.
I love my smaller compact Nikkor 24-120mm too, but it's a different handling glass.
I also have a few bodies, & my older Nikon FE 35mm is still around.
Hard to let go of old friends. ;-)

Hope your trip is still on course, and you are captivated, collecting the footage for your next delightful videos.

Safe flights and happy landing.

RedHotPoker

 

[jack1144]

Hey thanks William, its cool you appreciate the help from the members here.All good stuff.
To try to answer your question(s) from your latest example you say the ISO was set to 800 and shutter at 1/500 and sunny. Actually this doesn't seem right. Was your EV at or near 0 ? With bright conditions the exposure would be normally way too bright.
Ok, ISO 800 down 1 stop(darker) =ISO 400 to keep the same exposure shutter must go 1 stop brighter , shutter from 1/500 to 1/250
The 2 images get the same amount of light
ISO800 shutter 1/500, ISO400 shutter 1/250, ISO200 shutter 1/125, ISO100 shutter 1/60(1/62.5)
These 4 different setting result in same exposure.( so would ISO1600 shutter 1/1000)
For video ISO100 shutter 1/60 using 30fps is ideal( no ND needed)
These all assume correct exposure ( around EV0 )
How to do all this is use a lightmeter or download free app.
Set to ISO100 and f2.8( fixed aperature of the P3), take a reading reflected is pointing at the subject
as you learn more there are other variations but for now just take reading
The lightmeter will give a shutterspeed for EV0. If the shutterspeed is 1/60 your good.
If the shutter is lower eg. 1/30 or 1/15 your in low light conditions and have no choice but to increase the ISO until you hit 1/60 done
If the shutter is higher 1/125, 1/250.1/500 or higher you need to calculate how many stops darker you must go to get to 1/60
to get to 1/60 from 1/125 is 1 stop , from 1/250 is 2 stops, 1/500 is 3 stops Wow I talk alot

 

[jack1144]

Nice gear Red and Garrie

 

[jack1144]

William double check your exposure EV that it's at or near zero. Sunny days I'm using ND8 or ND16 , slight cloud or near sunset down to ND 4 or ND2 or nothing

 

[williamjamesfpv]

Hey thanks William, its cool you appreciate the help from the members here.All good stuff.
To try to answer your question(s) from your latest example you say the ISO was set to 800 and shutter at 1/500 and sunny. Actually this doesn't seem right. Was your EV at or near 0 ? With bright conditions the exposure would be normally way too bright.
Ok, ISO 800 down 1 stop(darker) =ISO 400 to keep the same exposure shutter must go 1 stop brighter , shutter from 1/500 to 1/250
The 2 images get the same amount of light
ISO800 shutter 1/500, ISO400 shutter 1/250, ISO200 shutter 1/125, ISO100 shutter 1/60(1/62.5)
These 4 different setting result in same exposure.( so would ISO1600 shutter 1/1000)
For video ISO100 shutter 1/60 using 30fps is ideal( no ND needed)
These all assume correct exposure ( around EV0 )
How to do all this is use a lightmeter or download free app.
Set to ISO100 and f2.8( fixed aperature of the P3), take a reading reflected is pointing at the subject
as you learn more there are other variations but for now just take reading
The lightmeter will give a shutterspeed for EV0. If the shutterspeed is 1/60 your good.
If the shutter is lower eg. 1/30 or 1/15 your in low light conditions and have no choice but to increase the ISO until you hit 1/60 done
If the shutter is higher 1/125, 1/250.1/500 or higher you need to calculate how many stops darker you must go to get to 1/60
to get to 1/60 from 1/125 is 1 stop , from 1/250 is 2 stops, 1/500 is 3 stops Wow I talk alot

@jack1144 - Thank you so much for your help. Before I continue, I should apologize... I wrote ISO 800 but what I meant was that I was in ISO100 and shutter @ 1/500. In fact, I remember saying to myself, "If I had an ND filter, I could have reduced the shutter to a longer value (~100 for 60fps)". Again, my apologies for the typo. Your explanation was crystal clear and its all coming together now. It really is kind of like balancing a scale.... we go up in ISO so we correspond with an equal change in shutter (or vise versa). Your post helped me better understand this and I really do thank you. I will go to the app store and try to find the app you mentioned. I also need to familiarize myself with "EV". Is this controlled by user input on the RC transmitter? Should I always aim for EV 0? Btw, liked your recent post as well.. super helpful for me, and will be to others who have a similar question as well.

Cheers

 

[jack1144]

No problem glad I can help.
Ok ISO 100 shutter 1/500 makes sense.
EV is exposure value. When its zero the camera believes that to be perfect exposure. If EV is + its overexposed. So the idea is to have EV zero. Change what you must to achieve EV0.
Preferred to keep ISO at 100 ( best image quality ) and use ND filters to get shutterspeed near 1/60 for the best fluid motion look.
Your example of ISO100 shutter 1/500 assuming EV0, calc the stops to get 1/60
1/500 to 1/250=1 stop, 1/250 to 1/125=1 stop 1/125 to 1/60=1 stop TOTAL 3 stops =add ND8
So if ISO100 shutter 1/500 =EV0 then ISO100 shutter 1/60 and ND8= EV0

 

[williamjamesfpv]

No problem glad I can help.
Ok ISO 100 shutter 1/500 makes sense.
EV is exposure value. When its zero the camera believes that to be perfect exposure. If EV is + its overexposed. So the idea is to have EV zero. Change what you must to achieve EV0.
Preferred to keep ISO at 100 ( best image quality ) and use ND filters to get shutterspeed near 1/60 for the best fluid motion look.
Your example of ISO100 shutter 1/500 assuming EV0, calc the stops to get 1/60
1/500 to 1/250=1 stop, 1/250 to 1/125=1 stop 1/125 to 1/60=1 stop TOTAL 3 stops =add ND8
So if ISO100 shutter 1/500 =EV0 then ISO100 shutter 1/60 and ND8= EV0

Ok, so let me make sure I've understood what you've said here. Let's say (for example purposes again) that @ ISO 400 and shutter 1/1000 that I get EV=0. If I want to calculate the ND filter required for my desired ISO 100 and shutter 1/60, I do the following: ISO400 to ISO200 = 1 stop, ISO 200 to ISO100 = 1 stop. Total = 2 stops.
For shutter 1/1000 to 1/500 = 1 stop, 1/500 to 1/250 = 1 stop, 1/250 to 1/125 = 1 stop, 1/125 to 1/60 = 1 stop. Total = 4 stops. Therefore, we take the 4 stops from shutter and subtract the 2 stops from ISO to get +2 stops... which would = ND4. I'm either right... or very very wrong.. LOL. Thoughts please?

 

[jack1144]

Ok, so let me make sure I've understood what you've said here. Let's say (for example purposes again) that @ ISO 400 and shutter 1/1000 that I get EV=0. If I want to calculate the ND filter required for my desired ISO 100 and shutter 1/60, I do the following: ISO400 to ISO200 = 1 stop, ISO 200 to ISO100 = 1 stop. Total = 2 stops.
For shutter 1/1000 to 1/500 = 1 stop, 1/500 to 1/250 = 1 stop, 1/250 to 1/125 = 1 stop, 1/125 to 1/60 = 1 stop. Total = 4 stops. Therefore, we take the 4 stops from shutter and subtract the 2 stops from ISO to get +2 stops... which would = ND4. I'm either right... or very very wrong.. LOL. Thoughts please?

You got it. Good work.Once start doing more it comes easier and then oh no there might be cases where you will change those rules.But by then you'll know why.
Very glad I was able to help as so many members have.

 

[williamjamesfpv]

You got it. Good work.Once start doing more it comes easier and then oh no there might be cases where you will change those rules.But by then you'll know why.
Very glad I was able to help as so many members have.

This is fantastic! You have made me super happy as I can now to get the most out of my P3 camera. I have spent many years flying... but photography is a whole new area for me. What you and others have taught me will go a long long way. Thank you very much!!

William

 

[RedHotPoker]

The most important factor in all of this is that you / we are having fun, enjoying a truly awesome hobby. Which now has become an art form, by attaching a great 4K camera to the flying platform.

RedHotPoker

 

[RedHotPoker]

Nice gear Red and Garrie

@jack1144,
Thanks bud. Been at this photo capture stuff for a few years, and got quite passionate about it over time, & so when I had the opportunity to pick up some very decent equipment, I went for it. I also purchased a Nikon SB 910 Speedlight, for my night time adventures. The 35 megapixel D800 is plenty of power, when you want to crop something way down you can magnify a shot quite a bit, before you see any aberrations.
Poster sized shots are easy... If you can afford to play, why not go all the way? A Big Shot... Hahaha

RedHotPoker

 

[Viral]

How to pick an ND filter...

With your std uv filter, switch to manual camera mode, choose iso100 and set your shutter speed to twice your frame rate (ie 1/60 for 30 fps). Now look at your EV value. The amount you're overexposed will tell you which ND filter to use. If it's EV +1 means use ND2, ev2 = ND4, EV 3 = ND8 and so on. If the EV is over 6, you'll have to raise your shutter speed slightly because you probably won't have an ND filter that can compensate for 6 stops of light.

Understanding ND filter numbers. Each number is the bottom half of a fraction of light they let in. ND2 = 1/2 light allowed (1 stop). ND4 = 1/4 (2 stops) and so on.

 

[williamjamesfpv]

The most important factor in all of this is that you / we are having fun, enjoying a truly awesome hobby. Which now has become an art form, by attaching a great 4K camera to the flying platform.

RedHotPoker

@RedHotPoker - Very well said! - Liked

 

[williamjamesfpv]

How to pick an ND filter...

With your std uv filter, switch to manual camera mode, choose iso100 and set your shutter speed to twice your frame rate (ie 1/60 for 30 fps). Now look at your EV value. The amount you're overexposed will tell you which ND filter to use. If it's EV +1 means use ND2, ev2 = ND4, EV 3 = ND8 and so on. If the EV is over 6, you'll have to raise your shutter speed slightly because you probably won't have an ND filter that can compensate for 6 stops of light.

Understanding ND filter numbers. Each number is the bottom half of a fraction of light they let in. ND2 = 1/2 light allowed (1 stop). ND4 = 1/4 (2 stops) and so on.

@Viral - Thank you very much for the straight forward, and easy to understand explanation. You've summarized it nicely and it will be helpful indeed. Liked

Cheers,
William

 

[fhagan02]

Hi Everyone - I flew around sunset on a cloudy day and when I got home, I realized that my flight footage was not very clear due to picking sub-optimal video settings. I set AWB to "cloudy", recorded at 2.5k 30fps, increased ISO to 800, and my shutter speed was set to around 640 or 800 as well (I think). Usually I fly during the day with ISO 100 (don't remember my shutter speed settings). With ISO 800 in low light and the 640 (or 800) shutter speed, I found my video to have a lot of noise. I do have some questions about ISO and Shutter:

(1) How do you determine what is the best ISO and Shutter combination for each given flight? (for example, sunny versus sunset video settings may differ)

(2) I have heard that shutter speed should be set to twice the frame rate. So @ 2.5k 30fps, is it true that my shutter speed should be 60? If yes, do I keep it at 60 regardless of what time of day I'm flying, whether it's sunny, dark, cloudy, etc....?

Thanks in advance.
William

I know some may have already answered your questions but look at these if you have a moment. I've tried to explain some of the questions I often get about best settings, ND's and color correction on my channel. Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions.

P3 - Camera Settings:

P3 - Why Use an ND filter:

P3 - Color Correction and Grading