Slow shutter speeds & blurry shots in low light environments

CraigDesmarais

I purchased a Canon 60D a few weeks ago and it was working great until last night. I began taking pictures in low light as usual and all of a sudden my shutter speed severely dropped and I was unable to get clear shots.

Someone told me it was because there wasn't enough available light. I am confused, because I have used it in the same environment with the same settings before and produced beautiful pictures. It almost seems like the shutter is sticking.

Any idea what might be going on?

Moose

@CraigDesmarais - Low light photography is incredibly tough and frustrating at times. What may seem like plenty of light or the "same" amount of light to our eyes, image sensors interpret light very differently.

Your lens is the gateway towards capturing sharp subjects in these types of situations. Every lens has a maximum aperture represented by a f-number.

Lower f-numbers allow more light to pass through the lens into your camera, which in turn increases the shutter speed while maintaining low ISO's. Fast shutter speeds eliminate subject blur and low ISO's keep your images looking clean (noise free).

For example, the Canon 60D kit lens has a maximum aperture range of f/3.5-5.6. This means the lowest aperture it can obtain at 18mm is f/3.5 and the lowest aperture is can obtain at 135mm is f/5.6.

Generally speaking, it's best to use a lens that can get down between f/1.2 to f/2.8 when shooting indoors.

My guess is that you were using an small aperture (large f-number) indoors which resulted in slow shutter speeds and higher ISO's.

If you don't have a lens with a maximum aperture between f/1.2 to f/2.8, then I recommend using the flash for moving subjects (humans) or disabling the flash and mounting your 60D to a tripod when shooting motionless subjects (landscapes).

In addition to all of that, there's an outside chance you may have enabled a rogue setting that's messing with the exposure. To rule it out, just revert your in-camera settings back to factory default (check out page 51 of the 60D manual).

I hope that all makes sense and happy shooting! :)

CraigDesmarais

Thanks so much I will check that out. Any idea why it used to take great rapid shots in low light but now it barely takes one good one without changing any of the settings? I will consult the manual though.

Vinylspider

One thing that used to catch me out is zoom. If you're zooming in, even a little, your f-stops will automatically change. The more you zoom in, the less light you're getting.

Also, it's easy to forget or not notice your own shadow when it's a little dim. Check that you're not blocking what light sources you have.

chicao77

Thanks for the good explanation Moose. It opened my mind.

Burtamus

One thing I've noticed is that when in Auto or Program mode (I believe AV or TV modes as well), the flash is considered fill light or a secondary light even with a Speedlite. It will not go full power. You have to go into Manual mode to make the flash the primary light source.