Who actually uses 1/8000 of sec?

[Benjamin Marks]

Are there a lot of you who routinely use 1/8000 or 1/4000? When starting out, my Pentax K1000 had a nominal top speed of 1/1000 and that stopped all the action I could ever want. Or I thought it did. Later I upgraded to a Nikon FM2 with a top marked speed of 1/4000 (or was it 1/2000? historians and Nikon users chime in here) (of course actual speeds differ from the speed marked on the dial). I don't ever actually recall using the top speed . . .

So: 1/8000 (1/4000 if applicable). Who among us actually uses their camera's top speed? If so, how often? Routinely?

Inquiring minds want to know.

With curiosity,

Ben Marks

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Ben,

Very seldom, and mostly with the 135/2.8 when I want zero depth of field in close-ups. Even more rarely with a Noctilux.

Put it this way: I wouldn't really miss it.

Cheers,

R.

[nikonhswebmaster]

I asked the same question, in another thread. I took reading in my studio, which is dark and to use f 1.4 at 1/8000 I had to set my Gossen Luna Pro at ISO 12,500!

However if I set the Gossen a the highest reading "22" then I could use 1/8000 at ISO 25.

So it is usable, if you want to shoot wide open, in bright sun, with a camera that has an ISO limit of 150.

Just nothing I have ever done personally, I am not a fan of out of focus backgrounds and foregrounds myself, but as noted it seems very popular on the RFF.

Something that eludes me, since RFs are tricky to focus accurately enough for very narrow DOF, due to lens focus shifts. But some members seemed to have have mastered it. I just would not have the stamina (I would just use an SLR)

[Mike Ip]

I've never used the 1/8000 on my M8, however I have used the top speed before. When I was in Iraq, I was shooting my 70-200 2.8 on my Canon and even at ISO 100 and a shutter speed of 1/8000, the sun was so bright it was still blowing out highlights. I actually had to stop down in order to preserve the highlights. I think I ended up having to shoot at f/4 or something.

[Richard Marks]

I use it as others when using my 75 lux wide open in bright conditions. But I seem to cope with my M6 with 1/1000 so presumably I could get by with a new 1/4000 shutter. The thing you are alluding to is would I go for the new shutter? Not that bothered actually.
Regards
Richard

[nikonhswebmaster]

I think I ended up having to shoot at f/4 or something.

Not a sin to stop down... except on the RFF :)

[jackal2513]

all the time with Noctilux + 103 ND

[luketrash]

My Nikon D50 only goes down to 200iso. I regularly see the overexpose notice through the viewfinder when I'm out in the sun if I'm shooting at f3.5 or faster.

My Voigtlander stopped at 1/2000th and I was shooting film at 800iso and couldn't accommodate it on a sunny, snowy day even at f22.

With a digital camera, you can adjust down your iso. With film, sometimes you're 3/4 the way through a roll you were pushing indoors the night before.

[nikonhswebmaster]

My Nikon D50 only goes down to 200iso. I regularly see the overexpose notice through the viewfinder when I'm out in the sun if I'm shooting at f3.5 or faster.

My Voigtlander stopped at 1/2000th and I was shooting film at 800iso and couldn't accommodate it on a sunny, snowy day even at f22.

With a digital camera, you can adjust down your iso. With film, sometimes you're 3/4 the way through a roll you were pushing indoors the night before.

Again consulting my trusty Gossen Luna Pro, at its off the scale reading of 22, at ISO 800 you should have just squeaked by. Although I am surprised you were getting that high a reading, but sun is powerful on snow.

[lZr]

I use my Maxxum 7 SLR at 1/8000 with lens f/2 on sand dunes with near no DOF. Fantastic clicks can be hear. Nice results. It happens seldom with my Lensbaby 2.0

[Benjamin Marks]

Hmm. Interesting. I do a lot of portraiture and don't tend to work in the direct sunlight. Even when taking portraits outdoors, I tend to go for open shade. I guess my mental model for this was sporting events or outdoor weddings.

No, I wasn't really asking about the M8 shutter swap, although that was what prompted the question. I guess digital cameras don't really have the reciprocity characteristics of film and that CMOS chips have a fairly linear response. I just wondered how folks use that 1/8000 slice of time as I couldn't really imagine needing more than that Pentax's 1/1000 top speed. But I get what folks are saying about shallow depth of field. It seems like digital's exposure linearity has made certain things possible in this regard that weren't previously.

[Ben Z]

I can't say how many times I've used 1/8000, but with the M8 set to Automatic I know that frequently the shutter goes over 1/4000. Set to ISO 160, in broad daylight, "sunny-16" rule means anything wider than f/3.5 requires a shutter speed beyond 1/4000. It isn't necessary to be shooting at f/1 or 1.4 to need speeds higher than 1/4000. Remember, the M8's shutter is stepless in Automatic, so it's isn't simply one shutter speed lost, it's a whole range of shutter speeds. It's the loss of one full stop of exposure flexibility.

[David Goldfarb]

To stop action, there seems to be a class of things that require something like 1/1000 sec. (most kinds of normal motion, moving cars, etc.), and some that are best done with flash and need 1/20000th (dancers in mid-air, hummingbirds). Occasionally I might use 1/1000 or 1/2000 sec to get a wide aperture without a ND filter in bright light, but I don't really see myself using 1/4000 or 1/8000 sec. that much, even if I had it.

[simonclivehughe]

My first two shots this morning were at 1/8000 and then 1/6000 at ISO 160 with my CV 35mm Nokton at f1.2, shooting against water reflecting a bright, overcast sky.

[POINT OF VIEW]

all the time with Noctilux + 103 ND


Ditto. 1.0 Noctilux sunny day, many times.

[nikonhswebmaster]

My first two shots this morning were at 1/8000 and then 1/6000 at ISO 160 with my CV 35mm Nokton at f1.2, shooting against water reflecting a bright, overcast sky.

Would love to see those, I do notice the majority of your photos appear stopped down, or you are using WA which gives that appearance.

By the way -- is that a Apple web template, the site sure looks good.

[atufte1@mac.com]

Very often, and i will not change /"upgrade?" the shutter...

[tomasis]

I wish Leica could use new shutters with M8.. I seldom use even 1/1000 .. silly kaufman after all..

[irq506]

I wish the M6 had a higher top speed, because I like to use my optics wide open for nearly everything and 1k doesn't cut it sometimes. I generally have 400 on me, just because this is Seattle....

[etrigan63]

With my Nokton in broad daylight? Alot. Especially if I use larger apertures...

[amateriat]

Once, when I was still shooting with my old Minolta 9xi SLRs, I actually tried a few wide-open shots in bright sun at its purported top speed (1/12000 sec), just for shiggles. Hard to find situations where you can do that, and I personally feel that the law of diminishing returns (not to mention deterioration of accuracy) starts to kick in around 1/4000. I do frequently hover between 1/2000 and 1/4000 on my Hexar RFs, so I'm happy for having a 1/4000 top shutter speed on those.

The shutter-speed drop on "upgraded" M8s might be more a psychological barrier than anything else, but I don'tt shoot with one, so I can't be sure. If it made the thing noticably more quiet, the trade-off might be worth it, but we'd have to compare models side-by-side to determing this.


- Barrett

[Al Kaplan]

I rarely shoot faster that 1/250. I can always fall back on neutral density filters if I want to shoot wide open, or use slower film.+

[tomasis]

So you only take pics when the sun is on its highest?

Edit: Or very fast film :)

I don't understand it but I believe that is supposed to be a ironical joke, isn't?

I'm more noctilux-guy ;) At f8 at bright day you can do what you like without using 1/500 or faster :) Maybe the weather is bad here, lol. If it is too bright so I could shoot at iso 50 with another body and film :P

using ndfilter is more pleasant with new shutter than a loud one

[Gabriel M.A.]

Who actually uses 1/8000 of sec?

I do. I also shoot "Bulb". The whole spectrum has its uses in real life. Real life is not a controlled indoor-studio.

[johnastovall]

I do with both a Nocti and Canon 50/0.95 during the day when shooting for very narrow DOF. Also use it on my 5D with the 50/1.0.

[dseelig]

Yes with high speed lenses outdoors 75 summilux with flowers or anything I want to stand out David

[DaveSee]

Interesting question, so too, do you use the light meter LEDs... OK, so I'm an "incident" lighting sort, but...

Yes, to speeds 2000, 4000, and 8000 and light meter LEDs: they're there, let's use 'em.
At ISO 2500 with 4000 or 8000 in daylight I can get some "nope-no-film-like" source data that obviates post-proc, er, "methods".

I use the LEDs because, sniff, there ain't no EV adjustment wheel, sob! Oh, the horror!

rgds,
Dave

[Senecabud]

My FM2n goes up to 1/4000. I use it all the time when I'm loading film and need to advance the new roll to Frame #1. That's the only time I use it.

[PhotoJim]

Having 1/8000 sec. means that your 1/4000 and 1/2000 speeds will be accurate. (Usually the fastest speed on a camera is a little slow.) That's one advantage of having such fast speeds.

I rarely use 1/8000 sec. on any of the cameras I have that support it (and I have a few, all Nikons: F4s, F5, N8008s, F90x, F100), but it's nice that it's there.

The lack of it certainly wouldn't quench my interest in an otherwise capable camera, but the lack of 1/250 flash synch certainly might.

[wstotler]

Are there a lot of you who routinely use 1/8000 or 1/4000? So: 1/8000 (1/4000 if applicable). Who among us actually uses their camera's top speed? If so, how often? Routinely? Inquiring minds want to know. With curiosity, Ben Marks

I think I've shot at 1/8000th . . . once. Most of my shooting is at 1/30th, 1/60th, 1/125th, or 1/250th. Very little at 1/1000th, and less still at 1/2000th. Thanks for the thread--need to find more opportunities to shoot at higher speeds. ;)