Tng hp cc tiu ch nh gi camera quan st

1. Cm bin hnh nh
C hai loi vi mch (cm bin hnh nh) khc nhau v cu to dng trong cc camera gim st video,
camera vi vi-mch nh CCD v CMOS , l hai loi camera ang thng tr th trng thit b quan st
qun l v gim st an ninh. Nh vy, iu cn bit l bao nhiu thng tin d liu m vi mch nh thu
c v cho camera CCD (charge coupled device) v camera CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide
Semiconductor)?
CMOS v CCD u l mch tch hp bao gm hng triu bng bn dn (transistors) ca c hai loi knh
p-n trn mt mnh silicon hnh ch nht t 10 n 400mm2.
S khc bit gia CCD v CMOS l g?

CCD nhy cm hn vi nh sng .

nhy cm vi nh sng l mt trong nhng khc bit rt ln gia camera CCD v camera CMOS. Vi
kt qu ca vt liu cu to khc nhau to thnh vi mch hnh nh, cm bin CMOS hoat ng vi
nhy cm v nh sng thp hn 10 ln (l khng tt bng) so vi cm bin CCD. Mt ngi c th nhn
thy cc i tng trong iu kin nh sng t nht l di 1 LUX, cn cm bin CCD thy c mc
tiu nhiu hn so vi mt con ngi , CCD vn thy trong iu kin nh sng thp t khong 0,1 Lux - 3
Lux , c ngha l thy c trong iu kin ti tt hn t 3-10 ln so vi cm bin CMOS. nhy sng
ca cm binCMOS l khong gia 6 Lux - 15 LUX, CMOS li nhy cm vi t l cao ca ting n 10 ln
so vi cm bin CCD. Cm bin CMOS c th khng thy r di iu kin nh sng khong 10LUX , do
vy cm bin CCD c s dng rng ri hn cho phn ln cc camera gim st video. Thng thng,
cm bin CMOS c s dng cho cc thit b quan st gia nh v chi ph thp hn ,ng thi cn h tr
ca n chiu hng ngoi (Led IR) dng trong ban m.
Cc camera loi c bit nhy cm vi nh sng rt thp "Low light illumination"u dng vi mch nh
CCD thy trong m ti m khng cn chiu led hng ngoi (xem bi vit lin quan ).Cc vt liu dng
sn xut vi mch nh CCD (cm bin CCD) c chi ph tn km hn so vi vt liu ch to Vi mch
nh CMOS(cm bin CMOS).

Thng s AD v s tng tc quan trng.

Tm hiu l do no gy ra cho cm bin CMOS tnh trng khng c nhy tt so vi cm bin CCD
l nhng g? xem iu ny trong on tip theo sau y.
S khc bit u tin gia CCD v CMOS l s khc bit v cu trc ca b cm bin phn gii im
nh (pixels). Ngoi tr vic c cha cc vt liu bn dn "ph-ton nh sng" , CCD cn bao gm nhiu t
in loi MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) . Cm bin CMOS c ch to vi thit k phc tp hn,
ngoi tr cc vt liu bn dn photon , CMOS cn bao gm b khuch i v mch A/D. So snh hai loi
khi hot ng trong lnh vc nhy cm khu vc rng , so vi cm bin CMOS th cm bin CCD c mc
nhy cm rng hn , CCD c th to ra tn hiu in mnh m hn khi xut ng ra ca hnh nh
(vpp - video output) trong cng mt iu kin mi trng, cm bin CCD c th cung cp hnh nh vi
mc ting n thp c ngha l cht lng cao hn. Do , cm bin CMOS theo truyn thng c cho
l khng tt nh cm bin CCD.

Tuy nhin, v s pht trin ca cng ngh mi , hin nay c nhng ci thin rt n tng cho vic ch
to cc cm bin CMOS th h mi t thua km CCD, vi li th chi ph thp, cm bin CMOS bt u
thch thc s thng tr cm bin CCD trong th trng camera cao cp.

ADC (chuyn i analog / digital) v tr v s lng khc nhau

CCD v CMOS bao gm cc thit k v s lng ADC v k thut ADC khc nhau . Mi dng ngang ca
mt im nh bn trong cm bin CCD kt ni vi mt ADC, sau khi hon tt tin trnh tip xc ,tn hiu
c chuyn vo mt b lu v a n mt b khuch i ADC nn v iu bin hnh nh xut ra
(analog signal) . Mi im nh trong cm bin CMOS kt ni vi mt ADC, tn hiu in s i qua b
khuch i v chuyn i thnh tn hiu k thut s.(digital signal).

Cm bin CCD tn hiu u ra dng tng t, cm bin CMOS tn hiu u ra k thut s.

Cm bin CCD v cm bin CMOS vi s khc bit gia vic x l tn hiu, cm bin CCD x l thng
qua tn hiu dng tng t (analog), vi cc thng s ca dng-ngang . Cm bin CMOS thng qua tn
hiu k thut s, trc tip vi tham s ca phn gii im nh.Do vy ,khi camera gim st s dng
mng IP truyn ti thng s c s dng vi cm bin CMOS v u th tn hiu k thut s , cn
camera gim st truyn thng li thng c s dng vi cm bin CCD.
Vi s pht trin c bit v vi mch cm bin hnh nh ca vi nm qua, cc thit k ci tin cho cm
bin CMOS tng din tch nhy cm vi nh sng gn bng vi mc nhy ca b cm bin
CCD. Ngoi ra, cm bin CMOS vi li th ca cu trc n gin, chi ph thp, tiu th in nng
thp. Cm bin CCD c th lm vic tt hn CMOS trong iu kin ban m, nhng ngc li cm bin
CMOS c th cung cp 100 triu im nh v hnh nh HD cht lng cao, v l iu m cc b cm
bin CCD khng th t c. IP Camera vi mc 2-3-5-8-11-16-29 Mega-pixels ra i l s thch thc
v th h so vi CCD

2. Kch thc cm bin hnh nh

Cm bin l ni c chc nng ghi li hnh nh i tng mun chp. Kch c ca nhng chip ny c hnh
ch nht, thay i ty thuc loi my nh. Trong my nh compact, cm bin ny tng i nh, i khi
khng ln hn so vi kch thc ca mng tay t.
Cc cm bin s dng php o ng cho di dng s thp phn v thng khng cho thng s kch
thc cm bin chnh xc, c bit lm my nh compact. Bn c th hiu r hn iu ny qua s
hin th kch thc tng i ca cc loi cm bin.

Kch thc tng i ca cm bin nh nht c s dng trong my nh PnS

Pixel (im nh)

Cm bin c "ng gi" vi s im nh cho bit s lng nh sng chiu vo mt phn ca tm
silicon. Ni cch khc, s lng v mc ca im nh trn cm bin nh hng ti phn gii ca
hnh nh c chp.
Mi thu knh rt nh nm trn mi im nh c chc nng hi t cc tia sng t ng knh my nh n
cc im nh.
Mi im nh li to ra mt tn hiu in rt nh khi b nh sng chiu vo, sau c khuch i v tr
thnh mt tn hiu k thut s s dng cng vi cc tn hiu t tt c cc im nh khc nhau to ra
mt hnh nh. l nguyn tc tng t vic thu thp nh sng v t bo hnh nn c trong vng mc
ca mt ngi.

im nh trn cm bin
Bn c th ngh cm bin nh l mt bc tranh v cc im nhy nh sng c chc nng to ra mt hnh
nh. R rng cc im nh (hay phn gii) c trn mt chip cm bin nh hng ln n kh nng
hin th chi tit hnh nh. l l do ti sao cm bin 6 Megapixel to ra hnh nh c s im nh t hn
v khng cho php phng to hnh nh nh cm bin 12 Megapixel.

Loi ln v nh

B cm bin full-frame c trong Nikon D700

Kch thc cm bin cng ln th s im nh cng ln, v c th thu nhn nhiu nh sng hn m
khng cn mt tn hiu khuch i. Do vy, cc im nh ln hn s cung cp hnh nh sc nt hn,
mt m hn v kh nhiu tt hn khi s dng ISO cao.

Nhng my nh DSLR hoc APS-C (hoc c kch c cm bin DX) chuyn nghip c b cm bin fullframe kch thc tiu chun tng t nh nhng phim 35mm. Mang li cht lng hnh nh hon ho v
sc nt, thng c cc nhip nh gia chuyn nghip s dng.
Trong khi , nhng mu my nh compact hay DSLR tm trung thng c cm bin nh hn, thch hp
cho ngi dng ph thng s dng chp nh sinh hot, i thng nh k nim...

3. phn gii
Nhng nm gn y, khi h thng gim st hnh nh IP c ph bin rng ri trong th trng gim st
an ninh, ngi dng c tri nghim hnh nh cht lng vt tri nh kh nng ghi hnh tt ca cc
camera c phn gii megapixel. Mt xu hng mi ni hin nay trong lnh vc gim st IP l s dng
cc camera cung cp hnh nh nt cao chun HDTV, c gii thiu ti ngi dng trong nm
2013 v s tip tc pht trin trong cc nm tip theo. Cc th h camera mi ny c gi chung l
camera nt cao (HD) hoc camera megapixel. C hai loi camera HD v megapixel u mang n
cht lng hnh nh tt hn nhiu so vi camera analog truyn thng. Tuy nhin, chng thng b nh
ng l tng ng nhau. Thc t, c s khc bit gia hai thut ng ny.
So snh Megapixel vi HD
Mt iu cn lu , HD chnh l mt tp con ca megapixel. Bt k camera no c phn gii hn mt
triu im nh u c nh ngha l camera megapixel. Theo , phn gii megapixel thp nht
trong th trng an ninh hin nay l 1 megapixel, cung cp hnh nh vi 1280 x 800 pixel (tng ng
hn 1 triu im nh), v phn gii cao nht l 10 megapixel (3648 x 2752 pixel). phn gii ca
camera megapixel ang tip tc tng, p ng nhu cu ngy cng cao ca ngi dng trong nhiu ng
dng khc nhau.
Chun HD c xc nh vi phn gii, tc khung hnh v t l khung hnh nht nh, c cp
cc camera c phn gii tiu chun 720p hoc 1080p. Cc con s 720 v 1080 th hin phn gii
ngang trong khung hnh quan st. V th, hnh nh do camera HD 720p cung cp c phn gii 1280 x
720 pixel (921.600 pixelkhng phi megapixel), v hnh nh do camera HD 1080p cung cp c phn
gii 1920 x 1080 pixel (gn 2,1 megapixel). Cc nh dng hnh nh HD cng s dng mt t l khung
hnh 16:9 (khng phi 5:4 hoc 4:3), vi tc khung hnh c chun ha ti 60, 50, 30 hoc 25 khung
hnh mi giy (fps) ty thuc vo TV ca ngi dng.
Trn thc t, do camera HD h tr phn gii hnh nh thp hn phn gii megapixel khi quan st,
nn camera phn gii HD thng khng c s dng rng ri trong cc h thng gim st an ninh.
S pht trin ca h thng gim st hnh nh IP
Theo bo co nghin cu ca TechNavio Insights, lnh vc gim st IP ang c tng trng rt ng k,
p ng c hu ht nhu cu khch hng u cui v cc t chc ln. Nhng tin ch t cc tnh nng
trong phn mm iu khin v gim st, kh nng m rng h thng linh hot cng nh kh dng cao
ca hnh nh c xem l nhng yu t gp phn vo s tng trng ny. Trong , kh nng cung cp
hnh nh vi nhiu la chn v phn gii cao l u im mnh nht ca camera gim st IP hin nay.
nhng camera IP megapixel c h tr chun nn H.264 HP mi nht, phn gii v lung d liu
c lp trnh cho vic ti u bng thng v dung lng lu tr. Vi phn gii hnh nh c th ln
n 10 megapixel (3648 x 2752 pixelgn gp nm ln so vi phn gii ca camera 1080p), gi y,
vic quan st v ghi li hnh nh chi tit ti bt k khu vc quan trng no u tr nn d dng, p ng
mi nhu cu ca ngi dng.
Hin nay, c th lp t camera megapixel ti cc a im gim st vi nhiu phn gii khc nhau, v
c th kt hp gim st trn cng mt h thng mng. Hnh nh nhng khu vc quan trng c gim

st v ghi li phn gii cao, cn hnh nh cc khu vc khng quan trng s c phn gii thp
hn, vi tc khung hnh chm hn. Cng c th p dng cc tnh nng phn tch hnh nh kch
hot lung hnh nh megapixel, chng hn t ng kch hot megapixel khi c chuyn ng xy ra. Cch
tip cn ny gip tit kim bng thng nhm ti u ha ng truyn mng hin c v khng gian lu
tr.

Nh cung cp phn gii cao hn, cc nh thit k c th s dng t camera megapixel hn bao
ph cc khu vc rng ln m khng lo hnh nh b mt chi tit, gip gim chi ph u t c s h tng v
h thng cp. Ngoi gim chi ph lp t ban u ca h thng, camera megapixel cn mang li nhng
li ch trc tip ln hn, nh gim chi ph vn hnh ng thi vn m bo li tc u t (ROI).
Ngoi li th cung cp hnh nh c phn gii linh hot, kh nng d dng kt ni vo h thng mng
cng l yu t quan trng thc y s tng trng nhanh chng ca camera IP megapixel. Trc y,
mi camera analog cn c mt si cp ng trc kt ni ghi hnh, km theo l cp iu khin v ngun
in, khin chi ph cp tng theo cp s nhn. Camera IP cho php c s h tng mng kt ni nhiu
camera hn vi lng cp t hn, ng thi, tnh nng PoE gip cung cp ngun in trc tip ti
camera trong cng mt si cp mng, h tr truyn ti y hnh nh v tn hiu iu khin. y l mt
gii php lp t rt hiu qu v n gin.
Ngoi ra, hnh nh vi phn gii cao do camera megapixel cung cp s c nhiu chi tit hn. Ngi
dng c th s dng tnh nng PTZ k thut s c trong phn mm xem hnh nh trc tip hoc ghi
li. Do , camera megapixel gn nh loi b nhu cu s dng camera PTZ c, thng c chi ph cao v
b phn c d b hng.
Nhiu nh tch hp (v ngi dng) vn c suy ngh sai lm khi cho rng vic trin khai mt h thng
camera IP megapixel l qu phc tp. Mc d cc h thng ny khng n gin ch cn cm-v-chy
nh quan nim trc y, nhng cc nh cung cp camera v cc i tc sn xut u ghi hnh qua
mng (NVR) cng nh VMS ang n lc m ng cho vic tch hp n gin h thng. Cc hip hi
tiu chun trong ngnh an ninh vt l nh PSIA v ONVIF cng c gng p ng phn no nh ngha
cm-v-chy trn mng IP theo cch n gin nht c th. Hn na, cc camera megapixel hin nay u
c nhiu phn gii v tc khung hnh khc nhau la chn, rt l tng cho cc ng dng gim

st chung. Nhng ty chn ny cho php cc nh thit k h thng linh hot hn trong vic la chn thit
b v t tin hn khi thit k.
Xu hng Megapixel
Khi cng ngh pht trin ngy cng nhanh, vic ng dng chun nn H.264 mi nht vo cc camera IP
megapixel gip ti u vn bng thng v dung lng lu tr, cho php chun megapixel s dng
mc bng thng v dung lng gn nh tng ng vi phn gii chun (SD). S chnh lch v chi
ph cng khng ng k gia camera phn gii megapixel vi camera phn gii tiu chun. Nu xt
u th cn t camera hn bao ph khu vc rng hn, p ng cht lng hnh nh tt hn, r rng
vic s dng camera IP megapixel gip tit kim mt khon ng k v c s h tng v chi ph nhn
cng so vi camera analog. y l l do v sao t chc nghin cu th trng IMS Research d on
vic lp t h thng gim st hnh nh IP s tng ng k, v hn mt na s camera IP c tung ra
th trng nm 2014 s l camera nt cao HD hoc phn gii megapixel.
Khng th ph nhn s pht trin mnh m ca camera IP megapixel v HD gip ngi dng c nhiu
la chn hn v cht lng hnh nh. Vi camera phn gii cao, cc h thng camera IP hin nay s
mang n nhng cng ngh hnh nh mnh m, kh nng quan st trc tip r rng v sc nt, phc v
ti a nhu cu ca ngnh cng nghip gim st an ninh.

4. Tc khung hnh
610 fps l tc khung hnh trung bnh c s dng ph bin nht trong lnh vc gim st an ninh hin
nay. Tc ny m bo nhng on hnh nh c ghi v pht li vi cht lng kh mt, ng thi
gim thiu chi ph trong vic lu tr.

Nhng hnh nh chng ta thng xem trn ti-vi c pht tc khong 30 khung hnh/giy (fps).
Tc khung hnh ny c gi l tc khung hnh trn vn (full frame rate tc khung hnh
chun ca truyn hnh theo h NTSC, m bo hnh nh xut hin lin tc v trn vn, khng ngt
qung). Trong lnh vc gim st an ninh, cc camera IP t tc khung hnh trn vn cng ngy cng
tr nn ph bin. Qu tht, hu ht cc camera IP cao cp hin nay u c thit k h tr tc 30
fps.
Tuy nhin trn thc t, tc khung hnh no ang c s dng ph bin trong lnh vc gim st an
ninh hin nay? V ti sao li chn tc ? Thng qua nhng phn hi t hn 80 nh tch hp h thng
tng trin khai khong 1000 h thng gim st an ninh trn ton th gii, bi vit ny s gip chng ta
tm ra cu tr li cho nhng thc mc trn.Trc tin, hy xem qua biu phn tch c c nh phn
hi t cc nh tch hp h thng (xem biu ).C th thy cc h thng gim st an ninh hin ti ang

s dng mt tc khung hnh kh thp trong vic ghi hnh. Khong 70% h thng s dng tc khung
hnh mc 10 fps hoc thp hn. Tc ny thp hn mc tc khung hnh trn vn n 70%.

Cc nh tch hp h thng la chn camera SD nhiu hn camera MP th thng s dng tc khung

hnh cao hn mc trung bnh so vi cc nh tch hp h thng cn li. Nhn t biu , khong 70% cc
nh tch hp h thng s dng tc khung hnh thp hn 10 fps v trong s ch c 50% nh tch hp
la chn camera SD. Thc t, vic s dng camera MP c vai tr nht nh trong vic nh ra gii hn tc
khung hnh nhng s nh hng cng khng qu ln. C th thy hu ht cc nh tch hp h
thng u la chn tc khung hnh khong 78 fps, thm ch i vi nhng nh tch hp s dng
ch yu camera SD cng chn tc khung hnh ch mc 10 fps.
Kt lun
610 fps l tc khung hnh trung bnh c s dng ph bin nht trong lnh vc gim st an ninh hin
nay. Tc ny m bo nhng on hnh nh c ghi v pht li vi cht lng kh mt, ng thi
gim thiu chi ph trong vic lu tr. y l vn m cc nh tch hp h thng lun c bit quan tm
khi trin khai mt h thng gim st an ninh vi s lng camera ln.

5. nhy sng
nhy sng l mt tiu ch quan trng nh gi cht lng camera.
Minimum illumination l mt cch nh gi nhy ca mt camera. Ni theo mt cch khc, n c
ngha l, ti mc no th camera vn c th nhn thy hnh nh s dng c. Bi v khng c chun
ISO no nh gi, do phn ln cc nh sn xut c cch ring ca h kim tra nhy ca cm
bin hnh nh.

Cch thng dng nht tnh ton min. illumination ( sng nh nht) c gi l target illumination,
ngha l bao nhiu nh sng c nhn trn b mt ca cm bin hnh nh. C 3 yu t chnh nh
hng n qu trnh tnh ton, l:

F-stop: F-stop ca ng knh s dng cho camera c kim tra

F-stop th hin t l m ca ng knh, v d nh ng knh F1.4 s nhn c nhiu nh sng gp i
ng knh F2.0, hay ng knh F1.0 s nhn c nhiu gp 100 ln ng kinh F10. Do , khi kim tra phi
xc nh r F-stop ca ng knh.
Mu sc nhit: Mu sc nhit ca ngun sng
Cc nh sng vi bc sng khc nhau s to ra s lng electron khc nhau. V d nh sng bc
sng 600nm s to ra s lng electron gp 10 ln snh sng bc sng 900nm, do nhy s gp
10 ln.
IRE: Mc IRE ca bin hnh nh
Bin ln nht ca hnh nh u ra t 1 cm bin CCD thng l 100 IRE hay 700mV. Mt hnh nh
100 IRE ngha l n to ra hnh nh vi sng v tng phn tt nht, tng t vi 50 IRE ch cho
hnh nh vi sng v tng phn mt na. Camera s c nhiu khi mc 10 IRE, khi AGC
mc cao nht. Khi o 10 IRE s to ra gi tr min. illumination nh hn 10 ln so vi o 100 IRE.
T l phn chiu: T l phn chiu ca i tng v nn
T l phn chiu ca i tng v nn s nh hng n kt qu o, mt i tng vi 100% phn chiu
s to ra nh sng nhiu gp 100 ln so vi i tng vi 1% phn chiu.
Cc thng s thng thit lp khi o:
F stop: F1.4
Color temperature: 5600k
Video level: 30 IRE
Reflection ratio: 80%
V d: Camera V3320BX-DN ca Verint c thng s:
Minimum Illumination 0.2 lux (color) / 0.02 lux (B/W) , F1.2, 1/1, Max gain

6. Power over Ethernet

PoE l Power over Ethernet, tc l bn dng cable RJ45 ni vo cng ny th s c kh nng cp in
nng cho thit b ni u kia, thng l camera (thng thng 8 li trong cp UTP ch dng c 4 li
truyn/nhn thng tin, cn 4 li kia th phc v cho mc ch khc nh PoE)
Chc nng POE l chc nng cp ngun qua dy cp mng.
Khi trin khai nh vy nn ch ti cc thng s v in, c chia thnh 4 lp sau:
# Class 1 4.5 watts at PoE port; 3.84 watts at device
# Class 2 7.5 watts at PoE port; 6.49 watts at device
# Class 3 15.4 watts at PoE port; 12.95 watts at device
# Class 0 15.4 watts at PoE port; .44 to 12.95 watts at device

7. Wide Dynamic Range

Chc nng Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) l chc nng ca Camera quan sat c mong i s em
li nhng hnh nh r nt hn trong nhng tnh hung m cng nh sng nn rt mnh, l trng
hp cc khung hnh cng tn ti hai khu vc rt sng v rt ti.
Chc nng Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) cho php chp v hin th c hai khu vc sng v khu vc ti
trn cng mt khung hnh, theo cch m bc nh hin th r rng cc chi tit trong c hai khu vc, tc l
khu vc sng khng qu sng, khu vc ti khng qu ti. nh sng lc ny c cn bng v phn phi
ng u to nn mt bc nh r nt, trung thc.
Cch s dng ca WDR
Cc camera WDR thng c s dng cho mc ch camera gim st, v trong mt s ng dng y t.
Trong mc ch gim st, WDR cho php camera lc v hn ch cng sng mnh ca nh sng
xung quanh mt i tng no v nh vy n s nng cao kh nng nhn dng hnh nh ca i
tng.
WDR thng c khuyn dng trong trng hp nh sng ri vo phng t nhiu gc khc nhau chng
hn nh qua nhiu ca s. Mt camera c t trong phng s c th nhn ngc chiu nh sng
mt tri ri vo hoc mt ngun sng nhn to hng ti n. Nu mt camera an ninh trong phng
c quay v hng ca s hoc ca i li, th vi tnh nng WDR n s nhn c cc hnh nh pha
sau cnh ca trong sut c ngy. iu ny rt ph bin trong cc nh hng v ca hng c ca knh ln.
Phi sng nh thi gian ngn v phi sng nh thi gian di.
Di ng (intraframe) ca 1 camera thng c nh ngha l t l ca im sng nht v im ti nht
trn cng 1 bc nh. N cng c gi l s tng phn ln nht ca bc nh. Tht khng may mn,
di ng ca hu ht camera in t u b gii hn. N hp hn di ng ca hu ht cc khung cnh
t nhin v cng b gii hn nhiu hn so vi phim nh.

8. Electronic Shutter
How Shutter Speed Works
When you press the button on a camera and hear that distinctive click, you're hearing the sound of the
camera's shutter opening and closing in a fraction of a second. The shutter opens to let( cho, cho php)
light through to the film or electronic sensor, and closes again. If you alter(thay i, bin i) the length of
time the shutter stays open, you can drastically change the kind of image you'll end up with. Along with
(st) (cng vi ci g) camera lenses, ISO level, focus and aperture ( m) settings,shutter
speed is one of the primary factors in photo quality.
There are two important things to remember about shutter speed. First, at slow shutter speeds -- when the
shutter stays open for a longer time -- objects in motion will appear blurry(m m, ko r nt) in the
photograph (and everything will get blurry if the camera itself isn't held still). That's because the same
object is recorded in multiple places on the film or sensor as the object moves across the frame during the
time that the shutter is open. Second, the longer the shutter is open, the more light reaches the
film/sensor, resulting in a brighter overall image.
Shutter speeds are indicated by fractions of a second, with 1/1000 being the fastest shutter speed that
you'll find on a typical consumer point-and-shoot camera. Some high-end SLR cameras can shoot as fast
as 1/8000 or even 1/16000 of a second. Shutter speeds are standardized so that changing the speed will
give you either one half or twice as much light (depending on which way you changed it). For example,
changing from 1/30 to 1/60 results in half as much light hitting the sensor.
To change your shutter settings, you turn a dial or switch on an older camera. Today's digital cameras
usually feature the shutter speed adjustment via an on-screen menu.
Oh, and that shutter sound we mentioned earlier? If you have a small digital camera, there's a good
chance you won't hear the shutter's click at all. You might be hearing a fake electronic shutter sound,
because pocket-sized digital cameras use electronic shutters. Instead of a physical shutter opening and
closing mechanically, the sensor simply turns itself on and off for the appropriate length of time. Why don't
all cameras use this method? The electronics involved force a compromise in image quality, which is why
higher-end digital cameras still use mechanical shutters.
What shutter speed is best for which kind of photo? And what special effects can you create by
manipulating shutter speed? We'll explain that next.
Fast and Slow Shutter Speeds in Photography
If you're looking to shoot crisp, clear photos, you'll usually want to use the fastest shutter speed possible.
The primary limitation of shutter speed is available light. Since a fast shutter doesn't let as much light
through, it can lead to overly dark photos if lighting conditions are dim to begin with. You can compensate
by opening up the aperture (the opening that allows light into the camera) and using a
higher ISO setting (measuring the film's sensitivity to light), but these changes also have their own
tradeoffs. If you're trying to capture fast-moving action, like a sporting event or a playful pet, fast shutter
speed is vital. If the scene is too dark, your only option might be to alter the lighting or use a flash.
If you're shooting a stationary subject in low light conditions, you can use a slower shutter speed. This can
allow you to capture a scene with shadows and subtle lighting that might be lost if you used a flash. Make
sure to use a tripod or activate your camera's stabilization feature, if it has one. If your shutter speed is
anything slower than 1/60, it will be almost impossible to hold the camera still and avoid a blurry photo.

If you're looking to shoot some special effects, shutter speed can help you out. Slow down your shutter
just a little, and those crisp action shots show dynamic movement as some things become slightly blurred.
Slow it down a little more, but this time pan the camera along with the movement of one object. Now that
object will be crisp while the background shows as a blur. A photo of a waterfall with a slow shutter, using
a tripod, will show a luminous sheet of water instead of clear individual splashes.
A more advanced way to use slow shutter speeds is to use an external flash to illuminate one particular
object. Imagine that you're photographing four couples dancing in a ballroom, and you want one couple to
appear crisp while the others remain blurred in the background. Set the camera on a tripod for a slow
shutter speed, then set off a brief external flash. The flash will illuminate the "featured" couple, so a crisp
image of them will be captured during that one instant. The other couples, who were positioned so the
flash didn't illuminate them, will remain blurred by their motion. Some photographers specialize in light
painting, in which the subject moves a brightly colored object through a dimly lit scene, "painting" blurs
of light in various parts of the image.
As in all things in photography, the key to finding the right shutter speed for your situation is experience,
and you gain experience through experimentation. Try different shutter speed/aperture/ISO combinations
until you find one that works, and play around with special effects to see what happens.