Well, unless I have missed something in my background in photography, I really don't think that going to 1/8000 of a second shutter speed will help you any more than the 1/4000 sec. The ONLY way that a FAST shutter speed is 100% effective is when a moving object is crossing parallel to the focal plane. In other words, if your plane is coming straight at you or even at , say, a 45˚ angle, the recorded motion is registered as VERY little. It is when your plane(s) crosses directly in front of you that the movement can be registered as a blur.

I have had cameras that only have a 1/500 sec, or maybe 1/1000 that have done just as we are discussing here and no movement at all is recorded. Another factor you will have to figure into the equation is the distance from the camera lens to the subject being photographed. The CLOSER you are to your focus, the faster it will need or have the requirement of a FAST shutter speed! On the opposite end of the scale, is that if your plane is a good distance from you, you really don't need much more than 1/500 of a sec. Especially if you are HAND-HOLDING, your camera.

Just off-topic a little. ---- try this. Take a shot of your plane -- handheld. Make sure that it is about 10 - 12 feet away and set it on an AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE.. Now, put the camera on a tripod, take a second shot of that same image. Now throw them into you computer - open up in photoshop. Keep on making each image getting bigger. OBSERVE when you see the difference in SHARPNESS. I think you will be surprised.

There is significant movement when handheld, especially with a digital camera. Even more-so with a lower MP camera

Personally, I think the camera manufacturers have gone to these extremes with shutter speeds - only to keep up with one another.

I back up all of what I am saying with the past 45 years and hundreds of thousands of shots I have taken. There are not too many that are exceptional, mostly - saleable! and that's what pays the bills.

I hope that helps out a little bit.

Keep one other thing in mind though, a "FROZEN" still image, may not always be the best end result. Try to slow the shutter speed down to 1/30 sec. and PAN WITH your subject as it crosses in front of you. Hopefully, you will have matched the movement speed, and now, all of the background is in motion. Deliberatley!




marwen
moderator - RCU DIGITAL Forum