Camera Question

[powerslave]

Hello
I have a Canon 70d and a canon 100-400m lens.
I’m fairly happy with my photos,and usually have the camera set on the AV setting usually between 5.6 to 7.1 aperture.
I’ve noticed the shutter speed is quite low usually when shooting on 7.1 and a bit higher on bright days.
And with 5.6 higher still.
Quite a lot of photos on here I look at the info data from flickr and notice a lot higher shutter speeds with apertures round the 5.6 - 7.1 setting which i like to shoot on.
Are these manual settings or are they auto settings.
How do I get the shutter speeds up in the high 100’s.
Thanks
Ian

[daggerfan]

You don't say what ISO setting you are using. Perhaps it is set quite low? Try increasing that a bit.

Even though I shoot digital now, my mind is still back in my film days and I rarely use an ISO setting higher than 400, but I know a lot of guys who use much higher settings as a matter of course.

[Nighthawke]

Put it in shutter priority mode then select the speed you prefer as a starting point.

[awacsfan]

A combination if what @daggerfan and @Nighthawke already said....
Try ISO 200 and set the camera to shutter priority so you can select the speed you deem suitable.
And oh yes, try different combination of shutter and speed... f8.0 used to be the sweet spot for my old Canon camera and lens combination.

[powerslave]

Thanks for the advice.
ISO settings was set at what the camera sets it at,it never got above 200 iso though.
Never really used shutter priority,I always used AV,and I always set it between 5.6 and 7.1.
The main reason for that was the more the aperture closed I would start seeing dust spots from the senser.
Yes awacsfan on my old canon 100-400 the sweet spot was round there as well on mine,so I always had it on that.
So if i set it in shutter priority on a dull day for around 1/1000th of a second,what would the aperture be would you think.You can’t set both of them can you?

[daggerfan]

With 1/1000th sec in shutter priority on a dull day the aperture you would get would depend on what ISO setting you have chosen. Try ISO 400 and see what you get. The only way you could set both shutter speed and aperture would be if you were in manual mode.

For flying shots my preferences are aperture priority at f8 for jets and shutter priority at 1/160th sec for props/rotors, then adjust ISO to give me a usable shutter speed in aperture priority or a usable aperture in shutter priority.

If you have concerns about dust spots at f8, maybe time for a sensor clean?

[powerslave]

Can I not just set the speed,then let the camera decide what ISO to use?
So you use f8 on jets in av mode and to speed up the shutter speeds you boost your iso up?
That’s my problem I think,I always try to keep the iso down,thinking my shots are going to be grainy.
On modem digital cameras you can get away with fairly high iso settings can’t you before you see any signs of grain.

[Nighthawke]

Setting a higher shutter speed rather than AV mode will give you a better chance of a sharper image rather than risk the camera providing a slower one to match your chosen aperture. Not familiar with the 70D but some cameras provide decent images at different ISO limits. I have a 700D which struggles over ISO 400 for general photography, whereas my 6D Mk1 is happy at far higher settings.

You "just" need to be aware of what your camera and lens combinations can do and be comfortable and familiar with their main functions, as well as having a good basic understanding of basic principles of photography. That way you can be ready for almost anything.

See how it goes and if you need to ask further questions, someone is sure to chip in and help.

Just seen your latest but in a rush now so I hope I may have answered in a round-about way

[daggerfan]

Can I not just set the speed,then let the camera decide what ISO to use?

I guess you could do if your camera has an Auto ISO option, then set an upper limit, but I prefer to tell the camera what ISO I want to use, not let the camera dictate to me.

[Cranberry]

Something else to think about is the metering mode you use your camera in. If you're taking a photo of something white it might increase the shutter speed if you're taking a photo of something dark it'll feel the need to slow the shutter speed. I normally take photos of black aircraft on days when it's raining so often use guess at some manual settings.

[powerslave]

Thanks all,been at Heathrow,LakenHeath and Marham the last few days.
Going Upto Coningsby soon.
Was going through my shots,the Heathrow speeds are ok,that was a nice sunny day though on av at 7.1.
The other ones seem ok even though the speeds are in the mid 100’s.
I’m going to have a go at Coningsby using the shutter priority mode then.
Thanks everyone for your help,I’ll let you know how I go on.
Thanks
Ian

[powerslave]

Just a quick update from my question the other day.
Tried shutter priority at Coningsby today and was impressed with the results.
I set the shutter to 1/1000th of a sec,and set the ISO to auto.
The results I got from a sunny afternoon at Coningsby seem ok from the bk of the 70d.
I was getting a ISO of between 100-250 ish,and apertures from 5.0 to 7.1 -8,from what I remember.
I flicked bk to my normal setting on AV at 7.1 and was getting a lot less shutter speed with the ISO set to auto.
Did notice one or two dust slots when the aperture closed down,but it was clear blue skies.
Just hope the pics look as good on the iMac has they do from the bk of the camera.
Would it be much different on a cloudy day if I left it on 1/1000th speed and auto iso?
All the best
Ian

[daggerfan]

In answer to your last question, using 1/1000th sec on a cloudy day with Auto ISO just means your camera will increase the ISO to a level that will allow a usable aperture to be obtained for the lens in use. Depending on the upper limit set for Auto ISO your camera might choose a level high enough for noise to be obvious. Only you can decide whether that's acceptable.

I'm a Nikon user but I assume your 100-400 lens is image-stabilised. If the ISO the camera chooses is too high you could always drop your shutter speed a bit.

I'm not a fan of Auto ISO, but that's just me.

Trial and error is the answer to your pictures. You'll soon find what works for you.

[powerslave]

Thanks for that daggerfan.
Unusually it’s not been dull this week so not really had a mess about in that weather,it’s been sunny.
I’ll keep the speed round 1/1000th for jets and stuff which is what I wanted a higher speed.
And I’ll keep an eye on my iso,as long has it’s under 400 I’ll be happy.
Thanks
Ian

[tm74sqn]

If you want prop or rotor blur, then you will have to use a very much slower speed (plus very good tracking for a moving aircraft and a very steady hand).

[phantom6]

Set your camera on M leave on auto ISO then use one of you dials to alter the aperture and the other to alter to shutter speed

[powerslave]

Thanks for that.

Ian