How does one make sure of proper shutter speed?

 
Peter Jennings said:
To test for consistency in the shutter opening in Leica-type shutters, I have been using my iPhone lately. Use the slo-mo setting in the camera app and look at the gap from opening to closing during playback. For bottom loaders, slip a piece of white paper behind the shutter curtains.
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Does the speed of phone camera actually allow for that? I never though it would..
I should try this.
 
Peter Jennings said:
To test for consistency in the shutter opening in Leica-type shutters, I have been using my iPhone lately. Use the slo-mo setting in the camera app and look at the gap from opening to closing during playback. For bottom loaders, slip a piece of white paper behind the shutter curtains.
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I'm surprised that nobody has made a phone-app for doing just this.
 
dmr said:
I'm surprised that nobody has made a phone-app for doing just this.
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I just tried - with my Iphone 5s
The camera even in slow motion is not providing the resolution high enough to distinguish the difference. You can roll to the beginning and then to the end of exposure and it's always around 1 sec :)
 
You would be looking into seriously professional gear for video cameras with frame rates that can capture a shutter - for 1/1000s I'd recommend a frame rate upward of 4000 fps. The cheapest with these specs (the Weisscam) rents out for 1000€ a day.
 
dmr said:
So? How about something like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cam-Lite-Shutter-speed-tester-/222404534542

Anybody ever used one of these?
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That will do, for a coarse guess in one shot, or for pretty accurate measurements if you do multiple passes with the probe in different positions (and know how to interpret the results). Bear in mind that the last adjustable time in a FP shutter usually is the X sync time - all shorter times are merely derived by narrowing the slit width. If a camera has a short time only issue, a shutter timer is of little help, as the camera needs cleaning rather than adjustment...
 
sevo said:
You would be looking into seriously professional gear for video cameras with frame rates that can capture a shutter - for 1/1000s I'd recommend a frame rate upward of 4000 fps. The cheapest with these specs (the Weisscam) rents out for 1000€ a day.
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I think I can manage in two days. :)
:)
 
I had the same question and as an engineer too I tried building my own tester using an arduino and a light sensor. That went pretty well but the switching time if the light sensor prevented mesuring anything faster than 1/125 accurately enough. I was pleased to see that the Pentax MX is pretty solid. Anyway if you give or take 20% on exposure, it won't ruin your pictures, especially when shooting negatives.

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I had also recording the shutter sounds on large format lenses, and that worked pretty well also for the slower speeds.
 
iPhone 6 in slo-mo can capture 1/1000 barely enough to see the opening and closing gaps. It is not in any way perfect, but it can show inconsistencies well enough. Pause the video during playback and use the slider controls to advance frame by frame. Of course, you still can only guess what the actual speeds are.

edit: Of course, the curtains are moving at the same speed all the time, so 1/30 or 1/1000, it makes no difference. You're just looking to make sure the gap is a consistent size from one end of the frame to the other.
 
The short answer to your question is that if you want to know for sure what the shutter speeds are on your camera you will have to buy an inexpensive shutter tester that runs on Audacity.... or build one.... or shoot a test roll of film and see how the shots come out. There are lots of schematics on the internet for these testers, and as an engineer you would probably enjoy building one. They're very accurate, but limited to 1/1000. I've been using one for nearly 15 years.

Generally, if you read in an ad that "all the shutter speeds sound good", this is a good sign. It means that the seller is knowledgeable enough to know roughly what the speeds should sound like, and that none of them are sticking. If on the other hand you read "all the little knobs and levers seem to work", you are taking a chance buying that camera. Usually those sellers are pushing shirts w/ little alligators on them, golf clubs, or doll dresses when they're not selling cameras.

A shutter that is one stop off is usually considered within tolerances, even after a CLA. If you have a Barnack type camera, you will have to remove the body around the shutter to test the speeds. It's much simpler to just shoot a test roll. A shutter speed tester will not tell you if the shutter is capping (you will have to take the lens off and hold the camera up to a light and fire it to see that, and good luck w/ a Barnack), nor will it tell you if the shutter has pin holes in it.

While it's true that you will seldom if ever see a SLR that has a shutter that runs fast, you will sometimes see leaf shutters that do this on their slowest speeds, and it's not a good sign. If you're lucky, it just means that the lens needs to be unscrewed and the shutter blades cleaned w/ lighter fluid and a Q-tip (lots of Q-tips), but it could also mean that something is gummed up or broken in the slow speed escapement. In my experience w/ Rolleicords and Rolleiflex cameras, it means something is broken when the camera fires at the same speed on every speed, in which case you are better off selling it w/ an accurate description and buying another camera. A shutter CLA on these cameras is usually far more money than the camera is worth because the shutter is so hard to get to.

Like Roger, I once had a Leicaflex that had a slow shutter and it took perfectly exposed shots. Those negs were beautiful to look at on a light box. The odd thing is that the speeds were not slow in a linear manner. One may have been one stop slow, another may have been right on the money, and the next may have been 1 1/2 stops off. It didn't matter, it took perfectly exposed shots every time. Go figure.
 
It sounds like we are more interested in testing cameras or lenses than we are about taking good photos. It all seems like a waste of time to me if the camera is turning out photos that are properly exposed. I don't care at all if a shutter speed is a little off, I can adjust for that but more importantly as long as my exposures are consistant I am fine. - jim
 
goamules said:
They have, mentioned above. It works by timing the sound. And doesn't need the hardware, that't optional. For $2.99 I may try it for large format shutters. But for focal plan shutters (many rangefinders), it won't work because those shutters work on different slits in curtains, not an opening and closing device.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shutter-speed/id560154244?l=de&ls=1&mt=8
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Save the money. I have it (also the hardware plug) and it's not that useful even for leaf shutters. You will get false indication of deviations at faster times even though in reality, on film (slide), everything is OK.
 
The analog photography system has a fair amount of latitude designed in it. The least amount is when using transparency film.

There are many variables when using film stuff. Shutter speed is just one of them.

Since you live in Michigan how does temperature affect equipment? From warming up your car to heating your home, to the lubricants used in cameras, to water temp. used during the process stage of film photography.

Whew! I could drive myself right to the funny farm justing thinking about this. But there are, to me at least, more important ingredients wih my photography. Such as lighting, posing, rapport and composition.

I need to get a bigger waste basket for my darkroom!

Digital has its own set of variables so you can't escape it just live with it and use it to your advantage.

Yours was a good question and a valid one as well. Many have thought the same as you though. I've accepted all these variables and use them to tell a story of how I view the world. It's my brand.
 
Bill Clark said:
Since you live in Michigan how does temperature affect equipment? From warming up your car to heating your home, to the lubricants used in cameras, to water temp. used during the process stage of film photography.
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Actually, this year it was pretty mild, but regardless, I have one camera in the car (sometimes Leica M6, sometimes Olympus XA) but usually don't leave my digital there (it's with me in the jacket pocket) and never had issues with either of them.

Bill Clark said:
Yours was a good question and a valid one as well. Many have thought the same as you though. I've accepted all these variables and use them to tell a story of how I view the world. It's my brand.
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That's all understandable. Negative film has a huge latitude. And more so, once I know the amount of variations, I don't run to repair shop - I just assume the amount and compensate for it.
But what prompted a question was: is it because it seems such a common phrases that everyone selling camera puts in, so that nobody questions the logic of it?

Anyhow, thanks everybody for the answers, a lot of good info. Ordered one of these devices on eBay already.
 
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