Powershot SD4000 IS / general question, "Shutter Mode problem"

[kaichan918]

Hi,
This is more of a general question for those with Powershot and Shutter Mode experience.

I'm using shutter mode and i set it to 1/1250 which is the highest speed possible on my SD4000 IS / 300 HS.

I tried with auto ISO and ISO 3200. No flash were used. In both cases, the camera does its own (auto) shutter speed and goes much slower such as 1/60 or 1/4. What am i doing wrong, perhaps in the settings?

When I use aperture mode, it does exactly as i say with the aperture set but for some reason in Shutter mode, it keeps doing its own auto speed..

Another thing to note: When i do significantly long shutter, it works. Such as 2 secs or whatever longer 5 seconds it works.

But for fast speed: I notice that the SD4000 has the orange camera power light up when in the dark. Whenever the orange camera logo lights it, the shutter speed becomes override by the camera and goes into auto.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by kaichan918

...I'm using shutter mode and i set it to 1/1250 which is the highest speed possible on my SD4000 IS / 300 HS.

I tried with auto ISO and ISO 3200. No flash were used. In both cases, the camera does its own (auto) shutter speed and goes much slower such as 1/60 or 1/4. What am i doing wrong, perhaps in the settings?

Are you, by any chance, shooting in low light? I have a feeling that you're overestimating how fast you can set the shutter speed, given that your lens's aperture range is going to be a lot smaller than your shutter speed range in terms of exposure.

When I use aperture mode, it does exactly as i say with the aperture set but for some reason in Shutter mode, it keeps doing its own auto speed..

As I said, the latitude you've got with setting an aperture, and then finding a matching shutter speed for a good exposure is much larger. From 15s to 1/1250s is about a dozen stops. From f/2.8 to f/8 is 3 stops. My guess would be that there's no way the camera can use the shutter speed you set, and still get a good exposure in low light, even with the iso maxed out.

Try using Tv outside in good sunshine, and see what happens.

[kaichan918]

Both low light and with lots of light. I dont fully understand your comment, sorry I am beginner to digital photography. When in Tv mode, the aperture adjusts automatically so I have no control over that. Any other suggestions? Im not sure if i disabled something or what is the problem but as I mentioned earlier it works fine with long shutter speed but when I do short it keeps going into auto shutter speed.

I notice you have s90, we should have similar mode for considering both are powershot compacts.

Originally Posted by inkista

Are you, by any chance, shooting in low light? I have a feeling that you're overestimating how fast you can set the shutter speed, given that your lens's aperture range is going to be a lot smaller than your shutter speed range in terms of exposure.


As I said, the latitude you've got with setting an aperture, and then finding a matching shutter speed for a good exposure is much larger. From 15s to 1/1250s is about a dozen stops. From f/2.8 to f/8 is 3 stops. My guess would be that there's no way the camera can use the shutter speed you set, and still get a good exposure in low light, even with the iso maxed out.

Try using Tv outside in good sunshine, and see what happens.

[kaichan918]

I just looked over the manual online.
There is a safety shift on this model:
It can be turned off if you enable flash. It affects both Av and Tv modes. So yeah, I just got my answer. Thanks for the reply though!