Mechanical vs Electronic Shutter: Ask David Bergman

[@simonbrown6903]

That is by far the BEST explanation I've heard. I knew about the banding but didn't completely understand why as I believed it was more about the flicking of the light source vs the shutterspeed, and I never knew about the distorting of images. Thank you for such an insightful and useful piece! 😊

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

You're welcome!

[@behrooz8393]

You don't know how much I've searched to finally get to this amazing video, thanks.

[@randyfox5317]

Completely, THE most comprehensive explanation (that I could actually follow!) on the 2 shutter types. Thanks, David.

[@paulevideo]

I’m a long-time DSLR shooter and I never knew all that about electronic shutters! Lol I knew about banding and pulsating light but not about how light scanned off sensor. Thanks!

[@johnnydee7480]

I have been wondering about the difference for awhile now. Thank you

[@Bob-Horse]

Thank you David. Perfect timing, I was only trying to get my head around these matters the other day. Please take care my friend and keep well. 👍🇬🇧

[@ruudvoest1038]

best explanation I could find about rolling shutter, thanks

[@Orions_Journey]

Wow, that is an artistic image. I like it

[@dragonink7302]

Thank you for such a great explanation of the difference between the two.

[@wingincamera]

With my Pentax KP I have a choice of the electronic or mechanical shutter. Generally, when shooting landscape or anything without anything moving in the scene I use the electronic shutter. Anything else I use the mechanical shutter.

[@rajagopalanramaswamy1212]

Excellently explained with examples. Lovely work. Thank you.

[@rtyler1869]

Great explanation David.

[@JothyJohn]

Fantastic detailed explanation. Thank You David..

[@tedk2814]

great explanation thanks

[@MikesVideos1971]

Fantastic explanation. Thank you for this video.

[@Chbucha]

David I can’t express how much I love your videos! You have such a great way of portraying your thoughts across and have a perfect balance of technical speaking and layman’s terms. Thanks for your content!!

[@cosmoBlue8]

Amazing video! I recently bought the Fujifilm XT-4 and didn't know which shutter to use for dog photography (still learning the technical side of the camera/photography in general). Will definitely be using the mechanical one from now on! Thank you so much for explaining!

[@okay1904]

A brilliant explanation. Now I understand this issue 100%, Thanks

[@othomophoto8433]

Thanks for the knowledge.

[@martinmcglone8456]

thanks, great explanation

[@abitofeverything1985]

excellent explanation, thank you!

[@rey_pracoustycmusic]

Iam looking for this Topic ,and found your Channel ,Thanks very Much Sir

[@loft4me]

David, what about in terms of wear on the camera, when doing a prolonged time lapse? My sense is of course, that an electronic shuttered time lapse without the camera parts moving, will have less wear mechanically on the camera.

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Yes - less moving parts = less wear and tear. But there are other things that wear on the camera as well. Generally, the "pro" bodies (more expensive!) are rated to last longer, whether mirrorless or DSLR, electronic or mechanical.

[@loft4me]

@@DavidBergmanPhoto Interesting, thank you.

[@rizalmaulanaainulyaqin7534]

I do wedding photography, and usually I took the details close up picture, since my partner doing all wider pictures. I only use mechanical shutter when indoors only because of the flicker from the lights inside the hall, or I can still use electrical shutter by adjusting the shutter speed to certail speed that flickering gone away. The reasons I do electrical shutter is because less tear and wear to the shutter, because repairing it can empty my savings once, it happened like 3 times when I still use my DSLR back in the day. Fortunately, banding, rolling shutter and flickering is not my big issue for my job and since wedding these day are often semi and or full outdoor that keep me using electrical shutter most of the time.

[@kamv7261]

Great explanation. Thanks for clearing that up.

[@reboot7507]

To witness this electronic shutter issue take your smartphone and use the pro mode in camera. Use the fastest shutter speed and take a pic of your fan in highest speed.

[@ondrejkratochvil4589]

How about the electronic front curtain? How is it vulnerable to rolling shutter or banding?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

I wanted to get into it, but the video was getting too long. Electronic front curtain has no rolling or banding, and also no "shutter shock" issues. But it's also not silent so only good for certain situations (like long exposures).

[@ericgrayphoto]

David Bergman I thought EFCS was still prone to showing banding.

[@ericgrayphoto]

Either at high shutter speeds or using strobes?

[@michaelharding7587]

For anyone who is interested. The photo receptors hold a charge, and as they are exposed to light that charge continues to change. With a mechanical shutter the light is blocked while the values are read; so the value of each receptor is unchanged until the entire image is recorded. For details from someone who knows far more about engineering than I do: electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/376797/why-is-there-no-rolling-shutter-when-using-a-mechanical-shutter

[@gastonkessler9116]

now THIS is the answer I was looking for!

[@MMB.__]

Thanks. This is a wonderful explanation.

[@GlenReed]

Thanks David, informative as always!

[@stevosteve]

First I have to say BRILLIANT EXPLANATION. Soooooo my new question is 'when could rolling-shutter be used as an advantage to create intentional effects'. I had been playing about with fast moving horizontal vs vertical images and the difference is amazing due to the standard rolling-shutter travelling in a vertical plane when holding a camera in normal orientation. This led to trying fast moving images in a mix of vertical and horizontal and this caused bending just like the common aero prop as per your drone. Anyway I left the experiments for a while then just recently I caught the 2022 BRIT Awards during the Liam Gallagher set . . . . . .and WOWEEE ! It all suddenly became obvious. The lighting set included ultra-fast strobing projections and lasers which interacted with the rolling-shutter of the television cameras, and because the projector and laser beams were movong in all planes and with varying degrees of beams angle it caused the beams of light to become RIBBONS OF LIGHT dancing in mid space. I managed to find some regular footage on KZbin taken by a person who attended the actual event using a conventional mobile camera from pretty much the same viewpoint, so I ran the footgae side by side, i.e. that taken AT THE EVENT compared to THAT TELEVISED. What a difference to the effect seen by the television viewers. If I was at the event and then watched the recorded footage when I got home I would swear I was at a different event. Superb example of rolling-shutter used for intentional effect.

[@arturtalvik7875]

Great video! For information I have a 2013 Blackmagic Production Camera 4k that has a global shutter and no rolling effect, so the technology has existed for a while actually.

[@androidgameplays4every13]

Excellently explained, than you.

[@sparkysteele]

The Canon 90d has electronic shutter in live view so thanks for this video i am just learning about it

[@osek64]

Great way to explain. It bring one question to my mind...is there(or what is ) difference between mechanical and electrical shutter while using flashes ? Both inside in studio or outside with small flash on camera.

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Most cameras so not allow flash use at all with the electronic shutter. The only ones I can think of have a leaf shutter in the lens, so there is still a mechanism used to block the light on the sensor.

[@KevinPhillipssb]

Thanks for the explanation, now I know better!

[@pvpphotography]

That was a good question ...

[@pvpphotography]

And we'll explained 👍

[@RobertMossack]

Awesome. The next time I have the opportunity to photograph something with spinning blades, I'm going to try to recreate this in an artistic way.

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

It sure is funky, but hard to control.

[@blackriderz911]

Thank you very much, very nice explanation

[@ozuidema]

Great explanation, thanks so much! Those drone photos shot with e-shutter were really bizarre!

[@obedakihary4984]

Great explanation! thank you very much🙏🏽👊🏽

[@joedcruz6264]

I'm still confused. At higher shutterspeeds mechanical shutter too have the same effect on sensor since a small slit of horizontal opening causes the exposure. Will it cause roling shutter effect? 🤔

[@billwendry]

Neighbor... that was a great explanation! Thanks.

[@RizaMarhaban]

Okay, time to invest Sony A1 for me to prevent rolling shutter for electronic shutter. Nice explanation.

[@mhk5272]

Great video Now what I don't understand is that the data has to be read from the sensor anyways for both shutters. Why is it done in a different way for electronic shutter

[@rellaxum]

Very good explanation 👍✅...well that leads me to a freaking question ...electronic shutter is reducing the ( life expectancy) use duration of the sensor ...does it reduce de resistance to the light also ?🤔...light is causing burning...🤔

[@zubamans]

Can you please explain what causes rolling shutter is and how to reduce it?

[@usernamemykel]

What about 1st curtain electronic shutters?

[@imagesbyjk]

So would they need to have a global electronic shutter to allow flash sync at all shutter speeds?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Honestly not sure if/how flash would work with a global shutter since it's only theory for now. You cannot use flash at all with most electronic shutters, unless the camera has a leaf shutter in the lens.

[@imagesbyjk]

David Bergman I always looked forward to electronic shutters thinking they would act like 21st century leaf shutters. To me that is the one major feature I’d want - to not be limited by a sync speed.

[@imagesbyjk]

David Bergman I would think it would function like a leaf shutter since you’d be exposing the sensor all at once. Thus you could virtually sync at any speed.

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

@@imagesbyjk Yes, that certainly makes sense. Can't wait! :)

[@affinitystablepeanuts]

Cameras with global shutter do exist. Phantom high speed cameras that do most of the super slow motion videos are global shutter cameras.

[@nikyabodigital]

When to use Electronic Shutter and Mechanical shutter? What about in video? How does shutter work there.

[@hughbyrne5633]

Thanks for the info. David. I noticed my Z6 would not go above 1/2000 shutter speed in bright sunlit conditions - electronic shutter was turned on. Switching to mechanical let me go to the max shutter speed. The camera has an auto switch between the two modes. Do you recommend using that for camera that have the auto option?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Hugh Byrne I still prefer to choose the one that’s most appropriate for any given situation. I’ll use mechanical shutter almost all the time except when I want silent mode.

[@azesudiro]

How do I switch to Mechanical Shutter on Fujifilm X-T2 on video mode? I couldn't select that option in the menu for some reason

[@abhishekshah3333]

Which camera have best sensor processor when it comes to mirrorless technology?

[@gurribuy]

7:52 That drone has EyeLashes.

[@DUCzillaMonster]

so, in short, 1/32000 is for every pixel line, and the sensor works different when switching from ms to es, right?!

[@jdib1080]

But dslr cameras, with mechanical shutter, Still can have rolling shutter effect since they have CMOS sensor right?

[@nickblyth166]

DSLRs don’t get rolling shutter The scan speed of a DSLR is much faster than a mirrorless in electronic shutter

[@InWhoseOpinion]

The sensor is scanned one line at a time, top to bottom in electronic shutter mode. How is the sensor scanned in mechanical shutter mode?

[@andreaspahan9578]

Hi David, quick question...would you recommend shooting: R6 with a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens for Canon EF ($900) with a Canon Adapter Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R ($99) or spending a LOT more money and getting the new Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM Lens ($2700)? I only shoot outside and use natural light (mostly beach) Thanks for helping out!

[@nickblyth166]

Definitely the sigma Longer reach and slightly faster aperture I own a 150-600

[@eelcj1]

A mechanical curtain and an electronic (rolling) shutter will both produce low frequency bias. A global shutter or a leave shutter won’t. Global shutter are available, for example, in high speed cameras.

[@stevevalvona9401]

Can you talk me through basic stating point exposure settings using a DLSR with uncoupled bellows using manual mode on the camera for extreme macro close-ups?

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

Please submit that to www.AskDavidBergman.com and I'll do my best to answer it for you!

[@jarrellelee]

Does any of this apply to GfX 100s? I want to know which shutter is best for shooting

[@Todd10260]

Just pre-ordered the R6 from Adorama so I will be brand new to the mirrorless game! When using off camera flash, should you stay with mechanical shutter always?

[@FourKnown]

Thanks-great video! Would you advise using electronic shutter for time lapse photography to save wear and tear on the mechanical shutter? Would it work OK for fast moving traffic? Thanks!

[@Vlaakster]

This is so confusing. I don't see how the data being pulled off the sensor line by line is any different than the mechanical shutter's light slit traveling down the sensor over during the exposure. At any given moment, the shutter's exposure slit is open over a different portion of the sensor, and to me, that approximates the electronic shutter reading line by line. I don't get why the mechanical shutter doesn't have the same effect for fast shutter speeds where the shutter produces a slit rather than being fully open.

[@randytesch7664]

Marshall, the difference is that the mechanical shutter moves much, much faster across the sensor than can be read & saved line-by-line by the electronic shutter.

[@moshima1747]

I believe you're right but the effect is less noticeable with mechanical. Rolling shutter is always there with a slit exposure method, even with film, but on todays cameras, the electronic shutter slit (moving row of active pixels) is much slower. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_shutter

[@nicholastoo858]

Global shutter with the Sony F55. Sony F65 has mechanical shutter. I also hear there's older Balackmagic with global shutter.

[@matias2500]

David, have you had issues with flash photography using the electronic shutter? I’ve encountered problems when using electronic shutter and flash.

[@jacquelinemartin9793]

Is there a way I can ask you a question regarding Bridge Cameras? Thank you

[@Joel4JC]

Awesome, thanks David for the clear and thorough explanation with example photos.

[@warrenlauzon5315]

Just a note that many AC powered LED lights will pulse. DC powered (including those with built in AC charged batteries) do not.

[@ledepart.design]

Stacked sensors are available and E-shutter is wonderful with this technology. This video isn’t consistent enough with newer technologies.

[@thanghoa95]

Pls confirm me if i can shoot in HSS with electronic shutter Thanks. P/s waiting for your answer bfos buying Fuji xa3

[@fostervf16]

The answer is no. HSS is a function of the mechanical shutter synced to a flash. Lots of videos on KZbin explaining this. And from what I know you cannot even use a flash with an electronic shutter. The flash cannot sync to the way the sensor is read.

[@QUINPANO]

No sorry

[@gladysklip6984]

Hi David, love your videos. I have a question about the 1dxMIII, I was wondering what's the advantage (or rather IF there is an advantage) of using the Electronic First Curtain over Electronic or Mechanical shutter in Live View mode?

[@arun1991siddharth]

Now Sony A9iii is the first Global Shutter camera

[@Khinthanday]

Silent shooting count shutter count?

[@fostervf16]

No. You're not using the shutter.

[@elephantgrass631]

Great explanation, but the video would be better and shorter if there were graphics or animations to further explain it.

[@jiajianhou426]

So if I shoot stationary subjects, does it mean electronic shutter is perfect?

[@VROyun]

One video that i stopped myself when i am about to speed up the video.. gj

[@rldsg]

a9lll has joined the chat. informative, thanks,

[@fegik5922]

but obviously you're electronic shutter speed is too high, can slow it down to get organic motion

[@tommytexter4054]

Canon new flagship mirrorless R1 is gonna have global shutter

[@matrixate]

Also, at higher shutter speeds, you lose bokeh with the electronic shutter.

[@reboot7507]

Drone looks like something from skynet.

[@mhk5272]

Mechanical shutters should be obsolete by now

[@johnmckay428]

?? im more confused...

[@DavidBergmanPhoto]

John McKay ask away!

[@SoraIroNaKISEKI]

Update in 2024: now you have a9m3…

[@derTommy]

This explaination doesn't make any sense to me. First of all a mechanical shutter moves from the top to the bottom so why shoult there be no rolling shutter compared to a electronic shutter? With your explaination with pixels are turned on and off it shuld be the opposite. Secondly you say that images with electronic shutter look how they look because the pixels are read line by line. But at the moment the pixels are read the picture is already taken so it shouldnt matter at all when the pixels are read.

[@RakeshSingh-zo3zw]

An animation video with this explanation would have been so much better!!

[@vitall7871]

Too much talking

[@matrishva]

This is amazing explanation. Thank you very much

[@Naesman1167]

Great explanation!!! Thanks