What is the range shutter speed?

What shutter speed(s) are you using? What happens when you use a faster shutter speed? In the S and M modes you are responsible for setting the shutter speed, and you can set it to anything within the camera's range.

To blur the background, you need a shallow depth of field, which requires a small aperture.

Select Aperture priority by moving the mode select dial to A
Press the +/- button, the shutter speed and aperture are displayed
press the selector up/down to select the aperture
press the +/- button to exit shooting mode

IF the selected aperture is outside the shooting range of the camera, shutter speed will show ---

Are you pressing the jog dial to save the setting? Here's what your book says:

1. Turn the Mode dial to P, A, S, M, or C.
   The mode options are displayed.
   
   
2. Use the jog dial:
   
   • Rotate the jog dial to move the cursor.
   • Press the jog dial to open a setting.
     
   • Rotate the jog dial to change the setting.
   • Press the jog dial to save the setting.
     
   NOTE: Available options are white. Unavailable options are grey. Red options are out of range and may cause unacceptable image/print quality. Adjust the value higher or lower until it turns yellow.

If you are in Manual Mode and you set your shutter speed too higher (ie above 250th sec) the shutter blind passes over the sensor when the flash goes off causing a dark section in the photo. Lower the shutter speed to get a better sync. Some camera's default sync speed is 1/60th of a second and sometimes user adjustable.

Remember the longer the shutter speed, the more light will register in the photo. Also boosting the ISO will help extend the flashes range and also record more ambient light for a more pleasing and balanced photo.

A few things to try, based on my FG's operation: - The most obvious- are your batteries good? Correct type? If they are: - When all is well the red LED metering lights will appear in the viewfinder window on the right side, in the range of shutter speed numbers. - The red LED metering lights are only activated when you press the shutter release button (halfway). The lights go out after a few seconds if the shutter button is not held down. Just tap the shutter button to reactivate them. - The shutter speed setting dial must NOT be on B (Bulb) or M90 (non-electronic Manual mode) if you want to see the red LED metering lights. The lights do not operate on these two settings because metering is irrelevant here (you'd be doing the metering, not the camera). - If you're in P (Program mode) the lens aperture must be set all the way to the smallest setting (usually f22 or f16, depending on the lens). If not, you'll only see blinking lights at the top and bottom of the shutter speed range on the right in the viewfinder. That's a reminder to set the lens to the smallest (highest numeric) aperture.
Hope these help. The FG is a great little camera.

Hi,
You can select the shutter speed in the following range
Shutter speed 15-1/2000 sec
ISO sensitivity • Auto
• ISO 80
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
• ISO 800
• ISO 1600

Thanks
proton

Hey xrebecca26,
I am assuming you are referring to zoom range of the lens when you say 16-18. Finding a camera with a 16-18x zoom range for $250 or less is going to be difficult to do, but BestBuy.com does have the Canon sx100is in your price range and it has a 10x optical zoom. As far as shutter delay goes most new camera's do a pretty good job at this I would suggest just trying it out before you buy the camera. Shutter delay is caused by the camera having a small buffer where the images are temporarily stored while the camera writes the images to your memory card. Buying a memory card with a fast write speed should greatly reduce shutter delay. I hope this helps!

Sincerely,
Allan
Go Ahead. Use Us.

The DiMAGE A1 controls shutter speed in the range of 30 sec. to 1/16000 sec. in 1/3 increments. (at bulb maximum 30 sec.).

In addition to the "quirks" of the Landscape and Aperture Priority Modes (neither mode works as documented!)..... The camera also behaves differently in full Manual Mode (it changes the settings, whether you want it to or not to compensate for available light)... At lower Zoom Levels, the camera will adjust the Shutter Speed Only, to try and compensate for available light... For example: with the Camera preset to F5.6 Aperture, and 1/48 sec. shutter speed, the camera will adjust the shutter speed between a range of 1/30 to 1/291 sec, to try and "auto expose" the shot for lower or higher light levels, even though you're in manual mode. At an Aperture Setting of 2.8 and 1/48 of a second, the number of internal steps in shutter speed the camera is willing to take, increases dramatially - for example: shutter speeds up to 1/600 of a second, even though you have the shutter set to 1/48 in manual mode. The camera WILL NOT attempt to adjust the Aperture to compensate for proper exposure in available light (OR WILL IT??).... It depends on your Zoom settings! It won't if your're near to full wide angle, but IT WILL if you are using the Zoom. Once you cross some unknown zoom threshold (it doesn't have to be at full zoom), then the camera begins to change both the Aperture and Shutter speed to compensate for available light, even though you are in "Full Manual", versus Auto Exposure Mode. In Manual Mode, (as in Aperture Priority Mode), the amount of change the camera is willing to make to your settings, appears to be related to a preset number of internal steps, with the number of steps dependent on both Aperture and Zoom Settings, before it gives an EV Warning for Over or Under Exposure conditions.... The type (shutter speed only for wide angle, shutter and aperture for zoom) and amount (number of internal "steps" it takes to increase/decrease shutter speed and increase or decrease aperture), is dependent on the amount of zoom you are using for the current shot.

Thats going to be a problem with most digital cameras in that price range (and even some $$ ones) really the only thing I can recommend is PF.F.S. That would be Pre-Focus -- Frame -- Shot. Many people try to frame a photo up then focus/shot all in one, but this does not always work. So if your looking to speed things up a little, just half press the button to get a prefocus and then do your magic. Really everything I talked about above was Focus-lag, not actually shutter lag. But since this is often confussed I thought I would add it in.