Originally posted by jatrax For subject movement:
People sitting = 1/100
People running = 1/250
Cars = 1/500
Birds in flight = 1/1250
Those are good basic rules of thumb (RoTs). Another RoT is to use a shutter speed of 1/FL for handheld still shots with SR on, or 1/(5FL) with SR off. So if you're shooting a tree with a 50mm lens, use 1/50 with SR on and 1/250 with SR off. That's if you want the tree to look sharp.
The absolute basic RoT is: as fast as possible!
Quote: Way too many other variables involved: speed of subject, focal length of lens, distance to subject, angle of motion relative to camera, is panning used, etc.
Yes indeed, it depends. Depends on those variables, and ISO, aperture, light, desired effects, et al. Think of every photo as an equation to be solved, with many possible solutions. There is no single perfect exposure. Or,
whatever works is the right exposure for any particular photo.