HELP- when in auto mode why is my shutter speed at 1/80, BLURRED PICS!!

Jori · 11-28-2009, 04:28 PM

I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple.
I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!???

flyer · 11-28-2009, 05:15 PM

It would help to know what camera you are using. On a K-7 (and some other Pentax cameras), for example, you can set auto mode to prioritize depth of field at the expense of shutter speed. If you could post a picture with EXIF data, it would help tremendously.

Marc Sabatella · 11-28-2009, 05:26 PM

It would indeed help to see a picture with EXIF intact so we can see what settings were used. But I'm guessing that at the ISO level you had selected (or the max of the auto ISO range you had selected), and the lens you had mounted 1/80" was the best shutter that the camera could give you.

Also, you don't say what lens you were using or what focal length you were at, but with the kit lens (18-55), 1/80" would normally be fast enough for a reasonably blur free picture. So even if the camera *could* have chosen a faster shutter speed, it may not have known it needed to.

mattdm · 11-28-2009, 09:18 PM

Originally posted by Jori

I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple.
I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!???

Just checking: are you sure you're in "auto mode" and not flash sync mode?

**Ash** · 11-28-2009, 10:25 PM

Welcome to the forum Jori.
As mentioned, posting an example would really help us help you.

Please also clarify what you mean by "auto mode". There are many, depending on your camera.
Aside from the green/auto-pict mode, the K100D/K200D/K-m/K-x cameras have extra "auto" modes in those green scene modes. And Av, Tv, TAv and Sv modes are also all "semi"-automatic modes but could also be considered auto modes.

Adam · 11-28-2009, 11:50 PM

You may have your program line set to 'depth'. Make sure this isn't the case, and set it to either normal or MTF.

Jori · 11-29-2009, 08:24 AM

Thanks for the responses, First off I apologize My camera is a K2000 and the shutter speed is at 1/8 not 1/80 (sorry) while in auto pict mode (green mode on dial)
I am not sure how to post a photo with the exif data but I have attatched a photo anyways, the image info is-

"PENTAX 1/8S
K2000 F/4.5
FOCAL LENGTH 28.1MM
ISO 800
35MM EQUIVALENT 42MM "

I'm not positive how to set the " program mode either" ..
The shutter speed is at 1/8 when I am in the green auto pict mode.
again, very sorry if I am not making sense I'm somewhat new to this stuff.

Attached Images

legacyb4 · 11-29-2009, 08:57 AM

1/8 at F4.5 & ISO 800 looks like you are shooting in very low light and the camera is already pushing the limit to what it can do.

It'd be tough for anyone to not have blur with settings like that!

Marc Sabatella · 11-29-2009, 09:08 AM

Originally posted by Jori

Here is a sample of a picture I took in auto pict and it randomly messed it up but a couple pics later it was working fine again...
Image info-
PENTAX 1/8s
K2000 f/4.5
FOCAL LENGTH 28.1mm
ISO 800
35mm equivalent : 42mm

first, you need to read about the basics of exposure: how ISO, aperture, and shutter relate to each other. Many people recommend "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, so that would be a good place to start. but there are, I'm sure, decent explanations of these parameter online. Just Google "exposure aperture shutter speed iso" and check out any of the first few hits that come up.

What you'll find is just as I predicted. Your lens is presumably the 18-55, and it has a maximum aperture of f/4.5 at that focal length. Since your ISO is set to 800, and there wasn't a ton of light, 1/8" is simply trhe shutter speed the camwra needed to use in order to get a good exposure. If you want a faster shutter speed, you need more light , or else a higher ISO or larger aperture. And larger aperture (smaller f-number) means buying a new lens. So start by either adding light (eg, flash), or by raising ISO when shooting in low light in situations where you don't want to use flash. Most likely, you were in auto ISO mode, but there is an option somewhere to set the highest ISO the camera will choose, and I'm guessing that was set to 800. Change that to 1600 or higher if you wish to stay in auto ISO mode.

Also, it would help slightly to zoom out a little to get the focal length below 28mm, because then the camera could shoot at f/4 instead of f/4.5, which would help a little tiny bit. But ultimately, if you do much low light shooting, you'll want a "faster" lens - one with a larger maximum aperture, like f/2.8 or better.

Jori · 11-29-2009, 09:19 AM

Thanks for the help, I will try to read about and understand it a little more... I know a LITTLE but not a lot.
The only reason I think this is a problem is because it happens in all lighting situations etc.. no matter outdoor bright day or indoor with studio lighting .. I just thought while indoor shooting in auto pict mode it would best detect the settings or what not. seeing how in the past years it has always worked just fine for me except for with this new k2000 I bought last month.

Jori · 11-29-2009, 09:20 AM

But thanks much, and I will try to read up on it a bit more!

Wheatfield · 11-29-2009, 09:25 AM

Originally posted by Jori

I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple.
I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!???

Originally posted by Jori

I appologize my camera is a K2000 and it's when I am in the "green auto pict" mode that my shutter speed is at 1/8 ( not 1/80 -sorry)
Also I am not sure how I can check my "program line" to see what it is at?
Here is a sample of a picture I took in auto pict and it randomly messed it up but a couple pics later it was working fine again...
Image info-

PENTAX 1/8s
K2000 f/4.5
FOCAL LENGTH 28.1mm
ISO 800
35mm equivalent : 42mm

Sorry I'm new to all of this stuff!

In your first post you said 1/80 second.
In your example, you state 1/8 second.
There is a very big difference here.
1/80 second is fast enough to handhold a lens of short focal length, 1/8 of a second is not, even with shake reduction.
BTW, drop the 35mm equivalency thing. It is nonsense.

Marc Sabatella · 11-29-2009, 09:26 AM

Originally posted by Jori

The only reason I think this is a problem is because it happens in all lighting situations etc.. no matter outdoor bright day or indoor with studio lighting ..

No, it doesn't. Something *else* might happen in better light that prevents you from getting sharp pictures, but the specific things that happened in this pictures are classic low light photography issues. Feel free to post pictures taken in better light where you have problems - again, with EXIF - and perhaps we can figure out what *different* thing went wrong there.

Quote:

I just thought while indoor shooting in auto pict mode it would best detect the settings or what not.

It does, except that you do need to have the auto ISO range set appropriately. And of course the camera won't zoom for you.

Quote:

seeing how in the past years it has always worked just fine for me except for with this new k2000 I bought last month.

Again, there is no way that is literally true. Post some of the images you have had more success with for comparison, again, with EXIF info. There is no way that *in that light*, any other camera you have ever owned was giving you a significantly faster shutter speed at ISO and aperture. That's just physically impossible. So if you had more success, it must have been in situations with more light (eg, you used flash), or the ISO was faster, or you had a larger maximum aperture available. or you might have gotten lucky and taken a sharp picture at 1/8"- it's not *impossible*.

aleonx3 · 11-29-2009, 10:16 AM

Originally posted by Jori

I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple.
I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!???

It is likely that you have the auto iso-range set to iso800 as the maximum, anything above that you have to set it your self; therefore, when you use the camera in auto mode, the maximum it can push is the iso800, at the same time, the maximum aperture you can get with the kit lens at that focal length is f4.5, the only variable the camera can set is 1/8 to obtain the proper exposure. If you change your iso setting to say 1600, than the the shutter speed will change to a faster setting to say 1/10 or higher. The rule of thumb to reduce the chance of handshake is 1/focal length; although with on camera SR, you can get a couple of stops slower than that with camera shake.

I am sure you will find this quite rewarding once you discover how it works especially with the help of folks on this forum.

**Ash** · 11-29-2009, 04:52 PM

I couldn't recommend learning the exposure triad (aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity) enough to those just starting out.
Once you understand this, you will have answered your own question.

The above advice is also spot-on.

11-28-2009, 04:28 PM	#1
Jori Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Utah Posts: 5	HELP- when in auto mode why is my shutter speed at 1/80, BLURRED PICS!! I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple. I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!???

11-28-2009, 11:50 PM	#6
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,597	You may have your program line set to 'depth'. Make sure this isn't the case, and set it to either normal or MTF. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

11-29-2009, 08:24 AM	#7
Jori Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Utah Posts: 5 Original Poster	reply.. still need help :( Thanks for the responses, First off I apologize My camera is a K2000 and the shutter speed is at 1/8 not 1/80 (sorry) while in auto pict mode (green mode on dial) I am not sure how to post a photo with the exif data but I have attatched a photo anyways, the image info is- "PENTAX 1/8S K2000 F/4.5 FOCAL LENGTH 28.1MM ISO 800 35MM EQUIVALENT 42MM " I'm not positive how to set the " program mode either" .. The shutter speed is at 1/8 when I am in the green auto pict mode. again, very sorry if I am not making sense I'm somewhat new to this stuff. Attached Images

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11-28-2009, 05:15 PM	#2
flyer Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ste-Anne des Plaines, Qc., Canada Posts: 2,013	It would help to know what camera you are using. On a K-7 (and some other Pentax cameras), for example, you can set auto mode to prioritize depth of field at the expense of shutter speed. If you could post a picture with EXIF data, it would help tremendously.

11-28-2009, 05:26 PM	#3
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	It would indeed help to see a picture with EXIF intact so we can see what settings were used. But I'm guessing that at the ISO level you had selected (or the max of the auto ISO range you had selected), and the lens you had mounted 1/80" was the best shutter that the camera could give you. Also, you don't say what lens you were using or what focal length you were at, but with the kit lens (18-55), 1/80" would normally be fast enough for a reasonably blur free picture. So even if the camera could have chosen a faster shutter speed, it may not have known it needed to.

11-28-2009, 09:18 PM	#4
mattdm Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boston, MA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,948	Originally posted by Jori I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple. I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!??? Just checking: are you sure you're in "auto mode" and not flash sync mode?

11-28-2009, 10:25 PM	#5
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Welcome to the forum Jori. As mentioned, posting an example would really help us help you. Please also clarify what you mean by "auto mode". There are many, depending on your camera. Aside from the green/auto-pict mode, the K100D/K200D/K-m/K-x cameras have extra "auto" modes in those green scene modes. And Av, Tv, TAv and Sv modes are also all "semi"-automatic modes but could also be considered auto modes.

11-29-2009, 08:57 AM	#8
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784	1/8 at F4.5 & ISO 800 looks like you are shooting in very low light and the camera is already pushing the limit to what it can do. It'd be tough for anyone to not have blur with settings like that!

11-29-2009, 09:08 AM	#9
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Originally posted by Jori Here is a sample of a picture I took in auto pict and it randomly messed it up but a couple pics later it was working fine again... Image info- PENTAX 1/8s K2000 f/4.5 FOCAL LENGTH 28.1mm ISO 800 35mm equivalent : 42mm first, you need to read about the basics of exposure: how ISO, aperture, and shutter relate to each other. Many people recommend "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, so that would be a good place to start. but there are, I'm sure, decent explanations of these parameter online. Just Google "exposure aperture shutter speed iso" and check out any of the first few hits that come up. What you'll find is just as I predicted. Your lens is presumably the 18-55, and it has a maximum aperture of f/4.5 at that focal length. Since your ISO is set to 800, and there wasn't a ton of light, 1/8" is simply trhe shutter speed the camwra needed to use in order to get a good exposure. If you want a faster shutter speed, you need more light , or else a higher ISO or larger aperture. And larger aperture (smaller f-number) means buying a new lens. So start by either adding light (eg, flash), or by raising ISO when shooting in low light in situations where you don't want to use flash. Most likely, you were in auto ISO mode, but there is an option somewhere to set the highest ISO the camera will choose, and I'm guessing that was set to 800. Change that to 1600 or higher if you wish to stay in auto ISO mode. Also, it would help slightly to zoom out a little to get the focal length below 28mm, because then the camera could shoot at f/4 instead of f/4.5, which would help a little tiny bit. But ultimately, if you do much low light shooting, you'll want a "faster" lens - one with a larger maximum aperture, like f/2.8 or better.

11-29-2009, 09:19 AM	#10
Jori Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Utah Posts: 5 Original Poster	Thanks for the help, I will try to read about and understand it a little more... I know a LITTLE but not a lot. The only reason I think this is a problem is because it happens in all lighting situations etc.. no matter outdoor bright day or indoor with studio lighting .. I just thought while indoor shooting in auto pict mode it would best detect the settings or what not. seeing how in the past years it has always worked just fine for me except for with this new k2000 I bought last month.

11-29-2009, 09:20 AM	#11
Jori Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Utah Posts: 5 Original Poster	But thanks much, and I will try to read up on it a bit more!

11-29-2009, 09:25 AM	#12
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,986	Originally posted by Jori I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple. I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!??? Originally posted by Jori I appologize my camera is a K2000 and it's when I am in the "green auto pict" mode that my shutter speed is at 1/8 ( not 1/80 -sorry) Also I am not sure how I can check my "program line" to see what it is at? Here is a sample of a picture I took in auto pict and it randomly messed it up but a couple pics later it was working fine again... Image info- PENTAX 1/8s K2000 f/4.5 FOCAL LENGTH 28.1mm ISO 800 35mm equivalent : 42mm Sorry I'm new to all of this stuff! In your first post you said 1/80 second. In your example, you state 1/8 second. There is a very big difference here. 1/80 second is fast enough to handhold a lens of short focal length, 1/8 of a second is not, even with shake reduction. BTW, drop the 35mm equivalency thing. It is nonsense.

11-29-2009, 09:26 AM	#13
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Originally posted by Jori The only reason I think this is a problem is because it happens in all lighting situations etc.. no matter outdoor bright day or indoor with studio lighting .. No, it doesn't. Something else might happen in better light that prevents you from getting sharp pictures, but the specific things that happened in this pictures are classic low light photography issues. Feel free to post pictures taken in better light where you have problems - again, with EXIF - and perhaps we can figure out what different thing went wrong there. Quote: I just thought while indoor shooting in auto pict mode it would best detect the settings or what not. It does, except that you do need to have the auto ISO range set appropriately. And of course the camera won't zoom for you. Quote: seeing how in the past years it has always worked just fine for me except for with this new k2000 I bought last month. Again, there is no way that is literally true. Post some of the images you have had more success with for comparison, again, with EXIF info. There is no way that in that light, any other camera you have ever owned was giving you a significantly faster shutter speed at ISO and aperture. That's just physically impossible. So if you had more success, it must have been in situations with more light (eg, you used flash), or the ISO was faster, or you had a larger maximum aperture available. or you might have gotten lucky and taken a sharp picture at 1/8"- it's not impossible.

11-29-2009, 10:16 AM	#14
aleonx3 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,996	Originally posted by Jori I am familiar with pentax and dslr's so I know this fix can't be THAT simple. I have checked all settings, batteries, reset custom functions etc and still can't figure out why when I am in " auto mode" my shutter speed is at 1/80... I need help , all i can get in auto mode now is blurry pics!!!??? It is likely that you have the auto iso-range set to iso800 as the maximum, anything above that you have to set it your self; therefore, when you use the camera in auto mode, the maximum it can push is the iso800, at the same time, the maximum aperture you can get with the kit lens at that focal length is f4.5, the only variable the camera can set is 1/8 to obtain the proper exposure. If you change your iso setting to say 1600, than the the shutter speed will change to a faster setting to say 1/10 or higher. The rule of thumb to reduce the chance of handshake is 1/focal length; although with on camera SR, you can get a couple of stops slower than that with camera shake. I am sure you will find this quite rewarding once you discover how it works especially with the help of folks on this forum.

11-29-2009, 04:52 PM	#15
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	I couldn't recommend learning the exposure triad (aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity) enough to those just starting out. Once you understand this, you will have answered your own question. The above advice is also spot-on.